A blog that will cure your apathy and inspire your dreams...
Warning: All who watch anime, play video games, like J-music and K-music, and the like... ARE OTAKU!
Fall anime season is upon us and we are seeing a lot of all-new exciting anime series that have a lot of potential. Some of them are the second seasons for extremely popular anime like Demon Slayer, and some of them are brand new like Platinum End. We’re also really excited about Jujutsu Kaisen’s movie which we are probably going to see by the end of the year 2021. With that being said, let’s take a look at all the amazing anime that we were graced with in the year 2021.
Not sure what to watch? Read on to get some great anime recommendations!
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen literally took the anime community by storm because of it’s amazing storyline and extremely likable characters. It came out in 2020 but also continues in 2021. It’s definitely THE BEST anime of 2021.
Horimiya
Horimiya was such a refreshing slice of life. It’s nothing of the “Demon Slayer” or “jJujutsu Kaisen” sort. However, it’s just pleasant to watch and such a fresh breath of air. We really loved the interaction between the characters of this series. It also made us all emotional.
My Hero Academia Season 5
My Hero Academia’s success is nothing new to us. Just like the massive success of its previous seasons, the season 5 that came out in 2021 was also very successful. It was a bit slow but we got to know about a lot of things that were concealed.
To Your Eternity
To Your Eternity is such an emotional and beautiful anime. It might not suit everyone’s taste but for us, it was just perfection. The characters were really well-written and we got attached to all of them. There is an air of sadness that covers this whole anime series.
Sk8 The Infinity
Sk8 The Infinity was another refreshing anime that came out in 2021. It gained the attention of the anime fans and was a huge success. Every episode was exciting and fun-filled. It kept us at the edge of our seats and we could not wait to know what happened next.
Tokyo Revengers
Tokyo Revenger broke a lot of records as soon as it came out. It was a huge success from the start. The concept of Gangs has always been really exciting and interesting. With a massive and interesting set of characters, Tokyo Revengers was one of the best anime of 2021.
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The brand new Mecha anime features a lot of interesting aspects that we were dying to see in an anime. The best thing about this anime series is its music that we love to listen to every now and then. The opening and ending soundtracks are very addictive. The animation is also on point. Everything about this anime is just amazing.
There you have it!
Here we are with our list of some of the most popular anime of 2021 that were an absolute hit from the start. We are yet to see a lot more in the winter season and we literally can’t wait!
If Pokemon was as great as it was the first time around, you would think that it would be even more popular with the children. It sure was not so, as almost all the new buzz came from Pokemon’s oldest fans. These are the kinds of people who should have joined the ranks of elite CEOs, doctors, and teachers but they were actually late millenials.
What made Pokemon so popular the first time around? Maybe it was the nostalgia and sentimental thrill that it felt to “battle Tomogachi” as those people used to say when they themselves were kids. Back then everyone had a pocketed “tomogachi” finger keychain game on them. The cool thing was that even those tough bullies were so calm, and at peace when they had their “tomogachi” pet with them.
The idea was great, at least for “tomogachi”, everyone could take their mini key chain that had a seemingly living lo-fi grayscale LCD pet inside. At first they start out as a cute blob with two eyes and as time flies in class or home, it becomes older and grows into some kind of J-animal like a video game character and a 1cm by 1cm kitty. The time between these stages of growing up could be a few days or a few weeks. Such cuteness was beautiful to have for such a long time as days and weeks!
Pokemon took a few more years to burst onto the scene. It was totally cool, to battle these hi-powered animals, catch them, and train them for more good times. With an anime and a game it was totally unstoppable. The trading card game was more popular even, than both the anime and the game.
These days, that app and you are the trading card and the popular kings and queens of royalty. Everyone has the app like there’s a bulbasaur in everyone’s bedroom now. You can play it walking or sitting on a train or bus. Then you battle other PokemonGo appers you come across whenever you come across them.
