Top Anime of 2022
Considering that I didn't watch anime for at least 30% of the year, there is a significant amount of anime that I missed. As such, ONAs were counted as series (because they practically are). Certain sequels were also counted because I said so. It's my list, and I can do what I want! I will be putting some honourable mentions (but only the ones I plan on watching... eventually).
Honourable Mentions (PTW):
Sasaki to Miyano
Heike Monogatari
Summertime Render
Paripi Koumei
Lycoris Recoil
Kumichou Musume to Sewagakari
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
TOP 11:
There wasn't enough to make an "honourable mention" list for the ones I had completed. For one, some of the shows that I completed were not good. Vampire in the Garden was incredibly rushed with an ending that made less and less sense the more I thought about it (but A for effort as it felt like watching Vanitas but with more likable girlbosses). AkuLas (not gonna bother typing out the full name) just wasn't good, so I'm not even going to give it any more time besides saying it wasted mine, the pacing was wack, and the voice acting tried to carry a story that wasn't there.
This ranking was very hard to make. It was incredibly difficult for me to weigh if I should put things higher based on my enjoyment or something else being objectively and critically better. Because of that, a lot of this ordering isn't set in stone, especially for the top places.
11. Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de
The first three slots are incredibly heavy on fanservice. Despite my aversion towards it (and the fact that it was distracting), I found myself still enjoying this show. It's very lighthearted, cute, and does exactly what it sets out to do and nothing more than that. Also, some things in this are better to just not think about. What the heck are those talking animals? Just don't think about it. It's all good.
10. Isekai Ojisan
Maybe it's because I caught up on this recently, but as it stands right now (with many of the episodes locked up by Netflix for whatever reason), this is going to take the #10 spot. This show was refreshing, funny, but a little bit too heavy on the fanservice (seriously, it turned into a h*ntai at some points). Regardless, I still found it very funny at the very least. It subverts many of the tired isekai tropes to make a very unique parody.
9. Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru
I personally don't like fanservice, but this show was still cute as heck. I really like both of the main characters even if Marin is a bit (very) pushy (accidentally). I'm not as attached to the other characters, but that doesn't really matter because I like the main two a lot. Of course, the art is good. I personally didn't like the OP or ED that much even if they were incredibly catchy. Overall, a solid romance that I would rewatch like chicken noodle soup for the soul, and I'm very much looking forward to the sequel.
8. Chainsaw Man
This was a good show, but I found the cast of characters to be the weakest part of the show. It's not that I hate nor dislike them. I just didn't grow attached to them. As refreshing as it is to have a protagonist who's very clear in his intentions and goals not being about the good of society and/or friendship, I was not entirely sold on liking him as the character. On the other hand, everything else about this anime and the production value was absolutely amazing. The voice acting? Perfect (I do like that casting). The animation? Spectacular. The music? Immaculate. This could easily critically knock out further entries on this list.
7. Kotaro Lives Alone
This is the anime that probably caught me the most off-guard. This anime's character design looks awful. I was going to skip it based off that, but after watching it, I can say that I came away shaken (in a good way). The way this show portrays child abuse, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, and other heavy topics is absolutely masterful. It left me kinda emotional. I think they made Kotaro the perfect balance of mature and childish at the same time (because watching a realistic child in his circumstances would be unwatchable).
6. Bocchi the Rock!
"She's just like me fr fr!" This show got the inner dialogue of my brain, and as someone who dropped out in high school and never got that "seishun youthful blue spring" time, I felt a lot of the sentiment that Bocchi feels. I even tried joining a band (but jazz). This show is incredibly funny and uses visual humour skillfully. The voice acting is some of the best I've seen from relatively newer voice actors. That scream lives in my mind rent-free. This is basically K-On mixed with my existential dread and sense of humour. Fantastic.
5. Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen
Bro, this felt better to watch than it was reading the manga, and that's saying something! The manga was still good, but this really solidified Demon Slayer as an absolute powerhouse! I know people are saying that it lacks the depth of Chainsaw Man or Jujutsu Kaisen, but I don't think things need to be complex to be good. Maybe I just want to see someone slashing some demons.
4. Spy x Family
This is peak Shonen Jump slice-of-life. Honestly, the only episodes and arcs that were a bit of a bore were still necessary and just lacked Anya. Besides that, this show was magnificent (running out of good synonyms). Anya is one of my favourite characters of the year. She's stupid but extremely caring even if she's a bit off the walls.
3. Romantic Killer
Anyone with Netflix or a pulse should go watch this show. I wrote a whole thing about it.
2. Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Ultra Romantic
I'm not sure what I can say about this show that hasn't been said already. It's a masterclass in romantic comedies, and it doesn't need fanservice (ignore the OVA) to succeed at making a ton of witty parody and comedy that transcends language in itself with an endearing romance that you can't help but root for. The openings are also iconic. Masayuki Suzuki is the king of love songs.
1. Mob Psycho 100 III
Just like Kotaro Lives Alone, this anime has a uniquely simplistic art style, but don't let that fool you, both of these anime are incredibly good at storytelling. Studio Bones cares about this series a lot, and you can see it through this anime. This is one of the best coming-of-age stories I've seen, and this season was a perfect finale to a story that we've been watching since the beginning. Everything about and from this anime range from great to exceptional.
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