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madame-fouquet · 2 years

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2021 Anime Retrospective

2021 was a surprising blockbuster of a year for anime. And with it coming to a close I figured now was a good time to do as the professional reviewer-types do and present to you my 2021 anime retrospective. This year was especially difficult for me to narrow down some of the fields, so I wanna open with a big shout-out to those who just barely didn't make the cut: Kemono Jihen and Kageki Shoujo were both SO CLOSE to making the list. Quality stuff with some great looks at their respective material. Najimi from Komi-san Can't Communicate and Rajdhani from Sonny Boy are both unique, amazing, and wildly entertaining. It was a real shame that neither one of them could be my best character. The last shout out goes to the closing theme for the second season of Laid-Back Camp. Haru no Tonari is such a calming and heartwarming tune that I just want to snuggle up under a blanket and listen to it as I watch the snow fall.

Best of the Year: Odd Taxi

It was never gonna be anything else. Before this one season masterpiece had even finished its run I knew it was going to be a strong contender for the best thing I saw all year, and once it had ended I wasn't sure anything else that was gonna come out could possibly measure up. And I was right! But we're not here to talk about other stuff measuring up to near perfection. Odd Taxi combined its different, and sometimes disparate, elements so perfectly and seamlessly as to leave me completely astounded by everything it had pulled off. When I first saw it on the preview guide I thought, “Oh this looks like a cute and silly little thing to enjoy.” I was then confronted with the twisting and labyrinthine web of a true noire mystery that had me guessing where it was possibly going to go all the way until the end. The cast balloons with characters, some of whom feel innocuous and unimportant, but soon reveal themselves as key players mixed up in all the insanity. Nothing is be overlooked, nothing is to be underestimated. But despite the sheer number of turning gears, (something the series itself bothers to sit down and sort out) I never felt overwhelmed, lost,or confused. Everything is so perfectly working in tandem and I think THAT alone is the mark of a good mystery. There is so much more praise I could heap on it, and even despite my VERY complicated feelings regarding the fourth episode, this is one of the easiest recommendations, nay INSISTENCE, I could make regarding your watching. This is a new classic premiering right in front of us, don't miss the ride.

Runner-up: SSSS. Dynazenon

Were it not for the misadventures of a walrus taxi driver, this latest production by Studio Trigger would have definitely had the top spot for the year. The sequel to their Tokusatsu inspired SSSS. Gridman, Dynanzenon may have hooked me even more powerfully than that first series. Watching this group of misfits find each other, as well as themselves, all alongside over-the-top special-effects style action was a rip-roaring and, at times, heart-rending good time. I especially appreciate the way the series leads in with the impression that it is only a spiritual successor to the first series, only to drop the bomb at just the right moment that there are indeed very deep, and very important connections to the grid-based adventures of the premier SSSS. And I'm not complimenting this element just because my favorite character from Gridman makes an amazing and glorious return, it really does play perfectly alongside the escalation of events, emotions, and enemies that the series was playing into, as well as provide a sort of meta-narrative about being informed by, but not controlled by your past. If you want to feel moved, seen, touched, and amazed by a giant robot monster fighting action series, then let yourself get dragged along on this adventure by a Manic-Mummy-Dreamboy who will be happy to tell what the three things you need to keep are: Promises, Love, and-

Runner-up-up: Super Cub

Man! Spring was a hell of a season huh? The next three aren't really presented in any particular order of ranking, but it is still quite impressive that THREE of the shows on this list are all from the SAME SEASON. Super Cub is, in a lot of ways, things that neither Dynazenon or Odd Taxi are, while also having a surprising amount in common with them. It may not have twisting dangerous mysteries or giant robots fighting against horrible monsters, but it does have a protagonist stuck in their own mental rut and a focus on the people around them helping them to find their way out of that dark place. What had started out as, and what I thought was going to be, a quiet little iyashikei style show about a girl with a motorbike, turned out to be a surprisingly deep and understanding look at depression and feelings of isolation. Watching Koguma's world (literally) light up as she finds new feelings of freedom and friendship through the power of her curiously acquired bike really hit home and, I daresay, helped me to understand and be more comfortable with my own depression. The show is quiet and modest, but don't underestimate everything it has going on under the hood. (Does that pun hold up with bikes?)

