So I’ve been…terribly inactive on this blog. Sorry about that. I’ve been on leave from work for the past month and a half (still got a couple days to go). Ideally, I should’ve used all that free time for the blog but I don’t know, I’ve been feeling very anxious and stressed lately. I didn’t now exactly when I could get back to work. I became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and I just recently got my first short, but scrambling for an appointment and worrying over it going smoothly sucked. Also, I’m not kidding but I actually got sick after my appointment. Go figure. Part of me thinks I overreacted and that’s on me but yeah, I just wasn’t in the mood to blog and while I was still watching some stuff, I haven’t been on top of that either. I do want to get through my bucket list of things to do in some way but as always, the priority lies in what’s new and upcoming. Speaking of which…
Godzilla Singular Point
| Premieres: March 25 | Streaming: Netflix |
| Studio: Bones & Oranges | Source: Film Series |
I’ve only seen a couple Godzilla films and I have a largely cursory knowledge of the mythology. What draws me into this new anime project is the involvement of both Bones and Orange, one of the best traditional animation and CGI studios respectively. It’s an interesting combination for sure. As for the plot, the show appears to revolve around a team of child prodigies tasked with the tall order of taking on Godzilla, presumably the antagonist again this time.
SSSS.Dynazenon
| Premieres: April 2 at 22:00 JST | Streaming: Funimation |
| Studio: Trigger | Source: Live-Action TV Show |
An indirect sequel to SSSS.Gridman, the indirect sequel to the 1993 tokusatsu series Gridman the Hyper Agent. From my understanding, this will revolve around the Dyna Dragon, a mech that did appear in the original series but was notably absent in the anime reboot. I’ve seen SSSS.Gridman twice, first when it aired in Fall 2018 and most recently for #Anitwitwatches, a community event led by Jon Spencer of Jon Spencer Reviews. The show is not without its flaws. It has a far stronger start than end and some of the characterization, particularly that of the main villain, is underdeveloped and/or frustrating. It still has its moments though and it still remains the best Trigger series that I’ve seen all the way through. At the very least, I enjoyed it enough that I’ll give the sequel a try.
All the major staff members have returned to work in their respective roles. The cast and characters are different though which I’m okay with. Save for a few exceptions, I have a hard time picturing what more can be done for the characters in the first anime. I am however concerned that the new cast will be functionally same as the old one and the few PVs we’ve seen does little to dissuade that.
My Hero Academia (Season 5)
| Premieres: April 3 at 17:30 JST | Streaming: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, VRV |
| Studio: Bones | Source: Manga |
I haven’t included My Hero Academia in a season preview a long time as I fell behind on the series during my senior year in college. After enough nagging from my younger brother, who is a fan of this series, I finally got all caught up so unless something happens on my end, I’m good to go for Season 5. The ship for coverage sailed a long time ago though. My enjoyment with My Hero Academia peaked around halfway through Season 3. I don’t expect the s how to reach those highs anytime soon. Still, the show remains consistently solid so it really has to try and jump the shark.
Fruits Basket The Final Season
| Premieres: April 6 at 1:30 JST | Streaming: Crunchyroll, Funimation, VRV |
| Studio: TMS Entertainment | Source: Manga |
I’ve put Fruits Basket (2019) has been on hold around halfway through Season 1 and believe me, it’s driving me crazy. Just find some time, me! Normally, I don’t include returning shows in these previews if I’m not all caught up for the new season. However, I’m making an exception this one time to acknowledge what a big deal it is to see Fruits Basket reach the end of its manga source material. I got into Fruits Basket nearly a decade after the 2001 anime ended so I shared the sentiment with a lot of the fans that we’d never get a full adaptation. And yet here we are in 2021. It’s finally happening. The whole thing still feels like a dream to me.
Because I put the show on hold, I actually don’t have know what the consensus has been for the 2019 anime, save for some impressions I’ve seen from other bloggers. I did hear that Season 2 made some changes; don’t know what they are though (and I intend to keep it that way). It’s still a little surprising to me though I suppose the show was only advertised as a complete adaptation and not necessarily 1:1. Since I’ve previously read the manga, I know where the anime is currently at and where it’s heading. For the anime-only viewers’ sake, I won’t give any details though I will say that I remember finding the finale to be quite the rollercoaster.
As for coverage, I honestly don’t know. I’m so far behind and that’s a lot of belated posts to write. I could just skip all that but I’m a stubborn completionist and where’s the fun in that anyway? That said, I feel more inclined to catch up with this than a lot of other multi-season shows I gave up on covering and if there’s still interest in my two cents, I’d like to know.
Zombie Land Saga Revenge
| Premieres: April 8 at 23:30 JST | Streaming: Crunchyroll, Funimation, VRV |
| Studio: MAPPA | Source: Original |
I watched the first season of Zombie Land Saga and while I guess I enjoyed it enough to finish it, I honestly got bored with it by the end. The comedy peaked at just the first couple of episodes and once you get past the zombie gimmick, the show is as generic as idol anime can get. Some plot threads were noticeably left unresolved and the answers they may receive do leave me a little curious. But honestly, it’s entirely possible I’ll drop the show before I get there.
