With the summer upon us, a new season of anime has arrived! Here are the five I am the most excited for.
Image source: 「現実主義勇者の王国再建記」作品公式 on Twitter
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
Genre: Transported to a Fantasy World
Studio: J.C.Staff
Premiere date: July 4, 2021
What it’s about: When a “normal” young man finds himself transported to a fantasy world as the hero destined to defeat the invading demon army, he doesn’t act quite as expected. Instead of learning magic and the sword, he sets out to rectify the problems facing the kingdom through economic and political reform—becoming the Kingdom’s new king in the process!
Why I’m excited: This story twists the archetypical hero transported to a fantasy world story by making it less about battling demons and more about the socio-economic issues facing the fantasy world. This ranges from the problems caused by an overreliance on cash crops to simple corruption in the government and lack of proper oversite. Even when war does enter the picture, it’s more about the tactics and backroom deals than the actual fighting. If applying actual social, economic, and political theories to a fantasy world sounds interesting to you, be sure to check this one out.
Watch it if you like: Maoyuu, Spice and Wolf
Where to watch: Funimation
Image source: 「乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった…X」TVアニメ公式 on Twitter
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (Season 2)
Genre: Reincarnated as a Villainess in a Fantasy Dating Sim World
Studio: SILVER LINK.
Premiere date: July 3, 2021
What it’s about: After being reincarnated as a villainess character in a female-aimed dating-sim, the not-so-bright Catarina has spent the last decade of her life working to avoid her tragic fate. After many comical misadventures, she has succeeded and a bright future seems to await her. Unfortunately, she’s unaware that the game she was reborn into has a sequel where the villainess is supposed to return to take her revenge!
Why I’m excited: One of the most important aspects of the first season is that Catarina has played the game she is living out. This basically allows her to know the future (though she admittedly diverts from the main plot drastically early on by befriending all those who would have stood against her). In this season, however, she is left without that foreknowledge. Instead of acting, she is forced to react in order to survive the trials that await her. And given how dim-witted Catarina is, this might prove to be a bigger problem than expected.
Watch it if you like: Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, It Seems Like I Got Reincarnated into the World of a Yandere Otome Game, The Daughter of the Albert House Wishes for Ruin
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Image source: TVアニメ『死神坊ちゃんと黒メイド』公式 on Twitter
The Duke of Death and His Maid
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Fantasy
Studio: J.C.Staff
Premiere date: July 4, 2021
What it’s about: After the heir to a noble family is cursed by a witch to kill anything he touches, he is exiled by his family to live alone in a remote mansion. There, his only companions are an aging butler and his buxom maid, Alice. But while the young man may wish to be alone in his despair, Alice won’t allow it—invading his personal space and flirting with him even in the face of mortal danger.
Why I’m excited: This is one of the cutest little rom-com stories out there. Rather than being cruel, Alice’s relentless flirting proves to be the young man’s lifeline to his humanity. And, beyond the lighthearted comedy lies several intriguing mysteries. Why has the young man been cursed? Why has Alice stayed by his side despite him being abandoned by his own family? And is there any way to remove the curse, or will the young man forever be left without the touch of another person?
Watch it if you like: Teasing Master Takagi-san, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, Kaguya-sama: Love is War
Where to watch: TBA
Image source: TVアニメ「魔法科高校の劣等生」シリーズ on Twitter
The Honor Student at Magic High School
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Studio: Connect
Premiere date: July 3, 2021
What it’s about: Miyuki Shiba is a prodigy of magic and the academy’s most promising new student—but this is just what the public knows about her. In actuality, she is in the running to become the heir to one of the most powerful magical families—the shadowy people who run the country behind the scenes. Yet, she does not want to rule. All she wants is a relatively low-key life with her beloved brother by her side. If only things could be that simple…
Why I’m excited: This is a retelling of the first season of The Irregular at Magic High School from the point of view of Miyuki with an emphasis on the rest of the female supporting cast. Not only does it give these characters more than a little needed development, it also is an opportunity to add more context to the story—to highlight what is happening on the grander scale.
Watch it if you like: The Irregular at Magic High School, The Misfit of Demon King Academy, My Hero Academia
Where to watch: Funimation
Image source: 『 月が導く異世界道中 』TVアニメ公式 on Twitter
Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy-
Genre: Transported to a Fantasy World
Studio: C2C
Premiere date: July 7, 2021
What it’s about: When a young man is summoned to a fantasy world, the goddess responsible finds him too ugly to be one of her heroes and casts him aside to die in the most brutal wilderness on her planet. Yet he soon finds himself accompanied by a dragon and an ancient spider, exploring this new world and attempting to make things better for all those he comes across.
Why I’m excited: This is another story of an over-powered protagonist in a fantasy world but with several fun twists. To start off, he does not realize how powerful he is. Moreover, as the goddess rejected him, he is not able to even speak the human language. And because he is so very ugly (by the impossible beauty standards of the fantasy world), most humans think he might be a monster of some sort. This all serves to isolate him—and lets him develop without any influence from either side of the human/demon war.
Watch it if you like: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord, Demon Lord, Retry!
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Top image source: TVアニメ『死神坊ちゃんと黒メイド』公式 on Twitter.
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