Summer Pockets

All anime connected with Key, Tactics, and Jun Maeda, only excluding One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e - True Stories, which is a hentai.

This is a part of a series of stacks that are about artistic tendencies in anime (and that border the fine line between sophisticated and pretentious).

This stack is a work in progress.

Bibliography:
Elma, Alma. “Anime Cliches 30: Nakige.” Fate. 4 April 2016.
Galbraith, Patrick W. “Bishōjo Games: ‘Techno-Intimacy’ and the Virtually Human in Japan.” [Bishōjo Games + ‘Mechanical Sex’, Unstable Gender.] Game Studies. 11:2 (2012).
Scamp. “Secret Santa review: Kanon (06).” The Cart Driver. 24 December 2013.

New (to Anime) franchises or remakes of shows and movies that could be amazing


Last updates:
- added Anime announced before 2025
- Fall 2024 are now at the bottom since they are currently airing
- Summer 2024 anime have been removed
- added anime from ANIPLEX and KADOKAWA Anime Festival



Stats (start 2023):

right predictions (shows were received well): 18
wrong predictions (shows weren't received well): 3
neither right nor wrong: 10
good shows missed: 9

neither right nor wrong means: not as good as hoped for, but still good / was liked in it's targeted audience, but not as much by others


List of previous predictions: (https://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=899138)

Anime adaptations of various visual novels. Their total number is clearly more than the allowable limit, so I tried to add mainly adaptations of novels by well-known brands (Key, 5pb, Aquaplus), or those with well-known adaptations. Given the many sequels, spin-offs, and versions (especially in the case of the Fate series), I added only very first anime in the franchise.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪 𝘶𝘴𝘦
TV Series with one or multiple Season
English Localization and available on Steam

𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘨𝘴
Visual Novel : Linear and Multiple route
Kinetic Novel : Single Unbranching story

𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦
Bishoujo : male protagonist with female romance
(or 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐞/Gyaru Game, heroine options)
_
Otome : female protagonist with male romance
(or 𝐎𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞/Otome Game, husbando options)
_
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 : individual character story development
𝐌𝐨𝐞𝐠𝐞 : more focuses character with cute girls
_
𝐄𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞 : features H-content
𝐍𝐮𝐤𝐢𝐠𝐞 : H-content as main plot
_
𝐊𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐞 : popular or highest sales Visual Novel
𝐊𝐮𝐬𝐨𝐠𝐞 : terrible or bad sales Visual Novel
_
𝐍𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐠𝐞 : Crying Game, offer a happy ending
𝐔𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐞 : Depressing Game, no happy ending
_
𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐠𝐞 : heavy emphasis on drama and action, can
cross over with other genres for overarching story

thanks to @hackrabbits for corrected information.
______________________________

My Animanga Stacks on MyAnimeList
myanimelist.net/profile/OverHitMan/stacks

My Music Playlists on YouTube
youtube.com/@overhitempest
_
𝘌𝘟𝘵𝘳𝘢 official Visual/Kinetic Novel openings
YT ▣ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8DGMrJed_6ggtN2QFcFN9r2-qwxIPvxJ

Anime based on Visual Novels and Games

Anime that can completely change your perspective on life.

Key is a Japanese visual novel studio known for making dramatic and plot-oriented titles. It was formed on July 21, 1998, as a brand under the publisher Visual Arts, and is located in Kita, Osaka.

Some of the most popular anime by them are Clannad, Angel Beats and Charlotte.

All the anime in this stack have at least one visual novel adaptation (be it official or unofficial), sequel/prequel, or spin-off. It includes both anime adapted from VNs and adapted into VNs. This stack DOES NOT include unofficial 18+ visual novel adaptations, nor any non-distributed visual novels, nor low-quality parodies or spin-offs.

All of the visual novels mentioned for each anime are implied to have been released only in Japan and be available only in Japanese as of June 2024, unless stated otherwise.

Please, drop a comment in my profile if a VN and/or anime is missing.

Anime adaptions that are based on Visual Novels, and the Visual Novels have been translated to English. Also Eroge, Bishoujo Game/Galge, Otome Game, Nakige/Nukige tag.

(PART 2) https://myanimelist.net/stacks/50570
(PART 3) https://myanimelist.net/stacks/51424

Ero-Anime adapted from Visual Novels with English release
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/50524
Manga adaptions based on Visual Novels with English release
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/50508

This Interest Stack contains all of Jun Maeda's great works that I think you shouldn't miss. So don't forget to watch them out !

この注目スタックには、見逃せない麻枝准の素晴らしい作品がすべて含まれています。ぜひご覧ください！

I quit the seasonal grind last year after continuously being disappointed, however, I'm not necessarily opposed to watching an anime as it is airing. These are the ones I might consider watching.

""Currently"" based on the first few episodes, and is subject to change

Includes 2nd+ seasons

This stack only includes non-sequel TV anime—no movies, OVAs, or continuing series here.

This isn’t a list based on MAL scores, popular opinion, or what the hive mind thinks is "objectively good." These picks are entirely my personal favorites, based on what I’ve actually watched and enjoyed this season.

The list is ranked by enjoyment—top = most enjoyed, and it goes down from there. That said, I still consider everything here worth checking out. Just because something is lower doesn’t mean it’s bad—it’s just a relative ranking of what clicked with me.

Also, for full transparency: the ranking isn't necessarily tied to the scores I've given each show. It’s purely about how much fun I had watching them.

One more thing: Spring 2025 has been a pretty rough season for anime overall. If you've got older shows sitting in your PTW, honestly, I'd generally recommend diving into those first. But if you're curious about what (new) stood out for me this season, here’s the list.

I’ll update this stack if I come across anything else this season that deserves a spot, or if anything here ends up becoming disappointing thus gets removed.