Forum - View topicThe Best and Worst Anime of Spring 2022
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Emerje
 Posts: 7406 Location: Maine |
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Felt like this season had a lot of frustrating series that should have been great, but really missed the mark with the pacing. Shield Hero and Bookworm both seemed to manage their time poorly with the former focusing tool much on the less interesting arc and the latter rushing through a story that probably could have used a full 12 episodes to get the story out instead of 10. Even Spy X Family gave us what felt like a bonus episode (because it kinda was) when the previous episode would have ended the show on a high note, maybe they should have just swapped the last two episodes?
Anyway, there's still three shows from this season I haven't finished because I'm watching the dub and two of them might end up my favorite shows from this season (Love is War and Shikimori). I really did enjoy Spy X Family, really got me to laugh out loud more than I thought it would, coming into the show completely unfamiliar with the story. Just looking at the manga covers I didn't realize it was such an over the top comedy. Trapped in a Dating Sim was the surprise hit for me, I guess what I really needed right now was a trash hero who's heart is in the right place. It was really let down by its animation not being able to handle fight scenes (the brawl between the two girls was reduced to just nicely drawn stills) and I doubt there'll be a second season to fix that. The show that I watched every week just to pick it apart was The Greatest Demon Lord which felt like a VERY poor imitation of The Misfit of Demon King Academy. The characters seemed to just do things because they suddenly could, both girls had potentially interesting stories based around terrible life events but were reduced to fanservice and constantly in need of rescuing (except when the plot decided they didn't), and the villains lacked any motive beyond vague revenge plots and just wanting to be evil. How is it our "hero" goes Super Saiyan for his first and last boss battles, but everyone in between, despite being treated like serious threats, are just pushovers? I really hope there are some good shows in the summer season because I'm only seeing a few shows that look a little interesting and nothing I've watched previous seasons is continuing this season (if you ignore OAVs and specials). Emerje |
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KitKat1721
 Posts: 974 |
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I still have a couple Spring shows to catch up on (namely Deaimon and Birdie Wing), but overall I thought this was a solid season! Plus I'd still like to give Ao Ashi and Summertime Render a shot when I get a chance (or the latter makes it to streaming).
Anime of the Season: I had high hopes and expectations for Dance Dance Danseur based on the creatives involved and the initial PV, but every episode this series still managed to wow me on some level. Whether it was the direction for some standout moments, grandiose or otherwise, or the whole "not wasting a minute of screen time" progression of the story, there was always something that stuck a chord on an emotional level. There was always so much open to discussion each and every week. It's just a gorgeous series through and through and one that I know will stick with me long after post-seasonal hype has faded. That being said, while the finale didn't bother me quite as much as Lynzee (even if some of the developments or resolutions mentioned in her review, particularly those revolving around Miyako, hurt all the same), I can totally understand anyone coming away feeling let down. If anything, I think extra early development for Miyako and more clarification on her own feelings during the finale would have cemented it as a 10/10 for me. It really was the biggest thing holding the show back, but given the buildup to that resolution and the fact that it's clearly an Act 1 finale to a larger story, it wasn't enough to remove the show from my No. 1 placement. Runner-Up: It was a close call between Kaguya-sama S3 and Spy x Family for this spot, but I have to hand it to the former for such a fantastic payoff. It’s funny to think back on just how lukewarm I was on S1 (I don't even think it made my top ten for that year) because this show has only improved with each consecutive sequel. This season was packed with some of the most creative gags, references, and multi-tiered jokes in recent memory, paired with genuinely heartfelt and palpable tension. I know we're getting more Kaguya-sama in the future but honestly, if this was the end I still would have been 100% satisfied with those cultural festival episodes capping the entire series off. Most disappointing: If we're counting continuations, it's still Requiem of the Rose King 100%, although I didn't actually make it to the second half that began in Spring. I gave it a few episodes when it first premiered. I tried it again when the dub starting airing. It was actually the only dub I bothered to watch multiple episodes of since I really wasn't motivated to check out any CR dubs given the direction the studio is moving (or moving back to). It was also really cool how Shawn Gann brought on a ton of new LGBT (particularly trans and non-binary) VAs I hadn't heard much from before for this show specifically, and I did want to support that. But I just couldn't get into the show due to it's artistic and structural shortcomings. I'm not far into the manga yet, but it's already leagues ahead of the same material covered in the anime. I hope the next time we get a big shoujo adaptation, especially a unique title like this that isn't a safe high-school romcom, it's given the love and attention it deserves. It just felt like 7 Seeds all over again and it's depressing. If we aren't counting continuations uhh probably Tomadachi Game? But I can only say that because one of my friends wanted to watch it. Otherwise I would have never checked it out. Every aspect of this show was just not for me, especially the unlikable cast of characters who didn't have the decency to at least be fun to watch. But the biggest sin was the show not even trying to make the audience believe these kids were actually good friends before hurling them into a high-stakes game based on friendship. |