Runner-up-up: Komi-san Can't Communicate

Funny those first three shows are from the same season, considering the next two are ALSO from the same season as one another. The year is going out on a good note and I for one am happy to add another amazing entry to my personal favorite genre of Absurd High School Comedies. Komi-san and her friends are everything I could want. They're idiots. They're eccentric to the max. And they all understand that understanding and supporting each other is what really matters, even if they mess that part up every now and then. Points to the titular character herself here. Who'd have thought that a protagonist could have fewer lines than most tertiary characters in other shows, but more personality than some other leading lads/ladies. Komi and her situation remind me greatly of another series, Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, but her nerves might be even more unstable than that series' own protagonist. Both series however treat the socially awkward nature of their protagonists, not as a second-hand embarrassment punching bag, but as something to be understood and cared for (even while it does result in particularly hilarious situations.) The difference between the two, and where Komi-san may excel even more, is that while Bocchi's companions are a bunch of silly goobers, Komi's growing friend group are straight-up wackadoos. This allows the story to go even more over-the-top with giving Komi situations to creatively navigate as she tries her best to find her voice and connect with others. And I think that's really beautiful.

Runner-up-up: Mieruko-chan

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not that big on horror movies. But there is something about well-written horror manga and anime that my little weeb heart just loves and latches onto immediately. So you can imagine my excitement when I first set sites on this season's supernatural spook-show. Mieruko-chan revels in some of the cheesiest elements horror has to offer, while also indulging in some truly gruesome and horrifying material. The monster designs should also not be underestimated. These are some twisted, awesome, and absolutely terrifying monsters that, no matter how silly or funny the moment's events might be, earn the fear Miko experiences around them. Miko's shtick of just trying to ignore the haunting horrors surrounding her everyday life is already entertaining and rife with material to make your skin crawl, but watching her grow and come to terms with having to confront the ghosts and ghouls (though almost always unwillingly) is where the true heart lies. Her generally deadpan delivery is perfect to make it really land when she is pushed to the point where she can't bottle her feelings anymore, and makes it so I feel her fear and frustration just as greatly. Mieruko-chan is legitimately scary at times, and also incredibly hilarious, and equally heartwarming even. I'm picky about horror, even if I loosen up for the anime variety, so I want you to know that coming from me, this recommendation means something. Just uh, maybe keep the lights on while you watch yeah?

Honorable Mention: Dungeon of Black Company

I know how this looks but- Hey, don't leave! Just hear me out! The series that didn't make the cut for top 5 were definitely better than this one, but I was always going to place Dungeon of Black Company in this slot based purely on how much it surprised me. A stupid gag isekai is NOT normally the kind of thing I'd recommend, or even watch, but damn where does this show get off being this actually good? A complete bastard of a protagonist is always a dangerous move that CAN result in an insufferable show that is just a slog to watch because of how unlikable the character we spend the most time with is. But despite how awful he is Ninomiya is great fun to spend time with. His farcical levels of self-serving are used to illustrate points both good and bad, and I think what's most important is that he is duly punished whenever he steps over a line that harms others. Through all his highs and lows, ups and downs, Kinji Ninomiya learns to be just bastard enough that it's a character trait, and not a problem. The other short-list of stuff this show does right (cause I don't have enough time or space in this format to fully explore all of them) include: All the negative impacts of unfettered capitalism- from ecological to social to personal, surprisingly respectful representation of a gender fluid/trans character, emphasizing trust and mutual respect for your friends and peers, staying true to one's self, and more responsible ways to run a business without all those negative impacts mentioned before. For a series full of naked dudes, crude and crass humor, and your average anime helping of over-sized boobahs, this series has a lot of good points to make, and it actually does so quite well. Don't you ever change kid, not even for yourself!

Best Theme-Song of the Year: Nai Nai (Shadows House)

Oooooh, how haunting. How spine-tingling. How delightful. Those are all words that describe Shadows House as a series, and they also beautifully describe its ending theme, Nai Nai. The gothic instrumentation, the powerful strings, the choral voices, the inclusion of contemporary musical elements all tie together into a number that I could never skip. The way the song builds, from those subtle lyrical notes into a grand sweeping and exhilarating crescendo perfectly encapsulate what the series itself did, from its innocent and almost sweet feeling beginning, until the heart pounding final few episodes where the lives of humans and shadows alike hang in the balance. The video that accompanies the song is equally fantastic. The early focus on slowly panning stills plays into the quieter beginning, but the unsettling nature is still represented in an almost sinister look to the tableau presented. Then as the song speeds up and swells suddenly everything is in motion with Emilico and Kate running, trapped in an seemingly never-ending spiral, similar to how they seemed trapped in their own home of Shadows House. The end being punctuated with the shattered glass noise as all the lights go out is just that perfect little aesthetic finish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxgLZBHPxHM

Character of the Year: Hajime Tanaka (Odd Taxi)

