7 Most Promising Anime to Watch this 2021 Spring Season

There’s a lot to complain about 2021. But one thing that we can’t really say is that the Anime industry is lacking. The Winter season had so many great shows that I thought the Spring season wouldn’t be able to top that off. But here we are. Not only does the Spring season brought even more interesting Animes to follow, but I’m also watching 18 different shows that debuted this Spring.

I’m not going to pretend that all of them are masterpieces – they aren’t. Still, for someone who’s quite picky on what to watch, most of the Anime shows coming out are above average. Now that I’ve watched three episodes of each Anime coming out, it’s time to share with you the seven more promising shows this Spring season.

Just a few disclaimers before we get into it. First, I’m only considering completely new Anime shows. This means no reboots (like Shaman King) or sequels (My Hero Academia). It also goes without saying that these are the shows that me, myself, and I think as the most promising – not those that the Anime community is looking forward to the most. This isn’t an article about the most popular Animes according to MAL, after all. With that out of the way, let’s start.

Mashiro no Oto

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that I’m a sucker for music-related Anime. So, it’s no wonder that Mashiro no Oto appears on this list. But this Anime seems to have more to offer than just your everyday music-related show. Not only is it around a Japanese traditional musical instrument (Shamisen), but the main character has an interesting background. Oh – and of course! The music is great, too. I got the chills on episode two when Setsu played the Shamisen while his mother sang her heart out.

Mashiro no Oto also intrigued me with its main plot. After his grandfather (a great Shamisen player) passed away, Setsu no longer is able to find his sound. It doesn’t help that the person Setsu looked up so much told him to stop playing the Shamisen as their final words. I’m curious to see how Setsu will be able to find his reason to continue playing the Shamisen and surpassing his grandfather while at the same time adjusting to the busy Tokyo life as a small-town kid.

Koi to Yobu ni wa Kimochi Warui (Koikimo)

I know that Koi to Yobu ni wa Kimochi Warui (Koikimo for short) has a big problem that some people won’t be able to let slide. The romance focuses on an adult 27-year-old falling in love with a 17-year-old. Plus, it’s crystal clear that the guy is stalking the girl by calling her constantly, giving her unwanted gifts, and showing up unsolicited. I’m not going to get into the legal side of the story, as the Japanese age of consent is completely different from western countries. Plus, Ichiki (the female protagonist) does seem to have what it takes to defend herself, and it’s not like Ryou is trying to take advantage of her. Honestly, what makes me cringe the most is Ryou’s stalking attitude towards Ichiki, and I wonder how the story would go if the male protagonist wasn’t as handsome.

That being said, the romance story is unique, funny, and interesting. I’ve already fallen for both main characters, and while I don’t really want them to end up together due to the age gap (at least for now), it melts my heart to see a womanizer like Ryou changing his ways because of Ichiki. Additionally, I love Rio (Ryou’s younger sister). Even if she’s a secondary character, I enjoy watching grounded and independent personalities like hers. Finally, the show seems to go for a romance triangle somewhere in the future, which I’m quite hyped to follow.

Osananajimi ga Zettai ni Makenai Love Comedy

What can I say – I’m also a sucker for romances. So, of course that Osananajimi ga Zettai ni Makenai Love Comedy is included on this list. This time around, we follow a bizarre teenager love triangle, where the three characters don’t seem to know what they actually want. I’m saying this especially because of episode 3, which I won’t fully explain due to spoilers.

This episode brought a nice twist to the story that made me not know what to expect next. The beginning of the show seemed to hint that we would follow all the steps that the male protagonist would take to get revenge of his love interest by pretending to be dating his best friend. However, as episode three gives closure to this arc and almost everything gets out in the open, it’s difficult to see how the show is going to develop. Fortunately, I got the impression that it’s going to be one of those romantic comedies where the story just gets increasingly interesting by showing more about the complex characters we’re watching.

