2021 has seen fantasy anime take center stage, with more series than ever setting their stories in magical worlds or bringing mythical beings and sorcery into our world. Nowhere is this trend more noticeable than on Crunchyroll. The famous streaming platform has launched loads of excellent fantasy anime this year, and here are some of the best!
Fena: Pirate Princess
Fena: Pirate Princess quickly generated a large fanbase when it landed on Crunchyroll in August 2021. A co-production between Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, the series is animated by Production I.G and written by Asako Kuboyama. It follows Fena Houtman, a young orphan girl who lives in an alternative 18th century where pirates rule the seas with an iron fist.
Fena has grown up as an indentured servant at an island brothel. However, when Fena encounters a mysterious stranger, she quickly finds herself on an epic quest to find a place she can call home. As she adventures across the seas, Fena will learn that she is actually part of a fascinating lineage and will have to solve the mystery of the word Eden. An action-packed adventure that captures the classic pirate feel, it is easy to see why Fena: Pirate Princess has grabbed anime fans' imaginations and become extremely popular.
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X
My Next Life As a Villainess has found success in several mediums. Starting out as a light novel by Satoru Yamaguchi, the series quickly spawned a manga and anime adaptation. The first season of the anime adaptation was highly praised when it was released in 2020. And thankfully, 2021's second season does not disappoint.
Animated by Silver Link and directed by Keisuke Inoue, the series follows Catarina Claes, a young girl from a noble family. One day, Catarina suddenly remembers her previous life as an otaku and realizes that she has been reborn into the fantasy-themed game Fortune Lover. However, she realizes that she is in the body of the game’s villainess, a character who is doomed to be killed or exiled no matter what the player does. Not wanting this fate, Catarina attempts to stack the game in her favor. The second season sees Catarina get entangled in another magical and romantic schism after getting kidnapped, forcing her to fight fate a second time.
Fruits Basket - The Final Season
Fruits Basket needs no introduction. Based on the popular manga by Natsuki Takaya, this is the final season of TMS Entertainment's rebooted anime adaptation. The series follows Tohru Honda, a girl who has terrible luck. When her mother suddenly passed away, the poor girl ended up living in a tent. Tohru doesn't want to impose on her friends, but when her classmate Yuki Soma and their cousin Shigure find out about Tohru's situation, they demand that she move in with the Soma family.
However, it turns out that the Soma family has a big secret. Whenever one of them is hugged by someone of the opposite gender or if they feel weak or stressed, they are cursed to turn into an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. Tohru is thrown into the middle of an epic conflict that has run for millennia in this delightfully suburban slice of fantasy adventure.
Drugstore in Another World - The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist
Based on the light novel by Kennoji that ran from 2016 to 2020, EMT Squared's anime version of Drugstore in Another World follows Reiji, a lowly salaryman stuck in a dead-end job. But, one day, Reiji is transported to a magical world. There, he uses his new skills and modern medical knowledge to open up a small potion shop.
Reiji's potions prove to be extremely popular with the residents of the fantasy world. He has various different people flock to visit his shop, hoping that he can solve their various problems. A delightfully quaint take on the isekai and fantasy genres, Drug Store in Another World is a charming series that has quickly acquired a dedicated fanbase.
So I'm a Spider, So What?
One of the most praised isekai series in recent memory, So I'm a Spider, So What? is based on the light novel series written by Okina Baba. Though it was slated for release in 2020, the series was pushed back to 2021. This setback hasn't stopped it from becoming extremely popular very quickly though.
In modern-day Japan, a high school class is enjoying a regular day. However, a strange event suddenly happens and kills all of them. Thankfully, they are all reincarnated in a fantasy world. But, while some of them become Queens or Kings, some end up as lowly monsters. One such student ends up in the body of a spider in the world's most dangerous dungeon. Throughthe clever use of the world's RPG system and due to their drive to survive, the spider soon grows in strength and sets out to solve the mystery of how they ended up in this world.
