Winter 2021 Anime

[Mostezli]

Some shows already premiered.
The most popular series of the last decade did release a few episodes before the season officially kicked off.
Game Adaptation / Crunchyroll Original
The Sequels:

• Attack on Titan: The Final Season - This is it. The war to end it all. I wonder who survives. (Waiting to binge watch)
• World Trigger - reverse isekai with a familiar AoT premise (the long-awaited-running battle shonen before Black Clover)
• New Cooking Master Boy - sequel to the 2019 revival of a 90s food-centered shonen
• The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon's Judgement - accused of crimes they did not commit, the magic knights A-Team must dispel the truth for a princess's sake (I don't believe I have time to catch up)
• Promised Neverland - group of orphans realize their home isn't at all what it seems and need to escape
• Beastars - most anticipated drama featuring anthropomorphic animals, another unexpected gem of 2019
• Dr. Stone: Stone Wars - the world's smartest high schooler facing off against the world's most fearsome in the post-apocalypse
• That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime - self-explanatory isekai with a ton of alliance and city building; not sure if this season will have time for any of that
• Re: Life in a Different World from Zero - another isekai, this time, about a high schooler who can not die after dying in the real world and being transported to another (I haven't even finished the first season)
• Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table - the other series about players being stuck in a video game world; they still haven't made it out (I have time to catch up)
• The Quintessential Quintuplets - wacky hijinks ensue when a guy tutors these girls
• Cells at Work! - anthropomorphic blood cells serving and protecting the body *shonen*
• Laid-Back Camp - the moe adventures of outdoor camping
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby - the moe adventures of teenage mutant horse racing girls
• Non Non Biyori Nonstop - the moe adventures of kids at varying ages going to the only school in town as the only students
• Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Battle of Kimluck - airing basically the same time as this past year

The Spinoffs

• Cells at Work! Code Black - anthropomorphic blood cells serving and protecting the body *seinen*
• Bungou Stray Dogs Wan! - the chibi adventures of "the Armed Detective Agency and the Mafia"
• Azur Lane: Slow Ahead! - spinoff of 2019's adaptation about moe navy girls battling aliens & each other
• Show by Rock!! Stars!! - team-up spinoff of the adventures of moe rock bands
• WIXOSS Diva(A)Live - the moe psychological card-dueling thriller finds a new premise of players being able to inhabit avatars
• LBX Girls - the moe adventures of transforming armored warriors
• World Witches Take Off! - team-up spinoff of the moe adventures of witches

The New Adaptations

• Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation - a self-proclaimed "godfather of modern isekai"
• Redo of Healer - a healer goes back in time to get revenge and become overpowered
• The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter - a noble has the ability to talk to sages and title explains it for him to get overpowered
• Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town? - an overpowered kid doesn't realize the obvious
• So I'm a Spider, So What? - self-explanatory isekai of the unlucky girl who winds up as this relative to the rest of her classmates
• Otherside Picnic - a two-way isekai as people can move between reality and fantasy
• Horimiya - opposites attract and a rom-com unfolds
• The Low Tier Character "Tomozaki-kun" - titular lead gets help from a fellow gamer on the game of life - develop social skills
• Monster Incidents - animal demons, supernatural mysteries and the kid who can deal with them
• 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club - new volleyball anime with a 2m43cm = 7'9" team captain
• Ex-Arm - reincarnated as a robot-controlling AI in the near future
• Project Scard: Scar on the Praeter - cops with special powers to serve and protect a lawless Tokyo
• Heaven's Design Team - The Animal Department assigned with designing new animals at God's request
• Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist- an eclectic exorcist who cures the ailments of the mind
• Hortensia Saga - disguised as a man, the heir to the throne must band together a team to retake her kingdom
• I★Chu: Halfway Through the Idol - the bishonen adventures of aspiring pop stars

