Happy New Year, and with a new year comes the 2022 Winter Anime season. This first season of the year has a number of new shows to keep you occupied through the first few months of the year.
Admittedly the year is off to a bit of a slow start with fewer notable series airing than usual. Regardless, here are at least seven shows that are worth keeping an eye on as they begin airing for the 2022 Winter Anime season.
Attack on Titan: The Final Season – Part 2
Well, let’s start with the big one of the season. Attack on Titan starts the season with its final season, or at least the second half of its final season (the first half having aired a year ago, which makes you wonder why they’re even considered one season).
One of the biggest anime of modern times will be coming to a climactic end, seeing Eren finally destroy the enemies who have been opressing him and his people for so long. But is that truly the right thing or is it more morally grey than that? You’ll just have to tune in and find out, for the final time.
Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc
The one is slightly cheating since it did start airing already in mid-December but it’s still considered part of the Winter 2022 season so might as well include it.
Demon Slayer returns with the Entertainment District Arc. Taking place directly after the movie Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, this arc sees Tanjiro and friends recruited by Tengen Uzui, the hashira of sound to infiltrate the entertainment district and defeat one of the upper moon demons.
The animation is beautiful as ever and seeing Tanjiro having the work with a character as eccentric as Uzui, a very different hashira from the bold and noble Rengoku makes for an interesting dynamic. You also get the see Zenitsu in drag, what else could you ask for?
My Dress-Up Darling
Speaking of dressing up, My Dess Up Darling seems to be the popular new series of the season and it has a simple but cute premise. Wakana Gojou is a loner who spends his days tending to his hobby of making traditional dolls and doll’s dresses, something he finds embarrassing to show others.
But soon he is found out by popular girl Marin Kitagawa who ropes him into her own secret hobby, cosplay. From the premise alone, it has the making for a cute comedy. Combine that with a bright and vibrant art style, that very much shows off each cosplay’s features (and maybe a little more) and it has the making of a sweet romantic comedy.
Princess Connect! Re: Dive Season 2
If you want a sweet slice of life with a little fantasy mixed in, Princess Connect! Re: Dive, based on the game of the same name, has its second season coming out could be coming this winter.
The best to describe Princess Connect is that it’s like Konosuba but chill. Instead of Konosuba’s black comedy, it instead just decides to take it easy with the characters just enjoying their adventures in this other world. The three main girls are all cute, a tsundere cat girl, a loyal demure elf girl, and a young princess who just wants to eat as much good food as possible. If you’re an isekai or fantasy fan who’s in the mood for something more laid back, this is a good one.
Tribe Nine
In Neo Tokyo Country, the youth form ‘tribes’, and conflicts between tribes are solved with extreme baseball. Haru is a weak-willed young man that wants to be stronger and Taiga has traveled across the sea, meet with the strongest baseball player and leader of the Minato tribe, Shun Kamiya. Now they must fight against a dark force that wishes to control all the tribes.
While the premise isn’t the most original, I have my eye on this anime for one main reason. The art is done by Danganronpa artist Rui Komatsuzaki. With his signature thick outlines and distinct faces, it easily stands out among the winter anime catalog. The original concept and score were also done by Daganronpa’s writer and composer Kazutaka Kodaka and Masafumi Takada.
Komatsuzaki and Kodaka had previously worked on the anime Akudama Drive which was a fantastic cyberpunk action anime. With such a good team behind the wheel, I can’t help but want to see what they have in store with Tribe Nine.
Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
Akebi Komichi is a friendly country mouse who wins entrance into a prestigious all-girls school, Roubai Academy Middle School. She wants two things, to wear a school uniform and to make 100 friends.
At first, I thought this premise sounds a lot like Komi-san however the execution is very different. While Komi-san is an extreme introvert, Akebi is much more outgoing with the show has a more feel-good, cute girls doing cute things atmosphere.
Being a Cloverworks series, the animation is very high quality. It has a very rustic and pristine feel to it and some really polished facial expressions.
Love of Kill
The stoic, cold bounty hunter Chateau Dankworth is on a mission to track down the notorious assassin Son Ryang-ha who has killed a number of officials. When they meet however Son Ryang-ha states that he going to take her as well, take her heart that is.
This thriller is a cat and mouse game between the two killers with perhaps just a hint of romantic tension on the side. Son has a habit of gifting her with her own targets tied up and battered, ready to hand over. This is good for people that want a thriller between frenemies leading to a darker take on romance.
What will you watch during the Winter 2022 anime season?
These were just some suggestions for anime to watch during the Winter 2022 season. Hopefully, this list has given you some ideas for shows to watch. If not, are there any other anime you’re planning to go for?
For more anime worth a watch, check out our list of the best anime of the year 2021.
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