Miyo’s Animes of 2022: A List About Things I Liked
Hi hello! It’s that time of year again! The time where I put in random anime shows I liked for the year and maybe go over dumb things that happened in all our lives.
Maybe? ...no? Yea me neither, I wanna just talk about nerd bullshit so let’s do that yea? YEA! As always, I will be writing these as I feel like in a random order and using whatever name I choose whether it’s the Japanese title or the English translated one...just go with it ok?
****PREVIOUS YEARLY WRITE UPS****
https://miyoron.tumblr.com/post/155146006684/miyos-anime-of-note-of-2016s
https://miyoron.tumblr.com/post/168918050454/miyos-anime-of-various-notes-2017-edition
https://miyoron.tumblr.com/post/181565753419/miyos-anime-of-note-2018-rainbow-edition
https://miyoron.tumblr.com/post/189938086634/miyos-anime-of-the-decade-though-actually-just
https://miyoron.tumblr.com/post/639065021256810496/miyos-2020-anime-extravaganza
https://miyoron.tumblr.com/post/672147095495589888/miyos-animated-things-of-note-2021-hello-and
***************************************** My Dress Up Darling
This show was one I was initially a little wary on because like...you always gotta be careful with shows that seem horny you know? Like “am I going to end up on a list or something like that?” Thankfully though, while this is horny, it’s also freaking adorable which is always a plus in my eyes.
The story of the show is Japanese doll maker apprentice Gojo is thrust into a wild and frantic world of an aspiring cosplayer and intense gyaru, Marin Kitagawa. What follows is a fun little romcom following their adventures of learning more about the hobby and about one another of course. Marin bringing Gojo into her surprisingly dorky interests and him becoming just as enraptured about capturing the characters in costume as she is portraying them. It also helps that Marin just has some of the best expressions of the year, every one she makes is great and fun to see.
What’s also great is the fact that she actively loves him like...falling into a blushing fit at the thought of admitting it even when he’s mostly unaware of it. It’s a great show and brought back memories of cosplay planning sessions from my college years, even when I was mostly there for emotional support to keep my friends from going nuts sewing seifuku. Joy of a show, go look into it!
Symphogear XV
I've been a watcher of Symphogear in the past and haven't really written about it because I guess I didn't have much to say? I like the music and the characters but other than that there wasn't much I felt like I could write down and sound interesting. But hey, I finally finished the show so I thought I'd write down that hey, the last season is really good!
Symphogear is a series that is defined by its bombastic action where you have character launching ICBM missiles, giant swords from the heavens or just suplexing space shuttles. Yes, all this happens throughout the course of the show and I'm not exaggerating. The fifth season, XV, is the culmination of the high impact singing and battles and just hits every note perfectly. Heh, note. See what I did there?
The characters all get to have their own little moments and the relationships between them all is probably my number one reason I enjoy the show. Look, when you can have two girls be basically married and the series all but says it outloud, I'm for it. Hibiki is Miku's action hero wife and I will hear nothing else from you lot. The show was a great send off and with news of a new project next year on the horizon, all we can do is wait and see what's next.
Spy x Family
I originally tried to read this manga a couple years back and somehow couldn't get into it. Maybe it was just the long feeling opening chapters that did it, it's hard to say. That being said, seeing it put out in animated form is what finally did it for me as I caught up between the 1st and 2nd cours and am glad I did.
The basis of the series is super spy Twilight, alias Loid Forger, has to go undercover to get at a political figure and to complete this mission he has to make a fake family. Adopting an unknowing mind reading orphan, Anya, and unknowingly marrying a trained assassin, Yor, such is the basis for the comedy and heart of the show. Only Anya knows the truth of the situation and she thinks it's awesome and cool.
You probably don't need me to say much about this show since it IS wildly popular, but I liked it and think you should check it out. The new family member in the second half of the show and Loid's fellow undercover colleague are super fun additions and I loved every moment Fiona was on screen. It's a fun show, and I say check it out.
Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story
Probably one of the weirder shows I watched this year, the show about hyper intensive golf with a weird "buy Gunpla" message barely hidden in it. Like I don't actually wanna describe too much of what happens in this show because it's wild and you honestly probably wouldn't believe me even if I said so.
Eve is an underground golfer whose style is power and defeating her opponent above anything else. Crush their hopes, crush their spirits, that's her style of golf. That is until she plays a round with Aoi Amawashi, a high level teen golfer who is the only one who's been able to beat her. She wants her win back. Meanwhile Aoi wants to play here again because she's the first one she's had fun golfing against in ages. The story that follows goes to bring them together to finally have their rematch.
This show goes interesting places and near the end, every week had me on edge on what was going to happen. I will say, if you want to binge it, be warned it ends on a mid season cliffhanger and the new eps don't begin til Spring anime 2023 so you'll be waiting a while. Either way, check it out when you can, it's a trip.
The Demon Girl Next Door
It was a treat to see this show get a second season after being absent for a few years. Shamiko and friends are back for more awkward ineffective demon fun and trying to get better at this whole "Demon" thing.
This season was cute because Shamiko had to really step up and take charge, even if she was kind of bad at it. She helped Mikan clean out her apartment, was able to find her hidden item left behind by her father and even make it into a giant fork to use against her enemies! Though of course, the main thing here was all of her interactions with Momo. There's something about a mostly uninterested magical girl going through life half teasing her friend and half being embarrassed about interacting with her.
There was also some fun new friends in the form of fellow demons Riko and Shirosawa, a Chinese fox and Japanese tapir respectively, and the little cafe Shirosawa owns. It's a fun little show that still feels like something from the mid 2010s but it's a good one of those so I feel in the end, it's all good. Ganbare Shamiko!
Kaguya-sama Love is War
Kaguya is still a funny show, one of the funnier romcoms out there to be honest. The tale of two hyper intelligent stupid teenagers in love who want the other to admit it continues with the usual hilarious results.
The big set piece for the 3rd season is the incoming culture festival, the second half of the show leading up to it and the big reveal involving Shirogane's future. Why does he need to confess to Kaguya before the end of the festival? Will Kaguya accept? Will she fold first? What dumb bullshit is Chika going to do? These and more await you in Kaguya!
Yea I don't have much to add, like I said. It's still funny, there's fun new character interactions with Miko being on the student council now and Ishigami trying his best to confess to a senpai of his own. What I'm saying is if you liked the previous seasons, you'll probably enjoy this one too. We get a movie in February so there's more coming up too, so let's go watch! Or not, I'm not your mom.
Komi-san Can't Communicate
The second half of Komi! It's here and introduces more fun characters to become friends with! Also everyone's faves are still around of course, like problem child Najimi who is here to be your angle AND your devil at all times. All so that Komi can make all the friends and try to get over her horrible social anxiety. It's a tough world but having friends helps I feel.
Like I said, this season introduces more characters from the manga and the fun situations along the way. We have the school trip to Kyoto which features a bunch of fun interactions, like buff posing in the hot springs and the introduction of the mysterious yo yo wielding hero. Plus it introduces one of my favorite, equally awkward characters, Katai. A big beefcake of a boy who is horrifyingly scary because he's enormous and looks intimidating but he's just bad at talking and...you get the idea. I love him.
I have a lot of sequels on this list so I think a lot of my paragraphs might end with "it's more of X, so you'll probably enjoy it". That being said, it's more Komi so....you'll probably enjoy it. See that's not so bad huh?
LOVE LIVE CORNER
Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club
Yes indeed, they keep making more Love Lives and I keep eating them up like the monster I know I am. That being said, they are different enough at least and the Nijigasaki shows are a bit more interesting than the others for the fact they have a different style than the rest. Also there's just SO many of them, you've got plenty of fun girls to watch.