The World Ends with You The Animation
| Premieres: April 10 at 1:25 | Streaming: Funimation |
| Studio: domerica x Shin-Ei Animation | Source: Video Game |
Based on the cult classic video game by Square Enix and Jupiter. The story follows a teenage boy named Neku Sakuraba who finds himself trapped in a game that will determine his fate and that of others. My only exposure to The World Ends with You is the cameo appearances made by the characters in Kingdom Hearts (the less we talk about Kingdom Hearts, the better). I bought the Nintendo Switch version of the game and I’ve been meaning to play it but as always, the backlog is never-ending. For now, I guess I’ll settle for the anime adaptation.
Yuki Yuna is Hero Churutto!
| Premieres: April 10 at 1:50 JST | Streaming: TBD |
| Studio: DMM.futureworks & W-Toon Studio | Source: Video Game |
I covered Yuki Yuna is a Hero last year as a bonus pick from the first episode review poll and at the time, it was three years since the last major project so I made the safer assumption that there wasn’t going to be anything from the franchise anytime soon. Lo and behold, I was proven wrong during the middle of coverage and this little short spin-off series got announced. That sure took me by surprise. Of course, the bigger surprise was finding out there’ll be a third season of the main show (fingers crossed it’s this Fall).
From my understanding, Churutto! will be based on the YuYuYu mobile game which not only stars the original cast but also characters from various spin-off projects. I’ll admit that’s actually a problem for me as my familiarity with YuYuYu currently begins and ends with the main TV show. That said, Churutto! does appear to be lighter on plot as it follows the Hero Club and their efforts to perfect an udon recipe. I’m not making this up, that indeed appears to be the plot. I’ll be shocked if this somehow gets dark partway through.
Blue Reflection Ray
| Premieres: April 10 at 1:55 JST | Streaming: Funimation |
| Studio: J.C. Staff | Source: Video Game |
An adaptation of the 2017 video game by Gust, the developer best known for their Atelier series, and their publisher Koei Tecmo. I’ve never played the game though it may not be required as none of the characters from the game appear to be in this show (which isn’t strange at all). The basic premise seems to remain the same – a young girl gains magical girl powers that are somehow connected to her social life at school. A complete shot in the dark but I’ve been interested in the game so I’ll give this a try.
Shadows House
| Premieres: April 11 at 0:30 JST | Streaming: Funimation |
| Studio: CloverWorks | Source: Manga |
Another shot in the dark. Also, pun not intended. Shadows House revolves around a mysterious family of sentient shadows as well as a group of sentience dolls who act as their doppelgangers in public. Sounds quirky and quirky but suffice to say, it has me curious. The manga seems to be pretty well-liked and the visuals teased in the PV do look quite nice.
Edens Zero
| Premieres: April 11 at 0:55 JST | Streaming: Netflix |
| Studio: J.C. Staff | Source: Manga |
Edens Zero is Hiro Mashima’s next major work after Fairy Tail. That much is perhaps evident by how similar the character designs are between the two shows (or just straight up the same in some cases). Whereas Fairy Tail is a fantasy series, Edens Zero is a sci-fi adventure where its protagonists embark on a journey across space in search of a cosmic entity. I’ve heard so-so things about the manga and if it’s as ongoing as Fairy Tail was, I can’t imagine keeping up with it. If only because the early seasons of Fairy Tail was one of the first anime I tried during my formative years as a weeb, I want to give this show a fair shake too.
Ijiraniade, Nagatoro-san
| Premieres: April 11 at 1:00 JST | Streaming: Crunchyroll, VRV |
| Studio: Telecom Animation Film | Source: Manga |
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a romcom where the boy can’t enjoy some peace and quiet because there’s a girl who loves trolling the hell out of him. If you enjoy, say, Teasing Master Takagi-san or Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, then Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san is right up your alley. I personally find this type of show hit or miss. Like, I enjoy Takagi-san but couldn’t stand Uzaki-chan. Can’t exactly say I’ll enjoy this one but it is 50-50 so we shall see.
To Your Eternity
| Premieres: April 12 at 22:50 JST | Streaming: Crunchyroll, VRV |
| Studio: Brain’s Base | Source: Manga |
Originally slated for Fall 2020, To Your Eternity is presumably one of the last shows whose production was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the manga of the same name by A Silent Voice‘s Yoshitoki Ooima, To Your Eternity chronicles the journey of a young wanderer and a mysterious and immortal being under the guise of a wolf. Don’t know much else about the show but the manga has a a strongly positive reception so I’m keeping an eye on this one.
Thanks for reading!
This post was last updated on April 2, 2021.
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Looks like an interesting line-up.
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