Kara Dennison
July 12, 2021 
Upcoming anime Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo (or Rumble Garanndoll) has a terrifying premise: an alternate world where anime disappears. Fortunately for us, an intrepid band of fans is working to salvage all the nerdy things we love.
The new series won’t be out ’til October, but there are plenty of other shows with a similar brief. Check them out in the meantime!
Urahara
We know what you’re thinking… and no, we don’t mean the guy from Bleach. This stylish anime is based on the web manga PARK Harajuku: Crisis Team! and stars a trio of talented Harajuku girls. Rito, Mari, and Kotoko are caught in an alien invasion and have to defend their neighborhood.
What do the aliens want? Human creativity. They don’t have their own, and it’s so much easier to steal from other people. Fortunately, the girls’ own talents manifest as alien-fighting powers. So — like Rumble Garanndoll — they can fight back when otherworldly influences threaten what they love.
Pastel Memories
In Rumble Garanndoll, an alternate Japan that never left the Showa era exerts its militant force on our world. There are definitely wild forces at work in Pastel Memories, but this series leans a little more toward the magical girl side of things.
In a world where memories of beloved anime and manga are fading, 12 café waitresses dive into the worlds of our favorite stories to preserve them. The show does a good job of making these shows recognizable — sometimes too good — and it’s fun to see familiar titles and tropes parodied in the series. And we all know the very real feeling of forgetting the title of a show we loved. Maybe we could use a service like this in real life…
Otaku no Video
Predating Rumble Garanndoll by quite a bit, and slightly more down-to-earth, Otaku no Video is technically the story of how Gainax came to be. Technically. Kind of. With a lot of embellishments. It would be fairer to call it every fan’s dream: making good on your fandom by going pro.
Normal dude Ken loses absolutely everything when old friend Tanaka reminds him of his love of anime. But in the face of mockery, the pair decide to become Otakings, taking their otaku status to the next level. They form a studio with their friends, make anime, and… well, we won’t spoil the end. It’s pretty wild. And while Otaku no Video overall isn’t as sci-fi as the rest of these shows, it has its impressively over-the-top moments.
Don’t forget to watch Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo this autumn!
