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Forum - View topicThe Best and Worst Anime of Summer 2021
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Saffire
 Posts: 1256 Location: Iowa, USA |
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Nick's writeup on Fena is being cut off at the end.
Kageki Shoujo and Dragon Maid are the only shows I watched week to week, and I think that makes a pretty solid one-two for me. I liked Love Live better than I have since the first season and Tsukimichi was fine. Overall an okay season. |
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KutovoiAnton
 Posts: 943 Location: Vladimir, Russia |
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No love for the Kingdom?
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Kicksville
 Posts: 1186 |
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I feel like people are too hard on Fena, although admittedly the first episode being so good and then kind of cooling off towards the middle probably has to do with that. That said, I was under the impression it was going to be 2 cour or split cour or something, so if it isn't...well, I hope it works out.
I'm not quite done with the portion of Shaman King on Netflix, but that's another one I'm enjoying despite what's been said about it (although the comment here isn't terribly harsh). I suppose I don't know any better since this is my first time with the material, but the pacing in general hasn't bothered me either...although yes, I definitely agree Netflix cutting seasons up like this is annoying. Then again, maybe I'm crazy but I think there's been an especially high amount of extremely good anime in the last five-ish years as opposed to the five years before it. I get the feeling this stuff would've been better received in the past, if that makes sense. (Speaking of which, Sonny Boy is definitely on track for "somewhere in the top 50 anime of all time" as long as it sticks the landing) |
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 2954 Location: Email for assistance only |
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Fixed, thank you! |
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Wyvern
 Posts: 1568 |
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I've been pretty critical of Fena on here, but I can't say I think it deserves any kind of "worst" award. Mediocre writing and characters, sure, (well, it had some great characters but spoiler[they all got killed off]) but it also has the most consistently great animation this season, with some especially beautiful environments. In an era of increasingly rushed and sloppy productions, that counts for a lot.
Also, Fena is giving us something pretty unique as a historical adventure show, and with 40 different generic isekai shows dropping every season, we really don't need to be punishing series that try something different. I prefer a show that swings for the fences and misses, over one that never even tries to be great. |
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killjoy_the
 Posts: 2460 |
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Honestly the only three shows I've been enjoying this season have yet to end, so I can't say for sure which one's Best or Runner Up. It'll probably be Uramichi for best (I like the humor in general, it has heart, but episode 12 wasn't good) and Sonny Boy or Idaten for Runner Up (Sonny Boy is sometimes too caught up in its own shtick to land too often, and Idaten has "haha I've written porn before" kind of character writing, but I love the visuals)
Worst is Higurashi bar none. If I still had it in me to finish it I'm almost certain it was gonna be my worst rated anime of the year, perhaps of the decade, as I normally drop things I dislike that much. But then I dropped it anyway after this last episode, so For stuff I finished, To Your Eternity, Hamefura X and Realist Hero all share the same "meh" feeling, but while TYE and Hamefura had terrible episodes and good ones, Realist was just meh throughout, so I guess it'd be the one |
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Hiroki not Takuya
 Posts: 2538 |
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Oh, My Dear Mr. Ferris, we had no idea that Dead-tective could have possibly been worse than Battle Game in 5, though there were hopes for the latter not being a true "stinker". And PBR was more of an unknown quantity, though again there were hopes given the pedigree for better. And I for one thank you for your service on all accounts because I was able to avoid two of the "worst" this season, like dodging two bullets at the same time! For the record, I actually liked Battle Game in 5...(Also Realist Hero, Vanitas and MVA were my faves unsuprisingly)
@kicksville, if you ask me it's definitely NOT your imagination that the "good" shows have been getting better. There are even some greats that have threatened to outshine those of the past. Similarly, some of the "worst " have been getting BAD to historical levels (Ex-Arm, Plunderers, Redo of Healer...) but in new and innovative ways.  We even got the "hentai" comedy Inter-Species Reviewers which I loved...
Last edited by Hiroki not Takuya on Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:47 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Saeryen
 Posts: 909 |
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Hooray for Kageki Shoujo!! getting the love it deserves!
