Forum - View topicThe Best Anime of 2022
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Helix91
 SubscriberPosts: 62 |
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Shout out to Bond for being the only male character to get on the Character of the Year list!
I'd choose Anya as my character of the year. |
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invalidname
 Contributor Posts: 2458 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
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My Top 5 (and friends):
5. Ya Boy Kongming! — In a way, this is the quintessence of why I watch anime. While American media strip mines its past for play-it-safe reboots and remakes, manga creators and their editors make gold out of implausible premises like “Romance of the Three Kingdoms is great, and so is Akiba’s club scene, so let’s combine those.” Though it’s a pity that Sentai wouldn’t let Jubyphonic, the voice of Eiko in the dub and an accomplished anisong cover singer in her own right, redub her character’s songs. Maybe for the Blu-Ray. 4. Akebi’s Sailor Uniform — Cute Girls Doing Cute Things shows get a lot of abuse, some of it deserved, but I bet it would happen less frequently if they were all as beautiful and joyous as this show. It’s kind of crazy to think something this visually dazzling was coming out every week in winter season. The stories and the classmates are just different enough to keep things interesting, and by the end, they appreciate how lucky they are that this weird girl came into their lives. 3. Pop Team Epic, Season 2 — As much as we’re all rightly aware of the terrible pay and conditions for people in the anime industry on both sides of the Pacific, is it any consolation that like everyone working on this show appears to be having an absolute blast? PTE is more confident in its experimentation (nowhere more apparent than in its wild OP), there’s less deadweight from over-long genre parodies, and even Bob Epic Team seems determined to prove it’s secretly the most talented team on the show, but just Bad On Purpose. And when it’s all over, the voice actors are there in a post-credits omake to trash the show, their ad libs, and themselves. 2. Love Live! Superstar!!, Season 2 — I was skeptical of Bandai running two Love Live units at once, but it has paid off handsomely, as Nijigasaki and Superstar can go in completely different directions reworking the franchise formula. In Superstar’s case, that meant putting off building the group to nine members until season two, a smart move that better paces out each character’s development. And yet, when I watched this year’s titular competition — with digital billboards around the city displaying that same old “Love Live!” logo that looks like it came from a “500 Free Fonts” CD-ROM — the nostalgia took me all the way back to Honoka, Kotori, and Umi first stepping out onto an embarrassingly empty stage. This is a franchise in its absolute prime right now. 1. Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Ultra-Romantic — Does anyone remember the buzz for Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, and how much we wanted a second season that never came? In the near-decade since then, the source manga has seen fit to coast along aimlessly: the only change in the status quo is that Wakamatsu finally learned that Seo is the “Glee Club’s Lorelei”. Kaguya-sama looked to be going the same route last season, following up its surprising character development for Ishigami by reverting to facile shenanigans like ending the season with the balloon contest. So it was a surprise halfway through this season when the show put its premise on the line by setting a graduation deadline, and planning to send Shirogane overseas. With time running out and less to lose, the titular romance story finally moved forward — alongside some welcome development of side characters like Hayasaka and Ino — concluding in a rapturous double-length season finale and a first kiss I thought we’d never see. God, I hope they don’t back out of it, but at this point, the show has earned my trust. Honorable Mention: Komi Can’t Communicate, Season 2; Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury; The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie Worst: Muv-Luv Alternative, Season 2 — As an erstwhile freelancer who once wrote an intro to the Muv-Luv franchise for ANN, it gives me no joy to report that this anime didn’t get better when it reached “the good parts”. If anything, it’s even more of a disappointment watching how the threadbare production and indifferent writing and direction let down the source material. Long-teased mysteries like the brain in the cylinder and ongoing thematic concerns like Takeru’s question of who he’s even fighting for for are simply dropped on the floor with zero emotional impact. As one Redditor said, this feels more like a recap than an adaptation. The second half of the season becomes one big mech battle with great CG, but the thrill obscures the fact we still don’t know who these characters are and why we should care. And yet, this misbegotten anime isn’t even the worst thing to happen to Muv-Luv this year, not with aNCHOR hawking NFTs and action games nobody plays, while shelving visual novels and abandoning the international fanbase. To top it off, the anime isn’t getting a third season to finish the story. What a fiasco. |
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DeTroyes
 Posts: 520 |
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My top 5 of the year, without commentary.