The Originals

• SK∞ the Infinity - Studio Bones doing a downhill skateboard racing series with a crazy cast of misfits
• Vlad Love - a girl obsessed with donating blood has a chance encounter with the vampire who won't convert her into one
• Wonder Egg Priority - an Egg McGuffin
• Skate-Leading☆Stars - a team-based figure skating series where the brother of the rival ropes in a former skater
• Back Arrow - another once peaceful walled-in city before the monsters came; cowboy theme
• Gekkidol - aspiring theater idols to inspire others years after an unanswered post-apocalyptic incident
• Idoly Pride - this could be more of a down-earth drama not unlike a few other idol shows
• Idolls! - was wondering if there'd be any pandemic-specific shows; basically actresses in mo-cap - idol moe adventures

Gonna go and watch some anime

 

[Mostezli]

Pandemic Productions
I was considering making this its own thread, but I feel like this could just be this season as every other in 2021 might have adjusted properly. Very different from the delay thread.

There's the short-form series, Idolls! which is what a VTuber show would have been like.
There's Vlad Love, which cuts back and forth between standard animation with the average medium and wide angle shots, but then they just have the setting overlayed with extreme closeups of either the face or the mouth as the characters are conversing. Could be a stylistic choice.
The two Crunchyroll shows this season are disappointing in that realm:
So I'm a Spider, So What? spent most of the 2D animation budget/workload on humans & human settings and the occasional frames of the main character. Ex-Arm set a new standard in terms of bad 3D because each episode so far randomly has 1 or 2 characters in very limited 2D while the rest feels like one animator recently learned the software and delivered this.

 

[PicardMan]

So I'm a Spider, So What? spent most of the 2D animation budget/workload on humans & human settings and the occasional frames of the main character. Ex-Arm set a new standard in terms of bad 3D because each episode so far randomly has 1 or 2 characters in very limited 2D while the rest feels like one animator recently learned the software and delivered this.

Just checked out the first episode of So I'm a Spider as it's the first Crunchyroll Original to get 4 stars from Anime News Network, but it appears they are the only ones that seem to really love it with its 6.94 MyAnimeList score. With all the talk of the CGI, I guessed this might be the 2021 equivalent of Arifureta. The story doesn't seem as messed up. It's a little bit of a ripoff of the slime isekai, but the main character at least doesn't become a god by the end of the first episode. The protagonist being female is also quite the change and I assume the harem elements will be excised. This title seems to be neither great nor horrible to me.

 

[Mostezli]

Just checked out the first episode of So I'm a Spider as it's the first Crunchyroll Original to get 4 stars from Anime News Network, but it appears they are the only ones that seem to really love it with its 6.94 MyAnimeList score. With all the talk of the CGI, I guessed this might be the 2021 equivalent of Arifureta. The story doesn't seem as messed up. It's a little bit of a ripoff of the slime isekai, but the main character at least doesn't become a god by the end of the first episode. The protagonist being female is also quite the change and I assume the harem elements will be excised. This title seems to be neither great nor horrible to me.

So, I'm a Spider has been meh so far especially compared to the granddaddy of isekai this season.
Unlike Arifureta, seems like the other characters that got resurrected with her have some depth to them whenever the show bothers to focus on their side of the story. If you're looking for that 2021 equivalent, Redo of Healer is more like it.

 

[PicardMan]

So, I'm a Spider has been meh so far especially compared to the granddaddy of isekai this season.

That show is interesting to talk about as Rudy is quite the divisive protagonist, being a total perv and all. The loli fanservice is kinda gross (according to sources, Roxy's actually an adult, just one who looks like a kid, but that type of fanservice is still a little gross). There is a little bit of sweetness to their relationship, I will say despite some grossness. And of course, those visuals are great. I'm probably going to go with Spider for the series I personally prefer.

