My Top Ten Japanese Anime Series of 2021

With the beginning of the Winter Anime Season of 2021, It’s time for me to come up with the top anime of the recent year. My list contains anime that continued from 2020, and continues into 2022. More points go to anime that finished their seasons in the same year. Also, since this includes anime that I’ve finished, the rankings might be a lot different as compared to how they appear in my seasonal rankings. That’s just the way it is. Some anime faired better than others in closing their cours. With all my disclaimers done, on to my actual list.

Zombieland Saga

At number ten, we have ‘Zombieland Saga: Revenge’. This anime holds a special place in my heart for being an idol anime that got me sucked in BECAUSE of its zombie story approach. If it weren’t for the zombies that are Franchouchou, I probably wouldn’t be even watching this anime. Also, this anime just makes me laugh out loud, and hum to the beat of the songs.This is my funny, and heartwarming anime of the year.

The Case Study of Vanitas

At number nine, we have ‘The Case Study of Vanitas’. This is the vampire anime of the year, and it has the traditional humor that you find from any Studio Bones anime. The Book of Vanitas thought to corrupt vampires is actually used to cure them of corruption. I love the character designs here, and the relationship building in the series is quite endearing. There is also enough vampire new vampire lore here to keep the series intriguing. Lucky for us, the series continues in the winter of 2022.

Takt Op. Destiny

At number eight, we have ‘Takt Op. Destiny’. What happens when you combine the powers of studio MAPPA and MADHOUSE? You have a beautiful anime about the power of music to save the world. Some complain about the pedestrian plot of the series. I on the other hand see it as a simple plot enriched with great visuals, and a focus on music. That’s enough to put it on my list of one of the best anime of the year.

Re: Zero

At number seven, we have ‘Re: Zero’. Yes, this anime continued during winter, and that’s enough to put it on my list fro 2021. What else can be said about this series from studio White Fox? It’s a beautiful isekai about second chances. We seem to have a lot of those on this list. I can’t wait for Rem to finally wake up (no spoilers!). Even though Subaru has the backbone of an amoeba most times, he just keeps on going learning from his past mistakes, albeit brutally. Even with Subaru’s faults, the anime itself just can’t be denied its place on my list.

The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat’

At number six, we have ‘The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat’. This anime turned out to be better than expected, and jumped over the spot of higher ranked fall anime ‘Takt Op. Destiny’. This is another isekai (and not the last one on my list). with the protagonist dying and remembering his former life as an assassin to kill the existing hero of the world he gets reincarnated. I like Lugh’s calm and calculating mind. I like his realization that he needs a lot of savvy to beat the overpowered hero. It helps that the animation is also top notch.

Jujutsu Kaizen

At number five, we have ‘Jujutsu Kaizen’. This most likely won’t win anime of the year because of my top four on the list (which all have a chance of winning many awards). That’s fine since it has won already multiple awards the previous year. The series does continue into the winter of this year, and the reason why it’s on my list just like ‘Re: Zero’ is. I’m eagerly waiting for Itadori’s next adventures as this anime continues.

Ranking of Kings

At number four, we have ‘Ranking of Kings’. One of two anime on this list that caught me off guard (the other is higher on this list), and is also made by Wit Studio. Known for its earlier work on ‘Attack on Titan’, Wit Studio has expanded its reach to stories such as that of Prince Bojji. Though this anime is at number four, I wouldn’t be surprised that it wins awards for 2021 just like the other three that come above it. This is a beautiful hero’s journey to become a king in spite of his disabilities. How could you not root for Bojji to succeed with all that he’s been through? That is truly the magic of this anime.

86 The Anime

At number three, we have ’86’. This would be a lot higher on my list if not for the delays. In fact, had its last two episodes not been delayed, it would have a chance at number one. As it stands, this is as far as I can rank it. This year, there has been a resurgence of mecha anime, and ’86’ is a prime example of it. It’s so frustrating how this series gives you hope only to dash it away as fast as it came. However, this is also what drags you into the series, hoping that there is a happy ending. The struggle for acceptance, and survival is real as seen in through the eyes of Shin, and his compatriots.

