Skate the infinity (SK8 the Infinity)
About: Extreme downhill skateboard racing and the relationship between a snowboarding transfer student and a high school skateboarding addict.
Background: While most animes start as manga and then get animated into adaptations, the opposite happened with “Skate the Infinity.” Although it is an original anime, due to its success, a manga adaptation will be released on “BookLive!,” an online e-book store.
The animation and design team spent an extra amount of time on each skateboard shown in the series. Juliette Mercier focused a great deal of her work making sure each skateboard could be built and work in real life. Each skateboard has a unique style that represents the personalities of each character. Even the character’s personalized moves have high attention to detail, taking inspiration from real skateboarding athletes.
Studio: Bones Release Date: Jan 9, 2021.
Genre: Sports, Comedy, Action
Where to watch it: Funimation
The Promised Neverland - Season Two
About: 11-year-old main characters Emma, Norman and Ray work together to outsmart their caretaker Isabella, as they plan a large-scale escape from Grace Field Farm.
Background: The manga was originally part of the magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump. The first season was an extreme success, and the new season was highly anticipated.
Studio: CloverWorks
Release Date: Jan 8th, 2021. New episodes every Thursday
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller, Shounen
Where to watch it: Hulu, Crunchyroll, Netflix
(photo of the the thirteenth cover in the original manga series)
Doctor Stone
About: In a post-apocalyptic world where most of the population has been turned to stone, one man named Senku uses science to rebuild the world and finds a way to bring people back to life, while also fighting against his former classmate and rival Tsukasa in a battle of wits.
Studio: TMS Entertainment.
Release date: Feb 8th, 2021. New episodes currently coming out every Monday.
Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation
My Hero Academia - Season Five
About: Set in a world where everyone has a unique power/ability, and society is based on a power-centered hierarchy. Strong heroes act as police for the cities and are idolized by the community, and those who try to cheat the system are considered villains and are hunted down by the heros. The story centers around fanboy Izuku Midoriya, as he attempts to work his way to the top and become the number one hero.
Background: “My Hero Academia” was previously a part of the magazine “Weekly Shōnen Jump.” The anime got an overwhelming amount of success, allowing the studio to make four seasons and two movies since 2016. Shinso, an audience favorite through out the manga and briefly in season 4 of the anime, has not show up as of yet. but is rumored to return fully animated as a new member of class 1-A, due to his fan popularity.
Studio: Bones
Release Date: March 27th, 2021
Genre: Action, Superhero & Adventure Fiction, Comedy
Where to watch it: Hulu
Demon Slayer - Season Two
About: Main character Tanjiro, who loses his family to a demon attack and goes on a quest for retribution and cure for his demon-turned sister, Nezuko.
Background: Part of what makes the anime stand out is its inclusion of traditional Japanese culture in the world-building, background, music, character design and stunning animation style. Following the manga, the animation team took inspiration from both modern anime styles and traditional art, making an original style that earned the show’s early popularity.
The manga and anime industry is a mainly male-dominated one, but the author Rumiko Takahashi has made herself an inspiration for young girls who are also fascinated by animation and anime/manga production.
The story will continue on from the hit movie “Mugen Train”, which acted as a thrilling transition between the two seasons.
Studio: Ufotable
Release date: Summer 2021
Where to watch it: The new season will be released on Netflix along with the movie “Mugen Train.”
Genre: Adventure, Martial Arts, Dark Fantasy
My Hero Academia - World Hero's Mission
About: no information has been revealed about the plot of the new movie.
Background: It has been rumored that this movie will be an original project veering away from the anime and manga, worrying many fans. The official teaser showed new costume outfits for main character Deku and fan favorites Todoroki and Bakugo, inspiring countless new theories.
Studio: TOHO Animation
Release date: Summer 2021
Where to watch it: The movie will be released in Japan first, then moved to theaters and streaming services in North America and Europe.
Genre: Superheroes, Action, Comedy
Demon Slayer - Mugen Train
Background: The movie is a prequel to season one of the “Demon Slayer” anime. When it aired, it broke box office records for the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, highest-grossing anime film and the fourth highest-grossing film of 2020. The first record was previously held by 2002 Studio Ghibli film “Spirited Away.”
The budget for the animation film was about $65 million, and production was started just after the end of the first season, giving the animation team an estimated one year to complete it. As of now, the film has made over $400 million in gross revenue in Asia.
Studio: Ufotable
Release Date: The anime is currently released in Asia and is set to reach North American and European theaters and streaming services on April 23rd
Genre: Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Dark Fantasy
Jujutsu Kaisen - Volume 15
About: Curses run amok in Japan as a group of Jujutsu Sorcerers, attempt to exorcise them.
Two high school students are attacked by a mysterious object containing a curse sealed deep inside. To save them, main character Yuji must consume the cursed object and become a host of one of the strongest curses, known as Sukuna.
Background: Jujutsu Kaisen gained its popularity through its use of conflicted ethics and highlighting the grey space between good and bad, as well as its focus on each individual character. Currently there are over 36 million published print and digital copies in circulation.
Author: Gege Akutami
Release Date for volume 17: June 2021
Where to read: Viz Media, Weekly Shonen Jump
My Hero Academia - Team Up Missions - Volume 1
About: A spin off of the original “My Hero Academia” manga series, “Team-Up Missions” follows side stories of heroes in training as they pair up with pro heroes to fight crime. Main Character Deku gets partnered with his rival Bakugo, and has to work together to save the day.
Background: The My Hero Academia manga started back in 2014 with its 29 volumes, and as of 2021, the manga has sold over 30 million copies.
Author: Kōhei Horikoshi
Release date: March 2, 2021
Where to read: Viz media
Detective Conan / Case Closed
About: A young Japanese detective was given a drug that he was told would kill him, but instead reverted him to being a child. He then starts a detective group with his friends to help the police solve cases.
Background: “Case Closed” was originally named “Detective Conan” but after running into legal problems, it ended up being changed in the English translations. Not only was the name of the manga changed, but the main character’s name as well. Originally his character was named Shinichi Kudo, but was later changed to Jimmy Kudo for a western audience.
Author: Gosho Aoyama.
Release date: January 19, 1994 - present
Where to Read: Viz Media
Demon Slayer - Volume 21
Background: The Original Demon Slayer Manga has over 150 million copies released around the globe, and is estimated to be one of the top selling mangas of all time. As of now, the Demon Slayer series has made over $2.6 billion dollars in profit in Japan.
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Release date: April 6th, 2021
Where to find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Manga Plus, Shonen Jump+