Full of Bias

Every morning, before school and work, Misakino Kukuru performs the same ritual. She heads over the a shrine by her house, leaves out some food, claps her hands twice, and says "makuto soke nankurunaisa." "Nankurunaisa," translating roughly to "everything's gonna be alright," is a famous idiom associated with the people of Okinawa. And it's most often used as part of the aforementioned prayer of "makuto soke nankurunaisa," meaning something like "do what's right, and everything will work out," as Crunchyroll used for the subtitles on their service. I love this for a number of reasons, such as the way it adds a sense of authenticity to the setting. Okinawa in anime is generally reserved for big outings, climactic trips similar to someone in the U.S. heading to Hawaii, but here, it's the main setting. Specific language like "nankurunaisa," alongside other ways the series conveys the culture and attitudes of Okina...

The thing that stood out to me about anime in 2021 was the sheer breadth of creativity among the shows of this year. More than any other year in recent memory, 2021 anime seemed to be abuzz with unique concepts, ambitious visuals, and a creator driven approach to both adaptations and original shows. This is a year where it felt like a bunch of really talented creators were given full reign to do whatever they wanted. That, to me, makes 2021 one of the most memorable years of anime I've experienced in my 6 years of keeping up with anime seasonally. Not every creative endeavor was a perfect success, but it's the sheer number of shows I can point to and talk about something unique or creative it does that make me incredibly excited for the future of anime. I wasn't even able to watch everything I wanted to this year, as I was unable to keep up with Spring and Summer, so I only watched a few shows from those seasons. If you are a fan of To Your Eternity, Tokyo Revengers, Fruits...