Customizing the trainer’s a plus, so you don’t have to go with just Red or Blue. You can change wardrobes and make your trainer a unique individual. The gyms are when you get close to large, popular places and the pokemon follow the same kind of terrain as on earth, forests and beaches have different pokemon!
What if tomorrow was your last day on Earth? Does that seem scary? It truly is scary, and it makes me truly fear leaving everything behind. I'd never see another anime, hug another human being, or go on a trip anywhere (let alone to an anime convention or concert).
The things we do make us who we are! If I was never into Japanese anime or Japanese music, I don't think I would be a good person. There are some days where it's harder for me to be good because I feel like nobody else agrees with the way of life I love. There's nothing wrong with them, they just never had the chance to give Japanese anime or music a serious chance, they're the ones who miss out in the end! Japanese culture is very good to me, even though other people think it's corny, I love it even though I'm African-American.
Thank you Japan for your great culture, great music, and great anime! :D
Hey fellow bloggers, I know I haven't posted in a while due to lack of ideas, but I suddenly regained some inspiration so it's time to jump into a review! ^^ __
Have you ever thought about what makes an action anime... a good action anime? Well the reason may differ from person to person but in my opinion it just needs a base storyline and well thought out fights. Fights where they just thrust swords at each other and the storyline seems to repeat itself... *cough*... are not too fun. So in these favorites of mine you'll find tons of well-thought out battles with satisfying story lines.
You must be itching to know what my favorites are... well then... without further ado... onto the review! :)
I now bring to you... my TOP 3 action animes! o.O
Number one: I know you all have probably heard of this one before; one of the most popular animes in the world; one that exceeds all average action expectations that one may have; onethat will cure your apathy and inspire your dreams; one that will... (did I say "one" enough?)... forever be the famed anime called One Piece!
This anime has everything--from romance, slice of life, extreme drama, and crazy twists to hilarious moments, randomness-you-just-have-to-accept, well-written fillers (Yes, I said well-written and fillers in the same sentence), as well as epic and explosive action. What more can you ask for? Key Magic? They have some of that as well! =P
So just what is this anime about you ask? (...wait, you don't? *evil stare* Well...I'm telling you anyway...)
Well, if you can't tell just from looking at this picture, it's about a group of pirates who journey across the sea in search of the greatest treasure--"One Piece"! The main character, Monkey D. Luffy, ate a devils fruit that allows him to stretch like rubber! As he journeys he meets other friends who all aspire to make the best of their lives and achieve their goals. As they sail to the future what will become of them? Will they become the best or fall in defeat? You'll have to watch One Piece to find out =P. _________________
My Personal Experience:
At first when I started watching this anime, it took me a little while to get used to the animation--but once that phase was over I realized just how amazing this anime is. The story line is so well written that even the fillers are good!!! If I didn't look up which episodes were fillers I'd have no idea! Even the moments where you think they can't use that portion of the story effectively blows you away. The structure and planning of the story and how it all comes together + the amazing twists they come up with--and the consistency of that amazement is off the scale for me. I HIGHLY recommend this anime if you're an action and adventure fan =P.
Opening:
Here you go! ^^
_________________
This anime is very similar to my next review: The Law of Ueki.
Like One Piece, it is very well thought out and contains the most unique powers I've ever seen in an anime.
And that's not the only similarity. The main character in this anime, Ueki, has the ability to turn trash into trees. (Wha-?) You heard me. Trash. Into. Trees.
... And although Luffy's rubber ability and Ueki's trash-into-trees ability both don't sound very formidable, they're both extremely strong abilities if you know how to use them.
