Welcome to the Gundam Anime Corner 2021

Anime.  One of the greatest artistic mediums in all of existence.  For me, it’s a home away from home, a safe haven of magic and wonderment to distract me from the real world.  When it came to our previous year…it mattered more than ever.  This blog mattered more than ever.  2020 was the worst year for a lot of obvious reasons and while those reasons mounted, I made it my mission to keep the Gundam Anime Corner updated as much as possible.  I wanted this place to be the one brief bit of levity for anyones newsfeed filled to the brim with grimness.  I like to think I succeeded and even when the year got bad for me, especially towards the end, I had this blog and it’s growth to occupy my mind.  And through it all, I did a lot of thinking as to how 2021 was going to look.  And trust me, this year is going to be the biggest year for the Gundam Anime Corner so far. 

But what is the Gundam Anime Corner you might ask?  Well this is an annual intro I usually do so why don’t I tell ya.  I originally started this as a side project to short story writing, as a way to keep writing more regularly.  Ironically, I ended up working on this far more frequently and in March of this year, the Anime Corner will be turning 7 years old.   And how far it’s come from March 31, 2014 when I reviewed the first 7 episodes of Eden of the East.  Since then I’ve tackled some of the biggest legends of Anime from Neon Genesis Evangelion to Cowboy Bebop to Akira to some more obscure (and occasionally terrible) hidden gems like Pilot Candidate, Love Hina and Silent Mobius.  Basically I’ve just been wading my way through my own personal Anime collection while occasionally venturing into the streaming multiverse to find a cool title or two.  Oh and just incase you were wondering, YES I do review a lot of Gundam here.  Frak back in 2020 I reviewed 4 50 episode Gundam showed over the course of two months…and this year im gonna break that record (or match it) once again.

SO, what can you expect here at my little corner of the universe?  Well up until now, I’ve updated three days a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Monday is the main meat of my blog: THE REVIEWS.  TV Series, OVA’s, Movies, Live Action Cinema.  Usually I’ll dedicate a month to a series or even titles connected by a theme, like Video Games or horror.  But normally, I try to review one series a over a month-month and a half period.  Wednesday is my other long running series: TOP 5 WEDNESDAY.  Like it sounds, these are super random Top 5 lists covering everything from current events in Anime to deep diving my own personal interests in the genre.  We’ll be coming up on our 300^th Top 5 later this year actually (sometime in the summer I think).  Finally, Friday’s belong to our final recurring feature: FIRST IMPRESSION FRIDAY.  Inspired by a convention trip, these are different from normal reviews in that I only look at the first 1 or 2 episodes of a show and give…well my initial first impressions of them, as well as my vote on whether or not I’ll carry on with them or not. 

FIF is actually going to be on an extended hiatus but will be back later in 2021.  This is because, for the first time ever on a regular basis, I will be posting 2 REVIEWS A WEEK on Monday’s and Friday’s.  Yes, because I had so much time to kill in 2020, I watched more, reviewed more and when I did my initial mapping of 2021, I realized I had more to offer.  So yeah, 2 reviews a week will run through the first half of the year.  But there might be some additional features coming to Fridays as well.  Last year I did RETROSPECTIVE SPECIALS on Neon Genesis Evangelion and Final Fantasy to commemorate landmark events.  And I did a first by comparing the most recent Gundam Wing Manga-Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers, to it’s parent Anime.  So we might see some more of these in 2021 as well.  Like I said though…I have a lot planned and this year is going to be the biggest for the Gundam Anime Corner.  No matter how uncertain the future, I cant help but be excited for this.

So, to close out, how about a sneak peak of the first couple of titles I’ll be looking at over the next couple of months?

Super Dimension Fortress Macross (January 1-22, 2021)

The biggest year for the Anime Corner begins with one of the most legendary Mecha Anime of all time.  10 years after an Alien spacecraft crash lands on Earth, Mankind finds itself locked in a brutal war across the stars.  Fighter planes evolve into giant robots to battle Alien titans, music proves to be the ultimate weapon of peace, and the love triangle of three star crossed youths could determine the fate of two species.

Vandread (January 25-February 1, 2021)

In a distant corner of the universe, Men and Women are at war.  A simple raid by Female Pirates from Mejere delivers more than anyone bargained for when they steal the Men of Terrak’s new Battleship and end up stranded lightyears from home with three Male stowaways.  But the battle of the sexes will have to be put on hold when a deadly new enemy, hellbent on the utter annihilaton of Humanity, reveals itself. 

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (February 5-15, 2021)

From the studio and Director of Attack on Titan comes this new age zombie tale that mixes The Walking Dead with Snowpiercer.  When a deadly outbreak begins mutating citizens into nigh unkillable monsters, the survivors must stay on the move, using powerful locamotives to ensure their safety.  One rebel scientist might’ve found a way to turn the tide against these Kabane.  But his beliefs and theories will be put to the ultimate test when an accident changes him into something not quite Human and not quite Kabane.  We'll also be looking at the follow up movie, The Battle of Unato, as well.

Free: The Movies (February 19-26, 2021)

The history of the boys of the Iwatobi Swim Club is finally revealed across four feature length films.  High Speed! Free! Starting Days takes viewers back to Haru and Mako’s Middle School days where they’d meet people who would change their lives forever.  The two part Free! Timeless Medley looks at the events of Free! Eternal Summer from the perspecties of Haru (The Bond) and Rin (The Promise).  Finally, Free! Take Your Marks sets the stage for the Free! Dive to the Future by looking at what everyone is up to post graduation.

And there you have it.  Still working on finalizing my March selections and the lead up to the Anime Corner’s 7^th Birthday.  I was hoping that I’dve seen Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel III-Spring Song by now so it could be the Anniversary Title but that might have to change.  Whatever happens, I hope everyone is excited for what’s coming next and what’s coming further down the line, including Studio Trigger, a Godzilla Marathon and a new assortment of Gundam series I’ve been wanting to get to for years.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to 2021…and Welcome to the Gundam Anime Corner, enjoy your stay and have fun.