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Fall 2021 season is about to end this month, and this season has offered us quite a few new animes. Amidst sequels like World Trigger and Mushoku Tensei, new animes had a tough time to shine, but shine they did.
Before the beginning of the winter 2022 season, which brings with it the final installment of Attack on Titan, right now is a good time to watch a few of these new animes. Three, in particular, stand out as new animes from the Fall 2021 season that need to be watched.
Three new anime from Fall 2021 that need to be watched
3) Komi Can’t Communicate (Komi-san wa, Komyushou Desu)
[Studio: OLM, Licensed by: Netflix]
While this Netflix licensed anime appears to be a regular slice of life Shoujo-Romance anime about high school life, the focus of Komi-san wa, Komyushou Desu (Komi-san for short), is not on the romance between the two protagonists. Instead, it focuses on a high school student who has severe difficulty communicating with others and expressing herself and the people around her who slowly understand and help her in her quest to make 100 friends.
Komi-San is relevant and relatable, breaking the tsundere trope of typical Shoujo-romance anime protagonists, presenting an earnest and warm character. Still, her nature makes it hard to express her true intentions. Packed with heartfelt themes, cute animation, a good voice cast, and light but thoughtful humor, Komi-san is definitely an anime that deserves to be watched.
2) Ranking of Kings (Ousama Ranking)
[Studio: Wit Studio, Licensed by: Funimation]
While the characters have soft, almost cartoonish appearances, Ousama Ranking is anything but. The protagonist is a deaf prince who can’t form words, and the anime chronicles his journey towards his dream of becoming a great king.
At no point does the anime portray Bojji, the prince, as someone to be pitied. Instead, it shows the heart and consideration that Bojji has for the gray world he lives in and the even grayer people that he meets, starting with his friendship with Kage, who is, as the name implies, a shadow.
The animators took great care in animating the use of sign language in a way that it can be interpreted by the viewers. Ousama Ranking is not only inclusive and relevant but leaves the viewer feeling touched and warm, and maybe a little wiser. It won’t be an overstatement to say that this anime is one of the must-watch anime this season.
1) Blue Period
[Studio: Seven Arcs, Licensed by: Netflix]
Blue Period is arguably the best anime this season, and one of the best this year. The anime is also about expression through art and defines the line between passion and profession. The anime follows Yaguchi Yatora, who discovers his passion for art and strives to pursue a career in it.
Blue Period is not a simple coming-of-age story, but it explores self-awareness and self-expression with both sensitivity and understanding.
Packed with relatable and unique characters, especially Ayukawa Ryuuji and Takahashi Yotasuke, Blue Period is an anime that not only touches hearts, but leaves the viewer with a better sense of perspective. With beautiful animation, good voice acting, a layered and constant plot, and incredible themes, Blue Period is definitely an essential anime to watch.
It seems that the theme of Fall 2021 is expression, and all three of these animes explore this theme beautifully. All of these are currently ongoing animes, with only 5-7 episodes already aired. While each anime is great for binging, it’s also quite fulfilling to follow them on a weekly release schedule basis. Either way, all three animes make this season one of the best of 2021, and none of them would disappoint an anime-lover.
Note: The article reflects the views of the writer.
