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The Top Fifteen Anime of 2022

2022 was an absurdly packed year for anime. From hotly anticipated manga adaptations to anime-original surprises that took hold of the discourse, the year was often so overstuffed that it was tough to keep up with everything, especially during the historically stacked fall season—which makes it no surprise that there were plenty of great shows in the mix.  So with just that much to choose from, what exactly did 2022 bring? It’s true that we didn’t get an artsy, dramatic masterpiece on the level of 2021’s The Heike Story or Sonny Boy , but instead, last year delivered something different: lots and lots of top-shelf entertainment, fun shows of all shapes and sizes brought to life with extraordinary art design and over-achieving animation, even for the productions made under tight conditions. 2022 felt like a constant celebration of the entertainment that that anime can bring, and here, I’d like to highlight the best of these shows and the joy they brought me.  Before we get to t...
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The Best Anime of 2025

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Because 2025 sucked, but the anime was still good. Honorable Mentions Zenshu  brought humor and depth to the played-out  isekai  genre by focusing on a burned-out director showing up in the world of her favorite anime. Rock Is a Lady's Modesty  was a loud, sweaty twist on yuri genre conventions and a testament to music's rebellious power. Sorairo Utility  used its slice-of-life golf story as a playground for expressive animation, with inconsistent but charming results. Anne Shirley  was a lovely little adaptation of the Green Gables story that unfortunately compressed its narrative so much it made me seek out the original. Dealing with the Mikadono Sisters Is a Breeze  was one of the most watchable and character-rich harem comedies of recent seasons, despite its genre baggage. Gachiakuta  was a class-conscious dark fantasy with unique worldbuilding and grungy character designs that put it a cut above the norm. Cleavatess  was a more typica...
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Chainsaw Man and the Art of Adaptation

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Chainsaw Man is kind of a weird manga. A lot of that is clear from its first volume's cover: the campy B-movie title, the splashes of neon-green blood, the strikingly silly design of a chainsaw-sprouting Devil wearing a button-up shirt and tie. Yet w hat looks from the outside like little more than an exercise in hyperviolence is one of the most layered and interesting series on the market, one that contains intense emotional moments,   savvy  interrogations of capitalism , frank talk about teenage sexuality,  some of the most compelling imagery in modern comics,  and, yes, plenty of grime and gore. It's a lot of unexpected things in a small package—and somehow, we live in a world where it became a Shonen Jump megahit to the tune of twenty-three-million copies in circulation.  It's strange that this story, of all things, has become a poster child for the modern manga blockbuster, but in some ways, it's unsurprising. The story's weirdness is up front in a way tha...
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