In this anime Ueki joins a tournament where the winner gets to become God! No--not for selfish reasons. Ueki joins to stop others from total domination. Will his unwavering Justice be able to defeat Evil? You'll have to watch Law of Ueki to find out =P _________________
My Personal Experience:
At first when I started watching this anime, I thought it was pretty stupid. Like many animes, this one didn't put a lot of effort into hooking in the viewer in the beginning, assuming people will watch their whole series for the explanation. That didn't stop me, since I had heard many good things about it I kept watching. Right after where I would've stopped (around episodes 1-3) they introduced the explanation and made everything click and I was so glad I did. This arena-style anime was very refreshing and brought me some nostalgia I'll never forget ^^. It climbed into my top 3 action animes and is overall fantastic and highly recommended for all action lovers =P.
Opening:
Here you go! ^^
_________________
And last but certainly not least is my favorite shoujo action! You heard me right--girls can't kick butt too! =P
The sister anime to Toaru Majutsu no Index: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun! Yay!
This action anime has my favorite animation out of all the ones before mentioned. I honestly think it's the best animated action anime, but I haven't seen them all to earn the right to say that =P.
What is this anime about?
Well, it doesn't really have a main story line--it's more like a settled multi-plot action anime which was the first of its kind I've ever seen. If you want an idea--imagine Lucky Star... with Action...and an ESPer city... and... and... ok fine that was a bad reference--but still! It's a great anime. The characters are really energetic and fun; except for the somewhat humorous small series of perverted girl-girl comments/moments from Kuroko (the girl on the left of this picture).
What makes this anime so great?
The best things I like about this anime are the amazing characters, themes, art, and high action thriller it gives you... like... you know: chasing criminals... stopping bad guys... fighting evil... (*ahem*, what do you mean I'm just saying the same thing in different words??)... you know... the good stuff =P.
"But Deretsun... how can girls kick butt!?"
Wha-? You still don't believe me? Take a look at this next picture of the "Railgun"...
Believe me now? =P
...Thought so. _________________
My Personal Experience:
At first when I started watching this anime I was expecting a main story line like Toaru Majutsu no Index (which I recommend you watch before watching Railgun) so I wasn't too thrilled when I found out it was just "another non-major-plot anime." As I felt forced to watch the rest of it I realized that I was actually enjoying it and then I opened up my eyes without expectations and realized how much I was actually loving it! It was very happy and refreshing to watch and I highly recommend it to people who just want to kick back and watch a nice relaxing action anime. (Kind of an oxy-moron isn't it? But believe me--action can be relaxing too! =P)
Opening:
Here you go! ^^
_________________
So if you're an action fan I recommend all these animes to you! Make sure you watch Index before Railgun though, so you can catch the references.
That's all for today, thanks for reading! ^^ :::Deretsun:::
Hello fellow bloggers! Interesting... how it took me this long to recommend my FAVORITE anime: Clannad! yay! :)
We all know what school is like: There are different personalities here and there, fun and funny moments we can never forget, as well as relationships that last forever. Clannad is a masterpiece by Key, filled with almost an infinite amount of heart-warming and amazing KMM (especially in the second season). But it's not as normal as you think. Created by the famous Jun Maeda (the co-founder), who I have the deepest respect for, it's filled with psychological moments that will leave you in awe, in tears, and on your knees.
The first season of Clannad is basically like a normal life of an average teenager at school who plans to waste his days living day to day poorly, skipping classes, and just not making the best of what's in front of him. After he meets Nagisa, he realizes his life isn't as dull as he once thought, and he begins to open up to the possibilities.
The second season (although I can't give you too much detail) blew me away. The first season built up to the second season perfectly and Clannad After Story remains to be one of the highest ranked animes on MyAnimeList.net (currently #5).
Very slight spoiler (nothing too drastic):
Clannad After Story has been the first anime I've seen that takes you from high school to graduation and then after that! (Hence why it's called "After Story"...)
