The Fall 2021 anime season is almost over and done with. While it probably wasn't the strongest season of the year, Fall still produced plenty of great anime. Komi Can't Communicate, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Takt Op. Destiny, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, and 86 Part 2 dominated most of the discourse; any anime fan who follows seasonal shows most likely watched these series. While they weren't quite as inescapable, Ranking of Kings, Mieruko-chan, Blue Period, and My Senpai is Annoying also amassed followings through word of mouth.
Over 40 shows aired during Fall 2021, and that is not counting series that continued from the previous season. With so much content to consume, some releases naturally fell by the wayside or were simply missed. This is unavoidable, but some of these less-hyped shows are worth picking up now that the season is almost at an end. What are some underrated Fall 2021 anime?
Sakugan
- Where to stream: Crunchyroll, VRV
Sakugan feels like a throwback to anime from a few decades ago. Set in a world overrun with kaiju, forcing people to exist in underground colonies, Sakugan revolves around a father and daughter pairing, which is a refreshing change of pace. Memempu, a 9-year-old girl, wants to become a Marker to find a place she dreams about; conversely, Gagumber, her father, fears for his daughter's safety and wishes she would just act like a child.
A fantastic pilot episode gives way to an epic journey filled with father/daughter bonding, quirky secondary characters, and flashes of action. Sakugan does stumble a handful of times with some of its b-plots, but the overall experience is great.
The Heike Story
Created by Science Saru and directed by Naoko Yamada, The Heike Story translates The Tale of the Heike into an anime, making the historical narrative accessible to a contemporary audience. Revolving around the Taira clan's rise and demise, The Heike Story incorporates modern techniques to revitalize a narrative that a far few Japanese people are probably already familiar with.
While some elements can be obtuse for western viewers, The Heike Story's introduction of an original character, Biwa, helps make the content a bit more digestible. The anime is nothing short of gorgeous, a technical marvel that impresses visually and through its audio.
Lupin The 3rd: Part 6
Lupin the 3rd: Part 6 has not quite managed to live up to 2018's brilliant Part 5, however, it is still an incredibly fun romp. The infamous thief has been producing anime delights for decades, and Lupin the 3rd's modern incarnations do an admirable job of retaining the charm of the classics while modernizing elements that have grown dated.
Part 6 is a fine enough entry point into the franchise, although newcomers should seek out the previous season since it is one of the best action-comedy anime shows of the last five years or so.
World Trigger Season 3
2021 marked the return of World Trigger, an underappreciated shounen anime that got off to a somewhat rough start but eventually picked up quite a bit of momentum. Building on the good work of the stellar Winter 2021 cour, World Trigger Season 3 delivers more memorable battles, character growth, and world-building.
Season 3 is very action-heavy, perhaps even more so than its predecessor, and this cour focuses heavily on the rank wars. As the anime's fights are generally well done, this is definitely a good development.
Puraore! Pride of Orange
Puraore! Pride of Orange is a terrible sports anime. If someone is specifically looking for a hockey-themed series, Puraore! Pride of Orange will leave them disappointed and frustrated. The show barely spends any time on the actual sport, opting to prioritize the characters' off-ice interactions instead.
Puraore! Pride of Orange might be a below-average sports anime but it is a decent slice of life series. Now, just to be clear, it is nothing more than a passable "cute girls doing cute things" style show, but the anime has been included in this article since people might have skipped it due to believing it is a sports show.
Digimon Ghost Game
Look back at any point during the last two decades and there likely was a Digimon anime airing. Digimon Adventure and Tamers have substantial followings, but the rest of the seasons tend to be a bit more polarizing. Digimon Ghost Game presumably has been ignored by everyone besides the biggest fans of the franchise, and while the anime isn't a masterpiece, it is a charming entry in the series.
Digimon Ghost Game takes place predominantly in the human world as Hiro, a young boy, deals with cases revolving around troublesome Digimon. The season has a case-of-the-week feel, more so than some of the other Digimon incarnations, and it is also welcoming to newcomers or people who lost interest somewhere along the way.
Super Crooks
Netflix's Super Crooks anime is a spin-off of Jupiter's Legacy, a live-action superhero show that was canceled after one season. Based on Mark Millar's Supercrooks comic, the anime is an uneven affair at times, particularly during its second half, but it has more than enough excellent moments to be worth a recommendation.
Super Crooks is a heist series starring superpowered people, with the "villains" taking center stage. The anime moves at a fast pace, has plenty of exhilarating action sequences, and solid animation.