My Top Ten Spring Anime of 2022

It’s that time of the year again when I count down the top ten anime of the spring season. Take note once again that these are anime that I watch, and have by now reached around six or seven episodes. Whether they remain high on my year-end list remains to be seen. But, that’s a story for another day. Here we go…

I’m Quitting Heroing

At number ten is “I’m Quitting Heroing’. This is a fantasy anime with an op character in Leo who defeats the forces of Demon Queen Echidna. Later, Leo decides to join the forces of Echidna to fight the humans that he once protected. It’s entertaining enough to be on my list though the storytelling pace is a bit slow. Still, there is a mystery behind Leo as to why he IS that powerful. That plus his sincerity to help Echidna, and her forces who are in fact not-so-bad keeps me interested. Moving on.

Kyoukai Senki

At number nine we have “Kyoukai Senki”. The only mecha anime on my list is cour two of the first season. Cour one came out last year, and this second cour is actually better than the first. There are parallels to Code Geass here, but that’s to be expected with Sunrise (the animator of Code Geass). The mecha also looks a little Gundam-like. Regardless, the story brings to the table something new to the mecha genre, and that is the existence of AIs that help pilot the robots here. The icons for these AI are cutesy to mask just how deadly they are in battle. This is the second best mecha anime of the year so far. So, if mecha is your genre, give this a shot.

The Rising of the Shield Hero

At number eight we have “The Rising of the Shield Hero”. I’ll be honest. I was expecting this to be higher on my list with the return of Naofumi after three years. However, the storytelling has slowed down, and the animation from Kinema Citrus is not as up-to-par as the first season. Makes me wonder if they are saving all that energy (and animation) for “Made in Abyss” which is coming this summer. People say that it follows the story in the written material. That shouldn’t be an excuse for this anime to be in my lower ten for the season. Good enough to be on my list. Sad that it’s not any higher.

Skeleton Knight in Another World

At number seven we have “Skeleton Knight in Another World”. This is the better of the the two fantasy isekai on my list, and it is entertaining as Arc. The animation tapered off from the first episode, but the entertainment value did not. If it had maintained it’s animation, it would be higher on my list. Arc is an op Paladin-like character who got transported in a fantasy world in a skeleton body. It’s the reason why he keeps that armor on. Arc is overpowered because he is a paladin with mage/sorcery skills. I mean, come on guys, when you give a paladin (in D&D) access to teleportatin spells ASIDE from cleric healing spells…THAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF OVERPOWERED. However, this is part of what makes this anime so entertaining. Ponta is a cute spirit creature too so that helps.

Love After World Domination

At number six we have “Love After World Domination”. This reminds me of another Super Sentai parody that came about last year with a different approach. The intro song reminds me of “Miss Kuroitsu and the Monster Development Department”, and rightfully so because it’s upbeat and funny. Unlike “Miss Kuroitsu”, here we have Red Gelato aka Fudou who falls in love with Desumi, the Reaper Princess. Both characters are on opposite sides in the Super Sentai war of good vs. evil. As a result, they hide their romance from their co-workers which leads to all sorts of hilarious situations. Poor Desumi. If only she came out in a different anime year she would have a chance for best girl of the year. That’s almost impossible considering the current competition. More on that some other time.

Summertime Render

Starting our top five is “Summertime Render”. One of two OLM studios entries on my top ten list (more on that later), this follows the reincarnation trope that has become popular in anime. Reminds me a lot of “Re:Zero“, but a lot drearier, and “Summertime Render” is set in modern times. Unlike Subaru, Shinpei Ajiro has a limited number of reincarnations so he is forced to make his decisions with a little more sense of urgency. I mean, if he doesn’t then the world gets engulfed by these mysterious shadow creatures. Talk about pressure. This spring anime has beautiful visuals to accompany its mystery thriller story. Watch it to find out what the mystery is all about.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

At number four is “Legend of the Galactic Heroes”. I really hate it when Production IG scheduled this anime. They put it near the end of the winter season, and thus this is one of the first anime ending in the spring. It has done this before in “Fena: Pirate Princess“. Having said that, this is one fine space opera that follows in the footsteps of its origninal run. There are lots of intrigue, dogfights, misidrections, and on top of all that beautiful visuals that Production IG has worked on so well. No mecha here, guys. Just ships, and power suits. You don’t get a lot of great space opera anime around nowadays, and this should be one of those you should be watching.

Komi Can’t Communicate

At number three we have “Komi Can’t Communicate”. The second entry from OLM studios on my list is a slice of life anime that is better than its first season. Why do I say that? Because, Komi is actually putting some effort in communicating here. It was so frustrating during the first season seeing her get into situations where she just shuts down. In the second season, she has shown how much she has grown, and how willing she is to overcome her communication difficulty. Communication disorder is a real problem, guys. “Komi Can’t Communicate” shows us how it can be overcome with a certain degree of effort, and help from the people around us.

