July - September • 221 anime
Summer 2016 felt like a turning point — lots of releases but a few clear winners. Your Name. was still everywhere, and The Ancient Magus' Bride's short special teased more to come.
It felt like summer 2016 was a season where big theatrical energy bled into the TV slate — there were 119 titles and a few huge names that shaped conversation. Your Name. was still the benchmark: its visuals and soundtrack kept pulling people into theaters and conversations about animation as a cinematic medium. The Ancient Magus' Bride's short special arrived like a mood piece — it nailed the manga's fairy‑tale atmosphere and made the franchise feel alive between major releases.
Kizumonogatari Part 2 showed why movie‑format Monogatari entries worked, with sharp direction, striking frames, and that dense, rapid-fire dialog rhythm. Berserk (2016) brought Guts back to screens and reintroduced the world to newer viewers, prompting a lot of debate over the show's look and pacing. Sweetness & Lightning provided straightforward, warm slice-of-life comfort, and studios like Lerche, J.C.Staff and A-1 Pictures kept the season varied enough that people could pick a mood or two.
