This season of anime hasn’t impressed me too much. There are obvious winners in the sequels of Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer. Ousama Ranking is still ongoing and has earned a special place in my heart already. But when it comes to new shows airing this season I haven’t been too impressed. I debated on if I should make this post or not, which is why it’s so late. I decided to go over five shows that I’m enjoying after all, some of which are really good. Without wasting any more time, let’s get to it.
Akebi’s sailor uniform
Akebi has long dreamed of wearing the beautiful sailor uniform that her mom wore to school. Now that she’s been accepted into the prestigious Roubai Private Academy that dream has come true. There has however been a bit of a mix-up, and Akebi finds out that the school uniform has changed since her mom went to school there. Fortunately, the school has no problems with her wearing the sailor uniform anyway since it has been an approved school uniform in the past, so why would they decline it now. We follow Akebi and her classmates who are all definitely a little bit strange. Cloverworks is handling a lot of shows this season, but they’re definitely letting some of their talented staff work on this one since some of the frames look absolutely gorgeous. This would probably be a very forgettable show if it looked average but because it doesn’t it stands out a lot and I would recommend giving it a shot if you like slow slice of life shows.
I swear she looks so much like Marin from Dress-Up Darling. Regardless, really shows the artists talent working at Cloverworks. Makes you wonder what went wrong with some of their other IPs. Ahem, Promised Neverland.
My Dress-Up Darling
If there’s one show I expect most of you to be aware of already, it has to be dress-up darling. This show is also being handled by CloverWorks and similar to Akebi-chan looks very good. The story follows Hina-doll crafter Wakana Gojo as he gets roped into making cosplay outfits for his classmate Kitagawa Marin. He turns out to have a real knack for it, having so much experience on making doll clothes, and the two quickly start getting along. Marin is a very outgoing person whereas Gojo is quite reserved. The characters are fun, the animation is good and it’s just shaping up to be a very wholesome romance show. It kind of reminds me of Smile down the runway but so far I think this is the better of the two shows. If you enjoyed that anime, you might like this and if you’re already watching Dress-Up Darling you might want to check out Smile down the runway too.
I think we all feel the same right now, Marin.
Police in a pod (Hakozume)
Probably my least favorite show of the five listed here, but it did still make the top over some other shows I’m watching this season, so that has to count for something. Police in a pod is about a young police officer Kawaii who is about to quit the force when she gets a new coworker who’s also a woman. Maybe she doesn’t want to quit quite yet. The show takes one a few serious topics but also gets silly at times. It often feels like I’m watching a less good version of Uramichi-Oniisan. It’s similar in its comedic style but I feel like I’m not nearly as invested in the characters. It’s still an enjoyable watch most of the time, and I do like watching these women put some men in their place when it’s well deserved. If you liked Uramichi-Oniisan, check this show out as well.
This scene was so sadistic but so deserved, it kind of sold me on the show as a whole.
Sabikui Bisco
There’s a very funny clip of Gigguk watching the trailer for this show and being very excited to watch it, only to be horrified a second later when he unpauses the trailer and watches Milo use his mouth to take some sort of parasite from someone else’s mouth. So yeah, that kind of set the tone for me for this show, but it looked interesting enough so I decided to watch it after all. And I ended up being pleasantly surprised by it. The story follows Milo Nekoyanagi, a doctor who is curing people from rust caused by mushrooms. Except he soon learns from Akaboshi Bisco, a wanted man nicknamed the man-eater, that this isn’t true. Mushrooms actually help against the rusting. Bisco is hunting for a rust-eating mushroom that would help purify all rust. Milo decides to join him after their encounter in hopes of curing his sister who also suffers from the rust. This show has a very similar vibe to Dorehedoro in that it is weird, silly and extremely over the top. The scene from the trailer was still very weird though if you were wondering, context doesn’t make it much better. Either way, if you like over the top shows like this I’d highly recommend giving Sabikui Bisco a shot.
I think she does, just a hunch.
Slow Loop
To end this list on a rather slow note I have another slice of life show to recommend. Slow Loop tells the story of Hiyori, whose dad passed away years ago. Her dad used to love fishing and he passed this love down to Hiyori. One day Hiyori is fishing on the beach and she meets a girl called Koharu. Hiyori is nervous because her mother’s new husband and his daughter are moving in with them that day. Koharu is also nervous because she and her dad are moving in with his new wife. What a coincidence that they both have such a similar thing happening at the same time… wait a minute! So Koharu and Hiyori are no stepsisters and the two quickly bond over fishing. We met some of their other friends and it’s just a relaxing show. The show does talk about the newly formed family a decent amount and doesn’t gloss over it to get to the fishing, which I really appreciated. It makes the characters feel way more grounded than they otherwise would. Not an amazing show by any means but if you like slower slice of life shows this might be right up your alley.
What a bizarre coincidence, I wonder if the two events are related.
And that’s really all I have to say about this season. I’ve just finished Demon Slayer as of writing this and that’s still rolling around in my head with how amazing it was. Ousama Ranking is still the best thing currently airing and I’ve also been watching BLack Clover which is probably more fun than 4 out of 5 entries on this list. If we can take a detour to non-anime for a moment, The Legend of Vox Machina, an animation based on a D&D show by Critical role, is currently airing on Amazon Prime and it’s very good. As a fan I was kind of hesitant it would be way too pandering and a bit slow, but they really nailed the shift in medium. This does mean there’s been a lot of changes from the story I first consumed as a podcast, but that’s very much a good thing. Highly recommend it, the animation is done by studio Titmouse who is behind The Legend of Korra as well, so you know it looks good. And that’s all from me, thanks for reading and see you next season!