Ya Boy Kongming!

At number two is “Ya Boy Kongming!”. I love this anime from P. A. Works. This blindsided me, and since I starting watching, it didn’t disappoint. Combining tropes from both isekai, and idol anime, “Ya Boy Kongming!” just has such a beautiful message to it. Through Kongming, we see that this is an anime about believing in yourself, and what you can do. In the case of Eiko, the other main protagonist, she is the one who is holding her musical dreams down, and Kongming is helping her realize just how special she is. And, how many times have you NOT succeeded because YOU are the biggest obstacle to your own success? I think many people can relate to this. Heck, other characters in this anime can relate to this. The animation matches the mood while the memorable soundtrack is so good that it’s making waves around social media. I am loving the message of “Ya Boy Kongming!”, and I’m not alone in loving this spring anime hit. Still, that is not enough to make it to my number one spot.

Spy x Family

At the number one spot on my list is “Spy x Family”. This is one of those anime that a lot of people had high expectations for including me. This anime has a beautiful, and well-loved manga that carries the burden of doing good in its anime adaptation or else. In that regard, Cloverworkds, and Wit Studio have shown us how two juggernaut studios can come up with arguably the best anime of the year (Yes I’m saying that now!). Did they crumble under the pressure? No. Did the anime look like it was made by two separate studios? No. Did they do justice to the “Spy x Family” manga? That is a big YES. Think about it guys. These are the studios that came up with “Ousama Ranking”, AND “My Dress-up Darling”. Think of Bojji (Anya), and Marin (Yor) in the same anime. Then you have the dashing, and suave Loid to hold it all together. It’s unfair actually if you look at it. Though, with two high profile anime studios, you’d think that there would be a lot of egos flying around to ruin the material. That is not the case here. The transition from one studio’s production to another is so flawless that you can’t even tell which anime is responsible for each episode. “Spy x Family” was a concerted effort, and it shows.

Add to that the message of the anime itself, and I’m not forgetting about that. “Spy x Family” focuses on family. Family does not just mean blood relations. Family will help you out in times of trouble. Family will be there in your ups, and downs. Put that theme on family with the entertaining story, and gorgeous animation; and you have “Spy x Family” as my number one anime of the spring season.

The Top Ten Summer Anime of 2021

Even though I came up with a lot on my list, I can’t help but think that this is just a warm up (pun intended) to a much anticipted fall season. Nevertheless, this is quite the entertaining list with a few holdovers from the spring season. To some that might be cheating. To me, it is what it is. Hey, the two series that carried over to the summer are no fish bait, and deserve to be on this list. Disclaimer: once again that these are anime that I am actually watching AND they are deep into mid-season already. This gives me time to watch and drop. So, let’s get the show rolling.

At number ten, we have ‘Getter Robo Arc’. I think this is the first mecha anime in a while that I’ve added to my list. Mind you ”86′ doesn’t count as mecha anime, not in the traditional sense anyway. With ‘Getter Robo Arc’ we have a series that has its roots to the grand daddy of combining mecha of a similar name. It also flaunts its getter rays origins from the onset. There are a lot of callbacks to previous series here, and seeing a super robot in action really tugs at my nostalgic heart. Though, you don’t get your standard ‘monster of the week’ storyline, you still get enough action for it to get you going from episode to episode. The switching transformation scenes of this anime is enough to make it to my top ten.

At number nine, we have ‘Peach Boy Riverside’ . Protagonists Sally and Mikoto are seemingly human who have this uncanny ability to draw power to challenge the powerful ogres that populate the land. With this mystical transformation, they have enough strength to defeat any ogre that oppose them handily. In the case of Sally, she has no memory of her power transformations unlike Mikoto who relishes the slaying of ogres. The main characters in this story are quite overpowered. But, what keeps me going is the character interaction, and the origin of both Sally and Mikoto’s powers. I mean, they’re human, and yet, when they face ogres, their power levels are off the chart. Add to that an intriguing array of supporting characters in a fantasy setting, and you’ve got me hooked.

At number eight, we have ‘Aquatope of White Sand’. I rarely watch slice of life anime. Sometimes, one of them gets trhough the cracks, and this is one of them. It helps that the animation is just beautifully depicted by studio P.A. Works. In this case, the story revolves around an aquarium temporarily handled by Kukuru Misakino. She then gets a visitor and former idol, Fuka Miyazawa. Together, they seek to save GamaGama Aquarium from its financial problems so that the business can keep on running. The story focuses on following your passion with hard work, creativity, and friendship. Will it be enough to save GamaGama Aquarium? Let’s see what happens.

