It's the most wonderful time of the year, at least for a certain passionate fanbase. No, not December. This is January, the month where anime shows old and new get their time to shine with new seasons and new info. Funimation has just put out a list of their upcoming shows for the month, all of which will be available on the self-named streaming service. Here are just a few highlights.
In order of release, first up is Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town? Yes, that's the title. No, it's not rhetorical. This new series seems to tackle some meta-humor regarding classic anime and video game tropes. It sees the main character, Lloyd, leaving his hometown to become a true adventurer, only to end up in a town that serves as a "starter" location for other adventurers starting their quest. Basically, imagine if a non-player character in one of the World of Warcraft starting areas wanted to become a hero. It looks to be an interesting premise, at the very least. This series premieres January 4th on Funimation.
Next up is Otherside Picnic. A while back, an urban explorer named Sawaro discovered a surreal world called the Otherside, and has been trying to solve its mysteries ever since. However, she finds herself in a bit of trouble during one excursion through the realm, ultimately being saved by an odd young woman named Toriko. In gratitude, Sawaro begins to help Toriko on the latter's own journey to find her missing friend in the Otherside. Looks like there will be plenty of bizarre adventures as this show goes on, and it's nice to see two women as the protagonists. Otherside Picnic also releases January 4th on Funimation.
After that comes 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team. In so many words, it's another sports anime. Two old friends who had a big fight in middle school now have to try to mend things in high school for the sake of their new volleyball team. It will likely be more involved than it sounds, but that's the synopsis. This show will release on Funimation on January 7th.
Scar on the Praeter comes up the following day. After civilization essentially collapses in Tokyo, a small group of citizens with special powers rise up and become keepers of the peace in this new uncertain world. The problem is that these peacekeeping agents all carry differing loyalties, which lead to plenty of drama and tense decisions as the story goes on. Interested viewers can see where it goes from there when the series releases on January 8th.
Now things get simultaneously more real and weirder. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation sees an unnamed 34 year old slacker with no job and no prospects kicked out of his house only to be killed in a traffic accident and reborn in a magical alternate world. In this case, the word "reborn" is literal, as he begins his new life as a newborn baby. Vowing to make the most of his new life, he takes on a new name and sets off on an adventure, determined to use the knowledge from his old life to avoid falling into the same failures as before. Yu Yu Hakusho this ain't. This NEET simulator premieres January 10th.
Other premieres include new seasons of fan favorites like Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Battle of Kimluck, which release on January 13th and 20th, respectively. This all goes to show that anime fans will already have plenty to chew on in the beginning of 2021, even if they're not particularly keen on what Netflix has in store. So get out there and nerd out. Everyone deserves it after 2020.
Source: Funimation