by Hal Patnott

Looking for something new to read or watch this summer? Try one of these manga/anime series. All of the manga versions of the series are on-going, and most of the anime adaptions are available for free (and legally!) on Crunchyroll. These were some of my favorites from the last year

Akame ga KILL! by Takahiro and Tetsuya Tashiro

Publisher: Yen Press

Available Volumes: 6

Episodes: 24

Tatsumi, a naive teenager from the country, moves to the imperial capital in hopes of earning a fortune by joining the army. However, he quickly learns that the Capital is corrupt and infested by demons. Instead of enlisting like he planned, Tatsumi joins forces with an elite group of assassins called Night Raid who punish evil from the shadows. They are determined to free their country from demon control.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan by Yoshiki Tanaka and Hiromu Arakawa

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Volumes: 4

Episodes: 25

Arslan, the young prince of the kingdom of Pars, is no warrior like his father King Adragoras, who has never lost a battle. He’s curious about other cultures and merciful to his subjects, even when his life has been put in danger. However, in Arlsan’s fourteenth year, the fanatically religious kingdom of Lusitania attacks the borders of Pars. For the first time Arslan must prove himself. No one expects the King’s army to lose, but, when treachery turns the tides of war against them, Arlsan must set out on a quest to overthrow Lusitania and win back his kingdom.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? by Fujino Omori and Suzuhito Yasuda

Publisher: Yen Press

Available Volumes: 4

Episodes: 13

Bell Cranel makes his living as an adventurer, killing monsters in the Dungeon in exchange for magic stones. He dreams of one day impressing a girl by rescuing her from a monster. However, his dream doesn’t go quite as planned. When Bell ventures too deep into the dungeons, a Minotaur attacks and nearly kills him. Lucky for Bell, Aiz Wallenstein, a top-class warrior known as the Sword Princess, steps in just in time to save his life. Even the gods honor Aiz Wallenstein for her power in battle. She’s far beyond Bell’s league as an adventurer. Determined that one day Aiz will notice him, Bell devotes himself to becoming the strongest hero in the world.

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun by Izumi Tsubaki

Publisher: Yen Press

Volumes: 3

Episodes: 12

When Chiyo Sakura confesses her love to Nozaki, a tall and brawny boy in her year, the last thing she expects is to receive his autograph. Soon she discovers that he’s secretly a manga artist for a popular series called “Let’s Fall in Love!” and he wants Sakura to be his assistant. Although, as an artist, Nozaki is known as “the spokesperson for girls’ hearts everywhere,” he turns out to be pretty clueless about love in the real world.

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life by Keiichi Arawi

Publisher: Vertical

Available Volumes: 1

Episodes: 26

Yuuko, Mio, and Mai, sophomores at an ordinary high school, find themselves in strange and surprising circumstances every day. One of their classmates is not-so-secretly a robot with a giant turnkey on her back. The boy Mio has a crush on rides a goat to school. Their principal battles deer in the courtyard. In this parody of slice-of-life, each chapter is a vignette that challenges the definition of “normal.”