Our Top 12 Favourite Anime Series of 2021

With 8 Bonus Honourable Mentions (Only Available Here on the Blog)

Hi Everyone!

We know we’re off to a late start, but Happy New Year! This year we decided to give you guys not 10 but 12 of our top favourite anime series of 2021, which you can watch here:

Not only that, but we’ll also be giving you guys 8 bonus anime series that made our honourable mentions list here on our blog. In all that’s 20 anime series from 2021 to check out! So what are you waiting for? Get scrolling ~

* Like last year, we’ll only be covering anime series that debuted in 2021, so no sequels and no movies either.

Studio: P.A. Works | Genre: Drama | Duration: 24 episodes | Stream: Crunchyroll

#8 – The Aquatope on White Sand

Starting our list off in the #8 spot is a mesmerizing anime by P.A. Works. The Aquatope on White Sand follows two girls, Fuka Miyazawa and Kukuru Misakino, as their lives cross paths one day at an aquarium, starting what will soon become a great friendship and sisterhood.

The great thing about the series is that it explores what it takes to run an aquarium successfully, and delves into the marine life they house. Giving us fun trivia and even touches on some more serious topics like the acidification and rising temperatures of our oceans. As well as our growing water pollution problems. It’s also just a fun anime to watch if you feel like you’ve been cooped up inside for too long and want to go out and do something but you know COVID.

Studio: SynergySP | Genre: Historical, Romance | Duration: 12 episodes | Stream: Funimation

#7 – Taisho Otome Fairy Tale

Initially, this anime could sound quite tragic, but it’s actually a pretty cute story about two strangers who are forced into each other’s lives and slowly begin to fall in love.

The story takes place in 1921, during the Taisho Era. Here we meet Tamahiko Shima, of the powerful Shima family. Due to losing the use of his right arm in a car accident, he is basically abandoned by his family and sent to live in the country where he can be kept out of sight. Now isolated and spending most of his time wallowing in self-pity, Tamahiko is surprised when one night a young girl arrives at his home claiming to be his fiancé as well as his live-in caretaker. This girl is Yuzuki Tachibana, and to pay off her family’s debts, she was bought as a bride for Tamahiko by his father. With that between them is it possible for them to still find love?

Studio: Satelite | Genre: Science-Fiction | Duration: 12 episodes | Stream: Crunchyroll

#6 – Sakugan

Memempu is bored with her life in the Pinyin colony as an ore miner and wants nothing more than to become a Marker and explore the Underground, a labyrinth of uncharted landscape that stretches far between the colonies. And even though she’s one smart cookie, having acquired 7 doctorates and already having graduated college, her father, Gagumber refuses to let her go stating she’s still just a 9yr-old little girl. But when Memempu receives a mysterious pendant from the legendary Marker Urorop, which turns out to hold a hidden map of the Underground, Memempu decides she can’t take no for an answer. And after their colony gets attacked by a Kaiju who seems weirdly drawn to Memempu, Gagumber finally caves and agrees to let her leave the colony, but not alone. Memempu’s still his daughter after all, and it’s his responsibility to keep her safe, so he’s going with her. So buckle up because Sakugan is the ultimate father-daughter adventure you never knew you needed.

Studio: Bones | Genre: Dark Fantasy, Steampunk | Duration: 12 episodes (Part 1) | Stream: Funimation

#5 – The Case Study of Vanitas

Someone is cursing vampires by corrupting their names, turning them into mindless beasts. This not only endangers human lives, but also the lives of vampires who have worked hard to blend in with humans, and not draw attention to themselves.

Due to these recent attacks, Noe Archiviste, a young vampire, is sent to Paris to look for a curious Grimoire. This Grimoire is called the Book of Vanitas and is said to hold the power to destroy vampires. Fearing this book might be the cause of these recent attacks, Noe is determined to locate its whereabouts. When he does find it though, it’s strangely in the possession of a human going by the name of Vanitas, and he’s using the book to cure vampires? If it’s not Vanitas that’s cursing vampires then who is?

