I checked anime that starts in 2017.
And chose 8 recommendable anime to watch.

I selected these 8 anime from my point of view but I also checked popularity and ranking of some other websites.
There are also other popular anime that starts in 2017 such as Yowamushi Pedal, Tales of Zestiria, Gintama, etc. but I didn’t select them as everyone knows them and are already very popular.
Although some of anime I selected here are also already popular but I chose them as I myself want to watch them.

I summarized story of each anime with my short comment here.

※ I use image of each anime from Amazon Affiliate link as I wanted to use the image officially that no need to click if you don’t need to buy goods of them.

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Second Season

Kyoji was once belonged to Japanese Yakuza and had been in prison.
But he watches traditional Japanese storytelling Rakugo of Yakumo who had visited prison for consolation.
Kyoji had been attracted to the Rakugo Yakumo performed.
That becomes the only hope he lives after his release from prison.
He directly goes to the place Yakumo lives to become his disciple.
He begs Yakumo to take him as a disciple but he knew Yakumo never take any disciple.
But somehow Yakumo takes him as his disciple.
He comes to live and study Rakugo under Yakumo but one day he happens to sleep while Yakumo performing his Rakugo.
Yakumo tells Kyoji his expulsion.
Kyoji begs not to expel him and Yakumo takes him by keeping 3 promises.
These 3 promises were key factors of Yakkumo’s past and becomes the rest of the story.

If you are interested in Japanese traditional comedy this anime of Rakugo is recommendable.
Anime of Rakugo is very rare.
As long as I know this is the first one.
It tells what Rakugo is with the unique expression, motion and manner it has.
Relationship of the people and the past of Yakumo is also a highlight of this anime.
How story goes in this second episode.

Masamune-kun’s Revenge

Masamune was once a chubby boy and was made fun of by other children.
But he met a girl Aki and they joined their efforts against the attack.
One day, he propose her but she reject it saying “I don’t like piggy’s foot”.
Piggy’s foot is Tonsoku in Japanese that implies a short and a thick leg.
He decides to revenge her at the time and makes great effort for that.
When he got back to the place he once lived 8 years ago, he was not what he used to be.
Looks, brains, reflexes, he became a perfect guy at whom every girl looks back when he passes by.
He met with Aki again at school but she didn’t notice that he is Masamune as he changed a lot and he even changed his family name.
Masamune makes a strategy which he call “Dead or Alive”.
It’s a strategy to win her affections and dump her at the end.
This was the revenge he made.

This anime is not just love romance but a kind of comedy that there are points you can laugh.
Why Aki rejected him saying such a cruel word in the past?
Aki’s follower Yoshino is also key character and she is the only one who knows Masamune’s past.

God’s blessing on this wonderful world (Kono subarashii sekai ni shukufuku wo)

Kazuma is a NEET and a shut-in boy who loves video game.
One day he went out for the first time in a while to buy new game.
On his way home, he helps a girl who was nearly run over by a truck (He came to know it was not a truck but just a tractor afterwards)
He lost his life but when he wake up there was a goddess Aqua.
Aqua break up laughing as she knew his cause of death was not by physical damage but a shock and the girl was not hit by the tractor even if he didn’t help.
He gets angry with her.
After loud laughing, she asks him to save another world and tells him he can take only one thing such as a special weapon, tremendous talent, etc.
Kazuma who got angry with her tells her Aqua is the one he wants to take to the world.
It was his revenge and the contract completed.
They thus start their adventure in the fantasy world.

This is not a serious adventure but an anime you can laugh.
You know it from the start of the story as the main reason of Kazuma’s death was a mental shock by a tractor.
Relationship between Kazuma and Aqua also makes the story interesting.

Hand Shakers

High school student Tazuna who loves mechanical stuffs and mess around with electronic was busy everyday by taking order of fixing.
He receives order from associate professor Makihara who works at university.
There at Makihara’s laboratory he finds a girl Koyori who keeps sleeping in the bed.
He touches her finger and they becomes Hand Shakers.
What God ask them and can they defeat other Hand Shakers?

This anime is the work of GodHands company which have become independent of Satellite company that dealt with Macross.
Hand Shakers are people who fight using weapon Nimrode that made from their deep psyche by shaking hands.
Osaka is the setting.
Characters moves fast frequently in their battle.
It is also an interesting the anime don’t have its original.
No one knows how the anime goes until it starts.

Demi-chan Wa Kataritai

There is a world in which Vampire, Succubus, Dullahan, etc. those who have special ability live.
They are called Ajin.
Tetsuo Takahashi was the one who takes interest in those Ajin.
He is a teacher of biology at high school and was once researching Ajin at university.
He planed to write graduation thesis of Ajin at university but gave up it as he couldn’t get permission for it.
It was also difficult research from the first as the number of Ajin was absolutely few.
Then he finally gets a chance to contact Ajin at high school.
They were student in his class.
Tetsuo and Ajin, their exciting lives start.

When I read the title first I remembered the other serious anime Ajin.
So I thought this might be similar one.
But it was not similar after all rather opposite one.
You can watch it in a warm and comfortable mood.
It seems like Ajin is old way to call them that Vampire Hikari says Demi is the modern way for calling them.
I understood the title was not Ajin-chan wa Kataritai but Demi-chan Wa Kataritai.
So this is not bloody anime rather comical touch anime.

Blue Exorcist Kyoto Fujyouou Hen

Ren Okumura is a boy who lives in a monastery.
He was a fire-eater and didn’t go high school.
His character made difficult even just work as a part-time.
But he actually was a kind guy that he fought only when there is some reason or something to protect.
One day he suddenly notice he can see something unusual which ordinary people can’t see.
And he releases his power for the first time during his fighting with bad boys.
That was the time he noticed he was not ordinary boy but child of Satan.

This Kyoto Fujyouou Hen is 2nd episode of Blue Exorcist.
Blue Exorcist got popular that this is a must-see anime who knows original one.
In this 2nd episode they head down to Kyoto to get left eye of Fujyouou, which was stolen, back.
Because of release of his power as a son of Satan in 1st episode, relationship between Ren and friends became strained.
But Izumo who took her seat next him didn’t care anything.
How their relationship and the story itself go in this 2nd episode.

Kuzu no Honkai

Hanabi Yasuraoka and Mugi Awaya looks ideal couple.
But they both have the other ones they love.
They make a rule between them to break up when either of them’s love reached to the person.
Hurt someone, still looking for warmness of someone else, this is a twisted love story.

Kuzu means scum that actually you can often see personality of the character is scum.
It is not only the couple but people around them also have scum factors within them.
Animation is beautiful but this is not a pure love story rather very twisted one.
Some people, or many people, might get sick with their thoughts.
But it may get straight to the point of deep psyche of human sometimes.

Yami Shibai Episode 4

Yaishibai is a horror anime.
One story is just 5 minutes and it doesn’t move like ordinary anime.
Each story is different and has old touch of a picture‐story show in old days in Japan.
First episode was on air in 2013 and this is episode 4
Gruesome tale of Japan.

Actually I didn’t watch any of them as I’m really not good at this kind of story.
But I recommend you if you like horror movie.
Japanese horror is very different from those in overseas’s.
It makes you shiver from the heart and the feeling continues even after watching.
Not just scary but it has unique story.
What I thought interesting is this anime was made in a picture-story touch.
That stirs our imagination even more.

Author : Hiroshi