Spring 2022

My quick take: spring 2022 was memorable because it mixed sharp comedy, big-idea movies, and earnest fantasy in a way that stuck with you after episodes ended. Around 200 titles dropped that quarter, and the sheer volume meant highlights had room to breathe instead of getting lost in a crowded slate.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War - Ultra Romantic - leaned harder into character moments and timing, so its jokes landed more often and the relationships felt…earned. Bubble was loud and beautiful — a neon-tinged, physics-bending film that people talked about for its choreography and soundtrack. Mushoku Tensei returned with its second cour focused on Eris and intense action set pieces; it polished the worldbuilding and pushed the plot into higher stakes. Kotaro Lives Alone was a quieter surprise: short episodes that balanced melancholy and warmth through a kid’s oddball perspective. Studios like Silver Link and Kinema Citrus popped up with reliable work, and a handful of original ONAs and music projects helped spring 2022 feel like a season that actually tried new things.