Vivy: Flourite Eye’s Song

At number two, we have ‘‘Vivy: Flourite Eye’s Song’. My dark horse to win anime of the year in many anime awarding bodies, this series was made by Wit Studio just like ‘Ranking of Kings’. Similarly, this anime got me blindsided, and I wasn’t expecting to love this anime when I first watched it. Vivy being the reluctant savior of both human and robot kind is reminiscent of a Philip K. Dick story. One years in the making, Vivy learns that there are more important things than her android life, and her song is part of it. What do I mean exactly? Watch this anime to find out.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

At number one, we have ‘Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’. What happens when you create a new anime studio to create ONE and ONL Y ONE specific anime? Well, this is what you get: my vote for anime of the year. Your time is not wasted on this anime. The opening sequence is imbedded into the story. The opening song changes depending on the setting of the current story. This is the isekai of the year as well as the anime of the year for me. Also, with the way the story ended for 2021, the stage is set for an even better story to continue. The animation is beautiful from the backdrops to the character design. It’s a perfect balance of story, world building, and action. There’s enough drama that focuses also on family relationships. Granted, Rudius is a lech, but that’s also part of his charm. It’s part of the charm of this anime. Put it all together, and you have the best anime for 2021.

Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments.

Eight Anime to Watch This Spring 2021

Going into this year’s spring season of Japanese Anime, I wasn’t really expecting a lot of worthy series to watch. I mean, there were so many entertaining anime to watch from the winter season that I was only looking forward to one series this spring which I had declared to myself the best one on this list at one point. I was SO WRONG with that presumption. As of this writing, we are at midseason proving once again that this year’s crop of anime have been very good so far. Yes, I dropped a few bad eggs here and there, and what I was left with was an intriguing list for the spring season. Disclaimer once again, these are actual anime that I am watching so you are allowed to disagree with the list entirely. Though you might end up agreeing with me in the end. So, on with the countdown…

At number eight, we have ‘Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood’. This reminds me a bit of ‘The Crow’ comick book with a movie adaptation staring Brandon Lee, and ‘Rurouni Kenshin‘. The story revolves around assasin Sawa Yukimura who is a changeling. To my mind, she is a combination of The Crow and Kenshin without Kenshin’s sense of humor. Yukimora is a truly depressing character and she thrives in it. I was about to drop this series from my viewing because the story became quite predictably boring, but the plot took some interesting twists and turns and this barely made my list. The story progresses quite quickly with Yukimura’s band of assassins and moral compass, Asahi Nakamura who is actually the daughter of parents that Sawa murdered. I told you this story was depressing. Don’t take your eye off the story. I was engrossed enough to keep this on my list.

At number seven, we have ‘Mars Red’. No, this has nothing to do with the planet. This series has more to do with vampires and vampire hunters. In 1923, the Japanese government created a new unit to counter the increasing number of vampires. The unit itself is led by Yoshinobu Maeda, a human, who leads a unit composed of both humans and vampires. Similar to Joran, there’s a bit of historical revisionism here to provide the backdrop for the series’ story. Mars Red focuses on the relationship of humans and vampires while also showing how human (humane?) some of these vampires actually can be. I’m sure you’ve heard this story before, but there are some story elements in this anime that, like Joran, have kept me viewing this series in spite of the overfamiliarity of its theme. Check it out to find out.

At number six, we have ‘Combatants Will Be Dispatched!’. Anime like this normally don’t make my list. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s just…it can be…at times…sexually offensive? Who am I kidding. The series objectifies women in a very crass and lewd way. And yet, I find myself laughing at the situations and get to wonder if there is a point to all this.

The series revolves around Combat Agent 6 who works for the Kisaragi Corporation, a corporation of great evil. In fact, Six has to get evil points in order for himself to optimize the resources of the Kisaragi Corporation. The more evil points he has, the more access he has to the arsenal the Kisaragi Corporation has to offer. Six is sent on a mission to spy on a distant planet in order to later takce control of it. He is accompanied by combat droid Alice who serves as his liaison in the conquest of this new world. There are shades of Ranma 1/2 in this anime that allow me to tolerate the female objectification. Seriously, I find myself bursting out in laughter with noboby around while watching this, and I almost seem like a crazy person. It’s sci-fi fantasy harem. it’s semi-ecchi. It can be VERY offensive at times, but it’s just too funny not to be on this list.

At number five, we have ‘Tokyo Revengers’. Takemichi Hanagaki has been given the power to go back in time, twelve years to be exact, which allows him to prevent the try and prevent the death of his former girlfriend, Hinata Tachibana. However, each time he spends in the past, he inhabits his middle school younger self. As Takemichi spends time in the past, his present body is left in a coma. The amount of time he spends in the past is also the amount of time that lapses in the present when he returns. Takemichi skirts back and forth from present to past in order to find clues and ways to prevent the death of his former girlfirend.

