Chainsawing Through the Season: Fall Anime 2022 Impressions - Renegade Animation #88
On this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru are joined by Teresa, as they review a smorgasbord of all the new anime that Fall 2022 has to offer.
What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, and welcome to the final seasonal anime impressions podcast of the year! On the whole, I can say with confidence that 2022 has been a pretty great year for the medium. Each season had a wide variety of shows to offer, and while nothing was quite as bad as Ex-Arm or The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace, 2022 will most likely be remembered for its two breakout hits: Spy x Family and Chainsaw Man! Now, without further ado, tune in to hear what we thought of the 20 new shows that premiered in Fall 2022.
For those who are looking for recommendations, these are the collective top 5 anime as chosen by myself, Cameron, and Teresa, in alphabetical order.
Akiba Maid War
“Well, I found it, I found the most ideal trashy anime that I don’t have to feel guilty for watching. This original anime is directed by Soichi Masui, written by Yoshihiro Hiki, and produced by P.A. Works. Yeah, the show is basically John Wick, but here every woman wears a sexy maid uniform. It’s more of a trashy action flick mixed with some territorial crime/gang war drama where all of the maid cafes are actually competing against one another with shady underbelly stuff that you would find in most crime thrillers. It’s over-the-top and schlocky, but with how much personality is in this show and how it 100% commits to its premise of drama and over-the-top action, if you were a fan of Lycoris Recoil, then you will absolutely love this show. HiDive this year has gotten some of this year’s best shows and Akiba Maid Wars is one of them!” -The Animation Guru
“Now THIS is an original anime I can get behind! The best way I can describe Akiba Maid War is to basically imagine John Wick-style worldbuilding for the maid café industry. I’ve seen similar shows like this before, but this still finds a way to keep things fresh in its execution (no pun intended). I really don’t want to spoil much about this, it’s an anime that you have to just experience for yourself. However, I can say with confidence that it will certainly end up in my top 5 for the season!“ -Captain Kaye
Bocci the Rock
“A great premise with thoughtful character touches.“ -Teresa
“This has some of the most interesting visuals you will find in a year full of anime with distinct visuals. It’s also really funny and crushingly accurate as to how they capture social anxiety, and how it can feel for some people in certain situations. Just a splendid anime around, and it’s no wonder why it has become one of the fan-favorite anime of the season.“ -The Animation Guru
“I think this might be some of the best introvert representation I’ve seen in a very long time. The fact that Hitori Goto is so relatable makes this anime both incredibly well written and unbearable to watch at the same time. On the surface, I knew right away I was going to love Bocci The Rock because it was an anime revolving around music. But that it’s also a great character study about overcoming social anxiety makes this worthy of the top 5 spot for the year!“
Chainsaw Man
“Best animation of the season. The creature sacrificing for the lead made me teary-eyed.“ -Teresa
“I mean, we all knew this was going to be one of, if not the best new show of the Fall 2022 season right? It’s based on the hit manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto that has taken the manga world by storm. The anime adaptation is obviously produced by MAPPA, it’s written by Hiroshi Seko, and directed by the duo of Ryu Nakayama and Nasato Nakazono. This show is just a bit of everything. It has fantastic action, incredible film quality level animation, dark comedy, and it doesn’t just fall back on its popularity or the gore to keep you invested. It has everything an anime fan or a newcomer to anime could want with how it balances everything to pretty much perfectly. There is a reason why this is considered one of the best shows of the year and season. You can’t get any better than this in terms of anime, and hopefully, MAPPA is treating its animators well to craft such an exquisite experience.” -The Animation Guru
“Chainsaw Man is not only one of the best anime to premier this season, it is THE anime that represents Fall 2022! It’s the kind of breakout hit that was just inevitable, given how popular the manga was already. Mappa is the studio behind this project, so top shelf animation was a given. It has a great core cast of characters, intriguing worldbuilding, and arguably one of the best soundtracks of any show this year. I won’t say anymore, just go watch the anime ASAP!“ -Captain Kaye
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury
“This was a perfect return to the universe with an amazing prologue episode.” -Teresa
“Who knew that what we needed was not a group of angsty teenagers in yet another anti-war story that clashes with the sole money-making side of the Gundam franchise of selling a multitude of models and action figures? Yeah, war is bad, but look how cool the robots and action beats are. Thankfully, what ya get with this one is Gundam crossed with Revolutionary Girl Utena, which is already at this point, a tired and worn joke since one of the writers of Utena is writing the script for this show. On a more serious note, this show is just fantastic. It’s got its political upheaval and war is bad messages for sure, but instead of that stuff being in your face at all times, it focuses more on the characters and they are delightfully diverse and complex. It still weaves in themes of discrimination and corruption, but they are characters first and foremost. It also helps that they are pretty likable, on top of the fight scenes being pretty stellar. It’s the shot in the arm that this franchise needed and it just needed to have more LGBTQ+ elements. Who knew?“ -The Animation Guru
“I haven’t been the best at keeping up with the Gundam franchise, but this one had my undivided attention after learning about the premise. Apparently this is the first TV series in the franchise to feature a female protagonist, and that’s not even the most interesting thing about her. Suletta Mercury is one of the two survivors of the Folkvangr Incident, in which the entire Ochs Earth Corporation was killed. This show is awesome, it’s got everything you love about Gundam, with a dash of class warfare and a budding sapphic romance. This one is highly recommended.“ -Captain Kaye
Reincarnated as a Sword
“This was cute and loved him fighting without anyone leading into the girl wielder. Finally an isekai I can recommend.“ -Teresa
“This is what happens when you make a familiar, but compelling isekai. This is based on the novels by Yuu Tanaka. It’s directed by Shinji Ishihara, written by Takahiro Nagano, and produced by C2C. While the lead being reincarnated as a sword doesn’t seem like it leads to a very compelling story, it actually stands on its own as one of the better isekai this year. The sword’s interaction with our cat girl lead that so far, the anime has tried to avoid sexualizing, is nice since anime is so bad at not making young characters look lewd. I get ya want to sell merchandise, but instead of doing most anime nonsense, the show does focus on the growing bond between our leads and it makes for a more pleasant experience when you are able to enjoy the show without so much nonsense getting in the way. With a fun premise, great animation, and well-executed action, Reincarnated as a Sword was a pleasant surprise in a year full of mediocre isekai.” -The Animation Guru
“The problem with most isekai isn’t the genre itself, but rather the lack of imagination in each of the copies of copies of Sword Art Online. This anime dares to ask the question, “but what if the sword was the hero?” I think that might be the secret to this genre’s future success, by taking ridiculous premises like this to their most logical extreme. The dynamic this sword has with Fran, a young black cat humanoid who wishes to become an adventurer, is just so wholesome. Reincarnated as a Sword is unquestionably one of the best anime of the season, and I can’t wait to see more!“ -Captain Kaye
And that’s a wrap on anime in 2022! Thank you as always for joining us, we hope you all have a happy New Year!
