Archive 2021: My Year in Anime

Disclaimer

This is not intended as some kind of ranking list, nor does this serve the purpose of expressing my taste or preference in anime. With the year or 2021 having come to a close, I thought to reflect, and put to paper the anime that stuck with me the most over the year, keeping me the most company.

This isn’t limited to anime that aired in 2021. Rather, this list encompasses the most impactful anime series that I watched in 2021. There is no established format to this article, nor is there any explicit purpose beyond constructing a time capsule that might pass for comedic material in the decades to come.

World Trigger

If by some chance I come to forget this series in the near future, it would be a damn shame. Sweeping into my subconscious in Winter, when the stellar second season of the anime was airing, it wasn’t long before the releases of the manga became the highlight of my every month.

Even this tiny fraction of what I love about this series is massive indeed.

Equal part deconstruction and reconstruction of shonen tropes, World Trigger took its time, but tightly hooked me with its concrete power system, advanced tactical emphasis, and massive ensemble of lovable characters. Other than being a genuine-to-earth underdog story that I could get behind, its fights cleverly blended solid power scaling with strategy and creativity, constantly keeping me on the edge of my seat with the “how” instead of the “whom”.

Between keeping track of all the well-balanced technicalities, worldbuilding, character arcs, and so much more, most of my March and April basically sank into World Trigger. It wasn’t long before I had memorised every single characters’ Trigger set, knew every single name, and was even contributing to the wiki. Truly, between all the subtle details I love to be fed and the slow burn of Ashihara’s methodical narratives, this series should keep me company for a long time.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Considering how obviously popular the anime was during its release, it should come as no surprise that I ate up Jujutsu Kaisen like the shonen junk food it was. MAPPA’s production quality had me rewatching clips and whole episodes ever so many times, and there was a spark of novelty in the plot’s progression that kept my hopes up for this series’ future.

But I would’ve kept hoping, and nothing more, if my brother didn’t convince me to cave and read the manga. What followed, after what felt like a late expository flashback arc, was the Shibuya Incident. Any doubts I had about Jujutsu Kaisen’s narrative capacity ended there and then. On top of being one of the most tightly-written, high-octane shonen arcs I had ever read, there was a healthy dose of deeper lore, thematic musings and grey morality sprinkled in.

Everything came together on October 31st at Shibuya.

And somehow, it all just felt like buildup. What came next was a darker, more dangerous, but easily more intriguing premise for what might be a large majority of the remaining series. Considering just how ridiculously enjoyable Shibuya itself was, I can’t help but get my expectations up for the future of Jujutsu Kaisen, as Gege Akutami is nowhere near done building momentum; dropping hints, details, and plot threads that become increasingly poignant with every week.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

My relationship with the original Higurashi anime series was rather strained. I watched the whole thing over nearly two months, and while I appreciated the element of unsolved mystery and the raw power of its jump scares (which worked remarkably well with the rough art style), nothing really motivated me to continue it.

Until eventually, I just did. I can’t recall the flash of inspiration that led me to making that decision, but I’m grateful for it nonetheless. Taking a massive shift from the first season, Kai was clearly of a different breed, feeding us information, context, plot. Although the evolution of narrative threads were slightly off base, the final product felt… holistically complete.

For the first time in a while, I had encountered an anime that felt structurally complete. It was basically the “Brotherhood” feeling of a neatly wrapped up plot, yet it didn’t lose the aesthetic touch of its horror roots along the way. It felt like… a perfect package, with nothing left to desire. Even the AU OVAs had a certain “dumb fun” charm beyond their nonsensical premises.

Just don’t mention GOU. Please.

I’m ready to believe the true nature of Oyashiro’s curse is the garbage sequels.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny

Long ago, in a distant land, I had given up on SEED Destiny as a lost cause. Which isn’t to say I disliked Gundam SEED itself; it was a nice (if flawed) series that brought a fresh 2000’s streak to the concepts of the Universal Century. However, maybe I had heard too much shit about SEED Destiny going in to be a fair judge of character. Not only did I try to watch the recap movies instead, I only made it a few minutes in before moving onto later, better Gundam.

