Top Five: Anime of 2022
- 2022 was the year that I returned to anime in a big way. I had intended to tell you about it, but blogging isn't as easy for me as it once was. Thus, here at the end of 2024, are my top five anime for 2022. At last.
- Call of the Night - I can't remember having a series written specifically for my tastes, but that seems to be what has happened here. So thank you to Lidenfilms for this gift. Call of the Night is the story of a teenage boy who has become so unmoored from the his day-to-day life that he can only find solace after dark. Yes, it heavily trades on the ol' vampire trope, but it embraces the subtext of why that trope is so seductive. As an inveterate night owl myself, it was amazing to watch an anime that really understood the beauty of solitude in the night time.
- My Dress-Up Darling - It really was a close thing, deciding which anime would top this list. For as much as I love Call of the Night, it's My Dress-Up Darling that I can gush over endlessly. A tale of two high school kids, unable to share the things they love with anyone else, finding a way to bond over cosplay. For everything that people will tell you this show is about (like romance, cosplay, or lewdness), the thing that really draws me in is how the main characters are kids on the verge of adulthood, struggling to deal with situations that they are not quite mature enough to handle, yet find their way through together. All that and they do it with joy and a laugh. See, I could go on, but let's see what else is on the list.
- Spy x Family - This Shonen Jump megastar came with all of the fanfare one would expect of their next big hit. The shock to me was how well that was deserved. Spy x Family is so many things: an espionage story, a wacky comedy, a somber drama, and more. It shouldn't all work together, but the characters are so likeable that I would watch them do just about anything. And I'm sure they will.
- Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story - There is no reason for a golf anime to go this hard. The dichotomous main characters could not be more different except in their passion for the sport. This show has some wild swings (goddammit), but I found myself grinning from the audacity of the show from start to finish. I don't even know how to decribe it without sounding ludicrous. Just watch an episode and take in the madness of peak golf anime.
- Kaguya-sama: Love is War - Ultra Romantic - Aka Akasaka's tale of the battle of the sexes reaches its climax here in the third season of Kaguya-sama: Love is War. The comedy is still peak, the character work is on point, and the romance is at its height. All of the laudets for this series are well earned. If you find yourself inclined to see a fun take on the romance genre, well, don't start here. But do watch that first season because you will find yourself here before you know it.
- Let's see when I get around to my 2023 list.
Holy cow, two posts in the same month! You managed to come up with five games I haven't touched, and most I have never even heard of in you annual video game list. However, they are on my radar now at least.
ReplyDeleteAnime is so difficult to navigate. There's so much of it, and it's so eclectic that it's almost like navigating music. You can dial down to incredibly specific genres and tastes. However, I would definitely check out Call of the Night and Spy Family if I had Crunchyroll.
The golf one might also be good, considering that I enjoy Golf RPGs. The idea of going on a quest to hunt down a great nine iron, like it's a magic sword, is oddly appealing to me. I could see enjoying an anime focused on it.
Look forward to 2023s picks :-)