This season I watched The Aquatope on White Sand, Kageki Shoujo!!, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X, and continued from last season Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure and Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House. Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure continues to be my overall top pick. As for best new series, I have to go with The Aquatope on White Sand. It’s the perfect blend of iyashikei and somewhat heavier emotional moments, with two strong and very human leads. Plus, Fuuka/Kukuru is one of my ships now. I don’t have a worst or a letdown this season. I rarely do, since I only watch what I think I would like. There are things I probably would have chosen if I’d forced myself to watch them (looking at you, Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory), but I find it unfair to pass too much judgement on something I haven’t seen. Last edited by Saeryen on Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:27 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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meruru
Posts: 471 |
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Man, many seem to like Vanitas, but we stopped watching after a few episodes. It's beautiful, but what really killed it for us was the sexual harassment as a recurring joke. It's too bad, because I did like Pandora Hearts the manga. I liked the soundtrack for Pandora Hearts the anime, but it wasn't really a good adaptation.
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Hal14
 Posts: 676 Location: Heart of africa |
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Only doing this for the shows I have/will finish.
Best New show: Vanitas Best Ongoing show: Demon school Iruma Honorable mention: Idaten Biggest letdown/disappointment: Hamefura X Worst: Don't have a worst, but this was a pretty weak season for me. I dropped about half of the shows I picked up. |
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ab2143
Posts: 718 |
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For me, the best goes to I, Tsushima honestly surprised they haven’t done TWIA article on it
Runner-up would go to case study of Vanitas For worst, I was also going to mention Tokyo Revengers but, as Nick said, the cliffhanger made up for it. So I’ll just say Peach Boy Riverside |
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tintor2
 Posts: 1874 |
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Not a single mention of Tokyo Revengers or Odd Taxi?
Last edited by tintor2 on Mon Sep 27, 2021 11:25 am; edited 1 time in total |
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JintoLin
Posts: 44 |
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This article pretty well summarizes why I didn't watch any anime and cancelled by CrunchyRoll subscription this season. I started watching anime with Bubblegum Crisis and various mecha shows, then stopped for a while and dove back in with Eva and Bebop. Mecha and SF shows kept me going for a long while, but the landscape has changed so much there was nothing to interest me this season.
There are a few shows coming in the fall for me to check out, but these swings into certain genres and the over-saturation of those genres is disturbing. |
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DeTroyes
 Posts: 520 |
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My usual 2¥.
Best: Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story s2 Gorgeous animation and great story; a worthy successor to the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica. My only real complaint was that keeping track of the myriad of characters became somewhat confusing. Looking forward to the final season and seeing where this all goes. Runner-up: The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace I almost dropped this series after the first couple of episodes, but after a while it sort of grew on me. Wild animation very reminiscent of Trigger. Some disturbing moments sprinkled through out the series also make it not for the faint hearted. Honorable Mentions: My Hero Acadmia s5, To Your Eternity (cour 2), The Great Jahy Won't Be Defeated!, Sonny Boy, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X. Series I ended up enjoying despite its huge flaws: Higurashi: When They Cry - Sotsu I don't quite feel comfortable recommending this series enough to give it an Honorable Mention, but neither did I hate it enough to stick it with the worst anime experiences of Summer 2021. Suffice to say that it's clearly the least of the Higurashi shows thus far, but if you're a Higurashi fan you probably won't dislike it too much. Probably. Nipah. Dropped: How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Girlfriend Girlfriend, Case Study of Vanitas Worst: The Detective is Already Dead This series was all over the place. Not only was it unclear what it wanted to be (mystery, romcom, drama, action adventure), but even when it stuck with one genre for a time it did it in the most pedestrian, boring way possible. Its a pity, because I understand this anime does not do the original Light Novels justice at all. Of all the shows that premiered this last cour, this one was the most massively disappointing. On to Fall 2021, where just a cursory look at the upcoming lineup is far, far more encouraging than Summer 2021 has been. Last edited by DeTroyes on Mon Sep 27, 2021 12:55 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Angel M Cazares
 Posts: 5445 Location: Iscandar |
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Best: Kageki Shoujo!! and My Hero Academia
Least good and most disappointing: Kobayashi S - I was charmed by season 1 because its central messages are that you can form a family will anybody and that it's alright to be different. But season 2 has messy writing and directing, and the implication in episodes 1-2 that Kobayashi is required to have a penis in order to have sex with Tohru almost made me throw up. P.S. Thank you for the picture of Himiko Toga and her thicc legs. 
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