2021 Anime...

Hello friends,

I was not able to publish any posts for the past month and a half and in the meantime, I was thinking about the posts that I can publish once I resume my blogging activity. One of the topics that immediately sprang to my mind is Anime, the reason being I have not published any anime related posts since this blog's inception & also me being a huge fan of anime. In this post, let's take a look at some of the top anime that was released this year along with some of the most anticipated releases of Fall 2021. Let's begin,

• My Hero Academia, Season 5 (Boku No Hero Academia) 

This season continues the adventures of Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without powers in a world where everyone has them & is granted power by the superhero he idolizes. Season 5 picks up right after the fight with the villain Overhaul and the school festival arc & follows the inter-class exercise between Class 1A & Class 1B in which Midoriya discovers more secrets about his power, One for All. The second half of this season delves deeper into the origin stories of the characters in the League of Villains. If you have not watched it yet, you should & if you are new to the series, then the holiday season is a great time to watch the previous 4 seasons.

• Jujutsu Kaisen

The breakout anime success at the end of 2020 continued it's success into 2021. The story follows Yuji Itadori, a good-hearted school boy who one day eats an actual finger, which served as a vessel for a powerful demon called Sukuna. After consuming the finger, Itadori gets taken in by a powerful mentor -Gojo Satoru, who assembles a cast of three central characters who work together to defeat the monsters known as curses in their world. Even though this anime reminds you of others such as Naruto & Yu Yu Hakusho, in which the focus is on super-human protagonists who magically power up just when the going gets rough, Jujutsu Kaisen starts with Itadori’s own weakness and him begging for the demon inside to save him. Jujutsu Kaisen is the perfect show for long-time shonen fans who are looking for something a little bit darker, a bit stranger.

• That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Season 2)

This series follows the adventures of Rimuru, a man who is killed and reincarnated in another world as a slime. This breezy yet intense anime has the usual tropes of an issekai anime but also provides us with an interesting plot in which Rimuru wants to build a nation in which human & monsters can thrive peacefully. In this season, after taking a break from his time as a teacher, the powerful slime Rimuru Tempest returns to his kingdom, Tempest, just in time to begin negotiations with a nearby nation-the Kingdom of Eurazania. While the negotiations are anything but peaceful, they do end successfully, allowing Rimuru to return and finish teaching. When trying to again return to Tempest, this time permanently, Rimuru is stopped by a mysterious figure who is somehow able to constrain the many magical abilities he has at his disposal.

In Tempest, the situation is even worse. A group of unknown humans have invaded the land and are assaulting its citizens, both influential and innocent. They are not just trying to bring harm either-they have the intent to kill. Can Rimuru overcome his powerful and dangerous foe and return to Tempest before it is too late?

• Megalobox 2: Nomad

After the triumph of the original Megalobox in 2018, Megalobox 2 is a revitalization of a show that seemingly needed no sequel. The second season of Megalobox is darker, somber, and more melancholic underdog story than the first season. Five years have passed since the events of the earlier series, and in that time, there's been a lot of change. Joe, now going by Nomad, is a stray drifting from place to place, a death in the family leaving a rift between him and his ragtag group of friends. He is also addicted to painkillers, fighting anonymously in cage bouts and alone. Nomad is a worthy successor to the tremendous action and character-driven drama of the first season. By putting its hero at his lowest point, Megalobox has returned even stronger.

• Odd Taxi

Odd taxi is, well, odd. The taxi driver Odakawa, a walrus abandoned by his family as a child, prefers to keep to himself even as he ferries a number of oddball passengers around every night. But lately, each car conversation somehow leads toward a missing girl. The anime as a whole is an expert blend of black comedy, mystery, modern compulsions and futile endeavors which includes fandom, the want for fame or viral infamy. Odd Taxi is a series you must absolutely make the time to watch and is a strong contender for 2021’s most unique & best anime.

• Sk8 the Infinity

High school student Reki Kyan is passionate about one thing: Skateboarding. At night, he heads to "S", an illegal underground race inside a mine where skaters compete in highly dangerous situations. After a loss that results in his skateboard being destroyed and his arm being broken, Reki is now incapable of practicing at all.

While working, Reki runs into his new classmate, Langa Hasegawa, a boy with no skateboarding experience & is in desperate need of money. They both visit "S" when tasked by Reki's boss & get into trouble and are forced into a bet that requires Langa to skate in a race. However, the mysterious transfer student holds a trump card that Reki is unaware of, one which might help him win the race in the most unexpected way. Sk8 is special because of its characters. With its large cast of great characters and interesting backstories, it’s the perfect short sports anime (12 episodes) to watch in 2021.

• To Your Eternity

An otherworldly power sends an Orb to Earth, and becomes a rock. After a while, it becomes a wolf. Then it becomes a young boy, taking on the name Fushi, and sets off on a journey of self-discovery as he learns what it truly means to be human, from the simple pleasures of eating fresh-picked fruit to the ways grief and loss are intertwined into human life. The series never loses its sense of hope, finding beauty in life’s futility and reminds its viewers that nothing is ever truly gone as long as it lives on in your memories.

• Tokyo Revengers

Takemichi Hanagaki’s second year of middle school was the highest point in his life. He had respect, a gang of friends, and even a girlfriend. But that was twelve years ago. Today, he’s a nobody and is always forced to apologize to his younger boss. A sudden news report about the cruel murder of the only girlfriend he ever had alongside her brother only adds insult to injury. Half a second before a train ends his life for good, Takemichi flashes back to that same day twelve years ago, when he was still dating Hinata Tachibana. A perfect blend of action and heartfelt character drama, Tokyo Revengers is quickly establishing itself as one of the best modern shonen series.

Below are some of the highly anticipated Fall 2021 anime releases,

• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Season 2

The massive response to the debut season's final few episode followed by a box-office shattering response for the Mugen Train film in theaters, season 2 of this anime is one of the hotly anticipated releases of this year. This series will first explore the Mugen Train arc specially made for the TV anime & then follow it up with the Entertainment District arc.

• Komi Can't Communicate

On the first day of school, Komi instantly captures everyone’s heart with her long beautiful hair and her elegance but there is one problem, she is terrible at communicating. Another classmate Tadono, promises to help her make at least 100 friends.

• Platinum End

Mirai is a teenage boy, who is living with his violent relatives after his parents’ death. He becomes depressed, and wants to end his life. At the final moment, he is saved an angel. She offers to help him become a god of the new world if he defeats 12 other candidates in 999 days.

• Mieruko Chan

Mieruko Chan is a combination of horror and comedy. Miko is a high school student, whose life changes one day when suddenly she starts seeing monsters & nobody else can see them. Instead of running away or confronting them, she decides to ignore them & the monsters start appearing in her house, her school and even in her bed. Watch her daily life where she does her best to ignore these horrifying creatures.

What are the anime series that you enjoyed watching in 2021? or What are some of the highly anticipated Fall 2021 anime series that you are waiting for?, do mention about it in the comments section.

See you soon with another post!

-Thejas 😁