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This Week in Anime [Week 35, 2021]
Date Published: 2nd September, 2021
Hey folks! It's been a hot minute since your last dose of weekly update from us: we hope you didn't miss us too much! Touching reuinion aside, wait till you get a load of this week's haul! As we enter the month of September, the realization that 2021 is nearing its end dawns upon us all. For better or for worse, this thematic nod towards an inevitable conclusion seems to be mirrored by the top news making headlines this week. All the same, several unique announcements have made the start of September shine above the early weeks of perhaps all the months that came before it. What are we referring to? Take a look for yourself at this week's Rapid Rundown:
1. One Piece Takes the Spotlight!
2. Pokémon Evolutions Gains Hype!
3. Jujitsu Kaisen x PUBG ?!
4. This Week in Japan: Lisa is Back!
1. One Piece Takes the Spotlight! 
Twice this week, One Piece has made its way into top headlines across anime news platforms across the world. The first event of note immediately followed the momentous announcement of the release of the 100th volume of the manga (scheduled for the 3rd of this month), when Eiichiro Oda was quoted on an ad panel with the words "The story is in its final stage". While One Piece is technically the only title of the Big 3 anime currently still in progress, it stands head and shoulders above Naruto and Bleach in terms of its episode count: a whoping 981 figure at the time of writing. The totals 327 hours of watch time, or 13.6 consecutive days of being glued to the screen!
Nevertheless, attention must be drawn to the face that Oda went on record last year to say that the series would end in 4-5 year, setting the estimated ending of the reputedly "best anime in the world" around the 2024-2025. Longstanding fans of the show know to take Oda's claims with a grain of salt, but this marks the first time that One Piece has acknowledged- in its own ads- the inevitable end to the series. Fans understandably reacted with a mixture of sorrow and excitement, but if you ask us, there's quite a few hundred more episodes yet to come!
One Piece shot up into the headlines again, just a few hours following the previous announcement; this time for its final "WE ARE ONE" episode. The 5th and last entry in the WE ARE ONE collection is available for all to view on One Piece's official YouTube account and drew much applause as the perfect wrap for the live action-animation crossover series. The short series was made to commemorate the 100th manga volume release, which would explain why it saw a surge in popularity immediately following the previous announcement. The episode focused on Vivi's farewell and offered a fitting conclusion to the series, all in captivating modern animation style!
All this hype almost makes us wanna risk the 900 episode journey! Is it worth it??
2. Pokémon Evolutions Gains Hype! 
Speaking of big news from long-standing series, Pokémon was not to be left in the dust this week, as the official website for the franchise recently unveiled big news about an upcoming 8-part spin-off in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the franchise! The best part of the reveal was the release date- which is just around the corner: September the 9th! Buckle up as Pokémon Evolutions takes us on "a tour of the regions that have been explored in the core Pokémon video game series "! It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together from this!
The main regions currently part of the Pokémon universe are Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola and Galar: adding up to a total of eight. Evolutions is going to be an 8-episode long series, meaning that every episode will be dedicated to a different region. This becomes all the more apparent in the trailer which was released with the announcement. Prepare for stunning visuals and heavy nostalgia, because the video wastes no time in getting straight to the point! You can watch the trailer for Pokémon Evolutions here!
3. Jujitsu Kaisen x PUBG ?! 
Here's a twist none of us expected: PUBG has announced a partnership with Jujitsu Kaisen for a collaboration which will be made manifest in the ever-popular shooter survival game! Another shock factor was the reveal that this crossover (if we can call it that!) would not extend to Japan nor to mainland China, which begs us to ask what the origin of the discrepancy could be, especially since there's no bigger consumer of anime than Asia itself! Whatever the case, PUBG was loaded with updates in its most recent announcement video which covered many topics other than the crossover, including:
•Revised banning criteria and harsher penalties for dishonest gameplay (Ban Pan Security System)
•PUBG Mobile Next Star Program for budding streamers and content creators
•P.D.P (PUBG Mobile Topia Design Project) for the creation of a more "inclusive and creative game environment" for players
•Invitation of Zaha Hadid Architects for collaborative work
Over 11 minutes long, the latest update from the PUBG mobile team went into exhaustive detail about several aspects of their improved design and upcoming features. Interestingly enough, a throwback was made to the Godzilla x PUBG crossover when introducing their new collaboration with Jujitsu Kaisen: the significance of this is anyone's guess right row! The only thing we know for sure is to expect nothing short of pure dripping awesomeness from the platform in the weeks to come!
4. This Week in Japan: Lisa is Back! 
A lot of people had reason to jump for joy this week, when the following message was posted on LiSA's Twitter account:
"Thank you for a lot of smiles, claps, and kindness. #LADYBUGツアー [Ladybug Tour] will be in this November, Fukui next time. Thank you."
Not only did this signify the end of her hiatus, but it also offered confirmation that her Ladybug tour would resume in November. This comes after a period of total silence following the announcement of her hiatus on August the 4th, which inevitably lead the the cancelation of the tour in question. The reason for her hiatus was cited as physical and mental fatigue- an occurrence which is found increasingly common in the Japanese workforce.
We're elated to see LiSA back in action and wish her the best in her future endeavors! It's a huge milestone in Japanese culture to see people prioritizing their mental health and taking some well-deserved time to get themselves in order!
That's all for this week, folks! We'll be back with more hot developments next week- same time, same place! Until then, keep right on living your passion, folks!
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