The anime season of Spring 2022 was a real banger. Hit after hit after hit, the anime Gods truly blessed us. You had hard hitters in the industry come back with sequel seasons like Attack On Titan The Final Season Part 2, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone’s Ocean, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. Unlike the previous spring and summer anime seasons, we had lots to look forward to.
There were some newer adaptations of beloved manga that dominated the latter half, ranging from the genuinely earnest My Dress-Up Darling on top of the Shojou list, followed by the wholesome Sasaki To Miyano Kun and the adorable but quirky Spy X Family, which is still currently airing.
It’s amazing how much good content we’ve got in only the first quarter of the year, but the next few months are shaping up to be just as exciting, if not more. The line-up for Summer 2022 includes a ton of beloved favorites coming back (Maid-In-Abyss fans get hyped!) and some new faces too.
Summer is the season of heightened romance and heated feelings so let’s dive right into what we will be personally keeping our eye on starting next month. Here are our top 10 picks for anime to watch this summer.
1. Kakegurui Twin
After a successful manga, anime, and live-action run, shenanigans at Kyakkou Private Academy are back! In this high school for the elite, the social standing isn’t merited by academic achievements or athletic abilities but by gambling. Those who win these fortune squandering gambles are on top of the food chain while those who lose and fall into debt become slaves known as Pets. Enter Kakegurui Twin: a prequel series that is set a year before the original anime about our resident pretty psycho, Yumeko Jabami, and her cohorts.
The story mainly focuses on Mary Saotome and her first days at the school, before Yumeko joined the scene. Mary, upon arriving at Kyakkou High, reunites with Tsuzura Hanatemari, her childhood friend who’s currently a pet. We will see a novice Mary interact with the illusive Tsuzura, and how the trust between the two morphs. And the biggest question of all? What happened between the two by the end of it, because Mary is alone by the time the main anime rolls in.
Kakegurui Twin is being touted as slightly more realistic and grounded, considering Mary isn’t the Chaos Goddess of gambling like Yumeko. However, Sachiko Juraku, a girl obsessed with trying to break Mary into becoming her Pet, is said to be playing the antagonist role, so we can still expect a ton of insanity!
Kakegurui Twin will premiere worldwide in August 2022 on Netflix in the summer 2022 anime list.
2. Classroom Of The Elite (Season 2)
After 4 whole years, we are finally going to see Class-D and their rise from the bottom once again! In Future Japan, where schools sort students into classes based on their intellectual aptitude, students must make their way through by earning points that guarantee freedom that mirrors real life.
This second season will cover the story of Class-D’s first year in high school, and fans can expect the return of Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, an unassuming boy who has less than ideal social skills but possesses intelligence like no other. He is one of many in Class-D, which is where the school puts its inferior performing students. Amongst his classmates, he meets Suzune Horikita and Kikyō Kushida. This meeting causes Kiyotaka’s world to turn upside down, and his dream of an ideal normal high school life begins to crack.
The gang from the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School will be coming back on your screens in July 2022, so mark your calendars folks!
3. Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun
Fans of this critically acclaimed manga and anime series can rejoice, for a 2nd season, Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun, which is confirmed to air this year! Known for being the most unassuming anime in the last decade, it also has some of the most interesting settings in anime. A city built around a giant pit, gaping downwards for tens of thousands of meters, its nature unknown, treasure, and terrifying beasts awaiting any who wish to test their luck.
The story revolves around a giant pit known as The Abyss; a void so deep, that it is said to go on for tens of thousands of meters. Rumors are filled with talks of mysterious beings and treasures from a time long past calling the giant chasm home. But how did it even come to exist? What lies at the very bottom? Is there even an end to the depths?
Fearless individuals known as Divers have worked tirelessly to shed some light on the Abyss, descending to its gnawing depths for answers. The best amongst the Divers are the White Whistles, known as legends by those living in the city surrounding the pit. Riko is the daughter of Lyza the Annihilator, a white whistle who went missing. She wishes to be like her mom and reach the furthest corners of the Abyss but meets Reg, a robot that looks like a normal boy and can’t remember anything before the two meet. Riko is certain Reg came from the chasms below and so they descend, completely unaware of the cruel circumstances that lie under.
Made In Abyss is known for having the art style of a cute children’s show, chibi art included, but it quickly becomes aware that the show is much darker. Fans can expect the new season to start airing in July 2022.