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Amuro1X
Posts: 202 |
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I'm glad I wasn't the only one that was utterly disappointed with Science Fell in Love. It ironically made a joke about how the middle point of S2 felt like a finale, and honestly it should have been. Everything with Kanade was utterly infuriating. It may have been trite, but if the message for Kanade's story line had been that her relationship would have gone better if she had just been honest with herself and the guy she was dating, it would have at least been in keeping with the tone of the show which has been feel good up to this point. But the guy turned out to be a psycho rapist and the end result was her falling in love with Yukimura, and what the ever loving hell are you doing!? Even development on the Kosuke and Ena relationship couldn't salvage that dumpster fire.
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5930 Location: Virginia, United States |
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I figured Spy x Family would be a up there. The manga was so fantastic.
The butchering job on Ascendance of a Bookworm ruined what was a pivitol arc of the whole series. You'd think with the truncated episode count they could have done the season 3 finale proud, as this is one of the most important events in the franchise. I wish I could scream my head off and point fingers, but sadly, the only explanation that makes sense is the severe lack of money. Bookworm and Skeleton Knight were my must watch now series, and Skeleton Knight didn't even get any love here. I liked it. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11588 |
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Amen! Ao Ashi has pretty much been a beat for beat reworking of Ace of Diamond's story. And though I've since become a hopeless fangirl for the latter, during its initial outing I was ranting weekly about the coaching staff of this elite baseball powerhouse refusing to ever teach our young prodigy anything. Eventually, he did start getting hints and tips, and it looks like Ashito has reached that stage now too. So I'm more hopeful for where the series will go now that's been sorted. Though now we may have escalated from gifted to literally supernaturally gifted? Or maybe that was just a hilarious way to illustrate his mental imagery. 
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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I take it Summertime Render isn't allowed in any of these lists. It's my contender for top show of the season along with Spy X Family. I literally felt afraid for the main characters in the most recent installment.
I play golf and decided after one episode of Birdie Wing this wasn't a show for me. I've been hoping for a series about a dedicated Japanese female golfer wanting to make it on the LPGA tour, like so many shounen stories about going to Koshien and similar top events. While I can admire Aoashi and Dance Dance Danseur for their many technical merits, I didn't like either of the main characters which detracted from my overall experience. Both characters are incredibly self-centered. Ashito never really overcomes this issue. Junpei begins to recognize how his opinions must change for him to advance as a dancer at the very end of the series. I also found the ways the eyes were drawn in Aoashi incredibly annoying and never saw any good reason for it. |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 2654 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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And he's not the only one! I absolutely lost it when spoiler[the crows started talking]. |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4625 |
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Most disappointing would probably be Shield Hero 2 since I was looking forward to it, and it sort of stumbled with pacing issues. Worst would probably be Tomadchi Game. I can't call that one disappointing since I went into it with no expectations, but it's the only thing I started this season that I didn't finish. I was done by episode 3.
Best is probably Spy X Family, and the most pleasantly surprising were Trapped in a Dating Sim for being better than I would have expected and also Love After World Domination for having me on board with its humor within one episode. |
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meiam
Posts: 3450 |
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Awww no mention of demon girl next door, the second season was really strong and with some of the best pacing I've ever seen in an anime, it never felt like the staff was just wasting time to stretch things out and the few slow moment usually had some background gag or something.
