As 2023 begins, the anime community loves to look back on the past year’s best animations. Fifty UHS students who love anime came together and voted on the top five animes of 2022. 

“Blue Lock”

Coming in at number five is “Blue Lock,” the series has recently gained popularity due to the 2022 World Cup taking place in Qatar. The story is set in Japan where the organization “Blue Lock” attempts to create the best striker out of 300 selected players. It heavily emphasizes egotism and selfishness when playing soccer, which is a different take on the sports genre. Usually, soccer is all about teamwork, but the show depicts unique morals about individuality. Ever since Japan beat Germany in the Qatar World Cup, fans have been relating this to “Blue Lock” as if it were real. Not only did Japan achieve the impossible, which is a standard in the majority of the show, but their jerseys this year were also designed by the “Blue Lock” manga creator. The series is worth watching because of its relevance to the World Cup and its interesting take on the sport everyone loves. 

“Love is War”

Number four is “Love is War,” with a shocking season three ending. It is currently number one on myanimelist, which is a platform anime viewers use to rank shows that they have watched. The season three finale of the show is a worthwhile watch as fans have been waiting for 40 episodes for the main characters to start dating. Many people, including Discord mods and Reddit users, are excited about the upcoming movie that is currently in production for the fall of 2023.

“Chainsaw Man”

At number three, it is “Chainsaw Man.” The story is about a guy who can transform into a monster with a chainsaw coming out of him. Although the title sounds like it is chaos, the show itself is diabolical. The pacing is fast and the actions of the characters do not follow common thinking patterns. It is a fresh take on the Shounen genre of anime that is aimed at teenagers rather than adults. Instead of a clear goal, the main character just wants to escape poverty. It’s a good watch overall with fantastic animations. 

“Demon Slayer”

In second place is “Demon Slayer.” As the runner-up, it has received international popularity following the anime adaptation of the manga. The animation done by Ufotable studio is one of the production team’s best works. The overall show of season two is great, but some believe that the original manga was better. The series features a dynamic plot with many twists and turns, but the main characters always win in the end. 

“Attack on Titan”

Coming in first place is “Attack On Titan.” Arguably the show of the past decade, “Attack on Titan” is highly regarded in the anime community. The plot and characters are well developed as it leads viewers down a series of unexpected plot twists. Due to its intricate climaxes, it remains on the top ten episodes of all time on IMDB. Its storytelling is unique and appealing while not throwing too much information at a time to create confusion. The newly animated season four rose the bar of anime to a whole new level, never seen before.