Summer Wars English Sub & Dub

About Summer Wars

If you are hunting for a new action series, Summer Wars (サマーウォーズ) deserves a look (2009). The setup goes like this. What the story covers: When timid eleventh-grader and math genius Kenji Koiso is asked by older student and concealed crush Natsuki to come with her to her family's Nagano home for a summer job, he agrees without hesitation. Natsuki's family, the Jinnouchi clan, dates back to the Muromachi era (1336 to 1573), and they've all come together to celebrate the 90th birthday of the spunky matriarch of the family, Sakae.

Along the way, that’s when Kenji discovers his "summer job" is to pretend to be Natsuki's fiance and dance with her at the birthday celebration. As Kenji sets out to keep up with Natsuki's act around her family, he receives a strange math problem on his cell phone which, being a math genius, he can't resist solving. As it turns out, the solution to the mysterious equation causes Oz, the program that controls nearly every aspect of life to be hacked into, it's up to Kenji and his new "family" to stop the hacker before it's too late.

With action at the core, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. Voice work is led by Ryuunosuke Kamiki as Kenji Koiso and Nanami Sakuraba as Natsuki Shinohara. It will appeal most to viewers who like fast, high-impact fights. With 1 episodes in total, there is enough room for the story to develop.

Production & Appeal

Animation is handled by MADHOUSE, so the studio's house style defines how Summer Wars looks and moves on screen. The action focus matters here: fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. A 7.7/10 score points to a dependable, well-liked series. On the casting side, Ryuunosuke Kamiki voicing Kenji Koiso gives the lead role a recognizable voice. It aired in 2009, which makes it easy to place in the wider anime calendar.