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Rogueywon
Posts: 264 |
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For me, this was a very strong season - certainly the strongest we've had since the start of the pandemic and possibly for longer than that. I'd been on a bit of an anime-downer for a while, as for quite some time now it's felt like each season throws up one or two good shows and a lot of dross, but this season definitely turned things around. In fact, it's very hard for me to pick a favorite.
On balance, Kaguya-sama S3 probably takes the crown as far as I'm concerned. It was really impressive how what was once a snarky sketch-based comedy transformed into one of the best dramas for years and that final double-length episode was stunningly animated. Plus, the show's ED had that absolutely superb Starship Troopers montage, which definitely wins some points. And the runner up? A close-run thing between Birdie Wing, Ya Boy Kongming and Demon Girl Next Door S2. I'd probably pick Birdie Wing out of those three, because it was just so utterly, utterly... anime-ish. The big, hyped show of the season, Spy x Family, I thought was good but not great. It had some fantastic moments and Anya has a brilliant face-game, but some of its episodes mis-fired for me. The castle/theme park episode left me completely cold - it felt like it would have been better held back as an arguably non-cannon OVA or something. The dodgeball episode also felt far too drawn out. But still, a decent enough show overall. As for the weakest show I watched this season... I didn't really watch anything that was less than "solid". Given that last season I ended up sitting through that Strongest Sage Weakest Crest drivel, that's a big improvement. Shield Hero S2 had a pretty weak first half, though it did improve towards the end. I was also let down a bit by Ascendance of a Bookworm S3. I'm a big fan of the light novels, but thought that S3 was a very pedestrian adaptation that didn't really do justice to some pivotal story scenes (as well as cutting a lot of critical content in its final two episodes). Neither of those shows were bad - I liked more than I disliked about them, but they were at the back of a strong pack. |
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tintor2
 Posts: 2116 |
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Number one spot would be without a doubt Spy X Family: This series nailed a sweet balance between comedy and wholesome. Just the early scene of Lloyd grabbing a newspaper shocked about his mission was a neat beginning. His relationship with the memehighness Anya and his marriage with Yor were also nicely executed.
Memorable would be Komi-san can't communicate as the new season kept expanding the bond between Komi and Tadano while also bringing them more depth than just gags. Still, haven't seen the finale due to Netflix. I haven't watched other animes except Shield Hero which I had to quit due to the weird pacing of the tortoise, the new slave and her treatment by the other hero.[/b] |
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b-dragon
Posts: 497 |
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A very strong season, particularly for romcom fans. My favorite was probably SpyxFamily. I ended up watching a few shows that I wouldn't bother with in hindsight: The Greatest Demon Lord Reborn... kept threatening to be interesting, long past the point I should have stopped bothering with it. Skeleton Knight thouroughly whelmed me- I see potential, but I have to think that fans were looking forward to things in a potential season 2. Similar to Demon Lord, it kept threatening to be truly engaging...and never fully delivering on its concepts or characters. It did maintain a much higher standard of quality than the former though.
Trapped in A Dating Sim was better than it really should be- after the 3rd episode, it found its narrative footing and was pretty consistently entertaining...well, the writing was. The visual presentation was not good. The best part though, is I have a backlog of shows to go through- I've not watched Birdie Wing or Love After World Domination, so I'm very much look forward to spending time with those, particularly if this next season isn't quite as stacked. |
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thepepin
Posts: 69 |
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On Summertime Render my guess is they can't rate a show that they can't watch. I agree with you on Birdie Wing. It is amazing that there were a number of serious female sports anime in times past but no one seems interested in doing them anymore. That it has long been proven that successful shonen and seinen series can have female leads, a modern Attacker You or Aim for the Ace need not even be shoujo or josei. Would have been great to see a show about golfers competing to make the Japanese female Olympic team or something. As for Aoashi and Dance Dance Danseur, "protagonist who needs character development" is a shonen staple. Considering the age ranges of both the protagonists and the target market, not a bad one. Yes there is a need for more adult protagonists in shonen media who are already mentally, emotionally and intellectually mature - Clark Kent/Superman etc. - but another story for another day. |
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Chiibi
 Posts: 4829 |
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Tomodachi Game and I have such a weird relationship.....