I’ve always like redemption stories, and this series is one of them. When Takemichi goes back into the past, he is not only changing history, he is also changing his personality. This dynamic between time travel and redemption is enough to put this series on my list.

At number four, we have ’86’. Welcome to the Republic of San Mongolia which has an existing war with the Gladian Empire. The republic is comprised of eighty-six sectors. Sector eighty-six is where people not considered human reside in order to protect the rest of San Mongolia from the Glaidian Empire’s horde. Valdilena Milze commands her Spearhead Squadron, members of sector eighty-six, far away from the dangers of actual war. Spearhead is led by their field commander known as the Reaper who has the reputation of being the sole survivor of his squad.

’86’ makes it this high on my list because of the beautiful animation, and its focus on the effects of discrimiation. The reason why members of sector eighty-six are forced to fight against the Gladian horde while other sectors do not is the color of their hair. Becasue these people from sector eighty-six do not have silver hair, they are not considered human, and thus, are left as expendable soldiers to die for the protection of the Republic of San Mongolia. Ouch. More painful is the fact that characters fall like flies here so don’t get too attached. How do you work with somebody who you know doesn’t even consider you human? Watch this anime to find out.

At number three, we have ‘Zombieland Saga: Revenge’. I was about ready to crown this anime as THE anime to watch for the spring season. That’s how highly I value the members of Franchouchou. The second season of Zombieland Saga continues a few months after the events of the first season. It’s still funny as hell, with a lot of warm moments. The combination of song, humor and drama got me hooked at the onset, and it helps that studio MAPPA took care of the animation for this series. In a spring season filled with a lot of sad and sometimes depressing anime, ‘Zombieland Saga: Revenge’ balances it all out. When the first season of this anime came out, I wasn’t even expecting to continue let alone finish it. This was out of my regular anime viewing…or so I thought. With the second season, you’ll get the same in-depth character development that even viewers like me who are not fans of idol anime will enjoy. Then of course you have Tae Yamada who will soften even the hardest of hearts.

At number two, we have ‘To Your Eternity’. I’ve heard of this anime, and its manga following but it wasn’t a series I was looking forward to watching. A few episodes in and I was proven wrong. Watching it, I see shades of ‘Princess Mononoke’ and the Studio Ghibli touch. This is surprising because this wasn’t made by Studio Ghibli. And yet, it has that feel.

Created under the guidance of Brain’s Base studio,the story is about an immortal being that can change shape. The being itself has no identity or emotions. However, as it roams the planet, it is able to learn from its experiences, and the death of a being it has bonded with at some level (I’m not sure exactly how) allows this immortal being to take its shape. As the story progresses, the immortal being is named, ‘Fushi’. This anime hits the spot on so many emotional levels that it feels like an extended anime movie. The animation is beautiful, and the thematic element of ‘nature vs. nurture’ is constantly portayed in this series make it an entertaining anime to watch. But, that is not enough to put this on the top of my list.

At number one, we have ‘Vivy: Flourite Eye’s Song’. While ‘To Your Eternity’ was an anime I heard of, and took a gamble in watching, ‘Vivy: Flouriet Eye’s Song’ was an anime that didn’t even reach my initial radar. To be honest, I had caught up with all the anime I had lined up to watch, and wanted a change of pace. So, I found this lying around and tried it out. Little did I know that I was watching my number one anime of the spring season.

‘Vivy: Flourite Eye’s Song’ tells the story of a entertainment AI known as Vivy. Her sole purpose is to entertain humans with her songs. She is contacted by Matsumoto, an AI from one hundred years in the future. Matsumoto tells Vivy that she needs to help him prevent events that will lead to a human and AI war. Only Vivy can help Matsumoto with his task. Initially, Vivy refuses to help, knowing that her only function in life is to sing. She reluctantly agrees to help Matsumoto which sets her on a war prevention adventure that spans the next one hundred years of her life. In the process, Vivy learns to empathize with both humanity and AI equally. This leads to some conflict with Matsumoto at times who has one way of accomplishing the task at hand while Vivy has other ideas on what to do.

This anime makes my top spot not only because of the beautiful animation and storytelling, but also because it focuses on Vivy changing the course of her own programmed destiny. By changing here character and approach in life, Vivy literally can change a a war-destined future. Nothing is set in stone, and you are in charge of your own destiny. That grand thematic element puts this anime at the top of my spring anime list.