So it may seem like a normal school anime but... What if... What if there was a parallel universe that... *ahem* Sorry, almost spilled some important details =P. If you wanted to know what I was going to say, you're going to have to watch Clannad to find out! ^^
It is truly touching and I hope everyone has the chance to see the anime that has literally changed my life. It has so much slice of life that it changed my outlook on many things and Kyoto Animation (KyoAni) does such a great job of character design that it's both pleasing to look at the wonderful art as well as watch the story unfold before your eyes to truly define what a masterpiece is. Keep in mind that the title of "My Favorite Anime" does not come lightly. It battled with others on my list until it climbed to the top =P. I felt really vulnerable while watching it because it made me cry a few times... and I don't cry! It wasn't a "I can hold it back" moment. I literally found tears in my eyes (although I wiped them away quickly before they started to climb down my face) and was in awe of the wonderful story portrayed. I liked everything about it--and I hope you do too!
So what are you waiting for? Go watch Clannad! ^^
That's all for today, thanks for reading! :)
:::Deretsun:::
Spoiler (2nd Season Opening):
You can watch After Story's opening, which I think is very amazing--to get an idea of the art and masterpiece in it. It doesn't really spoil that much so feel free to watch it if you're still hesitant about watching it or you just want to enjoy another awesome opening! ^^
Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight is another personal favorite, so here we go... to the review! "Forward! GO!"
"Ugh, school." We all know that feeling. Even in a futuristic age with hovercraft and holograms, school is STILL boring. If konata were here she'd say "nanto naku ne" which means "nothing to do." But that's not what Manabi would say! What would she say you ask? Nothing other than "MASSUGU... GO!" or in other words: "FORWARD, GO!"
With someone that outgoing and optimistic as your school president, how could school NOT be fun? You might be thinking "How could a school president make the usually boring school fun!?" You're going to have to watch Manabi Straight to find out! =P
And who knows, if there's a Manabi in town you might wake up one day and BOOM! school is suddenly fun! How great would that be!?
Not only is Manabi outgoing, she's also very random! You can watch her random yet touching performance here:
(Uploaded myself of course ^^)
This shoujo anime shows the power of perseverance, friendship, and optimism and carries heartwarming, hilarious, and moe-filled wonders of an all girls school!
So if you get a chance, don't forget to check out Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! :)
Here's the opening video for you guys!
(Uploaded myself of course ^^)
Spoiler:
Here's Manabi's solo performance when added with music!
Every year, on July 7th there's a Japanese Star Festival that they celebrate called "Tanabata" which literally means "Evening of the seventh."
In this tradition, many people write their wishes on small strips of paper called "tanzaku papers" and hang them on bamboo branches. Some people decorate the bamboo and place them outside their houses.
Popular decorations are the streamers which you can see here:
There's a traditional story that goes with this festival. I'll shorten it the best I can:
There was a weaver princess named Orihime and a cow herder prince named Hikoboshi. They were always playing together and forgot their jobs so the King got angry and separated them by the Amanogawa River (Milky Way). The king allowed them only to meet on the seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar. So now Orihime and Hikoboshi are believed to have become stars. And since they can only see each other on July 7th and on a non-rainy day, everyone prays for good weather and also makes wishes for themselves.
A traditional song they sing in Tanabata: (lyrics below)
Lyrics:
Verse 1:
Sasa no ha sara-sara The bamboo leaves rustle, rustle
Nokiba ni yureru Swaying back and forth
Ohoshi-sama kira-kira The stars twinkle, twinkle
Kingin sunago Gold and silver sand (decorations)
Verse 2:
Gochiki no tanzaku On five colors of little paper
Watashiga kaita I wrote
Ohoshi-sama kira-kira The stars twinkle, twinkle
Sora kara miteru From the sky they are watching us
*Note: These lyric translations are almost exactly accurate because they came straight from my Japanese step-mom! :) Also note that some translations are not perfectly literal or they wouldn't make much sense =P.
So if you get a chance, learn this song and sing it tomorrow on Tanabata! :)
We're kicking this month off with a post you have all been waiting for!
*drum roll*... My Top 5 Moe Girls! *massive applause*
"Ahem.."
Alright, I'm gonna jump right into it!
