2022 has come and gone, and articles have been written about the most important anime, the J-List Blog’s staff’s favorite anime, and of course our favorite waifus of the year, but over in the Land of the Rising Sun, the Japanese fans have voiced their own opinions, tallying up their most searched anime series and movies, but to give one final encore to those legendary anime series of the previous year, animeanime.jp polled their users about their favorite anime series of 2022, and with 8,271 total votes, those fans made their opinions loud and clear.
I should note, animeanime.jp only gave percentage figures for the first three entries.
1. Lycoris Recoil
Lycoris Recoil taking the top spot shouldn’t come as a surprise. This series took 12.3% of the total votes, double the score of the second-place entry. It’s reported that the spinoff novel has already been reprinted ahead of its initial publication due to high demand, and the legendary video game developer Hideo Kojima has praised the series on Twitter, both on his Kojima Productions account and his own personal account.
The series aired from July 2nd, 2022 to September 24nd, 2022, and totaled thirteen episodes. During its run, it claimed a top spot on the most-watched anime series list in Japan.
2. Bocchi the Rock!
Bocchi the Rock! took home 6.2% of the votes and more than deserves a top spot on this list. Airing from October 9th, 2022 to December 25th, 2022, and giving fans a total of twelve episodes to enjoy, this anime series reached the top rankings in Japan, a sentiment shared by their Western counterparts as Bocchi the Rock! had at one point overtaken Chainsaw Man in popularity on My Anime List.
3. Dropkick on My Devil! X
Known in Japan as Jashin-chan Dropkick, the letter ‘X’ at the end stands for the third season of the anime adaptation, and it earned 5.9% of the vote. Dropkick on My Devil!! X aired from July 6th, 2022 to September 21st, 2022, and considering that the original manga series written and illustrated by Yukiwo began publishing in April 2012, and it’s still continuing to this day, I wouldn’t be surprised if more seasons are coming. Though as popular as the series is, it has previously faced some financial issues, and a dispute with Furano City.
Dropkick on My Devil!! X featured Hatsune Miku herself as a guest star, making it the best season ever.
4. Chainsaw Man
Despite not cracking into the top ten back in October, Chainsaw Man remains incredibly popular, with a strong fanbase eager to see more monsters cut to pieces. This series aired from October 12th, 2022 to December 28th, 2022, in a total of 12 episodes.
5. Spy x Family
Yeah, it’s no surprise that this series is on just about every list of the best anime series of 2022, considering it was breaking viewing records left and right. A cool spy, a hot assassin, and a cute psychic girl act as a family; it’s a recipe for brilliance. The spy and family series began airing on April 9th, 2022, and the most recent episode aired on December 24th, 2022.
6. Blue Lock
Often stylized with one word as BLUELOCK, this series began to trend when Japan’s actual soccer team, the Samurai Blue, won at the last FIFA world cup, and Blue Lock‘s own artist Yusuke Nomura posted a drawing on Twitter to congratulate them.
Blue Lock first began airing on October 9th, 2022, and its most recent episode aired on December 24th, 2022.
7. My Hero Academia Season 6
My Hero Academia has always been an incredibly popular series, ever since it debuted on April 3rd, 2016. The current season began airing on December 4th, 2022, and the most recent episode aired on January 14th, 2023. Episode 11 of the series, titled Dabi’s Dance, was the most watched episode of the series out of its current 127 episodes and eight OVAs.
8. Mob Psycho 100 III
The third season in the wildly popular psychic-powered anime series that began with ONE’s crude drawings of the most powerful esper in the world just trying to live his life as part of the mob. The season premiered on October 6th, 2022, and concluded on December 22th, 2022, with a total of twelve episodes.
9. My Dress-Up Darling
Known in Japan as Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru (That Bisque Doll Falls in Love), this anime series is known for getting fans’ hearts beating with certain scenes. The season aired from January 9th, 2022 to March 27th, 2022 for a total of twelve episodes, and new season has already been confirmed.
10. Summer Time Rendering
A mind- and death-bending series that we discussed some months back, Summer Time Rendering blends both a murder mystery and fanservice, which has more than earned a place on any year-end list. The season aired from April 15th, 2022 through September 30th, 2022.
Did your favorites make the list? Would you replace or add any series? Let us know in the comments below.
