This Week in Anime [Week 17, 2021]

Date Published: Thurs, 28th April, 2021

Ohayou gozaimas to one and all! It's time to start your day off with a fresh serving of Adilsons' 17th weekly anime news compilation. April is about to end, and we're pleased to inform you that it did so on a good note, marked by several new releases in the anime department and the promise of more to come. Unfortunately, this joy has not been reflected in Japan due to the passing of yet another prominent name in the anime industry. Read on to find out more! Here's your Rapid Rundown:

1. Tsukimichi: Moonlight Fantasy Arrives!

2. Yasuke Sees Global Release!

3. Shadows House Takes A Dark Turn!

4. This Week in Japan: Shunsuke Kikuchi



1. Tsukimichi: Moonlight Fantasy Arrives!

Although the anime adaptation of the series was announced in late October of last year, the Tsukimichi franchise has released a key visual this week to get fans hyped up for its impending arrival in July. This is a series with a very interesting history starting off way back in 2012 with its release on a novel publishing website by the name of Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It subsequently saw a shift in platforms to AlphaPolis, which acquired the series and has released over 15 volumes (of light novels) since 2013. Soon after, in 2015, the release of a manga counterpart came into effect, culminating in an anime adaptation scheduled for 3 months from now.

The Shonen fantasy series has garnered quite a large fanbase online in its almost decade long run, although this really only picked up following its manga adaptation. Regardless of the case, Tsukimichi has distinguined itself as quite a notable entry in 2021's roster of upcoming anime. You can read its synopsis (taken from ANN) below:
"The fantasy centers around Makoto Misumi, an ordinary high school boy summoned to an alternate world as a brave warrior. Unfortunately, the goddess of the world said with disdain, "Your face is ugly," stripped him of his title, and banished him to the outermost fringes of the wilderness.

While wandering the wilderness, Makoto encountered dragons, spiders, orcs, dwarves, and all sorts of other non-human species. Due to differences in the environment from his home world, Makoto now exhibits extraordinary powers in magic and combat. Thus, he survives in this world while dealing with various encounters. The curtain rises on the alternate-world social reform fantasy of a boy forsaken by gods and humans."

The whole thing honestly gives us Superman vibes and we absolutely love it! So far, we've given the first three chapters of the manga a read and we can safely say that we'll be reading a lot more where that came form! Here's to hoping that Tsukimichi lives up to its hype!



2. Yasuke Sees Global Release!

Long time readers of our news will recognize Yasuke as a very highly anticipated release from Netflix centered around a black Samurai and his adventure to protect a strange girl. Well, it's here and it's earned itself a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92% (at the time of writing), meaning that it's certainly lived up to its hype! Released on the 29th of April (meaning just yesterday for you guys!), all 6 episodes were released together on the streaming platorm and were instantly binged in rapid succession by fans who'd waited months for the release, including yours truly!

For those who missed our last article on Yasuke, here's the synopsis:
"In a war-torn feudal Japan filled with mechs and magic, the greatest ronin never known, Yasuke, struggles to maintain a peaceful existence after a past life of violence. But when a local village becomes the center of social upheaval between warring daimyo, Yasuke must take up his sword and transport a mysterious child who is the target of dark forces and bloodthirsty warlords."

Needless to say, LeSean Thomas' latest work- despite being based on a historically accurate figure- has no need to comply by factually accurate rules. While we'll reserve a more detailed review of the series for another article, we will make it abundantly clear to all readers that for an entry animated by MAPPA studios, Yasuke definitely carried a distinctive and pleasurable aesthetic appeal amidst its violent story. The samurai is portrayed in perfectly stoic fashion and while his past still more or less remains an enigma for the watchers, Yasuke's new story walks itself from start to finish without any major trip-ups.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Yasuke remains its ability to narrate its story with great pacing and adequate detail, despite its relatively short run of just 6 episodes. LeSean has also expressed optimism when asked if the anime would get a second seaso; judging by the post-release ratings, we'd say it's already in the bag!



3. Shadows House Takes A Dark Turn!

If there's an anime that's been drawing large amounts of attention this week, it's Shadows House. The 13 episode show has been airing weekly from the 11th of April and it currently on its third episode, which took a very interesting turn of events from the solemn and peaceful atmosphere that was built up in the first two episodes.

The synopsis of the show is as follows:
"Faceless shadow nobles living in a vast mansion, attended by living dolls who spend much of their time cleaning up the soot endlessly emitted by their mysterious masters.
Follow the story of Emilyko, a young and cheerful living doll, as she learns her duties serving as the attendant for Kate Shadow-sama."

To call the premise of this show "interesting" would be an understatement. We're total suckers for mystery anime so you bet we'll be keeping a close eye on this one!

4. This Week in Japan: Shunsuke Kikuchi

April hasn't been a good month for Japan for many reasons. First, it was a spike in covid which halted several events and reduced business in the country to a crawl. Then came the passing of Osamu Kobayashi. Unfortunately, this trend has continued with the demise of Shunsuke Kikuchi, who passed away at the age of 89 due to aspirational pneumonia on the 28th of April.

Shunsuke's career as a composer begun in the 1960s and in the course of his 50+ year career, he made several contributions of note to the anime world. This is perhaps best exemplified in the Dragon Ball series, the music for which was composed by none other than Shunsuke himself. His other notable works include the theme song for Doraemon, "Tiger Mask" and "Tōshō Daimos", among several other entries.

Shunsuke has been nominated for a Japan Academy Award (for outstanding music), and recieved an Award of Merit at the Tokyo Anime Awards held in 2013, not to mention a lifetime Japan Record Award for distinguished service in 2015. His career ended in 2017, when he retired due to health issues.

Adilsons joins the greater anime community in mourning the death of yet another icon in Anime: Shunsuke Kikuchi.


That's all we have for you this week folks. Join us again next Friday for more anime news and updates making waves in the world. Live Your Passion with Adilsons!