We’re reclaiming the word otaku and we’re owning it! Well, not really. Not at all actually. And we suggest that no anime fan (in India at least) call themselves otaku of all things. The word, in Japanese and to the Japanese has extremely negative connotations. The word itself means ‘your house’ or a ‘shut-in’ which actually means that you’re so obsessed with something that you can’t function in normal society and you are a burden to the people around you.
Not fun. So let’s just call ourselves normal anime fans, yeah? Moving on to more pleasant topics, the new year is here and we are going to look at the 5 animes of 2022 which have made it to our list of top animes for 2022!
SPOILER alert!!
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5. Ya Boy Kongming:
WE KNOW YOU DIDN’T EXPECT THIS ONE HAHA
But we absolutely loved the absurdist humour of a third century military strategist time-travelling to present day Japan and falling in love with music, the Japanese nightlife and freestyle rap.
Yuto Yotsuba, the writer, must have been high or in a fever dream when he came up with this delight.
The beginning established the fact that Kongming is a pure hearted man who wants to better the world and also made us fall in love with him and his military strategies to win popularity contests. There might be those who say that the story runs the risk of falling into the cliches trap but hey, who said Kongming is here to run for the Oscars? This is a light-hearted, sometimes cliched yes, anime that is perfect and the best anime to watch after a long day of school or work.
4. Kimetsu no Yaiba: Entertainment District Arc:
After the success of Demon Slayer’s box office breaking (well, in Japan) Mugen Train film, the story continues as in the manga, with Tanjiro and his friends following the Hashira Tenzen Uzui and his wives to a red light district to root out a dangerous demon that has killed numerous demon slayers before them.
The first episode starts off right after the ending of Mugen Train arc/film and honestly, we have no words. The animation, the dialogue, the tastefully done flashbacks. Absolutely stunning.
The last few episodes also leave us wanting for more answers what with cheeky hints to Tanjiro’s bloodline.
3. Kotaro wa Hitori Gurashi
The cutest and sort of the most heart-wrenching anime, ‘Kotaro lives alone’ is about a four year old boy who moves into an apartment complex by himself. Yes, we know that’s strange, but suspend your disbelief for a moment and enjoy the joys of anime-logic.
While the initial episodes can get somewhat repetitive and stagnant, later episodes can move you to tears as the young boy affects the lives of those around him in profound ways.
We just wanted a simple anime, instead we got to contemplate our lives.
2. Bleach
Oh man, this was the best anime series of most of our childhoods. Well, for those of us born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Following the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, we get to follow the adventures of this half-human, half-reaper in the afterlife of Soul Society, where souls experience life as back on Earth. Fun. What about eternal rest?
Anyway, Bleach ended with 366 episodes back in 2012 (yes, we watched all of them. Yes, our moms chased us around the house too.) but the anime never finished telling the manga story.
The new episodes follow the much-loved ‘Thousand-Year Blood War’ and we highly recommend you watch them. At least for the nostalgia!
1. Blue Lock
Right around the same time as Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, we have the Blue Lock football anime that surprisingly enough, isn’t all about team-building and heart-to-hearts.
Not that there aren’t fluffy feelings as with all sports animes (lol), Blue Lock is about a program to train youths to become Japan’s and the world’s best striker. By harnessing their ego. Yup.
However cheesy as it may sound, this is one of those animes that don’t fall into the trap of becoming predictable and boring. Each episode ends with us wanting more and more, so much so that we’ve started reading the manga itself.
This is also a highly recommended and popular anime.
Ps. The dude with the fanciest hairstyle is not the protagonist in this anime!
Honourable mentions: Attack on Titan Final Season, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Spy x Family, and, Sasaki and Miyano.
We can’t wait for 2023 and the animes that the new year will bring forth. Happy New Year everyone!
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