Summer is shaping up to be hotter than ever this year! While you’re inside cooling off why not spend ten to fifteen minutes watching an episode of a refreshing new series? As a busy adult you’re confronted with a near infinite number of options to watch and it can be difficult to narrow down what exactly you have time or energy to invest in. Many animated series have shortened their episodes to be 10-15 minutes long and can be watched almost any time thanks to network apps and on-demand services. With so many options and limited time to watch here are five worthwhile series to follow and take the edge off the heat. This list is in order of what I personally am most excited to watch.
1) MaoMao Heroes of Pureheart – Mondays at 6:10 and 6:30 pm on Cartoon Network
As outlined in this post MaoMao is the type of show that comes out maybe once in a decade. The animation is incredibly fluid and consistent, the plotting evenly paced, and the story still manages to hit all the tropes of an action adventure series while still making fun of itself, the genre, and maybe the adult viewers too. Watch for pure entertainment alone or come back weekly if you like that building plot line.
2) Amphibia – Mondays – Thursdays at 10:00 am on Disney Channel
Stylistically there isn’t anything special about the series. The animation is clean and what I’ve come to expect from Disney’s TV series in terms of quality. Plot is overall very episodal, but any new developments are always circled back to one or two episodes later. So why is this show even on the list if it’s not that special? Amphibia is absolutely beautiful in a heart-crafted way. For a fantasy world everything is very real, grounded, and everything makes sense. Series creator Matt Braly brings his childhood visits to Thailand and previous experience storyboarding and directing Gravity Falls to the series ensuring that things are not always what they seem.
3) Craig of the Creek – Saturdays at 9:00 am on Cartoon Network
Easily the coolest show around! Follow Craig and his friends as they enjoy being kids who play in the local creek behind their homes. Also, they have to protect the creek from a tyrannical king from the north who seeks to take over the land and impose strict and absurd rules on all his subjects, but that’s happening in the background. A fantastic series for inclusion and representation of people of color and the LGBT+ community. Watching as an adult it’s like reliving the wonder of childhood and seeing the world with the fresh awe of amazement. Anything is possible if you imagine it to be so!
4) Summer Camp Island, season 2 – Sundays at 12:00 pm on Cartoon Network
As this series only airs in the summertime here’s what you missed last year: Hedgehog turned into a werewolf and the camp counselor witch, Susie, has been 15 for the last 100 years. While the island is very wacky and random, once you adjust to almost everything having a face and a personality, the series is very soft, comforting, and homey. Perfect to watch with a best friend, or on a rare rainy day when one is feeling kind of cozy. Immense imagination and creativity has gone into the production and I am constantly wowed by some of the concepts Oscar and Hedgehog encounter.
5) Victor and Valentino – Saturdays at 9:30 am on Cartoon Network
Riding in on the heels of unapologetically Mexican films like The Book of Life and Coco, the series follows two step brothers who are spending the summer with their grandmother in the peculiar city of Monte Macabre. While most series would have the heroes investigating strange occurrences that happen around them, Victor and Valentino has chupacabras, cursed board games, god-trapping-figurines, and a talking skeleton dog as just a normal part of life that should be embraced. Also, the opening animation is almost absurd in the amount of perspective and detail. Watch and keep track of Victor’s shoe. If cryptids and adventure are your game, then Vic & Val are your team!
Whether you’re watching for entertainment, or want something more wholesome, or need something with a little more intrigue and mystery, there’s something for everybody this summer. From the action-comedy of MaoMao to the mystery and plot-driven story lines of Amphibia or Victor and Valentino, or just need something light and fluffy like Summer Camp Island, or that special middle ground of Craig of the Creek that has something for everybody. Summer is bountiful this year, so get to watching!
Do you think I missed a series worth adding to this list? Leave a comment below so we can watch and talk about it together!
Somnilogue 