Compared to Chansu and RPGHero's lists, my moe-list has a different taste. I'll be showing you what my taste in anime girls is. They all are well-drawn and animated and have awesome personalities. Ok, here we go!
はい, はじめましょう！
Number 5 Hiiragi Kagami Anime: Lucky Star!
She's the older twin of the Hiiragi family who works hard at school and snaps into a tsundere when needed (often to correct our beloved Konata).
Side note:
Kagami comes from the anime where I got my name: Deretsun. It just so happens that in their discussion on Lucky Channel (the ending part of each episode) whether or not Kagami was a tsundere, they ended up creating the word "deretsun" since they didn't know what to call her. You can watch that episode of lucky channel here:
(uploaded myself, of course ^^)
next up:
Number 4 Tachibana Kanade Anime: Angel Beats!
She's the person they called "Angel," the mysterious silver-haired girl with defensive powers. Who is she really? You're going to have to watch Angel Beats to find out! =P
Number 3 Sunohara Mei Anime: Clannad
The younger sister of her hilarious brother: Sunohara Youhei. She's a direct opposite from her brother who is not very intelligent and outgoing. She likes to see new things and play cupid between people. Check out the cute Mei in Clannad!
Number 2 Shana Anime: Shakugan no Shana
Meet Shana. While she may seem all sweet and all, beware! She is a full blown tsundere and exhibits her title very proudly and in a metaphoric way as well. She has two sides to her: Her flame haze self (which can represent her tsuntsun side) and her human self (which can represent her deredere side).
Side Note:
And don't forget my favorite voice actress who does our voice: Rie Kugimiya!!! You can watch here in action here:
"queue drum roll..."
The moment you've all been waiting for: My #1 Moe Girl!
Number 1 Yui Anime: Angel Beats!
Yup you guessed right! That character on the banner is also my #1 Moe Girl! Yui is a rocker at heart and also a very cute character with many wishes to be fulfilled. Will her dreams come true? If you want to find out, you're going to have to watch Angel Beats! =P
Angel Beats Spoiler:
Yui sings her own version of the opening My Soul Your Beats. The voice actor changes to Lisa from Lia so it's really cool how they did this! They put a lot of work into it, you can tell. Another reason that you should watch Angel Beats! You can watch it here:
edit: (my video got taken down by copyright people >.<, sorry for this unsubbed version!)
Another picture before you part:
That's all folks! Hope you enjoyed my long awaited Top 5!
This blog, "The Otaku Reviewers", was started in February of 2010 on this very same platform, Blogger. At first, it was a venture into the informational and informal world of comics, anime, video games, and Japanese culture. In other words, just a random blog.
Over time, the founder of the blog credited with the pseudonym "RPGhero" was joined by two fellow bloggers and friends with the names "Chansu" and "Deretsun". Together the three bloggers looked up interesting Japanese culture facts, recommended new anime, talked about their own "otaku" interests, and traveled across the United States to various anime conventions.
There have been off periods when the blog ceased production of content and there have been times when there would be dozens of blog posts per week. The schedule varies depending on the lives of the people behind the alias'. However the pattern is that we always get back into the game with even newer information about Japanese culture, anime, video games, and other nerdy hobbies.
The motto of our blog is:
"A cure for your apathy and an inspiration for your dreams. ...Applies to Otaku, anime fans, J-pop junkies, and the like"
The purpose is to blog about cool stuff related solely to anime and otaku stuff. There's no other reason we're doing this.
If you like our blog, please support us in however small a way that you would like. We appreciate our readers!
Well, if you can't tell just from looking at this picture, it's about a group of pirates who journey across the sea in search of the greatest treasure--"One Piece"! The main character, Monkey D. Luffy, ate a devils fruit that allows him to stretch like rubber! As he journeys he meets other friends who all aspire to make the best of their lives and achieve their goals. As they sail to the future what will become of them? Will they become the best or fall in defeat? You'll have to watch One Piece to find out =P.