Setting aside my very complicated opinions on the fourth episode of Odd Taxi, Tanaka (whose titular revolution that episode was) was the character that I think had the greatest impact on me this year, and really stood out from the pack. Odd Taxi is full of chatty characters who make snappy comebacks and share amazingly real feeling dialogue with each other. Tanaka, who does 95% of his talking in that one episode, on the other hand spends little of the series exchanging any words with anyone. That taciturn nature, a product of his circumstances and the plot, is part of what sells me on him though. He can communicate so much of what he's going through based solely on screen presence that he doesn't need to share zippy conversations with other characters. And he wouldn't want to anyway. This is a broken cat with a singular focus who, after years of wandering and wasting while being the most aggressive cautionary tale for gacha games there is, has finally found something that truly drives him, truly gives his life meaning (at least so he believes). That thing just happens to be murdering an innocent taxi driver over a perceived slight. Everything comes to a head for him in what is possibly my favorite scene in the series, and the scene that really fully sold me on Tanaka as a character: when he is finally faced with his vengeance, and the endpoint of his long waged revolution. The emotions he feels and his reaction to finally achieving some manner of fulfillment in that quest were everything the moment needed to be. Tanaka spent most of his life being an unpitiable, self-absorbed, excuse making brat. But in the final moments of the series, as he, others, and us the viewers watch that final spectacle, I finally felt some semblance of pity for this poor little meow meow.

Best Moment: Shii-chan's breakdown (Super Cub)

First off... Ow. Super Cub was a pointedly quiet show that, while usually subdued in both presentation and volume, utilized that almost sepia backdrop as a way to let its brightness and color shine, especially in key moments when the show would literally brighten up. It was a simple show that was less about big dramatic events and hard-hitting character turns, and more about the subtle but appreciable growth of characters really finding themselves through the mundane everyday. And then Shii-chan almost dies! Episode eleven opens with a very different tone than what had really come before it. A large part of the episode takes place during a dark and freezing winter night as snow starts to fall. There is no place here for the usually enlightening color palette, Shii-chan is in very real danger and it's on Koguma to save her. But that valiant rescue actually takes up very little of the episode. What matters is what happens after Koguma saves Shii-chan. She brings the tiny cyclist back to her equally tiny apartment and sets to work stabilizing her condition, both mental and psychical. Reiko joins them a little later and they share a quiet but cheerful enough meal together. Shii-chan volunteers to clean up, but soon her emotions finally catch up with her and her veneer of calm breaks, resulting in her crying as she begs Koguma to take the winter far away from here, a request Koguma has to inform her, the super cub is ill-equipped to fulfill. This scene utilizes silence so expertly. The lack of any music. The minimal words exchanged between the characters, minutes of near silence pass putting so much emphasis on Shii-chan's fragile state, her desperate attempt to force calm and to not think too much about the fact that she came very near to death and just how incapable and weak she feels as a result. The water overflowing in the bowl she holds as her sadness and fear finally boil over inside of her, it's a very real emotion I think we've all felt. Something bad has happened to you, and you know there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it, and the helplessness and desperation is too much. Do you try to hold it in, or let it all spill out at once? Shii-chan tries to do the former, but is unable to hold everything back. And I'm gonna be honest, I cried along with her.

Worst of the Year: Wonder Egg Priority

Disclaimer: I only vote a series “worst of the year” that I have watched all or the majority of. I will not vote for something that I tried for one or two episodes and dropped due to not liking it, so this often ends up as more of a “least favorite” or “most disappointing” category. I also will NOT vote for something with an infamous reputation. I know by word of mouth of some truly ABYSMAL shows (EX-ARM), but I didn't watch them, so it's not fair for me to give them that flack (No matter how well deserved). With that out of the way, this is still a REALLY complicated topic to cover. Endings mean a lot to a show. There was one other show I had considered for this category because of how badly it had dropped and mangled its finale. However, Wonder Egg Priority made such a deep, complete, and unfortunate mess of itself that I think all of us were left with serious egg on our collective face. I had pumped, rooted on, and suggested this show heartily through most of its run. The willingness it had shown to tackle harsh subject matter with an amazing amount of care and understanding, and its ability to show nuanced concern for the cast of young girls really impressed me with its depth and care. The very frank and upfront representation of trans characters and the kinds of difficulties they face in life was personally heartwarming and powerful to see. All the pieces were in place for a dark, but illuminating show that was sure to stand as a testament to what character studies and action-fantasy series could be. And then it all crumbled apart. Maybe it started with the overly complicated explanation of what the girls are actually doing. Maybe it started with the eleventh hour introduction of a big bad villain type character. Maybe it was the out-of-nowhere lack of understanding as to why framing that character as the big villain was a bad idea. Maybe it was the fact that her plot almost completely invalidated a bunch of the points the series had so articulately made up until that point. Maybe it was framing the abusive, narcissistic, and negligent men as victims. Maybe it was brazenly forgiving, even supporting, the actions of an adult overstepping his bounds with vulnerable young girls. I don't know what it started with, but it ended with one of the most disappointing, most backwards, most backtrackinng, most self-invalidating finales I have ever seen.

One last shout-out to Yuka-chan from Blue Period for being my most personally relatable character of this year. Stay strong girl, and I'll do my best too.

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