I’ll admit right here and now, my understanding of Shaman King is mostly just the title alone. I never watched the original Anime and what little I do know comes from the short Manga chapters I read when I picked up an occasional Shonen Jump. I remember there was a push to make it popular here in the States but Shaman King never rose to the heights of the Big Three at the time (Naruto, One Piece and Bleach). However, I do know Shaman King has a pretty loyal fanbase that has long waited for a revival. Low and behold, that revival has arrived. The 2021 reboot of Shaman King looks to be starting all over again which is both refreshing for newcomers like myself and veteran fans who probably miss this show a lot.
The first episode was pretty entertaining as far as Shonen Pilots go. Yoh fits right into the lead hero club populated by the likes of Monkey D. Luffy and Naruto Uzumaki with his laid back and friendly attitude. Yoh never comes off as super arrogant or a pompus jerk inspite of his abilities. He’s pretty humble and treats Humans and Ghosts with equal respect. It’s actually a bit of a relief after the obnoxiously loud Asta from Black Clover nearly made me def with his screaming of how awesome he thinks he will be one day (btw I know people say that show gets better and if you enjoy it, that’s great. I’m not jumping back on Black Clover and I’m ok with that). Yoh’s special ability to infuse himself with spirits and take on their most powerful attributes is a pretty fun idea too. Like Yoh himself says, he isn’t physically very strong looking. But once he takes in the spirit of Samurai Adiamaru, he can kick all kinds of ass like a Samurai should, even cutting the hair off some JoJo impersonator. So if I were to stick with Shaman King for one reason, it’d be Yoh thanks to a stellar first impression.
I was surprised how…old school, Shaman King looked in its presentation. Sure it looks much glossier and more polished than its 2001 Anime predecessor. But there’s nary a lick of CG enhancement or visual effect. The show looks completely hand drawn and definitely does a good job of harkening back to that style of Anime from the turn of the century. Perhaps because of this, I think the show looks pretty good for a 2001 series reborn in 2021. In an age where shows like Fullmetal Alchemist and Fruits Basket are getting newly updated leases on life, it’s good to see that not every bit of Anime has to conform to all out CG assaults on the senses. And just like those two, I do believe that Shaman King 2021 is going to attempt to finish what the original Anime could not and adapt the entire Manga (the original Anime ran from 2001-2002 and the Manga still had two years of life left after the Anime ended). So this is definitely a win for pre existing fans who never thought this adaptation would happen.
Jumping onto a new Shonen series isn’t easy given how long they tend to run and if you’re not well into a series like I am with My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer, it can be tough to want to commit more time to another. That said, I might keep up with Shaman King or I might just wait for entire seasons to wrap before binging them (I feel like they’ll be taking a seasonal approach like most Anime. As far as I know Boruto and One Piece are the only weekly, never stopping for a break Shonen Anime on the market right now). With a great lead and some old school animation, like I said this revival aims to cater to both sides of the fandom, old and new. For the newbies, give the first episode a shot, it’s entertaining. For the veterans, rejoice…your Shaman King is back.
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