It's like I KNOW it's going to be unpleasant....yet I can't help really wanna see what happens. Sorta like Platinum End....but this show will have to plummet LEAPS AND BOUNDS to get to that level. 
As for the others: Spy x Family: finding someone who doesn't like this would be like The 8th Wonder lol Dance Dance Danseur: Excellent. Plan to finish. Aoashi: Man, I plain don't care enough xD Fanfare: Thought the first ep was pretty good; that random BL moment was gold. ha Virgin Road: I don't normally watch shows like this but man, the story is really interesting. Science Fell in Love: Love the first season....now I'm worried. Shield Hero 2: It's definitely not as good as the first...but I don't hate watching it. Kunoichi: Yeah, I plain don't care for this one. Could have been great if they introduced an actual male love interest but noooooooo "misandry jokes are far more important". 
Love After World Domination: I wanted to like this...but the male MC is too stupid for words; who the hell gives their girlfriend a power bar instead of taking her to a restaurant? And they skip all the potential exciting stuff to build the relationship naturally and just go out immediately because....? Boring. Such a waste. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18443 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Yeah, I'd rank this past season as one of the strongest in recent memory. I didn't follow all of the titles regarded as being great fun (i.e., Kaguya-sama and Birdie Wing, and I'm shocked that Aharen-san ended up being good after its tepid start) and I still had no shortage of titles to cheer for.
Best Anime: Spy x Family. This was the series that most clicked on everything it was trying to do, with its only minor weakness being the under-use of Yor. It hits strongly on Action, Comedy, Cute Factor, and Family-Building fronts, featured fantastic visuals, and was just an all-around joy to watch. I'd also agree that it has probably the season's best ED. Favorite Anime: Ascendance of a Bookworm, though by a much narrower margin than I would have expected. I absolutely adore the setting and world-building and didn't have the problem with the story this season that some others did. (I guess the flaws aren't as apparent if you haven't read the novels?) Runners-Up: Love After World Domination, The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Summer Time Rendering, and Demon Girl Next Door 2, in no particular order and all for different reasons. (Skeleton Knight in Another World isn't quite at the same level of those four but also deserves mention for being a lot more fun than I had expected.) LAWD was a great homage to super sentai series which presents one of anime's most adorably dorky couples. Like Lynzee, I always came away from this one with a smile and respected the cleverness of some of its stunts. I had read the first novel on Executioner before, and felt that the anime version was a strong adaptation of the source material, one which used its premise well and provided interesting characters (Ashuna's going to get overlooked at the rare combat-oriented princess who's actually built like the powerhouse that she is), character dynamics, and magic systems paired with generally strong animation. It also has the season's best OP; it may be the only title this season whose OP I watched every time. I have to think STR might get some mention next season, when (hopefully) it finally becomes legally available on Disney+. This is a taut and unexpectedly compelling time-looping horror series, one where almost every detail (including what color panties a girl is wearing in an early panty flash!) matters later on. Be forewarned that it is also the season's most graphic title, even over Executioner. When it comes to cleverness, though, not even Spy x Family can match DGND2. Its talent for casually throwing in little world-building details and character development moments amongst all the craziness and sometimes-stellar jokes (the "I'm a member of the Surrounded by Cats Club" is an instant classic) is nearly unmatched. The debut of Dark Peach Momo also has to be considered one of the overall season highlights. On the other side, I can't see even dedicated franchise fans disagreeing much with The Rising of the Shield Hero 2 getting multiple mentions for Most Disappointing. This was a major step down from the first season, with very little of what this season did coming together well even though it saw no drop-off in visual quality and featured one of my favorite plot developments of the season. (It concerns raccoon-girl Raphtalia, and anyone who's seen that far into the season knows what I'm referring to.) It just felt flat overall. |
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