The OQ Weekly (8 April 2021) - The 'Spring 2021 Anime' Edition
The best curated newsletter in the Japanese pop-culture world.
What’s up, OTAQUESTers!
New season, means new anime. The Spring 2021 season means… well… SO MANY ANIME. My beautiful purple eyes get dizzy just by looking at this list. There is something in there for every taste, but if you feel overwhelmed… URA IS HERE TO HELP. I am the best. I know. Let me help you refine those anime buds a bit.
Check out our Reviews tag, for first impressions on the Spring 2021 that caught our eye. And then don’t forget to check our comprehensive Spring 2021 Anime Guide, curated by our very own Alicia!
If you want to talk about new anime series and how I am watching at least half of them, don’t forget to join our Discord! We talk about more than just anime, manga, and games, too.
I am Ura, your always watching anime guide in this amazing journey into Japanese pop, geek, and sub culture.
Thank you for joining us.
1
Otaku dreams come true.
Hideaki Anno continues to fulfil his wildest otaku dreams by taking on some of his most beloved series: this time with Shin Kamen Rider.
Set to debut in 2023, this project has been in development for well over six years, but COVID delayed things somewhat. This will be his third imagining, after 2016’s Shin Godzilla and the delayed Shin Ultraman.
Kamen Rider is one of Anno’s favorite properties next to the likes of Space Battleship Yamato and Ultraman, so it’s a dream come true for him. As our resident editor Thanasis said on Twitter: ‘Anno is Japan's JJ,’ and just like the Steven Spielberg protegé, Anno is being given license to remake just about every iconic Japanese pop culture franchise under the sun. What’s next? Shin Gamera?
‘With a Hideaki Anno-directed film in the works, no doubt countless numbers of new fans will be interested in the Kamen Rider franchise. Many will just wait for Shin Kamen Rider to come out in 2023, but some might succumb to their newfound curiosity. Moreso than its Super Sentai brother and Ultraman cousin, now we have to wonder if we’ll get a Shin Super Sentai in 2026 or so.’ (Chris Cimi)
2
The rapping reaper strikes again.
Hololive EN VTuber Mori Calliope released her second EP ‘Your Mori.’ over the weekend, topping music charts around the world and celebrating her birthday in a blowout fashion.
Calliope’s first EP ‘DEAD BEATS’ also managed to top music charts in both the US and UK upon release, so that performance has been repeated for ‘Your Mori.’: the creator herself noted that she was number one of the US and Japan hip-hop charts, as well as one of the top five albums overall.
According to Jacob, ‘“Your Mori.” is less rambunctious than her debut EP: it does feature some bangers, but dials back the self-confident swagger just a little bit to reveal more of a sensitive side. It fits in right alongside the likes of ‘Ibasho (Where I Belong),’ which Mori wrote for Princess Connect! Re:Dive.’
Some special goods can also be purchased via Geek Jack: a vinyl pressing of the EP, a poster and badge by illustrator Rei, as well as a dakimakura hugging pillow with art by SARUEI. All of these can be shipped overseas, constituting the VTuber’s biggest release yet.
3
Jolyne, Jolyne, Jolyne, Jolyne…
To the surprise of exactly no one, a special event for the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime over the weekend announced that Part 6: Stone Ocean would be getting an anime.
What’s even cooler is the fact that the voice actor for protagonist Jolyne Cujoh, Ai Fairouz, is a big fan of the series, and it was one of the reasons why she became a voice actor. In her official comment, she says: ‘I was especially inspired by Jolyne’s strong and beautiful appearance when I was a student, so to have the opportunity to play Jolyne, the character I love and admire the most, is something that I can’t even begin to describe how grateful I am.’
In other JoJo news, original creator Hirohiko Araki is lending his name to a new manga prize run by Ultra Jump. Inventively titled the Hirohiko Araki Manga Award, it may or may not signal a new phase in his career.
‘Rumors have been swirling for a while now... that JoJolion might be the last JoJo part: Araki’s sixty years old now, after all, and he’s been working pretty much non-stop for the past 40 years. Might the Hirohiko Araki Manga Award be a way for him to transition his role in the manga industry from creator to mentor and advocate, just as Osamu Tezuka did in the past?’ (Jacob Parker-Dalton)
4
The next big thing?
Chapter 1 of Dandadan released on Jump Plus on Monday, generating a huge amount of buzz and trending on Twitter. Could this be the service’s next big thing?
Part of that is because both Yuji Kaku (Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku) and Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man, Fire Punch) tweeted out endorsements of it, owing to their previous associations with author Yukinobu Tatsu as co-worker and assistant. Moreover, it scratches that Chainsaw Man itch, moving and feeling like a Tatsuki Fujimoto manga: there’s some sexual content, but that hardly matters.
All eyes will be on Dandadan to see if it can live up to the success of Chainsaw Man, as well as whether it can capture the same viral attention as Kaiju No. 8. Certainly, Shueisha wants that to happen, especially considering how much money they made from the latter series: Kaiju No. 8 volume 1 was the highest-selling debut release of any series last year.
5
Spoilers beware!
So-called ‘spoiler sites’ have been ruled copyright infringement by a Tokyo District Court in a decision expected to affect the entire manga industry.
