The Explosive Winter Anime Season of 2021

Winter. For a season known for its relatively cold weather, the anime industry has been on literal fire this season. Fireball after fireball of blockbuster anime releases, both new and sequel and with the final season of one of the greatest animes ever (Attack on Titan) still airing, this is no doubt one of the most epic Winter seasons I've ever seen.

I'm really glad it turned out this way, because in my honest opinion, The Winter season the most important season of the year in Anime. Even if other seasons may end up being more epic, being the first season each year, the anime releases during winter raises general expectations and initial impressions of the year which if it ends up being bad might cause many fans not to follow the anime releases of the rest of the year, maybe with the exception of few sequels they're hyped for. I'm glad that's not the case this year as the month of January came out with explosive releases and I'm sure every otaku is already feeling the hype for the rest of the year.

I mean...what doesn't this season have???.In Winter 2021, We have one of the greatest animes of all time; Gintama wrapping things up in an epic showdown between the samurai heroes and their powerful adversary, Utsuro in the "Final" movie which premiered this month, we have one of our most popular shounen MCs Eren Yeager showing us a more diabolical side of his character in the epic Marley Invasion/War arc of AOT's Final Season, we have Rezero entering the 2nd Cour of its amazing and perfect 2nd season, Our beloved The Promised Neverland from 2019 returning with a sequel to unveil the mysteries of the world as the Children seek true freedom from the demons of the orphanage, Dr Stone also from 2019 returning to give us the final showdown between science and might in Stone Wars, 

Other amazing hyped shows like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime , World Trigger , Quintessential Quintuplets , Log Horizon , Cells At Work , Yuru Camp and Beastars also returned with dashing new seasons giving us a variety of thrills at every point this season.

That's certainly not all, as hype machine new anime release of 2020, Jujutsu Kaisen returned for its 2nd cour which is the Student Exchange Event arc bound to be packed with even more epic fights and one of the most popular new generation shounen, Black Clover after months and months of fillers finally entering its epic Dark Triad arc which is already making waves in the anime world.

However, while getting caught up in all the hype for all of our loved shows returning this season, the one thing I'll advise every anime watcher right now is: DO NOT SLEEP ON THE NEW ANIMES THIS SEASON!.

Like seriously, If you haven't started any new anime this year, you really need to do so or make plans for it because this season is packed with amazing and crazy new shows that'll intoxicate everyone who comes across them. The New shows this season literally has something for everyone; if you want Action, there's Action ; if you want Romance, its right there; want some Fantasy and Isekai action?, Fuck yeah we've got that too, Ecchi fans also weren't left out this season, and if you want Sports, its also there! And a fucking Skateboarding anime!!.

Nevertheless, while having established the fact that there are amazing new shows this season, I'll also acknowledge that not all shows this season are worth the effort, like all other seasons there are hits and there are misses.

So in order to help everyone currently reading this I'm going to recommend 10 new animes that are certainly worth seeing this season. I'm doing this in form of a countdown ranking the top 10 new anime shows I've resonated with the most so far this season.

Its all based on my initial opinions of them after seeing the first few episodes of each..therefore I may drop a more final list at the end of the season.

So let's get started

TOP 10 NEW ANIMES OF WINTER 2021

10). OTHERSIDE PICNIC 

(Action, Mystery)

"See you on the other side" is a common metaphor we normally use in sending farewell to someone. Well, what if an "Otherside" actually existed? A fantasy world filled with mystery where actual ghost stories and supernatural beings come to life, existing right alongside our world. That's the basic premise of this anime as University student Sorawo Kamikoshi meets Toriko Nashina and they explore this parallel world of chaos and confusion together and encounter new experiences in order to learn more about the world and reach their goals.

9). SUPPOSE A KID FROM THE LAST DUNGEON BOONIES MOVED TO A STARTER TOWN

(Fantasy, Comedy)

We're all familiar with the phrase "You don't know your own strength". Well the main character of this new fantasy action-comedy anime, Lloyd is one who literally doesn't know his own strength. On a journey to discover his own true strength and purpose he moves over from his home town to the capital he's always admired, not even realizing that he may just be the most powerful person there. One so overpowered he literally kills giant monsters like insects, he's in for a crazy ride as he meets other colourful characters in the capital like Marie, Riho and Selen, the events that follow makes this a really fun and hilarious anime to catch up with.

8). REDO OF HEALER

(Action, Fantasy)

Its a common trope in fantasy animes for  a healer to be part of the main team/party and we've seen that a million times but what we've almost never seen before is a basic healer being the main character of a fantasy show.

Driven by rage born from the exploitation and suffering he faced at the hands of his teammates lead by Princess Flare, Hero of Recovery- Keyaru hones his advanced healing to the point where it becomes overpowered, so overpowered he literally uses his " Heal" ability to Redo the world, sending it back 4 years in order to exact his revenge on those that wronged him with Princess Flare at the forefront. 