When I did eventually, whimsically decide to come back, though, the results… weren’t great. My attempt to speed through this series was kept alive only by copious skipping. But in the end? I enjoyed it exactly for what it was. As much as I cringed for every frame wasted on Kira Jesus Yamato, I was genuinely invested in Athrun Zala’s initial character arc (what can I say, Akira Ishida gets me every time…), and endlessly drawn in by Shinn Asuka’s potential.

This bratty, rebellious emo kid that had earned most fans’ ire actually kept me coming back. I saw a character that had become entrenched in his own beliefs, supported inadequately by a flawed, non-communicating mentor. He was no Kamille, and Athrun no Char, but it was when they crossed blades that I hoped for a rewarding completion of Shinn’s character arc. I believed that each and every failed attempt to redeem him was a fake-out, right until the last minute. But you know what? Sometimes it’s about the journey. I had a shitton of mecha fun with the series, even if it didn’t follow through on its promises.

You know what? It isn’t even your fault, kid. You were an unfortunate victim of fangirl retcons.

SSSS.Dynazenon

My roots don’t run especially deep in the kaiju and tokusatsu genres, but I do have fond memories of watching Ultraman as a child. My understanding of the “giant monster” and “giant robots” formula is comprehensive enough to appreciate the superficial entertainment value of SSSS.Dynazenon. Considering I was a devout hater of Gridman back when it aired, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve matured since, or if Gridman was genuinely as bad as I remember.

A thoroughly reconstructed take on the kaiju genre, Dynazenon just took everything about itself in stride. The touch-and-go reflection on character, the serious implications of collateral damage, the melodramatic backstories. All such factors were referenced and brushed off with charm and finesse because they were recognised as a distraction from its characters.

All those tokusatsu poses. All that Trigger action. Just for 12 episodes of group therapy.

Dynazenon didn’t hide behind its bombastic visuals (and Shiro Sagisu’s heavy metal tracks) because it didn’t need to. Every trope and cliche it handwaved came with a self-awareness that it was nodding to a (somewhat) bygone age, because behind that veneer were strong story beats about moving on from the past and the support of shared trauma, none of which ever got preachy or on-the-nose. It handled its business, shafted its needy extras (made a storyline out of doing it too), and it was out of there.

Odd Taxi

With luck, my nature as a habitual binge watcher of anime doesn’t change down the line, as I find that I thrive in the binged value of series like ERASED, Fate/Zero, and now, Odd Taxi.

Four hours of my life had rarely felt so short. Or, perhaps, it would be more accurate to say the familiarity of the time dilation is what endeared this show to me. I felt like I was reliving my early experiences with anime, mercilessly sucked in by a gripping concept. The most striking feature, however, was that in spite of the stylistics and detailed writing, Odd Taxi managed to move past the traditionally slow early exposition and keep me engaged from beginning to end.

You don’t need that sequel, man. That first outing was literally all you needed to prove.

When I wasn’t being overloaded with the nuances and tension of the core storyline, extraneous details, red herrings, and poignant side character arcs gave me more than enough to chew on. Somehow though, the conclusion managed to be near perfect in spite of how much it had riding on it (we know anime don’t always do well under pressure).

It may be a contradictory statement, but I don’t think the characters and plot of Odd Taxi will stick with me. Not really. But this isn’t an affront to the series; quite the opposite. Odokawa’s story just happens to merit the distinction of a structurally perfect narrative that is difficult to comprehend in isolation. Given the improbability of me remembering the intricacies of such a comprehensive series, I look forward to future opportunities to re-experience it in its entirety.

Doraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops ~Winged Angels~

As is the case for most kids who grew up in India, Doraemon was an integral part of my childhood, and in some strange attempt to consolidate those memories, I found myself watching all of the Doraemon movies in 2021. Some were childish, some were dry, some were actually good, and then… there was this one.

It became immediately obvious that the sense of scale was just different in this one. Within the first 20 minutes of what was supposed to be expository antics, the familiar main cast was confronted with the cold reality of weapons of mass destruction and their implications. What followed was a full blown alien robot invasion, the implications of which were very, very real.