I’ve been wanting to write about Black Clover for a while now. The shonen anime based on the manga by Yuki Tabata has finished already, although a sequel is very much possible seeing that the manga is still going in full swing. I’ve been reading the manga weekly for a very long time now, since not too long after it started publication. I’ve also tried watching the anime when it first came out, but like many others got turned off by the over the top voice acting for Asta. Asta is voiced by Gakuto Kajiwara. Kajiwara has done fantastic work as Shinra Kusakabe in Fire Force, Gobta in Tensura and Tadano in Komi-San. I didn’t even recognize his voice in Komi-San, but it’s very fitting to the character. Having said that, Asta was one of his first, if not his first big role. And I think it really shows in the first few episodes. Maybe it’s the lack of experience, maybe it’s the voice direction, maybe Asta was just supposed to be really annoying in the first few episodes, but it made it so I kind of lost interest. Early this year I decided to give the anime another shot, since the manga is very good right now. And my oh my has it not disappointed. Let’s talk about it.
Mimosa Scary
For those unfamiliar with Black Clover, it tells the story of Asta, a highly motivated orphan boy who wants to be the Magic King one day. The Magic King is the leader of the Magic Knights and alongside the regular King is the most prominent figure in the Clover Kingdom. Unfortunately for Asta, he doesn’t have any magic. He’s just a peasant orphan boy with no talent. But that doesn’t stop Asta. What do you do when the universe and fate are conspiring against you? You work out. Then you work out some more. Then you get sad, dejected and work out some more. You cheer yourself up and work out even harder. Seriously man, you need to slow down. Your muscles have muscles of their own at this point. When it’s time for the grimoire ceremony, where hopefuls get their grimoire to use to cast magic, Asta is not chosen. Not only that, his brother and fellow hopeful Yuno gets the four-leaf clover grimoire, an extremely rare thing to happen. Down on his luck Asta runs into trouble and soon he gets picked by a completely black grimoire. It has a Black Clover on it and allows him to summon a sword that nullifies magic. Get it, Black Clover, like the name of the series? Ignoring the on the nose title drop, Asta and Yuno both apply to join the magic knights. Yuno is picked by half the squads and joins the prestigious Golden Dawn. Asta ends up joining the Black Bulls, the worst squad. And this is where things get interesting.
You see, Black Clover is stupid. It refuses to acknowledge any responsibility it might have towards improving on the shonen genre. It just sticks it’s heels in the sand and does the same old thing that shonen shows have done for ages now. And my word, does it do it perfectly. Black Clover isn’t reinventing the genre, it’s not making you think deeply about things, it’s not doing anything new. It’s just the good guys fighting the bad guys, or misunderstood guys. The Black Bull Captain’s motto is basically to surpass your limits right here and now. No logical power-ups, no boring training arcs. Just get good. To put into perspective how silly this show is, I want to talk about a scene I just watched the other day. This will contain some mild spoilers and reveal a Black Bull member that only comes into the story later. I’m assuming most of you reading this have seen Black Clover at this point but if you haven’t, just go watch it. Trust me, it’s very good. Is all of that clear? Excellent, let’s talk about the Black Bull’s base.
During one of the bigger story arcs of Black Clover, where the souls of elves are reincarnated into several of the Magic Knight members, the gang find themselves all converging around the Black Bull’s Base. Here they find out, and in the case of Asta already knew, that there’s a sickly person in their base called Henry, who is also a part of the Black Bulls. Henry has a strange disease that makes him suck up the magic power of nearby people. He needs the power to survive and can’t turn it off. So he stayed in the depths of the base, sometimes taking a bit of magical energy from the other Black Bulls. He uses this power to turn the base into a giant mecha. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. He is the perfect support character. And just like that there are multiple Black Bulls that seem to be designed to be great utility to move the story forward. Charmy can replenish magic power with her food, Grey can turn materials into others to help the groups. Vanessa can basically change the flow of time and Finral is a fancy uber. It’s genius to make a cast like this but what makes Black Clover even better is that all these characters get their own arcs and are full-fledged members. They’re not just a bit of utility that’s there to use.
Basically what I want to say about Black Clover is that shooting your anti-magic main characters out of a giant mech that’s piloted by a guy who speaks at a rate of four words per hour to just headbutt the crap out of your enemies might be the most stupid thing I’ve watched in a very long time and I love it. As much as I love diving into deeply complicated shows that have important character motivations and deep meanings, very few things beat watching an all out brawl with characters that are just pure fun to watch. Black Clover does this perfectly. If you want a shonen to watch, Black Clover should be high on your list. Thanks for reading!
As is to be expected, this review contains some spoilers of both seasons of Mushoku Tensei. Avoid if you don’t want to be spoiled!
I wrote this post about Mushoku Tensei in March of last year, after the first season had ended. My thoughts were that it was a gorgeous looking show with fantastic animation and very promising world building. I also talked about how I do not agree with some of the behavior of the main character. Obviously I took into account that you’re not supposed to root for Rudeus at this point in the story, but I still found that it took away from how good the story was.
