Despite a year of upheaval due to the Covid-19 pandemic and many difficulties in anime production or manga creation, 2021 is still a successful year for Japanese manga/anime. Let’s take a look at the 5 most memorable events of the past year!
One Piece and 3 memorable milestones
As one of the most popular series today, One Piece has reached 3 milestones in the past year 2021. On January 4, 2021, One Piece manga officially reached 1000 chapters. This is the record that any mangaka dreams of. Also in 2021, the anime episode 1000 was also broadcast, marking one of the most awaited anime by the audience in decades. We had the short film project WE ARE ONE as well as watching the One Piece episode 1000 livestream with all One Piece fans around the world. The last highlight event is the 100th manga volume of One Piece also hitting shelves in this 2021. Besides, the next One Piece Film project called “RED” was also introduced to close a memorable year of One Piece with so many memorable milestones.
Manga Attack On Titan ends
On April 9, 2021, Isayama Hajime’s Shingeki No Kyojin – Attack On Titan manga officially ended after more than 11 years of accompanying readers. With a length of 141 chapters, Attack On Titan has conveyed a great story with main content about war, people and freedom. True to the criterion “as long as you suffer, I’m happy” Eren’s death by Mikasa’s own hands made the readers feel uneasy and displeased. However, as a survival manga and the color of tragedy, perhaps Attack On Titan’s ending is reasonable.
In 2022 we will wait for Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2, will this anime change the tragic and tearful ending of the manga version in 2021? The answer will probably only be answered when this anime airs!
Manga author Berserk and many other famous names have passed away
Although 2021 is a year of many happy events, it is also a year where sad news about mangakas also makes many fans feel heartbroken. Beginning with Berserk when on May 6, author Kentarou Miura passed away from acute aortic dissection. His passing has left readers deeply saddened and his brainchild, Berserk, is in an uncertain future. In September 2021, Berserk chapter 364, the last manga chapter starring Kentarou Miura, was released. After the story, the publisher and the late author’s team have yet to make a decision about Berserk’s future. Even so, we readers should also prepare mentally that Berserk will forever be unfinished and the fighter Guts will not be able to avenge his revenge. After the departure of author Berserk, many other famous names in the manga/anime community also passed away, suffering from a disease that left many regrets for fans in 2021.
The explosion of 2 rookies Jujutsu Kaisen and Tokyo Revengers
If 2019 – 2020 is the year Kimetsu No Yaiba dominates, then 2021 is the time when Jujutsu Kaisen and Tokyo Revengers shine. With the anime version done properly, both works have skyrocketed in sales and have a strong fan base around the world. Besides the 24-episode anime, Tokyo Revergers also has a live-action version. The success of these two adaptations has made the Tokyo Revengers manga an unexpected success and revived the school gang genre.
With Jujutsu Kaisen, the investment of studio MAPPA was not wasted. Jujutsu Kaisen quickly became famous after the anime aired as well as the extremely positive reception from the audience. On December 24, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Movie with the story of the special curse master Yuta Okkotsu made Jujutsu Kaisen even more attractive and achieved record sales after 1 week of opening in Japan. The story of these spells and unique characters will surely dominate the market in the next few years.
The head of Ufotable – The studio behind the success of Kimetsu no Yaiba was jailed by the court
In addition to the departure of famous mangakas, anime producers, and outstanding manga/anime series, criminal cases are also of great interest to the audience. As we previously reported, the founder, representative director and president of Ufotable studio – Mr. Hikaru Kondo admitted his tax evasion by not paying 138 million yen in taxes during the preliminary hearing. The studio allegedly hid 400 million yen ($4 million) in earnings to avoid paying taxes, the Tokyo tax office said. This income comes from anime franchise activities, cafe business, and sales of items through intermediaries during 4 years from 2015 to 2019.
The fact that President Hikaru Kondo was accused of violating the Corporate Tax Law has now come to fruition, and he has been sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in prison. The Tokyo District Court ruled that Hikaru Konda was found guilty of corporate tax evasion and failing to pay 138 million yen in taxes. The court also pointed out that although his wife, who was in charge of the accounting department, prevented him from doing so, but Hikaru Konda still intended to evade taxes. Besides, the cases of pirated comics increased by 26 times in the past year in the Japanese market also made many fans worried and disgruntled.
Above are the top 5 impressive manga/anime events that many fans will remember in 2021. Which event makes you feel the most impressive, please leave your comments!