Hige wo Soru. Soshite Joshikousei wo Hirou. (Higehiro)

It’s the last romance – I swear! Hige wo Soru. Soshite Joshikousei wo Hirou (Higehiro) also follows the romance of an adult with a teenager. But it’s quite different than Koikimo. First, as a runaway, Sayu has far more life experience than Ichiki. Secondly, Yoshida is doing everything in his power to not take advantage of the teenage runaway. In fact, Sayu has tried to seduce him several times already and was always shot down by the adult man. If you’re curious, the age gap is nine years (17 vs 26).

This is also the romance from this list with the most fanservice. I’m not really into girls, so it doesn’t really make me like Higehiro more or less. Still, it’s nice to see that the fanservice moments make sense. If Sayu is trying to seduce Yoshida, it’s reasonable for her to appear in underwear, right? The thing I love the most about the Anime is that it’s able to be serious and funny, depending on the moment. Plus, the characters are tri-dimensional, their strange relationship is well captured, and they do look cute together. It also offers a more adult perspective, which I appreciate.

Tokyo Revengers

Enough with the romances. Let’s jump into a fantasy world where the main character is sent to the past after being pushed in front of a train, shall we? Ok, Tokyo Revengers’ time travel isn’t the best out there. While the first time Takemichi goes back in time does make kind of sense, the second one just seems far too easy – he just needs to handshake his past girlfriend’s brother’s hand.

But don’t let that cloud your judgment. Tokyo Revengers does a perfect job on what he wants to focus on – the yakuza. Takemichi’s past girlfriend – Hinata – is the reason why he’s coming back to one of the worst times of his life. In the present, Hinata dies because of the yakuza. More specifically, because of a family created by two of the biggest bosses in the city. So, Takemichi is going back in time to prevent them from meeting each other and, hopefully, save Hinata’s future. There’s only one main problem – we’re speaking about the yakuza. Even if they’re all teenagers, it’s a dangerous world, and Takemichi will have to do things very differently as he did initially. Instead of bowing his head and apologize, he will need to face his fears and speak out. This emotion of getting out of your comfort and consciously putting your life at risk is beautifully executed. Additionally, the animation is a bit unique (in a good way), which is always a plus in my books!

Fumetsu no Anata e

You probably have heard about Fumetsu no Anate e (To Your Eternity). It’s, without a doubt, one of the best Animes of the season. I mean, anything that makes me cry right on episode one is doing something right!

I don’t really want to spoil anything, but we follow this strange entity that is able to transform into things after they die. At least, that was my best understanding. I also think that there needs to be some kind of emotional connection, but considering that the entity transforms into a rock first, I’m not sure. No matter – the Anime is beautiful! The animation and music score are breathtaking. And, of course, the story is just so well told that you’re able to connect with the characters right on episode one. Really – I don’t want to spoil anything. Just go watch the first episode, and you’ll see what I mean!

Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song

What could be more promising than an Anime that I just told you to go watch the first episode – you may ask. Well, the Anime with the most beautiful animation of the season Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song. Not only that, but the story is deep, the characters are especially well created, and it’s easy to see that there was a lot of attention to detail. It’s, by far, the Anime I’ve been more hyped to watch every week.

The story starts with a great bang. Everything is in flames, people are being killed left and right, and we get to know that the androids, who were once friendly, have turned against humanity. But what the hell happened? A virus? A terrorist attack? Well, a bit of both, really. The story follows Vivy, the first fully automated AI ever created, who is visited by a computer program from the future and tells everything that is going to happen. Now, it’s her job to make sure that the main events that led to that deadly day doesn’t happen. Easier said than done, though. Vivi has been programmed to make people happy by singing, not saving the world from an imminent threat.

This opens a great back-and-forward character development where Vivy needs to go against her coding and do what this futuristic program is telling her. However, while she has information about everything that is going to happen in the following century, she can’t influence any other events, even if it’s means the death of someone she loves. It’s just a great concept that is very well executed. I especially love that Matsumoto (the computer from the future) speaks extremely fast to show his hardware/software speed.

And that’s it! Seven Anime I highly recommend checking out this 2021 Spring Season. For those who already knew about all of these, I’m going to publish my top 5 hidden gems of the season in the near future. So, stay tuned for that. Also, comment down below what are the Animes you’re liking the most this season!