So now that almost a year has passed and we’ve had a second season of Mushoku Tensei, let’s revisit by far the most popular topic on this blog (I’m not exaggerating, I’ll upload something on a day and then that new post will get less views than the Mushoku Tensei one, you all love that topic don’t you?” So revisiting seemed like the right thing to do. And my opinion on the show has definitely shifted into a direction, although perhaps not as much as others, from what I’ve been seeing.
Rudeus is becoming a better person.
I really enjoyed season two of Mushoku Tensei. The story of Rudeus and Eris slowly growing closer as they face danger again and again is great to watch. The family slowly getting together is wholesome to watch and Rudeus grows by leaps and bounds this season. He starts facing his trauma head-on more and more until eventually he doesn’t seem to be shackled by it nearly as much. And then Eris breaks his heart and crushes his spirit all over again. The story takes our protagonists across several continents and they visit several strange people. They say goodbye to Ruijerd and finally say goodbye to each other. In one way or another.
We first find Paul and Norn as they were looking for the rest of the family as well. Paul and Rudeus get into a fight but eventually make up like the grown adults they both are. Rudeus then goes on his way to find Lilia and Aisha. This goes poorly initially but with a little help from the gods, quite literally, he ends up figuring things out and saving both of them. Now all that’s left is Zenith, Rudeus’ mom. She seems to be in a whole lot of trouble though, and I can’t wait to see how that is going to get resolved.
Yeah, I would have found this funny a decade ago but now it’s just rough to look at.
Now for my opinion on the more questionable parts of this show. The part of this post you’ve all been waiting for, I suppose. Rudeus is still problematic. I bet he even has an Aladdin costume in his parents’ attic. All mediocre references aside, he’s still a grown man in a child’s body at time sexually assaulting other minors, wearing strange women’s underwear on his face and all sorts of highly morally questionable things. Even the scene between him and Eris at the end of the season was questionable, but since it was at least consensual and the laws of their world are probably very different I’ll let it slide. Rudy has definitely grown as a person. His willingness to make up with Paul, his behavior around Eris and other women is better than in season one.
This is not a teenager, this is a grown man.
As someone who did not read the source material for this show, I still have hope that he ends up turning into a half decent person by the end of it. I have no issues rooting for a flawed person as long as they show progress. And Rudy definitely does so. I think he’ll be all right next season in finding Zenith.
And that’s really all I have to say about this show. I wasn’t even going to talk about it initially if not for the fact that it seems like people really like the topic. I think Mushoku Tensei is a very good show, crafted with much love and skill by talented creators. I think the characters are flawed and some of Rudeus’ behavior definitely crosses a line. I think the show could do a better job addressing this. But overal I think Mushoku Tensei is a very good show and if it keeps up this quality as the seasons go on, it might go down as a classic. Definitely one of the better Isekai to come out. Not as good as The Hesitant Hero though, you can read a new chapter of that here every Thursday. Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!
I won’t lie, Lum is the reason I wanted to watch this, that is a very striking character design.
I’m sure everyone who’s watched anime over the past decade and dove into the culture has seen some characters pop up from time to time that they don’t really recognize. One of these characters for me was Lum. Lum is a from a show called Urusei Yatsura (Those Annoying Aliens) that I had never heard of before. I’ve always liked her design for, ahem, obvious reasons, so recently I decided I would give Urusei Yatsura a watch. I got into anime in 2009 and admittedly I’ve seen very few shows that aired before then. So one of the things I wanted to do in 2022 is give some older shows a chance. I might come to regret that, since it’s been a rough start.
Urusei Yatsura tells the story of Moroboshi Ataru, a perverted young man who just wants to have his own harem. With no real personality traits other than being loud, obnoxious and constantly sexually harassing every woman in sight, it’s hard to like this character at all. Lum paints a more likable picture, although not by much. She’s an alien who’s challenged Ataru to a game of tag for the fate of the earth. Afterwards they promise to marry each other, although it’s clear from the start that Ataru isn’t planning to keep this promise.
I dropped this show after 10 episodes, which was already more than I could stomach. The music is grating to the ear and I’m not a fan of the voice cast either. The animation is fine, especially considering it’s a 40 year old show, so I’m not going to deduct any points for that. I didn’t manage to find a singular likable character. Most of the cast was aggressive, selfish and didn’t listen to any of the other characters. The only person I could somewhat relate to was Ataru’s dad, who just wanted to read his newspaper and be left alone.
Announcement for the 2022 adaptation. I will give it a watch but I don’t have high hopes.
It does make me curious about the aging of older media. As morals shift into the modern world, and things that used to be strange and even illegal become more acceptable, like gay marriage, trans rights, gender equality and many other rights, how poorly do some shows age? I’m in the camp that we can’t blame old media by modern standards, but that doesn’t mean it’s not cringe worthy to watch sometimes. Watching Urusei Yatsura feels like watching a let’s play from 10 years ago. Did I like it at the time when it first came out? Definitely. Do some of the jokes make me cringe when I watch it now? Absolutely. Some things aren’t meant to last through time and from my experience watching this show, it’s not an exception.
