For various personal reasons, writing on Summer 2021 ended up being a bust. So, as is so popular these days, time for the Lounge to get a reboot.
Let’s hit the jump and dive right in!
The usual disclaimer… This isn’t a countdown or anything. They’re not in any particular order.
The shows that I am anticipating are in bold, shows my wife and I are anticipating together are in bold italics.
The shows that I am anticipating are in bold, shows my wife and I are anticipating together are in bold italics.
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Dai Mankai no Shou
Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Great Mankai Chapter
The magical girls of the Sanshu Middle School Hero Club have one goal: to make people smile whenever they can and to always help those in need. Through teamwork and the help of their magical powers, Yuna, Mimori, Fuu, Itsuki, Karin and Sonoko have vanquished deadly Vertexes, recovered a missing friend and balanced their lives as magical girls and regular middle school students. Now a new adventure begins, one that will test their skills and their bond as friends alike.
Source: Sentai Filmworks
If asked, pretty much any long time reader of this blog or anyone that knows me well would be able to answer the question: “What anime is going to be Derek’s most anticipated for the Fall 2021 season?”
The answer of course is Yuuki Yuuna. My love for this franchise is well known (isn’t it?).
We really don’t know much about Season 3… They’ve played it really close to their vests. So, I can’t really say much more.
Streaming on: HiDive
Parenthetically… Isn’t this one of the few times that HiDive has scored a major exclusive? Probably fallout from the Crunchymation merger.
Yakunara Mug Cup Mo: Niban Kama
Let’s Make a Mug Too: Second Kiln
More antics from the Ceramics Club… I ran hot and cold on it back in the Spring, but I did enjoy it overall. And there’s been some hints we may learn more about Himeno’s mother.
Streaming on: Crunchyroll
SELECTION PROJECT
Honestly, the plot summary is way too long to repost, but you can read it on livechart.me if you’re interested…
Of the two idol shows premiering this season, I think SELECTION PROJECT is the one I’m anticipating the most because I’m not certain about the magical girl elements of Waccha PriMagi! SELECTION seems to more of a “classic” style idol series. My only reservation is that it’s part of a multimedia push, and those don’t alway work well as we rarely get more in the US than the anime.
It’s only been since the Winter 2021 season since we last had an idol anime, and I’m so ready for another. Hopefully it’s decent.
And yes, I can hear you out there “But Derek, what about LOVE LIVE?” It’s not that Love Live is bad or anything… But I’m not sure how much I count it as an idol show. The Love Live multiverse is practically it’s own thing with it’s own tropes and traditions. It’s certainly idol-adjacent, but to me it’s not really what I’d consider a “traditional” idol show.
I’m probably going to take a lot of heat for that paragraph, but it’s how I feel.
Streaming on: Funimation
Heike Monogatari
The Heike Story
A young orphan named Biwa is taken in by the powerful Taira Clan—also known as the Heike—after their leader witnesses her extraordinary psychic abilities.
Unfortunately, what she predicts is a future of bloodshed, violence, and civil war. Inspired by the 12th-century epic tale Heike Monogatari.
Source: Funimation
This… could be a very challenging watch. The 12th Century Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike) is some seriously deep Japanese history. And that’s what intrigues and attracts me. That’s something anime very rarely attempts.
One the plus side, director Naoko Yamada and scriptwriter Reiko Yoshida have some pretty serious chops. The studio, Science SARU, is pretty young – but has a couple of good works under it’s belt. (Including the amazing Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!)
Crossing my fingers and putting this on the list…
Streaming on: Funimation
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I think that wraps up the “actually anticipating to some degree”… The upcoming season is a bit on the thin side when it comes to interesting shows. There’s a greater-than-usual number of “definitely will check out” slice-of-life shows, but none really jump out at me.
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There’s also the returning shows:
– The aquatope on white sand, which had a stunning mid-season climax. I have no idea what we’re going to see in tonight’s episode, but I can’t wait t find out.
– Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san: Airing monthly, it’s not getting a lot of buzz… but it’s a very charming SOL. If you haven’t, and SOL is in your wheelhouse, you definitely should.
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So, there’s my list… Check the upcoming season’s titles at livechart.me and drop a comment! Let’s chat!
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
Interesting! I know you’re the idol expert here, so I’m curious why you don’t think Love Live is much of an idol show. I’ve seen a season of it, and it’s probably the only idol-ish show I’ve ever seen, so I don’t know how it compares to others.
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It’s not that it’s not much of an idol show… It’s that it skips over most of the tropes of the genre and goes it’s own way. It’s really hard to explain.
But some examples;
So, while it’s still about idols, I kinda feel it’s not quite an idol show.
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Oh, thank you for the insight! That makes a lot of sense. And sorry I missed this comment for the longest time.
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Yeah, seeing Yuuki Yuna up top is hardly surprising. I didn’t know until very recently that there would be a third season. I wouldn’t be surprised if the franchise is Gokumi’s financial backbone.
I’ve seen the first three episodes of Heike Monogatari already. Anime of the year potential right off the bat. I love it. Yamada going from KyoAni corporate feel to Science Saru corporate feel works out really well. I hear the main character isn’t in the original story, and it seems she functions as some sort of point-of-view character/story teller/bard. I don’t know anything about the story.
It was also really the only show I was actively looking forward to. The rest I’ll let surprise me. There are some shows I have my eye on (Sempai ga Urusai…, the two vampire shows, Komi-san, Mieruko-chan; Blue Period had a decent start…), but nothing that really makes me excited – it’s all in the firm maybe camp.
Last season, the show that came out of nowhere and ended up great was Vanitas no Carte; such a fun, dorky show. I’m hoping for something like that this season, too. It hasn’t been a bad year so far for me. Spring was outstanding, and summer had a few really good shows, too. I’m not seeing all that much potential in fall, but I didn’t see it in summer either.
I’m actually wondering whether I should try the current Love Live once it’s done. Surprisingly, even people who don’t much like the franchise say good things about this incarnation. (I’m not bothered much by genres, and I group them rather loosely anyway, but I have to admit not counting Love Live as an idol show is surprising.)
I’m, of course, watching Maiko-san, but it’s hard for me to see it as a seasonal show, with its spread out schedule. It’s consistently fun, though. And I certainly didn’t expect the developments at the half-way point for Aquatope. I quite like the show, too. Best carryover show for me.
We’ll see where this goes.
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Yeah, I know there’s some episodes that were early-released… But I haven’t had time to check ’em out. Still catching up from our mini-vacation over the weekend. But I have heard lots of good things about them.
Summer was a mixed bag for me, mostly all about the sequels. But then aquatope came out of nowhere, so there’s always that possibility…
I didn’t expect much after the hot mess that was Sunshine!!, so I was pleasantly surprised with Superstar. It’s not quite as good as the original, but it’s close. It’s even better in some places… I particularly applaud their decision to cut back on the size of the core cast. That’s made for much smoother storytelling. (And not wasting quite so much time faffing about “getting the band together”.)
Absolutely agree with every word.
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I’m still trying to decide what to watch in Fall and what to leave until it is finished and binge. I might try a mix of things and see where I end up. Looking forward to your thoughts on the season.
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I usually try a mix of thing too, these are just the ones I’m particularly looking forward to. I also keep my ears to the ground and pay attention to what’s being said.
Thanks for stopping by!
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