This Week in Anime [Week 21, 2021]

Date Published: Thurs, 27th May, 2021

The month of May has been a rather slow one in terms of developments in the anime sector. Major news headlines have been few and far between and gathering ones worth compilation in our weekly news articles has been a rather difficult task. This was certainly not the case this week: new games and animr titles graced us in abundance, and to top it all off, it seems like entertainment activities seem to be slowly resuming in Japan- a welcome change from the monotony and series of tragedies which seemed to be the norm for most of the month. It is therefore with great pleasure and significant relief that we present this week's Rapid Rundownv

1. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Revived!

2. Record of Ragnarock Incoming!

3. Higurashi: When They Cry SOTSU nears!

4. This Week in Japan: Titans in a Mall!



1. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Revived!

We first brought you this news several weeks ago and we're pleased to return to it, this time to say... they're closer than ever! The Nintendo Switch remakes of these timeless classics have been demanded by fans for just over a decade and Nintendo has finally decided to heed this ever-growing chorus of pleas. What's more is that the journey and all its elements have been perfectly preserved in this remake- meaning that it's just as good at the 2009 games, just with fresh graphics and a reinvigorating approach. Exclusive to the Switch, these titles are now available for preorder via Nintendo, and will see release on November the 21st of this year. Each game goes for $59.99, and there's also a dual pack with both games that costs $119.99 (so yes, there's no discount on that offer). Then again, can we really place a price-tag on nostalgia? We didn't think so either, especially with such faithful recreations.

Here's a quote taken directly fron Nintendo's description of Brilliant Diamond:
"Adventure together with the Pokémon that appeared in the Pokémon Diamond Version game. Players of the original games can revisit familiar places and relive familiar scenes, while first time players can enjoy plenty of fun encounters and surprises that the Sinnoh region has to offer. The original story and the scale of the Sinnoh region’s towns and routes have been faithfully reproduced. This remake has also been revitalized with some of the player-friendly features of modern Pokémon games and up-close-and-personal Pokémon battle scenes."

Naturally, the same concept will apply for the Pearl remake. We can't wait to relive the journey we so deeply treasured when we were kids. We're most curious to see how these games will handle Manaphy, Darkrai and Shaymin- Pokémon which were earlier only accessible as Mystery Gift Events in the original games. Will they finally be made an unrestricted part of the Sinnoh journey? We can't wait to find out for ourselves!

2. Record of Ragnarock Incoming!

Now THIS is a Seinen anime with a lot of promise! Based on the manga of the same name, the Record of Ragnarock anime has been announced ever since December of last year, but it's only this week that news of its exact release date was made public. And it's much closer than you think: June the 17th. That's right. In just over two weeks from today, we'll get the epic first season of this series all at once on Netflix! Clear up your agenda in advance folks, because once you start watching, there's no going back. This manga has been in production since 2017 and has won several notable awards to its acclaim, with over 6 million copies in circulation as of March of this year!

What's the story about, you ask? Here's the Wikipedia answer:
"Every 1000 years, the Gods' Council assembles to decide the fate of humanity. After 7 million years of human history, the gods come to the decision that humans are irredeemable and must go extinct. However, the valkyrie Brunhild proposes to give humanity one last chance to prove their worth and the gods agree to hold the battle of Ragnarok, a tournament with 13 notable humans from across history against 13 of the most powerful gods engaging in duels to the death. Humanity will be spared if their side achieves 7 victories in the competition. To even the odds, each human is granted the assistance of a valkyrie who transforms into a powerful weapon tailored for their user's combat style called "Volund", at the risk of losing her life if the user is killed."

You can check out the teaser for the anime here while you're at it. Judging by the trailer, we can only see the first three fights being included in this season, so rest assured that there's plenty more in store where this came from!


3. Higurashi: When They Cry SOTSU nears!

Now this is a series that will seemingly never run out of sequels and remakes. Before we get to the details of SOTSU- of which there are very few at this time- we'll get you acquainted with the Higurashi series first, in case you've never heard of it or just lost track of which show fits in where. The basic plot of the series remains unchanged throughout and is as follows:
"Keiichi Maebara has just moved to the quiet little village of Hinamizawa in the summer of 1983, and quickly becomes inseparable friends with schoolmates Rena Ryuuguu, Mion Sonozaki, Satoko Houjou, and Rika Furude. However, darkness lurks underneath the seemingly idyllic life they lead."

What initially sets itself up as a cliche harem slice of life story quickly evolves into something much more sinister and each subsequent series delves into the same story, but from a different angle. The first anime was released in 2006 and was titled "Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni", and was followed up the next year with "Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kai". Last year, we got "Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Gou" and it is this show that will now be followed up by the title announced under this headline. Were you able to follow? Regardless of your answer, something is definitely clear here- Higurashi isn't a show for everyone, but those who have the temperament to commit themselves to the story have always come out with nothing but positive reviews. The original anime doesn't have a rating of 7.93 for nothing! For those interested, July will be the month you can expect to see this release.


4. This Week in Japan: Titans in a Mall!

Japan finally seems to be showing some signs of life in their entertainment sector, and man did they go all out! Landmark Plaza, a shopping mall situated in Yokohama is currently home to some of the most recognizable characters in the infamous show Attack on Titan. These include characters such as Eren and Levi as well as Eren's titan and the head of the Colossal Titan- all in their life-sized ratios! Needless to say, this attracted several visitors who were eager to take pictures with their favorite characters and stood in awe as the 8.6 metre Eren (in his Titan Form) remained fixated in the middle of delivering what would no doubt be an earth-shattering blow! These statues will remain on show until the 20th of June.


That does it for this week's Anime News folks! We'll catch you next time in June with more news and fresh updates on all the ongoings of note in the anime world!