Summer 2021 Anime Worth Watching!
It’s time once again to see what new shows the anime gods are gracing us with this season. This is the part where I tell you what’s out there if you’re looking for something to watch this summer, but this season is like…90% isekai anime that I usually skip over. So if you’re looking for something that’s NOT an isekai (well…okay maybe just a couple) here’s just some of the shows that look interesting so far.
I’ll put a * by the shows that are on Crunchyroll…but spoiler alert, they literally only have one of the new shows that I’m listing. My trust has been betrayed.
Here are my lists for the 2021 seasons so far
2020 Anime Worth Watching
2019 anime Worth Watching
*The Aquatope On White Sand (Shiroi Suna no Aquatope): Grab your box of tissues, because PA Works is at it again with an original anime that’s going to tug at your heartstrings from episode one. When former idol Fuuka Miyazawa has a quarter life crisis after losing her job, she ends up working at an aquarium in Okinawa (which is apparently run by an 18 year old). Together, the two of them must keep the dwindling business afloat and help each other on their journeys of self discovery. Like most things from PA Works, it’s bursting with color and full of life, with characters you feel instantly attached to. Their shows are always worth looking into no matter how many tears you shed.
And speaking of ex-idols…
Opera Girl!! (Kageki Shoujo!!): A school comedy/drama about an ex-idol named Ai Narada who is accepted into an extremely elite performance school famous for its top tier acting and musical productions. But rooming with the cool, indifferent Ai is the boisterous, 178 cm tall Sarasa Watanabe. The style is great, and all the girls have such distinct, dynamic personalities (which, for some reason, is a rarity in any piece of media). It bothers me a bit that this all girls school seems to have a majority of male teachers. But I’m curious about each character’s background, and I want to see more of their dynamics together. Also there is no way any of these girls are straight.
Sonny Boy: An original sci-fi mystery from Madhouse that follows a group of 36 students whose school is suddenly swept into another dimension in order to awaken their hidden superpowers. It basically feels like what would happen if Satoshi Kon made Wonder Egg Priority. I love the power dynamics between the students and the mystery behind everything, but I have so many questions! Where did their food come from? Why are there cats everywhere? What causes their powers to awaken? This seems like the kind of show that may answer everything…or just say “don’t worry about it, it’s just part of the atmosphere.” It’s definitely the anime with the creepiest vibe of the season.
Vanitas No Carte (The Case Study Of Vanitas): Have you ever wondered what would happen if a vampire hunter decided to cure vampires instead of kill them? Well, I hadn’t before, but I’m into it now. I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot, so just trust that it’s one of the standouts of the season for me. It’s set in a slightly steampunk 19th century Paris, with one main character whose style is reminiscent of early Welcome To Night Vale fanart of Cecil Palmer and another who is constantly roasted by everyone around him. It’s gripping and has unique takes on vampires, without taking itself too seriously. There’s a good balance of comedy and drama, and Bones rarely lets me down when it comes to story, characters, and great animation.
The Detective Is Already Dead (Tantei Wa Mou Shindeiru): A hot mess of a teen mystery anime that follows Kimizuka Kimihiko, a middle schooler with a habit of attracting trouble who gets roped into working as an assistant to an ace detective named Siesta. While it starts out as a run of the mill detective anime, it starts to delve into the supernatural, with more going on behind the scenes that meets the eye. It gets a little too caught up in trying to add rom-com elements when they don’t really need to be there, but lots of people will probably enjoy it for that. It’s stupid, very stupid, but in an enjoyable, laugh at it not with it kind of way (at least so far). It feels like In:Spectre’s weird cousin that has the exact opposite kind of pacing issues.
Re-Main: The only show this season in which the main character is involved in a car accident and DOESN’T end up in a fantasy world. No, it’s actually an original sports anime from MAPPA (so I’m already on board), about a boy named Minato who ended up in a coma and losing his memory due to a car crash in his last year of junior high. After he wakes up, he realizes he was apparently an ace at water polo, and he finds himself surrounded by people in his new high school pressuring him to join their team, despite the fact that he wants nothing to do with the sport and doesn’t remember the rules anyway. It’s certainly the most unique set up for a sports anime I’ve seen lately. It’s goofy with a fun family dynamic, so I’m already hooked.
