2022 will be coming to an end soon. About 2 weeks, and then it’s time to move into the new year.
Anime shows in 2022, and everything that happened in the industry has been so stacked you’d think it didn’t all happen within just one year.
But it did.
In this post, I’ll get into:
- Underrated anime.
- Mainstream anime.
And anime of all kinds that I feel are the BEST overall based on everything I watched.
I didn’t get through everything, but I got through a lot. So let’s get to it.
Best anime of the year 2022 (NOT ranking order):
1. My Dress Up Darling
You have Marin Kitagawa, a girl who’s an Otaku who loves to cosplay her favourite characters and is into games. She’s a “woman of culture”.
Gojo, the love interest, works in the business of making dolls (his grandfather’s business). The two characters’ interests and perspectives align, and they help each other as far as their interests and passions.
The anime dares to show the female body when it comes to cosplay, getting measurements, and things of that nature. And it does it surprisingly well (only the offended turned it into a controversy).
Solid anime that even dominated Attack On Titan despite being a supposedly bigger series during the time they aired.
2. More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers
Another anime I’ve watched, but this time haven’t finished yet, is More Than A Married Couple But Not Lovers.
To be fair, it’s still airing as we speak.
This is also an anime that was adapted long after the manga, which I knew about beforehand. It’s about Akari Watanabe, a girl who fancies another guy.
The love interest fancies another girl, but both characters are made to live with each other as part of the school’s overall program, where everyone pairs up with a “partner” to practice being married and in a relationship.
It’s like training for future husbands and wives.
This concept is different for the romance genre, and the visuals of this series, plus the progress, make it deserving of the top anime of 2022.
3. Summertime Rendering
The anime is about Shinpei, a guy from Tokyo living on a small island. He has a sister Mio and someone he cared about who died called Ushio.
Mysterious things start to take place, and without spoiling it, you get a Re:Zero vibe but with a different protagonist and a different setting. It can also be compared to Higurashi.
Summertime Rendering may have gone under the radar, but the anime’s ratings speak for themselves as does the quality writing and unique concepts.
4. Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
How can you NOT mention Bleach when the anime is part of the big three and has been anticipated for so long?
The anime finally aired in October 2022, and the visuals are as good as promised. Sharp, clean, refreshed, and that familiar Bleach vibe.
It’s still early days as far as the anime’s quality, but so far, it’s making headlines, the fights are solid (except the Unohana fight), and it’s headed in the right direction with its continued story.
It deserves the big 3 title.
5. My Hero Academia S6
One anime that’s been somewhat quiet compared to the promotion of Bleach and Chainsaw Man is MHA.
The war arc, one that aligns with the craziness Bleach is bringing, has been hectic, tragic, depressing, and dramatic.
You can see the writers of MHA aren’t holding back in this season, and the promise of this arc being one of the best is clear from everything so far in the anime (still airing).
MHA haters have been surprisingly quiet this time around.
6. Urusei Yatsura 2022
This anime is a reboot of a 1980’s anime I could never have watched because I wasn’t even born. When I saw it I knew I wanted to watch it. The anime is a surprisingly good one this season.
Lum, an alien from outer space, ends up marrying Ataru through a tradition (game) they end up playing, but Ataru is always pursuing other girls and not giving Lum any attention.
Keep in mind this anime is a parody rom-com, so a lot of it is pure humour and is not to be taken seriously. But the anime has its moments, can be wholesome, and is nostalgic for anyone who enjoyed the original.
The OP song is one of the year’s greatest.
7. Chainsaw Man
With all the hype surrounding Chainsaw Man, I wasn’t sure what to make of it when it was first released. Hype can either kill a series or enhance it.
For me, it lived up to expectations, and it might be my favourite anime airing this season in 2022.
Devils with unique powers, devil hunters who work as part of an agency to destroy them and keep the peace, and humans like Denji, who’s neither devil or human in many aspects.
If there are a few things this anime does well, it’s the chemistry, writing, and relationships between characters (besides the visuals, action, or story).
8. Akiba Maid War
I’m not sure how the anime will end or if it will end with 12 episodes and 1 season, but so far, it might be the masterpiece of the year for me. The anime is refreshing.
It’s about maids in Japan who operate like maids and gangsters simultaneously. Some maids have more power than others, while some rule over Japan, make the rules, put out hits, and keep individual maid groups in line.
One group is Oinky Doink Cafe, maids with signature pig ears who are among the lowest ranked or respected (the main characters).
Nagomi, a girl who gets into the maid business, learns that it’s not just being cute and doing maid stuff but that it’s filled with gangsterism, savagery, brutality, and other unsettling things.