This anime is one that's sure to raise a lot of controversy due to the raw sex scenes in the uncensored version and extreme themes but all in all I'm still loving it.

7). KEMONO JIHEN 

(Supernatural, Action)

After an outbreak of seemingly mysterious events at a remote village, a supernatural expert/detective, Mr Inugami is called to snuff out the problem. There he runs into a young unusual boy named Dorotabo who actually turns out to be a "Kemono". Kemono in this anime are supernatural beings that exists in the shadows of this world which range in type, appearances and abilities. Mr Inugami, the kemono specialist commonly known as " Kemonoist" who also turns out to be part kemono himself recruits Dorotabo whose real name actually is "Kabane" that bore exceptionally powerful kemono abilities to join his group of Kemonoists in Tokyo.

From there it becomes an action filled journey of discovery for young Kabane as he explores this new town he's been exposed to and faces Kemono threats while looking for his parents who seemed to have abandoned him.

6). CELLS AT WORK: CODE BLACK

(Action, Seinen)

Back in Summer 2018, we all watched, loved and were educated by the stunning new release that year; Cells At Work . So imagine how excited everyone was when we heard it was getting a sequel, even more excited when it was getting an awesome spinoff new show to air along side it.

Cells at work is a biology-themed show that demonstrates the functioning of cells in the human body, however Cells at Work: Code Black comes with a little twist. Its a darker version of cells at work filled with more fights and mature themes due to the state the holding body is in. The cells face life threatening situations consistently as they try to carry out their jobs in a seemingly hopeless situation of a body wrecked from alcohol, smoking and all sorts of bad habits.

Basically the Prime Cells at work takes a look at cells functioning in a healthy body, while Code Black looks into the hardships of cells in a condemned body.

Red Blood Cell AA-2153 is the main character who has a solid resolve to carry out his duties even if it seems hopeless, he gets acquainted with a dutiful White Blood Cell U-1196. They and other cells in the show face daily threats together and work hard to carry out their duty in this broken body.

5). BOTTOM TIER CHARACTER TOMOZAKI

(Drama, Romance)

"Love is hard for Otaku". These words describe one of the most well known romance animes out there, and being honest its just plain reality. But its not just love though, life itself can be quite hard for otaku as we may find it difficult to actually develop a social life and be respected

outside the four walls of our bedroom.

This anime is no doubt the most relatable this season to all otaku.

The main character, Fumiya Tomozaki, one recognised as " Nanashi" the best player of the " Tackfam" videogame in Japan, literally cries out in the first episode how life is a shitty game with no rules and sure path of success. This was brought about by a planned meetup between him and his rival "NO NAME" in the game who ended up being Aoi Hinami, his classmate in school known for her good grades and amiability. After she bluntly expressed her disappointment about his lack of social skills and he openly expressed his view on life as an unfair game for a loner like him, Hinami opens up to him that life isn't actually bad at all if you play it right as a top tier game and takes it upon herself to help Tomozaki play the game of life and develop socially using the rules and skills she lays out to him as a sure path to success. I'm really eager to see how much Fumiya will grow as a character and how much the pair will develop and get closer maybe, hopefully even leading to a couple

4). SK8 THE INFINITY 

(Sport, Comedy)

How about something entirely new from the anime sports themes we're used to?, Yup, Skateboarding!. A concept which has never been wholefully adapted in anime before now.

The story follows Reki, young highschool sophomore who only seems to be passionate about one thing; Skating, his entire life dedicated to skating to the point where he actually has the talent of creating his own skateboards and demonstrates his skating skills at a secret dangerous downhill skating race known as "S" where he participates in heated skating races called "Beefs". At school he meets Langa, the new student who transferred from Canada and apparently turned out to be a professional Snowboarder. After what seems to be a fateful encounter between the Co Main Characters of this show, Reki introduces Langa to the concept of Skateboarding and teaches him how to properly adapt his Snowboarding knowledge into becoming an excellent skater. The two characters develop a brotherly bond and develop their passion for skating with eachother by facing the other talented skaters in the show such as Shadow, Miya, Cherry, Joe, Adam and other colourful characters in the anime with distinct personalities and motivations.

3). WONDER EGG PRIORITY

(Drama, Psychological)

A brand new thematic brain twister brilliantly animated by Studio Cloverworks. Nothing to spice up the season more than a mysterious, thrilling and emotionally relevant new show with amazing production quality. 

The story follows 14 year old Ai Ohto who in a confusing sequence of events was introduced to an entirely new world of mystery and chaos. Lead by a mysterious voice in her head on a midnight stroll, the young MC picks up an egg and gets lured by the voice to break the egg in order to change her future, she does that and the events that followed marked a new beginning for her.

