Anime lovers are gearing up to greet the new year 2022, which is jam-packed with several good anime shows planned to premiere next year. However, before we move on to 2022, let’s take a look back at some of the best anime in 2021 that fans adored.
Meanwhile, 2021 saw the premiere of a slew of new shows, including Tokyo Revengers and Mushoku Tensei. It was also a year of anime sequels, with JoJo Stone Ocean and Dr. Stone Season 3 being published this year. However, at the end of the year, every anime fan wants to know which anime was the best of the year.
And, in this article, we will take a look at some of the best anime in 2021 according to My Anime List (MAL) ratings. So, let’s get started.
10. That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Season 2
Genre: Fantasy, Isekai
TenSura, or That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, is one of the best isekai anime shows viewers have ever seen. The series, based on a light book of the same name, follows the adventures of a middle-aged man in the world of sword and sorcery.
Satoru Mikami, a 37-year-old corporate worker, is reincarnated as a slime in another universe after being stabbed in the streets of Tokyo. Satoru, as a slime, explores the fantasy world, learning new talents and gaining unique abilities.
However, to overcome the hurdles and live a superior life as compared to his past one, Satoru sets on a mission to gather allies so that he can build his own nation of monsters.
9. To Your Eternity
MAL Rating: 8.43
Genre: Fantasy
Yoshitoki ima, widely known for her earlier work A Silent Voice, wrote the fantasy manga book To Your Eternity. The series is about the journey of an immortal being and is based on the subject of death and immortality.
It tells the account of a ‘Orb of Light’ that an unknown individual hurled on Earth. The orb initially takes the shape of a stone, and then it takes the shape of a dead wolf. During this process, he meets a young boy who is living alone in the bitter cold.
The boy mistook him for his pet wolf, Joaan, and accompanied him to cross the freezing region in order to visit their relatives and loved ones who had fled the community in quest of a better place.
However, after getting wounded on the way, the youngster breaths his last breath under the roof, saying to the wolf, “Remember me.” From this point on, the Orb inherits the boy’s will and body and embarks on a journey to visit every corner of the globe in order to learn what it means to be truly human.
8. Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon Season 2
MAL Rating: 8.44
Genre: Fantasy comedy, Slice of life, Yuri
Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon is a fantasy comedy anime series that originally aired in 2017. This year, the programme was renewed for a second season and some new characters were included to brighten the mood of the viewers.
Initially, the show chronicles the life of Miss Kobayashi, a typical office worker who spends her days alone in her little apartment. One day, she saves the life of a distressed female dragon. Later, she discovers that the dragon, Tohru, has the capacity to miraculously transform into a lovely human girl.
To repay Miss Kobayashi’s debt of gratitude, Tohru moves into her house and begins doing any kind of job, whether Miss Kobayashi likes it or not.
7. Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song
MAL Rating: 8.48
Genre: Sci-fi, Drama
Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song, produced by WIT Studio, is set in the year 2056, when technological and artificial intelligence advancements are at their zenith. As a result, android bodies that can imitate human form are activated.
‘Vivy,’ an AI diva, is given the job of making people happy with her songs. To complete her aim, she works in an amusement park in the hopes of one day gaining access to the main stage.
But, after meeting another AI from 100 years in the future, Vivy realises that a devastating battle between humans and AIs is on the way, and she must stop it at all costs.
6. 86 Part 2
MAL Rating: 8.51
Genre: Mecha, Sci-fi, Romance
Asato Asato’s 86 is a science fiction light novel series drawn by Shirabii. It was adapted into an anime television series by A-1 Pictures, which premiered in April 2021 and garnered a slew of excellent reviews from audiences for its gripping storyline.
The Republic of San Magnolia has been assaulted by the Giadian Empire, its neighbour. There is a ‘non-existent 86th district’ outside the Republic’s 85 districts, where young men and women continue to fight.
Major Vladilena “Lena” Milizé is an Alba aristocrat and Republic military officer assigned as a Handler to the Spearhead Squadron of the Eastern Front led by their squad leader, Shinei “Undertaker” Nouzen.