Best: 1) Kaguya-Sama: Love is War - Ultra Romantic (s3) 2) Spy x Family 3) Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch from Mercury 4) Summertime Render 5) Urusei Yatsura 2022 Best Honorable Mentions: My Dress Up Darling, Call of the Night, Cyperpunk: Edgerunners, Romantic Killer, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout, The Little Lies We All Tell, Attack on Titan s4, Orbital Children, Kakegurui Twin, Chainsaw Man, Master of Teasing Takagi-san s3, Made in Abyss s2, When Will Ayumu Make His Move?, Miss Kuroitsu of the Monster Development Department, Love After World Domination, Akiba Maid War, Classroom of the Elite s3, The Devil is a Part Timer s2, Komi-san Can't Communicate s2, Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc. Huh. It seems I watched (and enjoyed!) a lot of romcoms this year. Worst: 1) She Professed Herself The Pupil of the Wise Man 2) Muv-Luv Alternative s2 EDIT: Added a few more titles to the Honorable Mentions list. Last edited by DeTroyes on Fri Dec 30, 2022 9:24 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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DamianSalazar
Posts: 730 |
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I wish the mega poll could allow me to click more than 10 so I could remember what I rated quite highly this year. Anyway, for characters of the year, I'll do a top 10 in no real order.
10. Kamiya (Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie) 9. Ranko (Akiba Maid War) 8. Desumi (Love After World Domination) 7. Chisato/Takina (Lycoris Recoil) 6. Ashito (Aoashi) 5. Power (Chainsaw Man) 4. Yor Forger (Spy X Family) 3. Gojo (My Dress-up Darling) 2. Anya Forger (Spy X Family 1. Marin (My Dress-up Darling |
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tfwnoymir
 Posts: 318 Location: Hungary |
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Since I haven't finished with many series at all, it might not be fair where I'm coming from, but the series I enjoyed the most were:
Lycoris Recoil Bocchi the Rock Shadows House S2 Gundam The Witch from Mercury And that's it for now. Also the last episodes of 86 were pretty excellent, if they count, they stuck the landing, it wasn't my AOTY for nothing last year. As for the characters, on the girls's side, Bocchi, Suletta and Chisato are getting my votes. As for the guys, Guel and Majima were excellent characters. |
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killjoy_the
 Posts: 2463 |
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Was World End Harem not on the poll on accident or did we just decide to collectively forget that happened? 'because I wanted to vote for it as one of my Worst
Best Character is not really one I'm feeling too strong about. I'll refrain from naming any character from seconds/thirds/fourth seasons so that already removes a lot of characters I like, and I'm left with Hana from Aoashi, who was just incredibly good at being supportive and understanding. I guess she could've had a better/bigger role if she was also actually good at the tactics of the game but they decided to have another character do that part (and potentially add some romantic tension) which works I suppose. I like most of the cast of Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer a lot but that kind of works against it because I don't think any one of them are that much better than the rest, so it's a great cast that I can't name just the one for something like this |
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Blazi
 Posts: 502 |
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With that 2022 is coming to a close. What fantastic animes there were this year.
My top 5 would be: 5. Ya Boy Kongming! 4. Lycoris Recoil 3. Call of the Night 2. Summertime Rendering 1. Bocchi the Rock! Some honorable mentions are: Made in Abyss S2, Arknights: Prelude to Dawn, Kaguya-sama s3, Isekai Ojisan, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Danmachi s4 pt 1, My Dress-Up Darling, Mob Psycho s3, Reincarnated As A Sword, My Stepmom's Daughter Is My Ex, Skeleton Knight in Another Word, Tomodachi Game, MobSeka, The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting, The Eminence in the Shadow, Akiba Maid War, and SpyxFamily. Excited for 2023! Last edited by Blazi on Sat Dec 31, 2022 2:10 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Kirki
Posts: 296 |
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You're right. I thought of putting it instead of Kaguya, in my 5th place, because S3 wasn't Kaguya's strongest season, but you know what? Even if it was a feast for the eyes... I found it lacking in substance. Uzui is hot but his story is not much. The villains had a tragic past sure but that was just that. Winter series also have a huge disadvantage of being mostly forgotten by the end of the year. Maybe Jojo Stone Ocean would be a better pick in general. Again it finishes in Fall, but oh well. |
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Gem-Bug
 Posts: 1241 |
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Honestly, my Best of 2022 isn't far from my Best of Fall 2022; Chainsaw Man, Bocchi the Rock, Akiba Maid War, Mob S3, Uncle from Another World, Call of the Night, Summer Time Rendering, and Made in Abyss S2 were all my favorites. It's hard to put them in any kind of numerical order since I enjoyed all of them greatly, for different reasons.
