As the year of 2022 comes to an end, I shall be looking back upon it; more specifically, looking upon the anime that aired. This year I watched a grand total of fifty-four different series. I shall now be whittling them down to the ten I enjoyed most. I just know I’m going to look back at this list in the future and ask myself why I didn’t include certain shows, but this is the list that I’ve settled on at this very moment.
As is usually the case, this won’t be a ranking, so the last anime on this list won’t necessarily be better than the first one. I may have an anime of the year, though, but we’ll get to that when we get to that.
With that said, here are my top ten anime of 2022. Presented in alphabetical order, by the way.
Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
Akebi’s Sailor Uniform was a treat from start to finish. Some of the most absolutely gorgeous visuals of this year. I adore Komichi and Erika, and the supporting cast are all brilliant. We get a magical soundtrack to go with those wonderful visuals, too. Easily one of the best slice of life anime out there, a definite much watch for fans of the genre.
BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story-
If you told me that a golf anime would’ve been one of the best that 2022 had to offer, I definitely would’ve doubted you. That is until I watched BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story-, which happens to be one of the best that 2022 has to offer; and is a golf anime. The thing is, it actually puts a pretty interesting twist on the golf games we see – there tends to be quite a bit at stake. We also have the developing bond between Eve and Aoi, which was fun to see.
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War
10 years BLEACH fans had been waiting to see the final arc of the manga get animated, and it was definitely worth the wait. The first cour of the Thousand-Year Blood War gave us incredible animation, and a soundtrack that I absolutely adore. Seriously, Shiro Sagisu is by far and away one of the best composers out there, and his work for the Thousand-Year Blood War soundtrack is stellar. Just this first cour alone has given us incredible battles, and some very intriguing looks into the past. The way it is capped off is just perfect as well.
BOCCHI THE ROCK!
I will always love me some girls who play guitars, and BOCCHI THE ROCK! provides exactly that. An introvert dreams of being in a band, but well… she’s an introvert. Extremely so. However, she manages to take that step, and slowly moves towards being a little less introverted. Only a tiny bit, though. It was a delight to witness Bocchi’s growth over the series, and the brilliant soundtrack definitely added to the fun, as well.
The Demon Girl Next Door Season 2
Yuko and Momo’s return might be even more entertaining than the first season of The Demon Girl Next Door. It’s a delight to see the two of them grow even closer, and Yuko’s demonic powers even grow. What I particularly enjoyed about this season was the way in which Momo’s desire to get closer to Yuko steadily becomes more and more obvious. And of course Yuko is determined to get stronger for Momo’s sake. The supporting cast are all a lot of fun, too, and Mikan gets some very important moments towards the end.
Do It Yourself!!
A DIY anime, because why not? I’ll admit that Miku’s tsundere was a bit much for me to begin with, but thankfully it got toned down over the course of the series. Fortunately all the other characters proved to be a lot of fun, and even Miku got there in the end. Seeing the DIY club tackle various challenges as they took on the projects was satisfying, particularly when they had to overcome unforeseen problems. It was also satisfying to see how Serufu steadily improved at DIY as the show went on.
The Executioner and Her Way of Life
Having read the light novels, I was happy to learn of The Executioner and Her Way of Life getting an anime adaptation. I’m even happier now that I’ve seen it, and I’d say it delivers pretty well. It’s an interesting take on the isekai genre, particular with Menou eliminating those who are sent into her world – until she meets one Akari Tokitou, who has an ability that prevents her from being killed. So they journey together, which results in Menou developing feelings towards her target. Lots of really great action in this one, together with an intriguing story.
Lycoris Recoil
So when I mentioned my anime of the year before? Yeah, it’s Lycoris Recoil. I watched plenty of anime this year, but nothing quite captivated me as much as Chisato and Takina’s story. The dynamic between the pair of them is excellent, and we get plenty of fun supporting characters, too – Kurumi being a stand out example. I absolutely love Lycoris Recoil.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
Here’s another show where the strength of the relationship between its two central characters drew me in. Suletta inadvertently becomes Miorine’s groom at the beginning of the series, but the pair of them grow closer over time. Of course there’s a lot more going on than Suletta and Miorine’s engagement, since this is Gundam, after all. Lots of intriguing things, particularly with Witches and the Gundams themselves.
RPG Real Estate
In a land where the demon king has long since been defeated, what do you do? Work at a real estate agent, of course. After all, people will always need homes, even when there isn’t some great evil threatening the land. This is a really fun take on the fantasy genre, and it also has the adorable Fa. Can’t go wrong with cute girls.
That’s my top ten anime of 2022 done. It was super tough picking out just ten anime of the fifty plus that I enjoyed this year, and I just know that my thoughts on what should’ve made the list will probably change – particularly it I take the time to look back at it in the future. But this is the list I’ve settled for right now.
So what I’m saying here is that 2022 was a pretty good year for anime. We got the highest of highs, and the lows were few and far in between. 2023 is already looking pretty promising, so I’m eagerly anticipating next year’s anime. Hopefully it’ll be just as hard to pick out a top ten next year.
Rory Muses 