Now the reason I’m writing this is because right before I started watching this show, I heard it was getting a new adaptation in 2022. It will be produced by studio David Production, of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fame. I’m extremely curious how they will handle this show. The material is extremely dated, and some of the humor wouldn’t fly at all in 2022. And rightfully so, in some cases. Now anime isn’t always politically correct, which is fine, but I think the audience that enjoys this kind of content is shrinking quickly. I will definitely give this new version a watch, just to do a comparison. My hope for the show is that they take the core plot and make a more modern take on it with more likable characters. I’m not having high expectations, since I’d rather not get disappointed, but a version of this show where the characters are actually somewhat relatable could be very good. It could have a similar style of humor to shows like Arakawa under the Bridge, for example.
My question for you readers, have you seen Urusei Yatsura, and if so did you enjoy it or not? Are there any other old anime (from before 1990, for example) that you would recommend I watch? I’m open to suggestions. Let me know in the comments down below and thanks for reading!
When I watched the first episode of Aquatope it definitely piqued my interest enough to keep watching, but it wasn’t at the top of my list of shows that I was waiting for. It just seemed like a pleasant slice of life show with cute character designs. And that is definitely true, but there is more to this show. Let’s dive into the fishtank and explore why this show worked so well.
As usual, these reviews contain spoilers, and I plan to dive quite a bit into the story of this one, so be warned. If you’re just here to see if you should watch it, then yes, yes you should.
The opening really nails down the general atmosphere
The plot of Aquatope is fairly straightforward. Fuuka is a young idol and actress who gets overwhelmed by the job and the city life and flees to the countryside. There she meets Kukuru, who has been running her grandfathers’ aquarium; Gama Gama, for a while. They quickly become friends and Fuuka starts working at the aquarium too. As the season progresses we learn that the aquarium is about to go under because it’s old and no longer profitable. Of course Kukuru and her friends try everything they can to make the aquarium more lively. They think of events, spruce up the front of the building and even visit a local hospital with a small exhibit. Throughout all of this though, the decision to close Gama Gama permanently has already been made.
It’s a nickname, but we rarely hear her real name 🙂
Maybe one third into the story, Gama Gama is visited by Haebaru-san, an eager employee of Tingaara, a different aquarium. She’s heard stories of the legend that is Kukuru’s grandfather and is eager to learn, but ends up disappointed by having to learn from Kukuru, who is less than happy to help her out. They don’t get along at all. I thought this was just a small arc that never really properly got resolved, but it turns out it was a setup.
You see, what I didn’t realize, and I’ve mentioned this in another post as well, is that this show had 24 episodes, and not 12. So when Gama Gama actually shut down instead of magically got revitalized, I was very surprised by this. I also thought it was a great way to push the story forward. Things don’t always go as planned, and as much as we can dream, some good things must come to an end. Thus Fuuka leaves for Tokyo again, and Kukuru is very sad.
The two split up for a little while.
And then the second half of the season starts, and this is where I think the show shines. Fuuka comes back very quickly, with less than an episode having passed. That was a bit strange, but with a runtime of 24 episodes I’ll cut them some slack. There also wasn’t much story to tell while the characters were separated. The cast then goes to work at Tingaara (I’ve seen different spellings of this aquarium, but this is the one I’m sticking with), where Haebaru-san is also still working. The second half focuses on several of the characters at their new workspace.
Do I think this show is perfect? No, I don’t think so. I’ve seen very few shows that I thought were perfect and even some of my favorite shows of all time (One Piece, Tensura, Kageki Shoujo) have their flaws. But it was very refreshing to watch a drama show where the big issue set up in the first half never actually got resolved. Life isn’t always fair, and Aquatope reflects that. Situations change, things are out of reach and eventually we all have to move on with our lives. And it also shows us that this doesn’t mean everything now sucks. After a rough patch, most of the people from Gama Gama end up in an equal or better place, and by the end of the story everyone is satisfied with their lot in life, having learned quite a lot along the way. I highly recommend you give this show a watch!
This was such a satisfying final episode, very well done!
It’s that time of the year again where every single anime youtuber makes their review of the previous year. I used to look forward so much to Gigguk’s video each year, then forgetting about it because he’s always late, only to be pleasantly surprised when the video did show up. I figured I would compile a list for myself as well, in the hopes of having something to recommend to friends when they’re looking for something to watch. For this list I will only include anime that finished airing in 2021, so Ousama Ranking unfortunately won’t make this list, since it hasn’t finished yet. It would be number one otherwise. On the flipside, although Jujutsu Kaisen started airing in 2020, it finished in early 2021, so it does count for this list. I’m also not counting sequels, if you’ve seen the first season of most of the sequels this year, you’ve probably watched the later seasons too if you liked it. So no Yuru Camp, Dr. Stone, Tensura, Attack on Titan etc. With all of that out of the way, here are my ten favorite anime of 2021, in no particular order. As always, these reviews contain minor spoilers for each show, read at your own discretion.
Jujutsu Kaisen
The main cast of JJK
Easily one of the biggest shows to come out of late 2020, early 2021 and a good place to start as I think this is the most universally liked show on this list. A lot of the shows in here aren’t bombshell mainstream successes as much as Jujutsu Kaisen was, but more reasonably popular shows that I personally liked a lot. Jujutsu Kaisen follows Itadori Yuuji, who ends up mingling with the occult a bit more than he would have liked. Accidentally swallowing one of Sukuna’s fingers he becomes a host for the extremely powerful demon. In an effort to stay in control of his own body he ends up going to Jujutsu tech, where similarly skilled people are learning as well. Jujutsu Kaisen at its core is a well rounded shonen anime with fun characters and an interesting plot progression. It doesn’t pull any punches and is a joy to watch from start to finish. I have yet to read the manga, but if the quality keeps up like the first season of the anime did, it’ll surely be one to remember.