The introduction of new characters Shirioko, Lanzhu and Mia leads to new interactions which may have played out different than the phone game version but...I never finished those so, whatever~ That being said, I loved just the sheer overpowering force of Lanzhu coming in and taking no prisoners. Sure, she can't just be a big rude force all the time and has to become a friend in the end but her initial entrance is just bombastic enough to be super fun. She is here to idol and FUCK anyone in her way.
Niji has a lot of fun little side cameos too of the Normal rank idol randos from the original phone game that shows just..a nerdy interest in LOVE LIVE LORE I can appreciate. You go chameleon girl, take the spot and run for it. We have an OVA for this sometime and a set of what looks like short gag eps coming up so that should be fun. I will send out love to Setsuna's actor, Tomori Kusunoki, who sadly has to step away from the role for health reasons. We'll hopefully continue to see her in other shows for years to come.
Love Live! Superstar!!
This show I enjoyed last time but season 2 I enjoyed way more. Weirdly, going from a unique 5 person group to the old reliable 9 person group, worked out better for me. Maybe it's just because the new ones added were goofy and fun and gelled well with the rest of the cast, even with some goofy story telling decisions.
Liella got popular! And thanks to that they got fans! Though they wanted to get more members and that's where our first years come up! Like I said, the new girls are fun and I just can't gush enough about Natsumi. The best little Love Live goblin in a while. I love her shitty youtube plans and her thoughts to monetize everything for her own benefit. Like I said just...it's fun, she's fun! Also they let her say a cuss.
Superstar has another season coming up next year I believe, or it atleast has another season somewhere down the line. We'll see what happens with more rival idols getting closer to Kanon's fan girl creating energy then. I'll look forward to it!
Ya Boy Kongming!
So I played a lot of Dynasty Warriors back on the PS2 and I also read some of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms as well. What I'm saying is this is a series up my alley in way that you wouldn't expect it to be but it is.
Kongming, the legendary strategist, has died and been reborn in modern world Japan. Becoming entranced by a demon from Hell, he wakes up the next day and learns he got drunk on Halloween night and the demon was in fact Eiko, an aspiring singer. From there, he pledges himself to become her strategist and help her in her goals and to bring about an end to pain and war through her singing. He believes in her so much, even if she's a bit embarrassed about it initially.
Seeing classic strategies being put in the modern world and used to strictly build cred in the music world is fun and silly. Eiko is a good character with fun outfits and I love seeing her make friends with new people. Gaining new allies in her battle to become a singer with Kongming helping all the way is just..yea I like it a lot. Also probably the most banger op of the year? I listened to it a LOT.
Now we pause for the PRECURE STOP
Yes Precure 5!
Me and Cheapsteaks did our annual dual old Cure season watch and the first one we started was Yes Precure 5 which was the first 5 person team one. I'll say it definitely felt like an early 00s Magical Girl show but it was starting to get down what Precure is I feel. I really liked the Cures, especially Dream and Rouge.
That being said, there's definitely some things about this one I wasn't as huge a fan of. The villains primarily were really lackluster compared to the previous ones in Splash Star and the ending felt really anticlimatic. On top of that, Nuts and Coco were fine but after a bit their fairy voices really wear you down. Similarly, Milk is a little pain and not in the fun goblin way. That being said, these are very minor complaints for a show for babies.
The movie was super fun though and was more fun than one would expect. We've got the sequel, Yes Precure 5 GoGo! already started for next year so we'll see if it deserves a 2nd 49 episode season or if it shoulda just been smushed all into one, an opinion I have had previously regarding Futari wa/Max Heart.
Suite Precure
Suite Precure was much more fun in comparison. Maybe it's because it's a later show so they learned how to do things, maybe I just liked the story and animation better. Whatever the case, Suite does a lot of things I enjoy.
Doofy villain trio? Check. Even doofier baby brained fairy? Check. Super good gal pals teaming up to beat up said villains? Quadruple check. Yea, the musical themed world and fairies and transformations are fun and I was happy when the Precure finally all assembled just for the musical tones accompanying it. I guess I don't have much to say just that I had fun watching this one a lot more.