Although the main characters were interpreted in unique and different angles, shedding new perspectives on their characterizations in times of crisis, what stole the show was the side characters. The one-off characters that come with every Doraemon movie were what made the experience so harrowing and real, introducing musings on identity, self-worth, and the history of evolution that did not belong in a children’s movie.

Though I suppose that’s anime in general: deeper than the veneer. But if nothing else, this movie consolidated to me the reality of Doraemon’s enduring legacy as one of the most influential Japanese series ever made; the versatility and vast tonal spectrum of the source material was what made this riveting movie possible. For a kids-oriented movie, this was impossibly good.

Although somewhat straightforward, this movie was intimately heartbreaking, but also beautiful.

Beelzebub

Sliding in at the very end of the year, I was dearly tempted to exclude this series, given I started it well into the final week of the year, but it really says something that I finished this series in 2021 nonetheless.

My relationship with comedies is… strained. While I appreciate good humour as much as the next person, and I appreciate how well comedic series build your attachment to their characters, anime humour doesn’t always land for me. In fact, most “comedies” I’m inordinately fond of roped me in for other reasons (Gintama, Grand Blue). That said, Beelzebub… wasn’t really an exception to this rule.

This bizarre parent-child dynamic made for a great character arc and… was oddly heartwarming.

The delinquent setting and evolving character dynamics were definitely the main pull, but at an age where I try to be more mature with my media, the slightly immature but accessible humour of Beelzebub was exactly what I needed. Its outlandish premise was thoroughly milked for all its worth, slowly but surely building to more serious and plot-driven moments, all held together by phenomenal voice work (Katsuyuki Konishi’s comedic delivery be blessed).

I didn’t last long before caving to the manga, which rounded up the narrative, the humour, and most of the character arcs in spite of a rushed ending… yet it only left me longing for more.

Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time

There are very few anime that, over the course of my life, I can dub “foundational series” for me. Avatar: The Last Airbender, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, GTO, Naruto. But at the very top are the works of Fujiko Fujio (Doraemon, Ninja Hattori, Perman, etc.) for shaping my childhood and initiating my love for animation. And nothing—literally nothing—has come closer to these than Neon Genesis Evangelion. In a time when I struggled with insecurities and self-frustration, the congested sense of loneliness in Evangelion—while incomprehensible to my 14-year old self—offered comfort.

I can unequivocally say that I enjoyed the Rebuild of Evangelion series, including (in no small measure) the critically panned 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo. When captured in the light of a spiritual sequel instead of a reboot, I reflexively understood it wasn’t a new story, so much as it was carrying forward the baggage of its prequel. The same tormented souls, suffering from the same issues, still in search for a finality that the End of Evangelion didn’t really give, and one I didn’t expect Anno to ever deliver, period. Until he did.

My hands are sort of tied from here… I don’t think there’s very much I can say about Thrice Upon A Time that hasn’t been said, so I’ll be concise: I found closure in this movie.

Far from allowing me to relive a darker time in my youth, Thrice Upon A Time became a point for reflection. Reflection on my own growth.

Once again, the Evangelion series reached deeper into my soul than I thought media ever could, digging out satisfaction with how I had turned out, and the conviction to keep pressing on. Understanding (perhaps for the first time) the true meaning of “coming of age”, it was with a fond smile that day that I said goodbye to Evangelion, fortified by its vision for growth, confident with the place it had guided me to… and just a little sad it was leaving me behind.

…Thanks for finally letting go.

Afterword

While 2021 wasn’t quite the godsend that we were initially making it out to be, and I personally struggled with big changes in my life, it was most definitely a year to remember. Maybe this is just a personal quick, but I’ve long since codified the association of my recollections with the anime and media I experienced over that time period, a sentiment reflected in my meticulously time stamped MyAnimeList account.

Which is to say, I often remember years and associate memories to all the anime that I truly enjoyed around the same time. 2021 was a powerful year that changed a lot in terms of my personal life and mental space, and these are the anime that kept me company over the course of that year. In effect, these are the anime that I will remember this exceptionally memorable year by. With luck, I’ll look back at these picks years down the line, and acknowledge they were of deserving calibre.

My more immediate ramblings on anime and manga (updated real time) are on my Twitter, and they're nowhere near this well articulated.