Our top picks from the 2022 anime calendar

Anime is the gift that never stops giving. At least, I hope it doesn’t or I will be out of a job. (There’s always video games – Ed.) Half of my time is spent sorting out what anime are worth watching and which are worth missing. As we start this new year of 2022, there are already so many shows on the horizon that promise to fall into the former category. With a keen eye to the future, I am already filling my 2022 anime calendar with new and exciting shows to catch.

These are the shows that I’m most excited about in the 2022 anime calendar.

Spy x Family

I don’t want to say that I called it, but I absolutely called this one last year. A Spy x Family anime has been announced for a release in April 2022. It should be on everyone’s 2022 anime calendar. With a strong emphasis on the theme of a “found family,” Spy x Family manages to give us a great mix between humour and action and heart-warming interactions between the main cast.

If this gets the animation budget that it deserves, there is no reason it couldn’t be one of the best shows of the year.

My Dress-up Darling

Folks might not know this about me, but I am a bit of a cosplayer when I’m not being an unbearable weeb. So when I heard that this show was going to be part of the winter anime season, I immediately pushed the manga to the top of my reading list. My Dress-Up Darling is all about Wakana Gojo, who is a talented doll maker with limited social skills due to his crippling anxiety, and his relationship with Marin, the most popular girl in their high school — who just happens to be obsessed with cosplay.

The context between these two is often played for laughs throughout the manga, but there is something sweet about how Marin slowly but surely encourages Wakana, who often tries to hide his talent for sewing and doll-making from his classmates for fear that they will make fun of him. This show should be a good mixture of humour and romance, with a healthy dose of “just be yourself” messaging. Something I desperately need in my 2022 anime calendar. Also, expect plenty of fanservice.

My Dress-Up Darling will be simulcast on Funimation starting January 8, 2022.

Attack on Titan

I’m on record as not being a fan of Attack on Titan. As with most properties, I think it was more fun when I didn’t know everything about the world. Give me some mystery and I will eat it up. However, this show is one of the biggest properties of the past decade in anime, with an initial release that coincided with the rise of Cruchyroll and digital streaming services. As such, there is something important about seeing this show to the end, so it is going to find its way onto my 2022 anime calendar as a show to binge at the end at the very least.

Attack on Titan’s final season will be streaming in the UK on Funimation starting January 9, 2022. A dub is almost certain to follow shortly after.

Chainsaw Man

It is hard to describe how much hype there is for this show. Chainsaw Man’s run was one of the biggest manga events of 2020, with art and style that gave the best managaka a run for their money. It is a property that is steeped in imagery and symbolism as well as relentless action. MAPPA has a reputation for doing amazing work, so this is a show that is sure to give us chaotic energy and fluid animation from some of the best.

There hasn’t been an official release date for the Chainsaw Man anime just yet, so we’re likely to have a long wait before we get to see it on our TV screens. I wouldn’t expect to see it released until the Autumn season release schedule. Hopefully it will be worth the wait!

What are you looking forward to in the upcoming year of anime? Let us know down in the comments or via the usual social channels!

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Trent Cannon

Trent is a fan of anything that doesn't take itself too seriously. He is frequently hilarious and adorable. If 240 character takes on gaming, anime, or rat pictures are your thing, follow him on Twitter.

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