Studio: Liden Films | Genre: Sports | Duration: 13 episodes | Stream: Crunchyroll

#4 – Farewell, My Dear Cramer

Every once in a while, you come across an anime that has more to it than just entertainment value, and for us, Farewell, My Dear Cramer is one of those animes. Shining a light on girls’ soccer and on female sports in general, this anime is a must-watch for anyone hoping to encourage girls to try out for sports and broaden the appeal of female sports and athleticism to a larger scale.

We’re Canadian, so we can still remember the monumental impact that Christine Sinclair had on Female Soccer here, and we especially remember the historic Coca-Cola commercial she featured in called “It’s a Girls’ Game”. If Farewell, My Dear Cramer can have even a fraction of an effect similar to that or close to what Haikyuu!! did for encouraging youths to get into volleyball when it aired, then that would be amazing.

We also have to mention that Farewell, My Dear Cramer has a movie titled “Farewell, My Dear Cramer: First Touch” that was released in 2021, and acts as a direct prequel to the anime series. So we’d highly recommend checking that one out before starting the series.

Studio: Brain's Base | Genre: Fantasy | Duration: 20 episodes | Stream: Crunchyroll

#3 – To Your Eternity

This is probably a series that many will be surprised didn’t make our Top 12 list of 2021. I mean, the series boasts a unique concept, great animation, and probably one of the best first episodes in an anime series we’ve ever seen. But we’ll warn you right now it’s one of those shows that has the potential to wreck you emotionally. So if you’re looking for something lighthearted and fun, our advice is to look elsewhere. But if you want to watch something thought-provoking and soul-wrenching then, by all means, check out To Your Eternity, a story that follows Fushi, an immortal being sent to Earth to gather knowledge and experience in order to better understand the beings of Earth. And with Fushi’s every new interaction and encounter he develops the ability to take on multiple forms. Forms that will have viewers questioning what it really means to be human? Or better yet, what it really means to exist?

Studio: J.C. Staff | Genre: Slice-of-Life, Comedy | Duration: 10 episodes | Stream: Netflix

#2 – The Way of the House Husband

Some might be thrown by the animation style, it resembling more of a moving comic strip than the smooth animation we see in the rest of the anime on this list, but to rule this show out simply for that would be a shame because this series is full of comedy GOLD. The series follows Tatsu, a former member of the yakuza now turned househusband, which let’s be honest, is gold right there. Once known as the Immortal Dragon, Tatsu now goes by Tacchan, devoted househusband, doing everything from cooking to laundry to grocery shopping to all other manner of household chores. And surprisingly, it soon becomes apparent that perhaps being a member of the yakuza isn’t really that much different from being a househusband?

We also have to add that the choice to cast Kenjiro Tsuda as the voice of Tatsu was the cherry on top ~

Studio: Zexcs | Genre: Sports | Duration: 12 episodes | Stream: Crunchyroll

#1 – Backflip!! – Bakuten!!

This series reminded us of one of our 2019 Top Ten picks, “Run with the Wind.” So if you enjoyed that one, you should also give Backflip!! (A.K.A. Bakuten!!) a try. It has great characters, with fluid 2D animation that was full of some really nice little details and movement. And if there hadn’t been any 3D animation used during the performance scenes, this title would have definitely made our Top Twelve favourites list.

And we’ll be honest, an anime about a men’s rhythmic gymnastics competition was never something we thought would appeal to us, and yet here we are with the top pick for our honourable mentions list being just that. Backflip!! is an entertaining sports anime series following Shotaro Futaba, a high school freshman and complete gymnastics newbie, as he joins the Rhythmic Gymnastics club at his school after having seen them perform in their last competition. Never finding a sport that really seemed to fit, Shotaro is instantly captivated by the gymnasts’ ability to almost fly across the floor. And with the addition of ace gymnast Ryoya Misato to the club, the team finally has enough members to seriously compete in the Inter-High Tournament. Will they have what it takes?

So that’s the end of our list! Hope you guys found something worth checking out :D

Now stay safe out there, and as always,

~ Stay Obsessed

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