Ranko, the other important character, is the opposite being she has no problem killing and has a dark past behind her as a new hire in the Oinky Doink Cafe.
9. When Will Ayumu Make His Move?
Made by the same author as Skilled Teaser Tagaki, this anime has a similar art style, themes, and designs. But to me, it’s miles better.
Being an Iyashikei type of anime (anime designed for healing and relaxation), When Will Ayumu Make His Move is pure wholesomeness without the fanservice, tropes, or overly dramatic comedy routines.
A 2nd season is needed with the ending of the anime, and in general, you can’t go wrong watching this if you like more simplistic, slice of life shows.
10. The Eminence In Shadow
This anime series is one that caught me by surprise. After hearing about it this season, I watched it and was surprised at its level of comedy.
Cid, the main character, has always been a guy who wanted more and sees life as a video game. He lives this way in real life until one day, he dies.
Reincarnated, he truly lives the life he always wanted and plays it like a video game in every aspect imaginable, to the point of it being outright ridiculous, hilarious, and funny as F.
It might deserve a 9/10, but it definitely gets an 8, at least for being different and doing a good job of it.
11. Shadows House S2
Shadows House is an anime that was released during the pandemic, but then the 2nd season aired in 2022. And it shined again with its quality writing and continuous improvement.
You can think of the anime as a better version of The Promised Neverland.
Kids in Shadows House, including adults, are known as “dolls”. They serve shadows, a mixture of nobles, high-level and low-level, and other characters I won’t get into.
As the doll Emilico and her shadow Kate start to climb up the ranks, they uncover the mystery of the house (which is like a big ass mansion), and other things that are too spoiler-heavy to talk about.
Either way, the anime is miles better than some of the CRAP that aired in 2022.
12. Bocchi The Rock
A surprising series I’d call underrated alongside shadows house for it not being too known but rated highly and respected by those who watch it.
Bocchi, or Hitori Gotoh, is the pink-haired introvert who one day is inspired enough to start making her own music and playing the guitar. It starts with the idol on TV who is similar to herself.
She eventually ends up in a band and learning about the business as far as ticket sales, event set-ups, and more. But she’s too shy and struggles a lot.
If there’s ONE anime this year that is reliable for introverts with extreme anxiety, this anime would be it. And that’s one of its main selling points.
Related: 11+ Of The Best Anime Like Bocchi The Rock (Recommended)
13. Call Of The Night
Nazuna Nanakusa is the female main character of this series, often compared to Toga Himiko from MHA for her looks. And then there’s the male character Kou.
Both characters meet one night and start sleeping with each other (not like that). Nazuna is a vampire who wants Kou’s blood because it tastes better than other humans, and he agrees to the exchange.
Aside from their chemistry and weird relationship, the anime is about the nighttime, people’s thoughts during the night, and how people’s problems keep them awake and hanging out during the night worrying about life.
This is what makes the anime realistic and relatable because it gets deep with conversations comparable to anime like Monogatari.
The music is clearly hip-hop influenced, has one of the best soundtracks going, and this anime’s creativity makes it worthy of this list because it’s different.
14. Spy x Family
It’s only right to mention Spy x Family because this anime turned out as good as the hype suggested. I’m not gonna say it’s a masterpiece, but it’s a solid series and surprisingly wholesome.
Anya Forger, the psychic daughter, Yor Forger, the assassin of a mother, and Loid Forger, the father who’s a spy in secret. It’s this trip that makes the anime so good and wanting you to see where the plot goes.
This is why a 2nd season came, and that’s doing what it’s supposed to do as well.
15. Aharen Is Indecipherable
If you’re looking for an anime with an odd relationship between the characters but without the cliches of romance (despite romance being a highlight), Aharen Is Indecipherable fits the bill.
Aharen, a girl who speaks quietly, so quietly that she speaks directly into people’s ears, is seen as an oddball but not to the point that she’s without friends or associates.
Raido Kun (as she calls him) is a laid-back, easy-going, chilled guy who’s fascinated by Aharen on some level. Both of them are similar, and that’s why their chemistry takes time to develop (introverts).
For a slice of life/romance series, it leans more towards the wholesome, chilled side of things, with a nice and calm pacing.
Anime I didn’t get to watch:
- 86 (Eighty-Six) S2.
- Attack On Titan Final Season.
I’m behind with Attack On Titan, so there’s that. And Eighty-Six, I watched S1 but haven’t gotten through S2 fully enough to rate it.
So that’s that.
Honourable Mentions for 2022:
- Danmachi S4.
- Lycoris Recoil.
- The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious.
- The Demon Girl Next Door S2.
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