Accompanying Yes Precure 5 GoGo, we have also started Doki Doki Precure so we're in the final laps of watching all the series. Then it's on to all the All Star movies and other related content!
Delicious Party Precure
The current running Precure, I like the designs a lot and parts of the story are good and cute. But I have a bone to pick, an axe to grind, a suggestion for future cures maybe. I'm probably being dumb but maybe they should just plan to have 45 episodes anymore because the delays that hit both this and Healin' Good a few years ago have hampered the story from feeling satisfying. Again, I know it's a show for babies but when the delays affect things this bad, maybe just plan for a shorter show and use the extra eps for throw off stuff, like when Tropical Rouge did its 11 Random Stories episode.
I'm being mean, I'm sorry about that. Precure is still good and I just get heated when it affects ones with characters I feel are made specifically for me. Ran wasn't hit as hard and screwed over like Hinata was because she atleast gets more time to show off. And what she can show off is just a wide array of facial expressions that I look forward to each week. Behold just a few examples.
Like I said, I still like the show and the characters but again, lackluster villains can really hinder a show I enjoy. Hear my suggestions Toei, suggestions from some random dingus on the internet across the world. I promise it's a good idea!
Lycoris Recoil
Hideo Kojima's anime of the year! This one I initially checked out because I kept seeing the meme going around of Chisato getting kicked in the back of the thigh and wondering "what's that from?" Well the answer is LycoReco, a show with girls and guns and action.
Lycoris is a secret organization which has high school girls trained for covert tactical ops and Takina has just been kicked out of the central command for putting her fellow agents at risk. The solution? Shack her up with Chisato, a peppy Lycoris member who is also on the out with the main command for just..doing as she pleases pretty much. It's a real odd couple situation, if they were gun wielding high school students for the government. LycoReco is an action thrill ride with hints of intrigue along the way that make you want to see what happens next week.
There's lots of fun little moments and character interactions, and one major secondary character who has a past you would not expect. And it's treated with way more care than you'd expect any popular media to really. It's a good show and just furthers the Yuri Aquarium Agenda. It's everywhere man, open your eyes!
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
This is a game I haven't played and don't intend to play. That being said, I will always check out a Trigger show and this one was no exception. Edgerunners is a cool little show with a lot of action going on and it has that super stylized look that all Trigger shows have. There's a lot of fun characters and thankfully there is the ever present force of the Trigger Gremlin character, this time in the form of Rebecca.
The story isn't going out to break the mold, but the world and characters are cool as shit. I love the look of it and would gladly recommend it to others who want to see some crazy action scenes. It's not everyone's tastes and I do wish parts of it went different but I had a fun enough time to recommend it in the end so that as you will.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury
I haven't watched a Gundam in a while and I don't really have a good reason why not. Maybe I'm lazy, maybe I'm a nerd who likes female protagonists more than male ones. Who knows! What I do know though is that I'm having fun watching Witch from Mercury and a large part of that is I just really like Suletta's design and character. This is honestly just a good year for characters who are bad at social interaction, though Suletta's feels different in comparison to say a Komi or (spoilers) a Kobeni.
The mystery of the Witches and the Gundam program slowly unraveling is keeping me going week to week and I look forward to the second part in the spring. Well, that and the Utena vibes being given off with the duels and bride system at the school. It's an interesting set up and I'm glad I started watchin. It also gave us more gremlins in the form of Chuchu who continues the proud Gundam tradition of just decking people in the face.
I hope their business does well!
Do It Yourself!!
Do you like videos about crafts? Do you like anime about girls doing random things and learning new skills? Then I have the show for you! Yua is learning how much she enjoys making things with her new club, even if she's very clumsy and injury prone. It's okay though cuz Pudding is there to look after her.
The show is a nice and comfy little thing with a bunch of very on the nose puns for names and honestly I don't think that's a bad thing. Jobko's actor has a very fun performance, even if her main joke is "foreign girl speaking Japanese." But you know what? It's an easy joke and I don't mind it.
