This upcoming season has a ton of highly anticipated sequels—but there are more than a few new shows that shouldn’t be overlooked as well.
Image source: アニメ「進撃の巨人」公式アカウント on Twitter.
Attack on Titan: Final Season
Genre: Gaspunk, Dark Fantasy
Studio: MAPPA
Premiere date: December 7, 2020
What it’s about: Titans: The nation of Marley has used them for over a century to win war after war—despite once being oppressed by the Titans themselves. But now, the nation may face its doom. With the invention of battleships and armored trains, it’s obvious the usefulness of Titans on the battlefield will soon be at an end. For the country to survive, it needs to update its military and for that it needs time—time that can only be gained by making the world fear the Titans once more.
Why I’m excited: Coming out of all the revelations of the previous season, the starting chunk of this season focuses on the villains of our tale and what they hope to accomplish. It humanizes them and makes them sympathetic—especially in the case of the oppressed Titan soldiers and their families. At the same time, the absence of our heroes leaves us constantly wondering what they are up to—equal parts dreading and excited for the conflict that’s destined to come all too soon.
Watch it if you like: Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Black Bullet, Deca-Dence
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation, AnimeLab (AU/NZ), Wakanim (EU)
Image source: アニメ「ログ・ホライズン 円卓崩壊」製作委員会 on Twitter.
Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table
Genre: Trapped in a Video Game Fantasy World
Studio: Studio Deen
Premiere date: January 13, 2021
What it’s about: Tens of thousands of players of the world’s most popular MMORPG have found themselves transported into the game’s world made real. Together they have struggled to live in this new world and make a place for themselves. They have made cities and governments, fought wars and made diplomatic alliances. But still the mystery remains: how is it they came to exist in this world?
Why I’m excited: While sharing a lot in general with other trapped-in-a-game-world anime, Log Horizon sets itself apart by focusing on the society the players make—and how that society reacts to the various NPCs and their related Kingdoms. Last season explored some of the other player-made societies that had been made across the once virtual world and also laid out a set of bad guys for our heroes to face. I’m excited to see where it all goes from here.
Watch it if you like: Log Horizon, Sword Art Online, .hack//sign
Where to watch: Funimation, AnimeLab (AU/NZ)
Image source: 『Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活』公式 on Twitter.
Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World (Season 2 – Part 2)
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Time Travel, Transported to Another World
Studio: White Fox
Premiere date: January 6, 2021
What it’s about: Transported into a fantasy world, antisocial high schooler Subaru is armed with the power to time travel—a power that only activates when he dies. Now, he and his allies are caught in a trap specifically designed to make his powers useless—unless, of course, he gives in to the lingering machinations of a witch more than a century dead.
Why I’m excited: The first part of season 2 was all about getting the pieces into place—showing just how screwed Sabaru and Emillia are. The second half is about how the pair rail against their fate and how they grow into better people in the process.
Watch it if you like: Steins;Gate, Erased, The Rising of the Shield Hero
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Animax Asia
Image source: TVアニメ「蜘蛛ですが、なにか？」公式?2021年1月8日より連続2クール放送開始！ on Twitter.
So I’m a Spider, So What?
Genre: Reincarnated in a Fantasy World… as a Spider
Studio: Millepensee
Premiere date: January 8, 2021
What it’s about: A classroom full of Japanese kids are suddenly reincarnated in a fantasy world. One is reborn as a prince. Another the son of a swordmaster. Yet another grows up as a ward of the church. But our protagonist isn’t nearly as lucky. She is reincarnated as the weakest creature there is: a spider. To make things worse, she’s a spider trapped deep within the most dangerous dungeon in the world.
Why I’m excited: I love how this series plays with time and perspective. Trapped in the dungeon, Kumoko is largely isolated from the other reincarnated students (and the greater world in general). While we switch between her viewpoint and that of the others, it’s not clear how her timeline lines up with theirs until much later in the story. There are even some parts of the story we get to see twice from different perspectives—which completely change how you view what is actually going on.
Watch it if you like: That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime, The Rising of the Shield Hero
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Image source: VLADLOVE-official on Twitter.
Vlad Love
Genre: Vampire Comedy
Studio: Production I.G, Drive
Premiere date: December 18, 2020
What it’s about: Despite having a blood type that makes it basically pointless for her to give blood, Mitsugu is a blood donation maniac—to the point where blood banks turn her away for coming too often. She’s even convinced her school nurse to fill an extra blood bag once a month (despite the fact that said blood bag just sits in Mitsugu’s fridge untouched). All that changes the day Mitsugu meets Mai, a young vampire starving for blood. But since Mitsugu can’t give enough blood herself to keep Mai alive, she’ll have to recruit others if she wants to keep living with her new vampire friend.
Why I’m excited: This series is written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, the man behind such classic anime films as Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor. And while his more serious works are his most well-known, it’s important to note that he cut his teeth on Urusei Yatsura—going on to write and direct the second film, Beautiful Dreamer (one of my favorite films of all time). So seeing him do a comedic series again 40 years later is truly a dream come true.
Watch it if you like: Urusei Yatsura, Ghost in the Shell
Where to watch: YouTube
Top image source: TVアニメ「蜘蛛ですが、なにか？」公式?2021年1月8日より連続2クール放送開始！ on Twitter.
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