I’ve been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level
Azusa with some of the titular slimes
The title really says a lot for this one. Azusa died of overwork in our world, and after she died she was teleported to a quaint mountain home on the outskirts of a small village in a fantasy world. She then decides to spend the next 300 years just relaxing and killing a couple of slimes every day. Because she’s immortal, she ends up going a little bit overboard and levels up until she is level 99, the highest level anyone can be. When this is revealed at a local adventurers guild, challengers start slowly appearing. This show is very calm and relaxing to watch and has a lot of heart. I felt like it had really fun characters and even the small story arcs were fun. There was next to no drama, no difficult moments, just some characters living their best lives. This show is perfect when you’re winding down from a long day at work.
Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan
Look at how happy and not dead inside they are
Imagine this, you’re in your late 20s/early 30s. You’re not quite in the place in life where you wanted to be, but you’re getting by. You have a job, but it’s not your dream job by any means. You’re single and your friends are a mis-matched group of coworkers. Your boss has no regard for his employees and often runs you ragged. If you’re like me and this sounds almost painfully familiar, then Uramichi Oniisan will definitely hit home. Uramichi works as a Children’s TV host. Think Steve from Blue’s Clues but as a gymnast. He does a good job as well, but his life is just a bundle of misery and pain. Uramichi just wants the world to leave him alone as he is miserable in peace. The anime follows his life and that of his coworkers as they get through their day to day. Uramichi Oniisan is painfully relatable, funny, introspective and even heartfelt at times. The characters are well written and with 13 episodes the show doesn’t overstay its welcome. And if all of that isn’t enough, the titular Uramichi is voiced by the one and only Hiroshi Kamiya (Trafalgar Law, Araragi Koyomi, Yato, Izaya etc.)
So I’m a spider, so what?
This promo image is as chaotic as the show can feel sometimes.
Kumo desu ga follows the story of Kumoko, who is teleported to a strange world as a spider monster. Unbeknownst to her, the rest of the class has also been teleported to this world, but they’ve done so as mainly humans and humanoid characters. Meanwhile Kumoko suffers underground as she fights the scary underbelly of the world in an attempt to survive and grow stronger. This anime didn’t really get me invested until later on in the story. Kumoko’s story is fun in a way, but it gets a bit repetitive. I found myself more interested in the humans and as the story focused more on them, I found myself enjoying it a lot more. When it really got me was later in the story, where Kumoko becomes more involved with the plot. There seems to be a lot going on in this show and it’s definitely made as an advertisement for the source material, which I believe is a web novel turned into a light novel. This show does have some CG that I didn’t think looked good at all. Some of the fight scenes did look good, but there were some moments that made me chuckle at how silly things looked. All in all it was a very enjoyable show and it definitely earned its spot on this list.
Blue Period
Yatora is so focused
I recently talked about this show in one of my quick reviews, so there isn’t much I haven’t already said. Blue Period is a great drama show about Yatora, who decides very suddenly to become an art student. He has enough talent that with his drive he’s able to become better very quickly. The story focuses on his relationships with the people around him as much as on the progression of art itself. It has some very well written side characters and my favorite thing about this show is how his friends are super supportive. Early on they come across as a bunch of bros who just like to get drunk together, but when push comes to shove they immediately support Yatora’s efforts, as well as those of another in their friend group. This show hits right in the feelings when it wants to and as someone who thinks art is very important I can’t recommend it more highly.
Komi can’t communicate
I love her character design, her hairstyle is so unique
As fun and comedic as this show is, I can’t help but feel that Komi is painfully relatable at times. Komi-san is a beautiful girl who everyone wants to be close friends with, but Komi has a communication disorder that makes it near impossible to speak. Watching her order a coffee, talking to new classmates or interacting with strangers makes me feel both warm inside yet at the same time reflects a side of my own personality that I don’t like to be confronted with. It took me 2 or 3 episodes to get invested in this show, but once I did there was no going back. The supporting cast is mostly fun, although I think Yamai is definitely on a list somewhere as she is a psychopath. Tadano is great and one of my favorite main characters in a while. His and Komi’s interactions are adorable and I’m happy that this is getting a second season.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
The main cast of Mushoku Tensei
Rudeus Greyrat is a strange kid. Mainly because he has the mind of a thirty-something year old from earth. Reborn as the son of two adventurers in a fantasy world, he quickly finds out he is gifted with magic and becomes a very powerful kid. Unfortunately his fears of leaving the house still haunt him from his previous life. As the story continues, Rudeus and his cousin, Eris, are teleported away from their hometown to a strange land, and that is where the story really picks up.
To be perfectly honest with you, I did not like early Mushoku Tensei. The only reason I kept watching was because the animation and art were very good and the worldbuilding looked solid. As the show went on, I started being more interested, but it still had its issues. This show really raised the question about what your age is when you reincarnate. Rudeus is a child, sure, but the person inside his mind is not. He also does a lot of sexual assault, including sexual assault of minors which is worse depending on what age you view Rudeus to be. Outside of this show, I think discussing the mental strain of being teleported or reincarnated in a strange world is a very interesting topic that I hope to visit properly in a story I’m currently writing and publishing on this blog soon. But enough about that, Mushoku Tensei creates a beautifully flawed world where high stakes make you crave a new episode each week, despite its flaws.