After encountering a world in her dreams where she faced deadly beings which ended up being her trauma with the help of a mysterious girl, she becomes that girl for other young troubled girls as she uses the "Wonder Egg" to help troubled young girls face their traumas and find absolution, apparently making new friends along the way. I sense the plot of this psychological beauty is only going to get deeper and more compact.

2). MUSHOKU TENSEI: JOBLESS REINCARNATION

(Fantasy, Magic)

Like most seasons, Winter 2021 wasn't left without a new isekai anime release, however, Mushoku Tensei was one bound to leave a big impression on the anime universe whether it succeeded or failed due to the anticipation and hype born from the greatness and popularity of the novels. And yes, it ended up being beautiful and worth the hype right from the first episode.

34 year old neet dies in a traffic accident and gets reincarnated and reborn as a child in a fantasy world later named Rudeus Greyrat by his new loving parents, the Greyrats. No Isekai out there represents the theme of 'rebirth' better than this one did in its first episodes. In the first episode you literally get to see the world through Rudy's eyes, feel him experiencing the confusion of being reborn as a baby while retaining his adult mind and memories. We get to watch young Rudy grow and develop new experiences in his new world such as magic and swordsmanship. Determined to lead a more fulfilling life than his pathetic and traumatizing past life, he develops actual relationships with the other characters in the world who cross his path such as Roxy Migurda who helped him develop magically and Sylph who he helped emotionally, as well as his parents.

Just 3 episodes in, I can already call this one of the best Isekai anime of all time as I've never seen an isekai that started out with that much focus on the Main Character's development before I encountered this gem.

1). HORIMIYA

(Romance, Slice of Life)

Every year, fans of romance drama/comedy anime are blessed with at least one new adaptation of a wholesome, dramatic, captivating and hilarious love story that'll fill our hearts for the rest of that year. In 2018 we had the Quintessential Quintuplets and Domestic Girlfriend, in 2019 we had Kaguya Sama: Love is War and Fruits Basket and last year there was Rent a Girlfriend , but what I didn't expect was for the year 2021 to kick off with the front runner of its first set of new releases to be a captivating love story which stood above all other craziness this season. The Romcom anime that's no doubt earned the initial spot of Winter 2021's New Anime of the season is none other than  Horimiya. 

There's just this feeling you get when you start up a beautiful romance anime that resonates with you right from the start. This anime is one that's already proving itself to be a masterpiece in the making due to the sheer profoundness and genuinity of the story right from the first episode.

A typical romance highschool comedy setting of the main couple comprising of a pretty teenage girl popular for being socially and academically proficient and a calm, geeky guy with less social skills who discover each other and fall in love.

But this one comes with a twist. The main characters have a secret side of their personality outside school that no one knows about.

The Female protagonist, Kyouko Hori's attitude at home seems to be very different from her calm and pretty school appearance as she ties her hair back and shows a more energetic and motherly side of herself at home.

The Male protagonist, Izumi Miyamura has his own little secret as outside school he opens off and takes an appearance with his glasses off that displays his hidden piercings and tattoos which makes him look more like a gangster.

They surprisingly run into eachother appearing very different from how they look at school and after sharing each other's secret, their love story blooms as the Miyamura comes by her house after school hours in his natural appearance to have fun with Kyouko's little brother, Sota who's gotten attached to him.

The little secret they share and the time they spend together draws them closer to each other paving the way for an amazing and captivating love story.

Its a completely new take on the Romcom genre as the first few episodes have clearly shown a sense of genuinity and maturity and very little reliance on Romcom tropes and clichés. 

Its wholesome, its beautiful and with the other interesting characters in the show adding even more colour to the love story of Hori and Miyamura, I can honestly say this anime is no doubt going to become one of the greatest in its genre.

That wraps up my countdown for the top 10 new anime of this season, a few other noteworthy mentions would be;

The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter -which only seems to be a treat for Ecchi fans, Project Scard: Scar on the Praeter -which is basically an unimpressive action show, 2.43: Seiin Volleyball High school -which gives us a clear picture of what the legendary Haikyuu would look like if it were mediocre, So I'm a Spider, So What? -which is a popular yet trashy new isekai release and Skate Leading Stars - the figure-skating anime which failed to captivate me. 

The rest aren't even worthy of mention, but for now, its advisable to try out these 10 new shows that made the countdown and stick to them as they're truly amazing.

All in all, I think the Winter Season of 2021 is a truly remarkable season in anime that literally has something for everyone, a splendid way to revive our hopes after the not-so-impressive year of 2020.

Looking at the beauty of this season and with even more blockbusters coming in the seasons to follow, I can honestly say; 2021 IS GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR IN ANIME!. 

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Till Next time!