Talking about every anime I finished in 2022
Vampire in the Garden
A tragic and impactful story about the relationship between a human and vampire in a world where their two kinds are at outright war with each other. Humanity living in a handful of walled cities while vampires reign over the decaying remnants of everything else. It has vampires (obviously) and a ton of yuri subtext so of course I loved it, and yes, it made me cry. I only wish it were longer than 5 episodes, the story and characters really deserved more time. For something I watched on a whim and binged in a day or two, it’s surprisingly good.
The Executioner and Her Way of Life
This one actually has an actively published manga I was reading before this started airing! - A rarity for me. A yuri Isekai anime about a girl who seemingly can't be killed and the executioner trying to kill her. It's uhh not the best. Animation is poor and the story unfortunately seems pretty amateurish. The anime actually covers more of the story than I'd read in the manga and yeah I'm really not sure I'll continue reading,,, Unfortunately another anime that proves to me that J.C. Staff hasn't been good since the late 90s/early 2000.
Riding Bean
As a big fan of Kenichi Sonada and Gunsmith Cats, it was only a matter of time before I watched this. A slick single episode OVA from the 80s, Riding Bean follows the exploits of a courier by the name of Bean Bandit, and his partner, Really Vincent (A prototype of the Rally Vincent from Gunsmith Cats) as they're framed for kidnapping. It's short, fun, and action packed. Definitely all style, no substance, and far from amazing, but you really can't expect too much from a single episode OVA. It’s pretty rad.
Bean Bandit
This is up there with Berserk 2016 as one of the worst and most disappointing anime I have ever seen. It's a crowdfunded single episode short involving the cast of Riding Bean. I feel bad for anyone who backed this with any kind of expectation of quality. The animation is laughably bad and it's only like 10 minutes so there's virtually NOTHING to it. The only redeeming qualities is getting to see more of Rally and also Becky from Gunsmith Cats for some reason. But that's nowhere near enough to save Bean Bandit from the lowest rating I can give it.
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Rewatched this for the first time in forever with my girlfriend in 2022. It's a hilarious and slick comedy that really showcases just how great Gainax was at that time. The animation is unique, the characters are good, it's all great stuff. Also Stocking has one of my favorite designs for any fictional character - absolutely phenomenal. I really can't wait for the 2nd season. Glad I rewatched this.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
As a huge cyberpunk fan, there was no way I was gonna pass this one up. And yes, before anyone asks, I too was tricked by this anime into thinking that Cyberpunk 2077 was way better than it actually is. Some absolutely gorgeous animation from Trigger combined with an excellent and properly tragic plot and some really great characters makes this anime something special. It nails the dystopian atmosphere and the idea of cyberpunk as a genre in a way I don't think anything released in the past decade has even come close to.
Lycoris Recoil
This is an anime that came out of nowhere and took my twitter feed completely by storm. I was pretty excited for it myself tbh. A proper Girls with Guns anime in 2022? Could this be the resurgence I've been waiting for? Alas unfortunately not. LycoReco just doesn't have the edge, the bite to be a proper Girls with Guns show. And in general it just feels compromised. The story feels like it has a lot to say but doesn't say much of anything and the antagonists are never as interesting as they're set up to be. It feels stuck halfway between trying to be a lighthearted slice of life but also a darker show with social commentary to say. It never commits to either thing in a satisfying way and feels a bit incomplete because of that. Now don't get me wrong, I did enjoy LycoReco, but I'm also still very much disappointed by it. Hey on the bright side at least it has some nice yuri subtext :)
Armitage III
A 90s cyberpunk OVA that is all style and very little substance. It's okay I guess. Protagonist Armitage looks cool in action and the animation is adequate, but wow I could not bring myself to care about the story or characters at all. In general virtually all of the characters and story threads just feel half-baked. Normally I would complain about a lack of length but this time I'm glad Armitage is short because I don't think I could get through a full length series of this. Definitely one of the more disappointing things I watched in 2022.
Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You
So the announcement and subsequent release of the new Urusei Yatsura anime finally got me to watch some of the original movies. And this first one is pretty nice! It's fun, well animated, and feels like an extended episode of the original TV anime in the best way possible. Also it includes best girl Benten so that's a + for me.
Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer
The 2nd Urusei Yatsura movie and probably the most well known/talked about of the bunch. Mostly because it's remembered more for being an early Mamoru Oshii film than anything else. And yeah while the first UY movie and most of the TV series were also directed by Oshii, it's clear he was given much more control with this one. And like most people, I agree that this is where his directorial style really began to shine on its own. This is a really great movie. Gorgeous and trippy animation, great sound, and a wonderfully cryptic and dream-like plot. The only problem is that it really doesn't feel like much of an Urusei Yatsura project though that doesn't bother me too much,,, series poster girl Lum is surprisingly absent as is a lot, but not all of the romantic comedy elements the franchise is known for. Generally it feels like a much more down to earth and mature take on the series, while also serving as a prototype for much of Oshii's later work. It's a classic for a reason.
Angel's Egg
This movie is DENSE. Seriously, it's chock full of crypticism, heavy symbolism, and tons of layers of Judeo-Christian imagery and references that I absolutely adore. This is Mamoru Oshii at his most cryptic for sure, and I love it. The minimal dialogue, the desolate atmosphere, it's all so good. Oh and of course it features character designs by Yoshitaka Amano of Final Fantasy fame! Now, did I understand anything that went on from a story perspective? Uhhh not really, but it doesn't matter. I'll definitely have to give it a rewatch or two,,,, or five to figure out all the intricacies but I'm not complaining.