As Lena gets to know Shinei and the rest of the Spearhead Squadron, she develops sympathy for his people’s suffering and attempts to assist them. Simultaneously, Lena and Shinei discover a frightening secret: the battle between the Republic and the Empire is not what it appears to be.
5. JoJo Stone Ocean
MAL Rating: 8.67
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural
Hirohiko Araki wrote and illustrated the manga series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s sixth story arc, Stone Ocean. Netflix will premiere JoJo Stone Ocean on their official platform for an international audience in December 2021.
In 2011, Jolyne Cujoh was imprisoned at Green Dolphin Street Jail in Florida after being falsely accused of a crime she did not commit. Despite the fact that all hope seemed to be lost, a gift from her father Jotaro ends up unlocking her dormant skills, appearing as her Stand, Stone Free. Jolyne, empowered with the ability to modify her fate, sets out to discover a way out of the stone ocean that has imprisoned her.
She soon realises, however, that her confinement is only a minor component in a larger scheme. Furthermore, the mastermind is hiding within the same prison and is guarded by a swarm of scary Stand users. Jolyne sets out to foil their plot, clear her identity, and reclaim her life, enlisting the support of surprising allies.
4. Odd Taxi
MAL Rating: 8.77
Genre: Mystery
Odd Taxi received an anime television series in April 2021, and it shockingly became one of the year’s finest anime. The show was lauded for its captivating mystery drama with outstanding writing, compelling characters, and a distinct art style.
Odd Cab is set in an anthropomorphic animal world and tells the narrative of Odokawa, a 41-year-old walrus taxi driver whose parents abandoned him in elementary school, leaving him socially isolated. He does, however, frequently converse with other animal occupants that travel in his cab on their separate journeys throughout Tokyo, where the series is set.
Odokawa’s talks with these people lead to a succession of mysteries and violent deeds, including the disappearance of a high school student. Because of the missing girl case, the cops have been following leads back to him, and now both the yakuza and the cops are after him.
3. Mushoku Tensei : Jobless Reincarnation Season 2
MAL Rating: 8.81
Genre: Fantasy, Harem, Isekai
2021 was not as thrilling for anime fans as it should have been, but a new intriguing series like Mushoku Tensei pleased viewers with its wonderful tale. The best anime in 2021? It certainly deserves to be called that.
Mushoku Tensei, commonly known as ‘Jobless Reincarnation,’ tells the story of a 34-year-old jobless man who dies in a car accident while attempting to save someone. Later on, he finds himself reincarnated as a baby in a different universe, where he goes by the name Rudeus Greyrat.
As a baby, he resumes his gifted existence in this thrilling magical realm and learns the principles of magic to aid him in his adventure path. The series starts out amusing and a little sexy, but as you progress, you’ll see the intense and intriguing side of this show.
2. Ousama Ranking
MAL Rating: 8.86
Genre: Fantasy comedy, Coming-of-age
Ssuke Tka’s Ousama Ranking is an ongoing adventure-comedy anime series. Wit Studio, the creators of the blockbuster shnen series Attack On Titan, are behind the production of this anime. The director and storyline are promising, and it should be on your list of things to watch.
The story revolves around a deaf boy named Bojji, a powerless prince who can only wield a children’s sword. As the firstborn son, he works hard and aspires to be the world’s greatest king.
People whisper behind his back that he is “a good-for-nothing prince” and that “there is no way he can be king.” Despite this, Bojji does not deviate from his path and continues to pursue his dream.
1. Fruits Basket: The Final
MAL Rating: 9.06
Genre: Slice of life, Romantic comedy
Fruits Basket: The Final is the third chapter of Natsuki Takaya’s acclaimed anime series Fruits Basket, written and illustrated by him. The plot revolves around an orphaned girl named Tohru Honda, who miraculously becomes entangled with zodiac spirits carriers, humans who can transform into various zodiac animals and have their own twisted and terrible pasts as well as a hidden curse.
Season 3 seeks to unveil many of the dark secrets accumulated by the famed Sohma family in previous seasons. It also tries to explain how the family curse breaks and leads to the demise of Akito, the Sohma family’s head and the series’ antagonist.
This series depicts the anime plotline’s ultimate climax and concludes on a pleasant note with characters meeting their separate happy endings.
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