The aquatope on white sand
This main cast is so unique in their personalities, I love it.
The first half of aquatope on the white sand plays out as a fairly generic slice of life drama. Fuuka is tired of the idol life and flees to a small town near the ocean. There she meets Kukuru, and starts to work at Tingaara, the local aquarium. It’s a bit rundown, but it’s got a lot of heart. Kukuru is the interim director and her grandfather is the one who made the aquarium big and successful. Alongside Kukuru and several of the other coworkers they try their best to save the aquarium from shutting down. And it’s a heartwarming story about how they come together and beat the odds that are stacked against them. The aquarium gets revitalized and they manage to save it. Except that’s not what happens. Even though Kukuru tries her very best, the aquarium is eventually shut down permanently. Fuuka moves back to the big city and nothing gets resolved in the way they wanted it to.
But then things pick up again. Kukuru gets a new job in a different aquarium, and although there are a fair share of hardships, it really shows that even though life doesn’t always go the way you planned it to go, that doesn’t mean you can’t rebound and find a new path. I loved the realistic take on a situation like this as opposed to the fairy tale success story where everything gets perfectly resolved. Life isn’t always fair, and aquatope acknowledges that. People’s paths converge and go their separate ways again, then sometimes they come back again. It’s a flawed story with flawed characters, but it feels extremely real and that is why it got me hooked completely.
Kageki Shoujo!
Kaoru (top left) is easily my favorite character of this show!
Watanaba Sarasa is a girl who likes to dream big. She wants to be on the center stage of the Takarazuka revue, a famous all-women theater. So she applies to, and gets into the prestigious Kouka Kageki high school. Alongside Sarasa is Narata Ai, a former idol with a troubled background. Together they grow as people and actresses as they go through the grueling lessons at Kouka and make friends along the way. That description does it some justice, but where this show shines is in its portrayal of the characters mental health problems. These can range from very serious topics to more melancholic things. The show takes its time to properly explore this themes which makes it brutally honest when you watch it. If you struggle watching people deal with serious issues then this might not be the show for you, but I personally enjoyed every single second of it, and even though I’m not putting this list of 10 shows in order, this one would definitely be in the top 3, if not number 1.
Horimiya
I was not a fan of how much more generic Izumi looked in the second half of this show
And last, but certainly not least, is Horimiya. I hadn’t heard of Horimiya at all before this anime aired, but apparently the manga is one of the most highly rated manga out there, and for good reason it seems. I will admit that the premise for this show is kind of dumb, but it’s not what keeps the plot going to it’s not an issue. Kyouko is a model student at school but she has a deep dark secret. At home she is, wait for it, very responsible and does the chores. That’s it, that’s her secret. If you think that’s underwhelming then we’re in agreement. At least Izumi has tattoos and piercings to hide, which are very much frowned upon. They come across each other outside of school and slowly become friends because they know each other’s secrets. Again, that’s Kyouko doing the chores at home. The premise is so silly, but it doesn’t take away from the story at all. I think a lot of it is summaries overselling how much it does for the story. This is a very character driven romance story and in my opinion one of the better written high school romance shows. I’d put it up there with the likes of Toradora. The art is nice, the music feels nostalgic and the characters are all likable in their own way. It makes sense that the manga is very popular and I recommend giving the show a watch as well.
And that’s my list. 10 shows I watched in 2021 that I recommend. 2021 saw a ton of sequels, like I mentioned before, and I watched a lot of those while skimping out on new shows. Please, do recommend some shows I’ve missed last year. I want to go back and watch some of them this year, if I find the time. There’s a lot of good anime coming up this year too, and I’ve just started watching Urusei Yatsura, which is a very old anime that’s getting a new adaptation this year. I’m mainly watching it for Lum, the main girl, because I’ve seen her a lot throughout the years in art and amvs, so it’s gotten me curious. And it’s a nice change of pace to watch something old and dated.
I hope this list helps you pick out some shows you might have missed and please drop a like if you found it helpful. Thanks for reading.
We’re reaching the end of 2021 and it’s been a banger of a year for anime. I was talking on discord the other day and said that Ousama Ranking was the best anime to come out of 2021. Someone then pointed out to me that Jujutsu Kaisen was this year and I had to rethink my comments a little. Technically it aired last year and this year, so it just depends if you count a show in the year it started or ended. But that was all the way back in January. It’s December now and in about a week it’ll be 2022. I plan to look at some shows in detail over the next few weeks, but for now let’s take a look at three solid shows that aired this season that I don’t have a ton to say about.
Blue Period
The main cast of Blue Period
I had no expectations going into this show, but I do like a good drama show so I wasn’t going to skip it. Blue Period surprised me though. It had very well rounded characters and didn’t shy away from more progressive issues like gender identity. I consider myself very progressive (I haven’t always, but we grow up and learn I suppose), and I think it’s good that rigid gender norms are being put into question. At the end of the day we all got one shot at life, and it wouldn’t be right if we judged people for wanting to feel comfortable in their own skin. The main focus of the story is of course Yaguchi realizing he wants to become an artist. I think art is something extremely satisfying so whenever Yaguchi gets excited I feel like I share in that feeling. My favorite thing about this anime, without a doubt, is the fact that his friends are so supportive of him. They’re all introduced as a bunch of “bro’s” but as soon as Yaguchi says he wants to be an artist and completely deviates from where he was headed, his friends support him 100%. That’s great to see and made me tear up a bit. Highly recommend this show and I’m considering picking up the manga, assuming I can buy some translated volumes. Send help, I’m one step away from hoarding manga.