Ghost in the Shell
Another rewatch of something I hadn't seen in 5+ years. Noticing a pattern? Yeah, that Urusei Yatsura kick eventually morphed into a Mamorou Oshii one. Watched this with my girlfriend - it was her first time seeing it. And wow every time I watch GitS it gets better and better. I seriously think it's my favorite animated film of all time. Gorgeous and intricate animation that perfectly captures the visual essence of cyberpunk paired with Kenji Kawai's haunting score, a mind bending, deeply philosophical story that asks questions about what truly makes us human, and a great cast of characters that are some of the very best I've ever seen in anything. Ghost in the Shell is a work of art and in my opinion the best thing Oshii has done.
Ghost in the Shell: Innocence
The 2004 sequel to 1995's Ghost in the Shell and yet another Mamorou Oshii film. This one is a bit controversial since series protagonist and resident action girl, Major Motoko Kusanagi is barely present,,, at least in person. This time the perspective has shifted to Motoko's partner Batou instead. I'll be honest, I don't think I like it more than the original, but it's still really good. The animation and soundtrack are still top notch, characters well written, and plot appropriately philosophical, trippy, and full of the usual Oshii flare. It's definitely more confusing than the original GitS and I'll absolutely be rewatching to gain a better understanding of it.
Sakura Wars: The Movie
I have a bit of a strange relationship with the Sakura Wars franchise. I've always wanted to get into it but never really did besides watching about half of this movie + a few episodes of the TV anime ages ago and trying to play the 5th game on my Wii and not liking it. I do have an English patched rom of the first game that I'll get around to playing eventually, but for now back to this movie. After properly watching through all of it I can say it's,,, okay I guess. Certainly very pretty when it's traditionally animated but wow the CGI mech segments (aka the CLIMAX of the movie!!!) are really rough and hard to watch. Every once in a while there's a nice scene or a character does something cool but for the most part it's a kinda confusing and messy movie that just doesn't have the runtime to tell the story it wanted to in a satisfying way.
Slayers
Another thing I had seen a handful of episodes of ages ago! I finally decided to sit down and commit to watching Slayers and damn I should have done this sooner. Lina basically instantly became one of my favorite fictional characters. It's just a really fun and goofy fantasy adventure with a likable and well written cast of characters. It feels like a casual game of D&D in the best way possible. I had so much fun with it :)
Slayers: The Motion Picture
More Slayers! This is a nice little romp of a film that serves as a prequel to the TV anime. More Lina is always good in my book! AND NAGA OH MY GOSH I LOVE NAGA I NEED MORE NAGA IN MY LIFE. Lina and Naga together have the most immaculate vibes. Love them so much. Also the animation is impressively good. A big step up from the TV anime.
Slayers Excellent
Woah even more Slayers!! This time it's a 3 episode OVA following Lina and Naga as they go on even more wacky fantasy adventures. Like the other two Slayers entries I watched, it's just so much fun watching this goofball cast. I will say I definitely much prefer watching Lina + Naga compared to Lina + Gourry and the rest of the main party. Lina and Naga just play off each other so well.
Bocchi the Rock!
A slice of life comedy about cute girls in a band!?? What an original concept! Yeah,,, the premise of Bocchi the Rock isn't the most original thing in the world but who cares? It's a cute and fun show with an oh so relatable protagonist afflicted with crippling social anxiety (OMG JUST LIKE MEEEEEEE!!!!!). The animation is slick and surprisingly unique for something so modern, the characters are all great, and the show is just really enjoyable! Though I will admit I don't quite understand the *massive* amount of love the show has received. It's enjoyable, yes, but not as incredible as I've heard some people say it is. Still I am glad it's successful and I'm looking forward to a potential second season.
Chainsaw Man
Easily one of the most anticipated anime of 2022 - and for good reason, the Chainsaw Man manga is great, maybe not quite as great as some people might say, but still, it's this hugely popular for a reason. Unfortunately though, this anime adaptation really fell flat for me. The moments from the manga are there, they just,,, don't have the style. Everything feels so much more bland. Mostly this comes down to the visuals. I'm a CGI hater and though I will admit the CGI in Chainsaw Man looks better than most CGI anime I've seen, it still looks uncanny and wrong to me. The fluidity of the manga is not done justice here at all and it's hard to overlook. Sometimes it looks good but more often than not the show looks wooden, stuff, and downright ugly. Even though the source material is really good, I can't help but feel disappointed. Chainsaw Man deserves better.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
The first new Gundam TV series in quite a while and I think the first Gundam thing I've watched since I dropped Iron Blooded Orphans while it was airing. Anyway uh this show rocks, easily the best Gundam AU I've seen to have come out in the last 20 or so years. It's a bit light on fights and much heavier on 'school drama' than really any Gundam show before it, but that doesn't mean it's not still identifiably Gundam. The anti war messaging and political machinations are all still there, just sharing the screen with some new stuff like it being primarily school-based and a yuri romance between the two leads (yessssssss let's goooooooo lesbians!!!!!!). It really seems like an attempt at capturing a new audience for the franchise and I've certainly enjoyed it so far. ALSO THE FIRST EPISODE IS LITERALLY JUST THE FIRST EPISODE OF REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA BUT WITH MECHS WHAT THE FUCK THAT'S SO COOL.
Galaxy Angel
This show is hilarious and criminally underrated. Seriously, it's easily one of the funniest anime I've ever seen. Technically I finished this in January of 2023 but since I watched most of it in 2022 it's still going on this list! Anyway, back to talking about the show proper. Galaxy Angel is a wacky little early 2000s sci-fi comedy and wow does the early 2000s part show. The character designs with their deformed faces and giant eyes are peak 2000s anime and I love it. Also the characters in general are just really silly and goofy, an absolute blast to watch them get into all sorts of wacky and surreal situations every episode (Milfeulle especially, she's my favorite :3). Honestly I was pretty surprised to learn that the show is actually fairly obscure, at least in the US. Definitely deserves more love and attention.