Uramichi-oniisan (Life Lessons With Uramichi-Oniisan): A comedy slice of life about a children’s television program with the world’s most unsettling host: an emotionally unstable millennial who happens to be a former gymnast (whose only hobby is keeping his gains and intimidating his co-workers). I had no idea what to expect going into this, but the characters are tons of fun. Uramichi is very relatable, and there’s some important subtext woven into the comedy, like how not taking breaks affects one’s mental health. This is the kind of show that’s easy to pass over, but it’s definitely worth checking out if that kind of comedy is your thing.
*My Next Life As A Villainess-All Routes Lead To Doom! (season 2): Out of all the isekai anime airing this season, this is probably my favorite. Yes, even more so than Reincarnated as a Slime. In case you missed it last year, this lighthearted “harem” comedy follows a girl who has been reincarnated into her favorite otome game…as the rich, bitchy villainess Catarina, who only has terrible ends at the end of each route. In order to avoid being killed off or exiled, Catarina ends up befriending all the potential love interests, including the heroine of the game, and everyone gets up to fun shenanigans at their magical version of Ouran Academy. It’s a super a sweet, relaxing, fun time, and it looks like the magic system is expanding to areas outside of the school, which I’m into.
Also Catarina was the Best Girl of 2020 in my heart.
*To Your Eternity (Fumetsu no Anata e): I’m just going to copy what I said last season, because I still don’t have a better way of explaining this masterpiece. This is the epic, atmospheric story of a magical orb that can turn into different things, from moss, to giant bears, to people. Just trust me. It’s still best to go into this one knowing as little as possible. But with over 12 episodes under its belt now, it’s one of the best shows I’ve ever watched, and it’s something that will stick with you for a long time. Everything about it hits perfectly, from the music and animation to the voice acting, to the grounded world building, to the ever growing cast of characters we follow over the years. It’s my contender for anime of the year if it nails the ending.
*Tokyo Revengers: An action/drama shounen anime where our main character Takemichi uses time travel to go back to his days as a middle school delinquent in order to prevent the death of his old girlfriend at the hands of a vicious gang. This show was such a stand out last season, which is really saying something when it had to compete with 86, Fruits Basket, To Your Eternity, and Shadows House. It’s very difficult to make a wimpy character likable, but Takemichi is the picture of character development, and I’m super excited to see where the show goes. This is definitely not one to skip, so catch up now!
*That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime (season 2-part 2): It’s exactly what it says in the title. We’ve all at least heard of it by now. This wholesome slice of life isekai is getting more stressful by the episode. Now that the groundwork has been laid after a full season of worldbuilding, the sense of conflict is becoming more urgent, making every episode more engaging. However, it doesn’t abandon its comedic roots, and Rimuru is still overpowered as fuck (sometimes in a terrifying way, sometimes in a funny way), but if the first part of season 2 was anything to go by, I can see things getting much darker as it goes along. So out of the ten million isekai shows floating around, this is one of the few that’s worth getting into.
*Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S (…just call it season 2): Pretty self explanatory: a slice of life comedy in which an ordinary salary worker named Kobayashi…has a maid who is a dragon. Shenanigans ensue, and cute girls do cute things as is par for the course. And it’s KyoAni, so even when there’s no big action sequences, they make everything look 100% God Tier. The fluid animation, the popping color palette, the performances, everything is styled to perfection (even if I’m not into the fanservice of the character designs). If you want a chill, fun comedy that’s slowly becoming a classic, this is the show for you.
Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid: The ecchi version of Pushing Daisies, where a boy is cursed with killing everything he touches, and his maid is constantly trying to get him to touch her. If you don’t mind 3D animation and incredibly weird love interests, the story is interesting enough to want to get into. Maybe this is a sign to just read the manga.
So there’s some of the new anime that look promising so far. There’s also the second season of the Higurashi reboot/continuation, if you want more cute girls doing murdery things. And Peach Boy Riverside had a great concept, but the character design drove me up the wall, so there’s that too if anyone’s looking for a fun adventure show.