4. Rent-A-Girlfriend (Season 2)
Waifu lovers will be happy knowing that fan-favorite Rent-A-Girlfriend will be coming back to spice things up this year! This slice-of-life romance had its first season air back in September 2021, so at least we didn’t have to wait too long, right?
Kazuya Kinoshita seems like a polite college student, but in all honesty, he is pretty immature. Upon his breakup with ex-girlfriend Mami Nanami, he decides to hire a girlfriend out of heartbreak. Chizuru Ichinose isn’t your typical sugar-sweet waifu and, by God, she will let you know it. After a bad first encounter with Kazuya, she is hired again by him so that he can prove she’s fake and that’s where the plot comes unraveling. Thus begins the story of the two and their dynamic, getting into precarious situations and misunderstandings, while slowly realizing that there might just be something more than friendship between them.
It’s a simple watch, filled with tropes and cliches in the most comforting way. The best part is the gradual character development of all the characters, and how they interact with each other following their self-discoveries. If you like a satisfying watch, you can catch season 2 airing in July 2022.
5. Overlord (Season 4)
From the people that brought you KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!, we will be getting a season 4 for the Dark Fantasy Overlord.
When an online role-playing game (RPG) is permanently shut down, one last player is still left logged in and he is transported to a parallel world. Our protagonist Satori Suzuki left with no options, sets out to start conquering this fantasy world and shape his empire.
He goes about gaining the allegiance of Humanoids, monsters, and beasts alike while vowing to destroy any who attempt to stand in his way. And so, Satori becomes the powerful Ainz Ooal Gown, Lich ruler of the Sorcerer Kingdom, hellbent on furthering his agenda by being the…most balanced and just ruler? Does that happen to have the respect of his peers? And a heart of gold?
Honestly, this show is always such a treat to watch. The way Ainz, an all-mighty Lich, is merciful and kind while being shrewd and callous towards supposed threats, it’s really entertaining. The plot never gets stale so it’s no wonder we are getting a season 4, which will be released by Madhouse in July 2022.
6. Tokyo Mew Mew New
Now, this is a blast from the past! Suddenly I’m 8 years old again, hoping and wishing to be a magical girl like the ones I’d see in Tokyo Mew Mew and Sailor Moon.
If you’ve been an OG anime fan you’ve at least heard of Ichigo Momomiya, a girl who transforms into magical girl Mew Ichigo and possesses the strength of the Iriomote leopard cat.
Armed with 4 other girls who accidentally got the same abilities as her, they must work together to save Earth from Chimera Anima, parasitic aliens hell-bent on taking over the world! And the story of the Mew Mews continues, 18 years later, in an all-new adaptation called Tokyo Mew Mew New!
Tokyo Mew Mew was the first anime/manga for many girls growing up. And the nostalgia is bound to capture our attention once again! We can expect our hearts to start going Doki-Doki when the anime starts airing in July 2022 summer season.
7. The Devil Is A Part-Timer! (Season 2)
Listen, I think I speak for all of us when I say I love a good ‘Gods trying to live as mortals and failing miserably’ story. What can I say, it’s just hilarious seeing the mighty fall? Maybe that’s the sadist in me but no one can deny how entertaining the anime The Devil Is A Part-Timer! is with the same tropes. So, it’s no surprise seeing it get a second season!
We know the story. Big bad Demon Lord Satan goes about trying to conquer yet another world, Ente Isla, with his faithful demon generals Alciel, Lucifer, Malacoda, and Adramelech, by his side. However, after being thwarted by the heroine Emilia and her companions, Satan and Alciel are forced to retreat through a gate that leads to modern-day Tokyo.
Now due to the lack of magic in this mundane world, both Satan and Alciel decide to metamorphize into humans, so they don’t stand out. As a last resort, Satan applies for….a part-time job? At a fast-food place name MgRonald’s? (Jeez, I wonder what THAT’S a parody of.) And Alciel….becomes his houseman? And, oh, Satan changes his name to Sadao Maō and he meets this girl name Emi Yusa who is actually Emilia in disguise!
The story is very quick-witted, exploring the personalities of each character and how their moral values intersect. Seeing these mystical characters struggling to keep up with the mundane like jobs, taxes and plain functioning as an adult is funny as heck. And if you’d enjoy watching them suffer as well, you can catch the new season premiere in July 2022 in the summer anime season.
So, what are you looking forward to this summer? Will you be watching any of the recommendations or do you have a favorite we forgot to mention?
Honestly, I’m sure I did, considering how jam-packed this season is but these were just my picks for summer 2022 anime. Let us know what you’d like us to cover next!