The Faraway Paladin
Will and his patron
I like this show, I do, but I have a question for it that I can’t seem to figure out the answer to. Why the heck is this an Isekai? At some point I even forgot that it was an Isekai, but it is. Perhaps it will become clear later in the story, as the anime hasn’t ended yet with a few episodes still left, and I haven’t read the source material. But there seems to be no good reason for it to be an Isekai, Will could have just as well been a normal kid who grew up with three undead caretakers.
Putting that question aside for later, The Faraway Paladin follows a young boy who lives with his undead caretakers, and eventually sets out as a paladin to go do good in the world. I think the mystery of what is going on in the ruined city they live in, as well as the backstory of the three undead, Mary, Blood and Gus, is by far the most interesting part of this show. After that is resolved I feel like it trails a little bit. That could be because it’s a middle part in a larger story, or just because it peaks early. Either way, it’s a well crafted fantasy world with interesting characters and mechanics that is well worth your time.
Taisho Otome Fairytale
Yuzu and Tamahiko
There isn’t a lot I have to say about this show, so I won’t. The story follows the heir of a rich family, Tamahiko, who is sent off to the countryside to live in the family’s vacation home after his mother dies in an accident and he loses the use of his dominant hand. His father then buys a bride for him to live with, so that he’ll leave the rest of the family alone. The story follows Yuzu and Tamahiko as they slowly fall for each other and she helps him recover from his depression. Yuzu is adorable and the side characters in this show are a lot of fun. If you like slice of life, fairly relaxing drama shows, this one is definitely worth a watch.
Obvious spoiler warning for the Blue Period anime.
Blue Period will probably not end up being my number 1 anime of the fall 2021 season. I’m not even positive it will be in the top 3. But before I get completely distracted, I do want to talk about it a little bit. Not so much a proper review, but just a good old-fashioned rant about something I really enjoyed.
Because Blue Period blew my mind. I didn’t expect to enjoy this anime half as much as I did, but as someone who values art highly, watching shows like this always makes me feel a sense of pride. It’s as if it’s reaffirming that what I’m doing is something good. Writing is a very different art from from painting, of course, but it’s still art. Pouring your thoughts and emotions and ideas into a project for others to see is the second best feeling there is. The best feeling is when other people then turn around and see what you meant. As I’m growing older, I’m gaining more understanding for literature, even though I initially didn’t like it much. I think an issue with literature is that not every teacher is good, or willing, at explaining that it’s an extremely subjective course. My latest literature teacher was this over enthusiastic French man who only spoke French and English, no Dutch, but he would basically let you derive whatever meaning you wanted from the books we read, as long as you could defend it. And I aced his course. Other years I struggled so much, but once I realized that it’s all subjective I started to excel.
But enough about that, I want to gush a little bit more about what I liked. When Yaguchi cried tears of joy when Yotasuke acknowledged his skills I cried with him. When Yaguchi wasn’t super confident that he was even fully through it made me laugh because I could understand where he was coming from. I absolutely adore his friend group who were made out to be these borderline delinquents at the start of the show but turned out to be the best bros out there. His parents, his teacher, his senpai, everyone showed how proud they were. And that rush of inspiration he got during the exam, the stress he felt, it all felt so real.
And I haven’t even talked about his friend Ryuji/Yuka (the show uses both names regularly, so I’m mentioning both here) and their story arc. Seeing a character like that in an anime is fantastic. Japan isn’t exactly known for being particularly progressive on this issue, so I found it a breath of fresh air to have a character like that in the show that wasn’t just there score points, but felt like a solid part of the narrative.
If I want to give my final thoughts on this show, assuming I won’t revisit it in the future, then it’s as follows. Blue Period is a very well written drama show with realistic characters and a believable storyline. It doesn’t avoid any important issues but faces them head-on. I don’t believe I’m speaking out of turn when I say that this anime should appeal to most people who consider themselves an artist, and to many who don’t as well. It made me laugh and cry, which not every anime manages to pull off, and it is a show I don’t think I’ll forget anytime soon.
It’s already almost November, and with the spooky season soon behind us it’s time to get cozy and start preparing for the cold winter. At least over here it still gets a bit cold in winter, although not as much as when I was younger. Damn you global warming. But it’s still a good time to bring out your candles and your mood lighting, make a hot drink and snuggle up to watch your favorite anime. And what better to accompany it than the best of the new season. And I’ll help you out by recommending 5 shows that I think are worth your time. This isn’t the first time we’re doing this, you know what to expect, so let’s open the door to a new season!
I’ve played so much D&D I would 100% check that door for traps
A Quiet life in the Countryside
I don’t even have to look it up to know that this anime is a light novel adaptation, seeing as its full name is Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside. That’s definitely up there with some of the longer names for shows, but I don’t think it’s a record per se. The anime follows Red, brother of the hero and former member of the hero’s party. He was kicked out by one of his teammates, much to the chagrin of some of the other members. He then decides to go chill in the countryside and become a pharmacist. Not long after is he joined by Rit, who is a princess and a former member of their party. She left the house so as to avoid a fight over the throne and keep the peace. Together they set up shop and they get along well. What I appreciate about this show is that not only is it not an unnecessary Isekai, it’s also featuring characters who seem fairly mature. Last season had a similar anime, but it just felt underwhelming because of the characters to me. This seems to flow a lot nicer, and I adore Rit and Red’s interactions already. Definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a nice flowing slice of life fantasy!