Also I like the character designs in general, the colors are soft and cozy and really fit the characters well. Call me a sucker, but I'm always for cute friendships and DIY has it in spades.
Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Maaaaan Chainsaw Maaaaan! Chainsaw Man is good and cool! It's a super fun manga and I think the anime did a pretty dang good adaption of it. The cast is fun and I think they cast them all really well. The action is good and even the bits of CG that look a bit wonky are on background characters so I don't really see that much of an issue.
Honestly, I don't know what all to say like...it made me wanna reread the manga again because it's just filled me with good memories of the first time I did so. Seriously, just go watch this and also read it. It's gritty and grungy and that's fucking cool.
Pictured: Intelligence
Mob Psycho 100
It's good to see Mob on this list again and that it hasn't had some change of animation studios affecting it like One Punch Man's second season. The effects are as bombastic as always and the battle are always on point with the visuals being some of the best I've seen this year which is kind of par the course for Mob, but it's still great to watch.
Of course, the main draw of Mob isn't the battles but it's seeing how Mob himself has grown over the course of the series. This season, our dear Shigeo is getting a little cocky even, thinking he's finally hit his popular time with girls. Follow Mob as he tries to come out on top and finally ask Tsubomi-chan out! Can he do it? The answer might surprise you! Or it might not if you've read the manga before.
Seriously though, it was great seeing Mob again and I still love how committed he is to those he cares about. It just goes to show that not every conflict needs to be solved with a fight, but with a heart to heart and I dunno, I just think that's a great lesson. Mob's greatest strength is his humanity and I think we can all agree, that's why we love him.
Bocchi the Rock
Rounding out the year for social anxiety, we have Bocchi the Rock. A show about an awkward girl who failed at forming a band in middle school and at social interactions throughout her life. A girl who is terrible at existing and would prefer to just keep herself walled up in her closet making youtube guitar videos for the masses. Bocchi is relatable sometimes in ways I feel like we all experience sometimes.
Bocchi finally gets her chance though, meeting up with Nijika and Ryo who are trying to find a guitarist for their band after the original one flaked. What follows is a blossoming friendship and the beginning to the Keissoku Band, ready to entertain the masses...if Bocchi can get the courage to play outside of a cardboard box and or trash can.
The show is seriously fun and another case of good expressions. I only got a few of Bocchi's here but she has so many I don't even know where to begin to be honest. Seeing her try to get the confidence along with her friends, while simultaneously melting down at anything even remotely social, is again something I think all of us can relate to sometimes. I'm happy for getting to know Bocchi and I kind of hope to see more down the road. If not, I appreciate what we got though.
Pop Team Epic
It's fucking back and it's just as fun as ever. More goofy bits, more random voice actor pairings and a fun new gimmick of them just chatting together at the end of each episode is just...it's great, I love it. Pop Team is still so good.
The parodies, the comedy, it's all still there and it's just what you want. The return of the Aoi Shota cinematic universe..just I can't praise it enough. You should go watch it, it's great. Here's a little spoiler of things to come if you do...
POP TEAM EPIC
So that's my anime list for the year. Like I said, it's a bunch of random things in mostly the order I watched them in throughout the year. Here's a couple more random things to tide you over!
Anime Movies I Enjoyed!
Pompo the Cinephile - Fun movie with real good animation Revue Starlight The Movie - Great music as always and some crazy scenes, so nice I saw it twice Dragonball Superhero - The Piccolo movie we always wanted, so nice I saw it twice pt 2 One Piece: Red - Good music, pretty fun movie over all Yuru Camp: The Movie - So good to see these girls again and just as comfy as ever. Made me wish my job felt as fulfilling as they did in the movie though
Show I Enjoyed but Can't Form a lot of words about! Gunbuster - It rules! Go watch it! It's rad!
Show With Oops Political Timing! Teppen - !!! - Doofy comedy show with a fun opening which had to hold back an ep due to the assassination of Shinzo Abe. Oops on unforeseeable events!
I can't think of much else so...I hope you had a good time reading and have a good 2023. Let's all be safe and not suck ok?