 

[Mostezli]

That show is interesting to talk about as Rudy is quite the divisive protagonist, being a total perv and all. The loli fanservice is kinda gross (according to sources, Roxy's actually an adult, just one who looks like a kid, but that type of fanservice is still a little gross). There is a little bit of sweetness to their relationship, I will say despite some grossness. And of course, those visuals are great. I'm probably going to go with Spider for the series I personally prefer.

It's the ensemble cast who have more depth to them than most isekai that made me stick around. It's so impeccably character-driven. Rudy's had to deflate drama with his astute grasp on people & logical reasoning more than what makes him physically overpowered. They even play into a twist where that has to be subdued for him to go along with a predicament.

 

[LinusFan303]

Been watching a few things, but really enjoyed season 2 of "Cells at Work" as much as I enjoyed the first,this season was apparently 8 episodes so it just ended. I think they covered the entire manga, minus some Covid themed chapters. Also been watching Cells at Work Code Black , which is like regular cells at work but more suffering.
The Spider anime I watched but then I got bored of it. I wished it focused just on spider girl because I really don't care about the rest of her isakaed class, the times an episode goes to them I got bored. Oh well. I should have swapped it out and watched Slime season 2, but I'm holding off on until a season with less stuff is I'm intersted in on.

Been watching Sk8, it's pretty fun to watch. Been hearing good things about Wonder Egg, but skipped it because so much stuff, might check it out later.

Monster Incidents has been interseting to watch, the characters are a great cast and the stories have been well done , so far.

Laid-Back Camp has been comfy and fun as expected. Nice relaxing show along with Non-Non.

I saved Dr. Stone, Promised Neverland 2 for later, hopefully they get to Toonami to watch there, but yeah. That's it so far for me.

 

[PicardMan]

It's the ensemble cast who have more depth to them than most isekai that made me stick around. It's so impeccably character-driven. Rudy's had to deflate drama with his astute grasp on people & logical reasoning more than what makes him physically overpowered.

The dub is now on the ever controversial episode 4 where we learn that Rudy isn't the only character that's getting backlash, but we see Rudy can mature. Mother's Basement has just stepped in to defend the most love it or hate it show of the season due to its unsavory characters.

Been watching a few things, but really enjoyed season 2 of "Cells at Work" as much as I enjoyed the first,this season was apparently 8 episodes so it just ended. I think they covered the entire manga, minus some Covid themed chapters. Also been watching Cells at Work Code Black , which is like regular cells at work but more suffering.

Yeah, Cells at Work shows are a blast and Doctor Stone season 2 is a pretty solid. Jujutsu Kaisen's second cour and Attack on Titan the Final Season are most people's picks for anime of the season. I'd say this was a solid season even if it felt worse than it really was because the shows I was most excited about, Promised Neverland season 2 and Yashahime (which started out during fall 2020 but bled into this season) were heartbreaking turdburgers of shows.

 

[LinusFan303]

The dub is now on the ever controversial episode 4 where we learn that Rudy isn't the only character that's getting backlash, but we see Rudy can mature. Mother's Basement has just stepped in to defend the most love it or hate it show of the season due to its unsavory characters.




Yeah, Cells at Work shows are a blast and Doctor Stone season 2 is a pretty solid. Jujutsu Kaisen's second cour and Attack on Titan the Final Season are most people's picks for anime of the season. I'd say this was a solid season even if it felt worse than it really was because the shows I was most excited about, Promised Neverland season 2 and Yashahime (which started out during fall 2020 but bled into this season) were heartbreaking turdburgers of shows.

Yeah , I heard something about Promised Neverland 2 breaking out of its Manga source material and going some different directions.

It was a good season heavily packed, so there was at least one thing for almost anybody.

 

[PicardMan]

Yeah , I heard something about Promised Neverland 2 breaking out of its Manga source material and going some different directions.

It was a rush job just like Tokyo Ghoul. Way too much crammed in 11 episodes.

How could I forget to mention Re:Zero? That also deserves to be mentioned as a season highlight.