At number seven, we have ‘Spirit Chronicles’. One of two isekai on my list, this is a straightforward fantasy anime with some characters remembering their origins in Japan before they got transported into another world. Main protagonist Rio is possessed by the spirit of Haruto Amakawa who dies in a vehcular accident in Japan. After that, Rio starts to exhibit enhanced abilities, and some mystical powers. This leads him on a journey of discovery about his family origins, and a deeper understanding of the source of his powers. As the story progresses, Rio also finds out that he is not the only one who was transported from Japan to this fantasy world. I’m really a sucker for fantasy anime more than isekai, and this is interesting enough to make my list.

At number six, we have ‘The Detective is Already Dead’. Some people accuse this series of cloning well-known characters from other anime. I don’t care, I finde the interaction of Siesta and Kimihiko Kimizuka just adorable. The cheesiness in this series is apparent, and it wears it on its sleeve. More so, the anime makes me laugh with Kimizuka oftentimes trapped in compromising situations with Siesta, and the other female characters in this series. Still, in spite of the hilarity, there is a sadness that is the backdrop of this story. that should be obvious with the title. Besides, any anime that gives a reference to Mazinger Z can make it to my list any day. Speaking of Mazinger Z references…

At number five, we have ‘Tokyo Revengers’. To be honest, there are times that I want to drop this series from my viewing list altogether. The creator admitted that this is a ‘Re: Zero’ clone. Takemichi is an even worse crybaby than Subaru, and I’m surprised he isn’t dead already being part of a biker gang. Yet, I can’t deny the pull of a character who wants to better his stature by changing his past. Given a chance, we’d all want that even just a little to push us in the right direction. And yes, that rocket punch hoodie worn by Takemichi helped in making me stick around a some more.

At number four, we have ‘How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom’. The better of the two isekai on my list, this one has a different approach to its storytelling that puts it in my top five. Kazuya Souma gets transported to another world to deal with the threat of the Demon Lord’s Domain. However, he has no taste for combat whatsoever, and is pretty bookish in his background. He was not the hero the kingdom was expecting to save them. Instead, Souma approaches the problem from a socio-economic point of view. Money and resources are his concern; and this is the way Souma plans to save the kingdom. It’s working…so far. His unorthodox approach to ruling, accompanied by his almost Machiavellian thinking have shown crown princess Liscia Elfrieden that maybe, just maybe, they summoned the right hero for the job. I’m more than intrigued to see how Souma conquers the Demon Lord with this approach.

At number three, we have ‘Sonny Boy’. My sleeper series for the summer, this anime was made by studio Madhouse and the animation alone is drop-dead gorgeous. Not surprising there. Madhouse has created so many well-known and well-loved anime series and movies. ‘Sonny Boy’ is no exception. What happens when you take a bunch of students to another dimension? What happens when some of those students develop super powers? What happens when these students travel to different worlds with different rules to follow in each of them? What you have is an anime series that is as cerebral as it gets with enough teenage angst to make it relatable. This is an original anime series, and I’ve always loved those. If you’re the type who likes all the action, then this series will bore you. This is an anime about rules, and rules are everywhere. The story emphasizes that if you follow the rules then you get what you want, and the universe rewards you for it. How do you get all of that from a high school anime? Watch it to find out.

At number two, we have ‘The Case Study of Vanitas’. Based on the manga of the same name, this series was also produced by studio Bones. Right, ‘Full Metal Alchemist’ studio Bones. This is a vampire anime involving main protagonist, Vanitas who is human. His goal is to cure the curse that has infected vampiredom with his sacred book. Joining him, albeit reluctantly, is Noe, a vampire archivist. Together they hunt down cursed vampires, and cure them of their affliction for the safety of both humans and vampires. Oh yeah, Noe also admitted in the first episode that he killed Vanitas. So, this is a retelling of past events from Noe’s standpoint. What? I know. That’s pretty bold and daft storytelling at the same time. The anime has signature Bones humor that you see in ‘Full Metal Alchemist’. ‘The Case Study of Vanitas’ is also a romantic comedy. Action, comedy, vampires, love, death and adventure…what else do you need to convince you to watch this anime? Did I mention it was made by studio Bones already?

At number one, we have ‘To Your Eternity’. I really hate putting sad anime at the top of my list. But, I can’t deny that Fushi and company tell a beautiful tragic tale of loss and overcoming it. What else is there to say? The animation reminds me of a Studio Gibhli production even if it’s not. It’s about a young immortal who learns that immortality is not the kind gift that promotes lasting relationships. The series is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. That’s where it really gets you. The emotional beats are very much relatable, and you realize that tragedy is part of life as much as the triumph. All the drama, even with an immortal protagonist, reflects on the human condition. That is what makes this anime so good. And that is why ‘To Your Eternity’ is the number one anme on my list for the summer.

Do you agree with my list? Give me a comment, and share this review.