Shiawase~~
Blue Period
I’ve always had a soft spot for art. And I take the term art very broadly. Classical art isn’t quite my thing, but I am very jealous of people who can draw amazing things, or play instruments. Maybe I should learn to play an instrument at some point. Putting that aside, Blue Period follows Yatora’s journey from a complete beginner in art to aiming to get into art school. What pleasantly surprised me so far is the interesting array of characters. They all seem very different and believable nonetheless. The drama hits you hard from the very start, and I won’t spoil anything, but I’m a big fan of Ruka as a character already. I hope we get to see a lot more of them. There isn’t much to say about this show, it’s good, it’s interesting, and it makes you feel really invested immediately. Definitely give it a watch if you like a good drama show.
Art and literature are vague as hell and so subjective that it’s difficult to relate sometimes.
Taishou Otome Otogibanashi
This show is just undeniably adorable. Tamahiko gets disowned by his father after he loses the use of one of his arms in an accident which also takes the life of his mother. He gets sent off to a family vacation home in the countryside. He also gets sent a bride, because this is early 1900s Japan, so anything goes. His bride is a few years younger than him, but not by too much. I’ve seen weirder shows for sure. What I really like about this show is that not only is it very laid-back, but the characters so far seem to act their age. They’re very much still a bunch of children thrown into a strange situation and making the best they can out of it. Yuzu is undeniably mature for her age, and Tamahiko and his sister, Tamako, who shows up in episode 22, also show that they grew up in a household that was cold and unloving. I definitely want to see more of this, and I’m curious to see the introduction of the other characters in the opening.
Take your time and enjoy!
The Faraway Paladin
I wasn’t sure if I was going to include this show initially because the first two episodes, although interesting, didn’t really wow me per se. The third episode felt a lot more solid, and I thought it was cool to finally see what this prologue of the series was leading towards. Will grew up in a ruined city, raised by three undead creatures. Gus the ghost, Mary the Mummy and Blood the Skeleton. Of course, because it’s 2021 and this is an anime, Will has his memories from before reincarnating, and it so far seems to be completely irrelevant except for the fact that he was conscious for the first few years when he was a baby. I don’t even remember the circumstances around his death in the first place, that’s how forgettable it was. Having said that, everything that happens after that moment has been good. The worldbuilding has been slow but interesting, and the three undead caretakers seem to have very interesting personalities as well. At the conclusion of episode 3 we see things kicking up a gear in speed and at this point I’m definitely invested. If you like fantasy shows, give this a shot since it definitely looks promising!
You’re telling me Will is not a skeleton? Spooky month ruined.
Komi-San can’t Communicate
So I’ve seen images from this manga pop up for a couple years now, and it’s always piqued my interest a little bit but not enough to pick up the manga. I do know that it’s been quite popular, so when I heard it was getting an anime it definitely stayed on my radar. I don’t know what platform is picking this up, since with my very limited availability of anime over here I generally sail the high seas out of necessity. It also seems that the websites where I usually watch shows don’t upload it on a proper schedule yet, so it’s been a bit hard to come by. Having said that, I am enjoying it so far!
I know that feeling, Komi.
And that really is all there is to it this season. I know there are some good sequels airing right now. I’m personally watching Mushoku Tensei, Demon Slayer, Isekai Shokudou and more, but I tend to keep these posts to new shows as much as possible. I’m not watching a large amount, but I’m catching up on some old shows as well, so I don’t have a large “stalled” list going into the new year. Are there any shows I didn’t talk about that I should? Let me know in the comments, and I hope I helped you find some shows to watch!
With the first anime season now finished, and volume 12 of the manga being translated into English already, Eden’s Zero is looking like it’s here to stay. And it’s good! I just finished volume 12 of the manga myself, which included chapter 100. Time flies so fast. I wrote about the manga right before the anime started airing and back then I recommended it for sure. You can read my thought from back then here.
I wanted to come back to this series because a lot of people might be thinking about picking up the manga after season 1 of the anime, and they might be on the fence. So I wanted to give my quick thoughts for those on the fence.
If you liked Fairy Tail or Rave Master you’ll like Eden’s Zero, that’s a no-brainer. If you are unfamiliar with either series, or didn’t particularly enjoy them, should you still pick up Eden’s Zero? Yes, absolutely! It has its flaws, but it feels like Mashima has learned from his previous projects and is improving as an author. Not to mention, there are many parallels between Eden’s Zero and the ever popular One Piece, and Mashima is not only aware of this, but he leans into it. Without going deeply into spoiler territory, in volume 12 there was a scene that you can find in One Piece as well, panel for panel. It made me a little bit emotional.
I don’t have too much more to add, other than read Eden’s Zero if you can, it’s an absolute blast. The characters are fun, the story is fun and the world it’s set in is full of endless possibilities and it draws strength from that. I’m also curious as to what you all think about Eden’s Zero. Did you like the anime? Or perhaps you’re also reading the manga, and keeping up weekly, or on a volume by volume basis. Do you like it, and do you agree that it has potential? Let me know in the comments down below and as always, thanks for reading!
Opal Kaharis 