Summer 2021 Anime Awards

Another season of anime comes to an end, not counting the shows that extend over multiple cours, or even the ones that were delayed due to the Olympics and Paralympics. Some shows did finish, at least…
Anyways, time for me to look back at this season, and celebrate my favourite things from them.
The shows I watched:

• The aquatope on white sand
• Blue Reflection Ray
• BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS
• The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!
• Kageki Shojo!!
• Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story 2nd Season – Eve of Awakening
• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S
• My Hero Academia Season 5
• My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X
• One Piece
• Tropical-Rouge! PreCure

As usual, potential spoilers for the shows listed above. Now, let’s see what most impressed me from this summer season of anime.

Best Opening Theme
“Ai no Supreme!” by fhána

The opening theme for Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S is another good song by fhána. Personally I don’t think it quite lives up to Aozora no Rhapsody, but it is still an enjoyable tune nonetheless.
Runners-up: “Fightin★Pose” by Yui Ogura (The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!); “Merry-Go-Round” by MAN WITH A MISSION (My Hero Academia Season 5)

Best Plot
Dream of an AquariumThe first cour of The aquatope on white sand was all about a former idol helping a girl with a dream of keeping her aquarium running, and was pretty enjoyable to watch. I want to stress that was the focus of the first cour; at the time of writing I have no idea what the second half of The aquatope on white sand has in store. There was some pretty nice visuals going on, too.
Runners-up: Dragons in human society (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S); Demon Lord’s second command in human society (The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!)

Best Protagonist
Jahy
Maybe if Miss Kobayashi or Tohru had more screentime they’d be featured here, but… well. Jahy’s great, though, I have found myself really enjoying her show since it has started airing. Again, another one that has not finished at the time of writing, but I’ve seen enough to know that Jahy is great.
Runners-up: Tohru (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S); Manatsu Natsuumi (Tropical-Rouge! PreCure)

Best Antagonist
Isshiki OkutsukiFrom BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS, Isshiki Otsutsuki is the main villain of the Vessel Arc. Isshiki has faced both Naruto and Sasuke in battle and lived to talk about it, and that was before his true form was revealed.
Runners-up: Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia Season 5); Kaido (One Piece)

Best Female Character
Elma

So many to choose from, but I’ve got to show some appreciation for Elma from Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S. In particular, her friendship with Tohru, and her desire to have things return to how they were.
Runners-up: Keke Tang (Love Live! Superstar!!); Manager (The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated)

Best Male Character
Kuya Yakamashi
From The aquatope on white sand, Kuya just seems like he is done with everything. Kind of relatable, to be honest. He is willing to put in the effort when it counts, though.
Runners-up: Naruto Uzumaki (BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS); Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Best Cast of Characters
Humans and Dragons
Whilst I may not be completely fond of every last member of the cast of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S, they all collectively make up an excellent group. We have dragons learning to exist in human society, and humans learning to live with dragons. There’s some fun dynamics to be found here.
Runners-up: Jahy and her acquaintances (The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!); Liella! (Love Live! Superstar!!)

Cutest Character
KannaOf course this one was always going to be Kanna. What else do I need to say, other than that she is as adorable as ever.
Runners-up: Jahy (The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!); Riko Saikawa (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S)

Most Badass Character
Tohru
Several times throughout Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S, Tohru finds herself in combat for some reason or another. It’s these moments that really remind the audience that she is a dragon, particularly when she starts going all out.
Runners-up: Naruto Uzumaki (BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS); Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Best Couple
Miss Kobayashi & Tohru
The relationship between Miss Kobayashi and Tohru continues to grow in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S, with both taking some time to think about what they mean to each other. There’s also signs of Miss Kobayashi being a little more responsive to Tohru’s love, albeit only slightly.
Runners-up: Kanna & Saikawa (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S); Manatsu Natsuumi & Laura Apollodoros Hyginus La Mer (Tropical-Rouge! PreCure)

Best Battle
Tohru vs. Elma
Tohru has a few fights on her hands over the course of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S, and all are visually impressive. I’ve specifically picked out Tohru vs. Elma, as it is a very important moment for the relationship between the two.
Runners-up: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Isshiki Otsutsuki (BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS); Tropical-Rouge Cures vs. Super Zettai Yarane-da (Tropical-Rouge! PreCure)

Best Soundtrack
Tropical-Rouge! PreCure

The soundtrack from Tropical-Rouge! PreCure is so good, and I’m pretty much using this as an excuse to share one of my favourite songs from the soundtrack: “Achieving victory with this joyful power!”. Whenever you hear this in the show, it generally means PreCure is about to do something impressive.
Runners-up: Love Live! Superstar!!; Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S

Best Finale
Festival & Flower Viewing
Of all the shows that have actually ended at the time of writing, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S had the ending with most impact. Whilst I do take issue with that final gag of the episode, everything else does a pretty solid job of capturing the same feel these chapters had in the manga.
Runners-up: Restoring Feelings (Blue Reflection Ray); New Doom Flags (My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X)

Best Ending Theme
“Tsumari wa Itsumo Kujikenai!” by NEGI☆U

The ending theme of The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! is sung by NEGI☆U, a group made up of Subaru Oozora, Aqua Minato and Nene Momosuzu from hololive. Yes, hololive’s involvement may be skewing my judgement of this song somewhat, but it is a good tune.
Runners-up: “Tsukiumi no Yurikago” by Mia REGINA (The aquatope on white sand); “fluoresce” by ACCAMER (Blue Reflection Ray)

Best Anime
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon MaidWhen it comes down to it, the anime I had most fun watching this season was Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S. Sure, there were elements I wasn’t too keen on, but the good stuff is really good. Some solid entertainment.
Runners-up: The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!; Love Live! Superstar!!