As far as characters go, it seems unfair to list anyone from CSM, Mob, CothN, or Abyss since I've been following these characters for years, whether in manga or previous anime seasons. So I think I'll say that collectively, pretty much the whole cast of Bocchi is best character of the year, with an emphasis on Bocchi and Kikuri. |
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings
Posts: 1011 |
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My Best of the Year would be Made in Abyss S2 because it's the only anime this year I was interested in watching, and honestly I don't think I would have if it wasn't a sequel to a show I already liked. I'm caring less and less about anime by the year.
Great show, though. |
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JustMonika
Posts: 1020 |
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I realized how physically impossible it is to do a simple top 10. I need like 25 spaces, lol. Here's at least my top 15, lol
My Dress-Up Darling Princess Connect Re:Dive (S2) Date A Live IV Spy X Family Akebi's Sailor Uniform Chainsaw Man More than a Married Couple But Not Lovers Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Rent-a-Girlfriend (S2) Shine Post Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! (S2) Call of the Night Renai Flops Akiba Maid War Bocchi the Rock! |
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JustMonika
Posts: 1020 |
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Alright, I decided my top 10 outside of My Dress-Up Darling would be ones that wouldn't get as much attention which is why I picked them for this pole. Meaning I removed a bunch of popular ones like Chainsaw Man and Bocchi the Rock so I could give the smaller and more underrated ones more love.
Shine Post Love Flops Rent-a-Girlfriend (S2) My Dress-Up Darling Call of the Night Akebi's Sailor Uniform Princess Connect Re:Dive (S2) Date A Live IV Aharen-san wa Hakarenai More than a Married Couple But Not Lovers |
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Glordit
 Posts: 537 |
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I watched so much this year, I'll just run through my Very Fun, Very Boring & Worth a watch:
Very Fun: Bleach: Sennen Kessen Hen Stone Ocean Akiba Meido Sensou Romantic Killer Blue Period Made in Abyss: Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Ultra Romantic Paripi Koumei Mob Psycho 100 III Deaimon Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de Rikei ga Koi ni Ochita no de Shoumei shitemita. r=1-sinθ (Heart) Honzuki no Gekokujou S3 Jashin-chan Dropkick X Lycoris Recoil Kumichou Musume to Sewagakari Kotarou wa Hitorigurashi Chainsaw Man Very Boring: Futsal Boys Shoot: Goal to the Future C Danchi RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku Noumin Kanren no Skill Bakka Agetetara Naze ka Tsuyoku Natta. Gunjou no Fanfare Worth a Watch: 4-nin wa Sorezore Uso wo Tsuku SPRIGGAN (ONA) Teppen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CHIMIMO Heroine Tarumono!: Kiraware Heroine to Naisho no Oshigoto Onipan! Kaijin Kaihatsubu no Kuroitsu-san Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru There is of course a lot more than this but then I'd put filling the list with over 160 titles, so I'll stop here. |
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Hiroki not Takuya
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OK, just binged Cyberpunk Edgerunners and I have to say it was the best visuals of anything I've seen in years and the story was tightly and well written and gritty as befits the genre. OP to ED and between the songs and sound design were masterpieces and every character was unique, interesting and a blast to be with. A worthy spiritual successor to GitS. There should be a "Best" in several categories as it deserves it's own alongside Healer Girl
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KitKat1721
 Posts: 955 |
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Listing a Top Ten because I cannot be restrained enough this year to just talk about five:
10. Made in Abyss S2 - Still only halfway through, but it's definitely going to be on my top ten list by the time I'm done. Although somehow I feel like depending on the scene in question I could include it on both a “Best” and “Worst” list for 2022. The highs are SO high, but the lows are just so... unavoidable. It really says a lot about the series' strengths and emotional pull that I've stuck with it in spite of everything else that prevents me from recommending it to others. 9. The Girl From the Other Side - More a mood piece than anything, but holy cow what a mood piece it is. Probably the most stunning piece of animation I’ve seen all year on art style alone, and while its so short and light on actual plot you could make the argument that it is style over substance, it doesn’t ever veer too far into “beauty simply for beauty’s sake” or something that could be better served as say, a music video. 8. Tatami Time Machine Blues - Doesn’t pack nearly as much of an emotional punch as Tatami Galaxy, but still a short & sweet sequel that’s more than enough of a good, fun time - much like hanging out with college buddies on a weekend and unexpectedly getting into trouble you weren’t expecting when you woke up that morning. Massive props to director Shingo Natsume for pulling off Yuasa’s style seamlessly, something I wasn’t sure could be done. 7. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners - Would be so much higher on my list if we got a bit of extra time to breathe in between big moments or depressing downslides, because man this show was such a ride in a world gorgeously brought to life by Studio TRIGGER. Bleak without ever feeling empty or pointless, but man it sure is appropriate that the “this city” portion of the original Franz Ferdinand song lyrics in the OP were edited out because yeah… try as they might only one thing is burning and it’s definitely not the city. 6. Bocchi the Rock - Talk about the little passion project that could! Such a pleasant surprise from a genre I don’t tend to keep tabs on week to week comparatively. Ultimately what kept this show out of the top five was a bit less emotional attachment and how I wish we got more from the supporting band mates, but these are such minor gripes compared to its strengths: An abundance of creativity in its adaptation, and a lead you really do root for immediately. And thankfully they give Bocchi enough victories, however small, that it never becomes Watamote 2.0 5. Kaguya-sama S3 - Kaguya has only gotten better and better for me after my very lukewarm reception to S1, and while S3 loses a bit of the comedic gold from S2, its more than a fair trade for the added heart and honest-to-god actual stakes when I was more than ready for those developments. So excited for the film in 2023! 4. The Case Study of Vanitas Pt 2 - Literally the only downside is its unfinished ending, left even more unresolved by an unexpected manga hiatus. I adored every minute of this series, which just improved upon its first half, and this was probably the show I looked forward to the most week-to-week. Truly gave me FMA 03 vibes with how many different genres, tones, and story objectives it balances perfectly from more grounded action, fantastical world-building, classic comedic set-ups, deep-rooted trauma, shock horror, etc… (with an bonus dash of sex appeal that actually works). 3. Dance Dance Danseur - Easily my favorite series of the Spring season, and the one out of everything on my list that I wish more people checked out. Has highlight spectacles that can rival the best shows the year had to offer and some complicated, messy characters where every action they made no matter how frustrating felt earned. Only complaint is some nitpicks with how some things resolved in the finale story-wise, particularly regarding the female lead. 2. Chainsaw Man - Could not have been more hyped-up going in and more than lived up to said hype, but not always in ways I expected. It’s not only a blast when it's not punching you in the gut with tiny, heart-wrenching character moments, but it's been super interesting to see what has hit harder or left more of an impact on me with the anime compared to binge-reading the manga months prior. Also having a new, ambitious ED to look out for every week was a much appreciated bonus! 1. Mob Psycho 100 III - A fantastic finale to an already jaw-dropping adaptation of such a heartfelt series. And in a medium or industry where we don't often get satisfying conclusions for a multitude of reasons, finales matter to me. I'll miss it, but I'm so happy it got to go out on such a high note! The importance and necessity of empathy is often a reoccurring theme in many of my favorite stories, anime (Fruits Basket) or otherwise (The House in Fata Morgana), and Mob has always fit that bill. But especially in this final season. Probably Studio BONES best work overall, even if Wolf’s Rain will always hold a place in my heart as my personal favorite. Best Film - Inu-oh by such a long-shot. In a year filled with franchise releases, nothing else comes close (although One Piece Film RED was at least a fun time). Worst Anime - I did not actually finish anything I truly hated, but I’d probably have to give it to Lucifer & the Biscuit Hammer or Fruits Basket Prelude for almost opposite reasons. I'm sure I'm completely forgetting some real garbage here, but I'm more than okay with that! |
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