The sites in question refer to websites or blogs that publish most, if not all, of the dialogue from manga currently in serialization, therefore negating the need to actually read anything yourself. Shogakukan originally brought the case to court once Kengan Omega author Yabako Sandrovich discovered that a certain website had posted all the dialogue from his series, including material that had not been made available to the public.
Japan doesn’t have a fair use policy, but does still allow for the posting of a ‘few frames’ from a multiple page manga: websites that use images or dialogue for creative or critical purposes are, therefore, not expected to be affected.
Regardless, other publishers are likely to use this case as a legal basis for action against spoiler sites in the future, which have actually increased their reach during the Coronavirus lockdown. We say: good riddance!
6
Mixed signals.
Another unsurprising anime announcement was that of The Cuckoo’s Fiancee: coming next year. It’s based on the manga by Miki Yoshikawa.
Since debuting in 2020, the series has been a record-breaking hit for both Kodansha and Weekly Shonen Magazine, so it seemed almost a given that it would get adapted. Already, though, the core crew is assembled: not only are the protagonists cast, but two studios confirmed. This might mean that we could see the anime sooner in 2022 rather than later.
Just as the more obvious stuff got announced, a very unexpected adaptation hit the scene: Tesla Note, also serialized in the pages of Magazine. The only difference between it and Cuckoo’s, however, is that it hasn’t even published its first volume yet, making for an extraordinary state of affairs. It wasn’t initially announced as a multimedia project, either, so fans are a bit annoyed.
‘Tesla Note getting an anime just months after release means that Blue Lock has been skipped over once again… For now, Kodansha and Weekly Shonen Magazine need to think more carefully about how they communicate their intentions with certain series, lest readers vote with their feet.’ (Jacob Parker-Dalton)
7
The most baffling cancellation.
Phantom Seerby Tougo Gotou and Kento Matsuura ended in Weekly Shonen Jump this week, coming as a huge surprise and causing a fair bit of consternation.
Since debuting last year, the series has improved immensely to become one of the most consistent and artistically adventurous battle manga in the magazine right now, according to Jacob. What’s more, it was also selling well, meaning that it made no business sense to cancel it right now. The situation is therefore one that is both difficult to parse and process for an engaged fan.
For Jacob, ‘The thought of where the story could have gone and how Iori’s newfound trust in Aibetsu might have affected their dynamic will remain in the minds of Phantom Seer fans long after its ending… If this is your first time dealing with the trauma of a cancelation, then I feel for you, but that still doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a truly baffling situation.’
At the very least, Gotou and Matsuura might get another chance.
8
A very real real escape game.
Summer Time Rendering by Yasuki Tanaka is taking over an actual abandoned island to stage an escape game in collaboration with SCRAP to celebrate its ending.
Located off the coast of Wakayama, 100 lucky people could be in with the chance of participating in this very real Summer Time Rendering real escape game: if chosen, participants will gather at 11 a.m. on 22 July to travel to Tomogashima. This string of four islands is currently uninhabited, but was once home to a sect of Buddhist monks who practiced the art of shugendo in the seventh and eight centuries. Participants will then explore the island, looking for clues and hints that might let them escape.
SCRAP has run their fair share of escape games in the past, but none so real as this! It’s honestly surprising to see a series such as Summer Time Rendering get this treatment: even though an anime is on the way, it’s hardly well-known.
At the very least, it fits in well with the series’ setting, which is also Wakayama. Let’s just hope no dead bodies turn up, like the story!
9
EVA Worldwide.
Japanese e-commerce website Tenso released a list of Evangelion goods that are most popular among international users of their Buyee proxy service. The results may shock you!
Coming in at number one was the fourth series of acrylic stands from RADIO EVA, while the glorious collaboration that is the Godzilla vs. Evangelion Type 3 KIRYU Eva Unit-01 Color Ver. Plastic Model from EVA Global came in at number two. I certainly agree with Corey Prasek when he says that he would’ve ‘personally would have ranked it number one’ - it’s awesome!
Proving that it’s possible to stay safe AND look stylish, the NERV face mask from the EVA Store came in at number three. Enough people managed to pick up the very rare BE@RBRICK Evangelion: Unit-01 Awakening Version 1000% Size to put it at number four, while the new Groundwork of Evangelion Digest artbook came in at number five.
And finally, capping off the list at number six is the NERV mug, ‘because everyone needs to have one of these sitting on their desk. EVERYONE.’ (Corey)
10
Rankings galore.
Japanese film ranking website Filmarks recently conducted two new surveys: one to find out which Winter 2021 anime their users loved most, and another for the most anticipated of the spring season.
In terms of last season, Uma Musume Pretty Derby season 2 was apparently the most loved, which is pretty surprising. Apparently, Pui Pui Molcar was in the lead before it and SK8 pulled ahead, eventually finishing in third. That’s pretty disappointing, but at least Yuru Camp season 2 took a very respectable fourth place!
What about next season? Perhaps unsurprisingly, My Hero Academia season 5 is the most anticipated, enjoying a huge lead on everything else. The Way of the House Husband and Tokyo Revengers bring up second and third place respectively. At the very least, the Shaman King reboot came in at number four, which impressed resident megafan Carley Garcia immensely with its first episode.
If you’re interested in knowing what’s worth looking out for next season, then don’t forget to check out our guide! Alicia Haddick did a good job on it.
Video Corner
We sat down with the team behind the Kengan Ashura anime to get a look at the production process.
See you next week!
Ura and the OTAQUEST team.
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