The Spicy Summer Anime Season of 2022

We're already past the mid point of the Summer anime season, and it's been a pretty amazing season so far.

In comparison to Winter and Spring preceeding it, it may be the least impactful so far, but it's still a season with loads of fun and a bountiful line up that delivers high end entertainment if you follow the right shows in it.

As every good season, it's filled with animes of a variety of genres and architypes to satisfy the different crowds in the community.

It's a season I describe as 'Spicy', due to the fact that all of the most prominent animes airing this season are either erotic in their nature or have a similarly wild and electrifying element in their premise that makes every episode leave a form of high effect on its viewers.

Summer 2022 has also proven itself to be the Season of Revivals, as out of the long list of sequels this season comes 3 animes were basically brought back from the dead and given their anticipated sequels that were long overdue. 

After 5 long years, we finally got the second season of Classroom Of The Elite we've been craving, and it's been every bit the tantalizing show we loved back in 2017. The season highlights a growing rivalry between Classes C and D, building up to a face off between the charismatic leads of both classes- Ryuen and our beloved protagonist, Ayanokoji. Intense competitions and mind games are already rampant this season, and with more characters in play, the season has no doubt been an excellent comeback for the highschool-thriller.

Another dream-come-true sequel this season is the season 2 of The Devil Is A Part Timer which came after 10 years of anticipation.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been a good pay-off for our patience. Studio change from 'White Fox' to '3Hz' lead to a massive decline in animation quality and overall execution, making it's intriguing premise to be all the season has to offer.

The third and most miraculously revived show is none other than the sequel of the mildly popular magical girl show of the 2000's, Tokyo Mew Mew after an astounding 20 years. The sequel, 'Tokyo Mew Mew New' has been as fun as it's ancient original with cleaner visuals.

It's one of the less hyped sequels this season alongside the Season 2 of Love Live: Superstar and Season 3 of Utawawerumono that have both been appealing quite nicely to their respective fanbases so far.

One of the most popular Isekai titles, Overlord got it's fourth season this Summer as well, and the most standout thing about it so far is it's banger opening song - 'HOLLOW HUNGER' by Oxt that's probably the best OP this season. The opening visuals show a lot of upcoming action with cleaner animation in this Sequel, and the first half of the 4th season has already delivered a piece of that action. This season might just be the pay-off that it's mediocre prequels built up to.

The fourth season of Danmachi is also airing this season, and it's been action packed and entertaining so far.

The third season of Jashin Chan Dropkick also got released this season, and it's been every bit as crazy, hilarious and fun as the seasons that preceeded it.

For those with a taste of mystery this season, we've got the early sequel of Shadow House and it's been just as intriguing and fascinating as the first season, leaving even more to be discovered in it's coming episodes.

Adding more spice to this season we've got the spin-off and prequel of the popular school-psychological thriller, Kakegurui - Kakegurui Twin. Being set a while before the arrival of our extreme protagonist, Jabami Yumeko, it definitely isn't as great as the main show but still offers high end thrills and entertainment in it's own right.

We've been given the 2nd season of Rent A Girlfriend and it's early negative reactions from the community due to the later events of the manga shows the worldwide realization that it got more hype than it deserved when it started.

Saving the best for last, my most anticipated sequel this season, Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun. As a continuation of the Anime of the year award winning first season and the spectacular movie that came after, the season focuses on the main characters and their encounters as they explore the 6th layer. With an immersive story that develops even more concepts and characters, impeccable visual quality and the orgasmic music from Kevin Penkin, it's looking to be even more phenomenal than the first season.

Giving recognition to some continued series airing this season, Summertime Rendering and Ao Ashi have also contributed significantly to make this season entertaining with their 2nd cours, the former solidifying it's spot as the best anime of the year so far with even more narrative peaks and plot twists in it's recent episodes.

The 2nd Cour of Orient is also airing, it's just as mediocre as the first cour.

Coming into the New Animes of Summer 2022, I'll be the first to admit that this is a pretty mixed season. We didn't get an overwhelming amount of great shows like the best of seasons and a lot of the animes this season are either average, mildly entertaining or just downright trashy shows. But this is a common characteristic for Summer seasons, and even while the season is slow and saturated with semi-entertaining new shows, there's still a bunch of great shows this season. 

Even while the best new animes this season aren't as extraordinary as the heavy hitters from the best of anime seasons like last season, they are fantastic shows you won't want to miss out on. 

There's a variety of appealing animes and a lot of spice this season, and I think in a mixed season like this it's best to keep the recommendations list small, featuring only the truly great shows of the season, in order not to mislead you all into watching 'Mid' anime series. That's why I'm making my seasonal new anime list just a Top 10. 

TOP 10 BEST NEW ANIMES OF SUMMER 2022

10) HAREM IN THE LABYRINTH OF ANOTHER WORLD

(Fantasy, Ecchi, Action)

Isekai Meikyuu De Harem Wo tells the story of Michio Koga, whose attempt to play a strange online game leads to him getting transported to the game's world with certain skills and a powerful sword.

He tries to log out and return to the real world after killing a couple of bandits, but to no avail. He accepts his condition of being trapped in a new world and decides to make the most of it by killing bandits and monsters to earn money, all to achieve the harem of his dreams and fulfill his sexual fantasies. He started off by striving to purchase the succulent slave he met and instantly desired, Roxanne.

The genre says "Ecchi" but this anime goes far beyond the line of casual boob grabs, mild nudity and other ecchi tropes. It rather gives a full meal of detailed sexual explorations between the main character and his harem girls every episode, backed by stunning animation from the geniuses that gave us the Degenerate classic- Interspecies Reviewers, Studio Passione. The story might not be anything too special or distinct in the Isekai genre, but the Uncensored version gives the full package of explicit sexual content, along with a side course of fantasy battles.

9) RWBY: ICE QUEENDOM

(Action, Fantasy, Sci-fi)

Ice Queendom is an anime remake of the western fantasy animation, RWBY. 

It bears the same setup and starting point as the cartoon, only with slight changes to the story. 

Starting off with the story of Ruby Rose getting accepted into the school of her dreams, the prestigious Beacon academy where teenagers are trained to become warriors who hunt down the monsters plaguing the world known as the Grimm.

Together with her elder sister Yang Xiao Long, they meet the corporate heiress, Weiss Schnee and ex-vigilante Blake Belladonna and the four of them soon after become the team known as RWBY.

This was just the prologue of the story, as the main arc revolves around Weiss, who's mind was taken over by a special kind of Grimm known as the Nightmare Grimm, and her friends' struggle to save her.

The most standout thing about this anime so far is the animation quality. Studio Shaft took a widely beloved piece of work and represented in a more glamourous fashion. In contrast to it's original, the animation quality and character designs are clean and beautiful, however, the choreography and structure of fights in the cartoon are much better.

Despite it's intriguing world and concept, RWBY Ice Queendom isn't at the very top of the season due to how rashly it handled the first part of it's story and it's character introductions. Despite the fact that it's a remake, it should be treated as a new show, and it did a pretty bland layout of it's premise and characters before going into the Ice Queendom arc.

8) MY STEPMOM'S DAUGHTER IS MY EX

(Romance, Comedy)

My Stepmom's Daughter is my Ex or Tsurekano for short, tells the story of Mizuto Irido and Yume Ayai, who fell in love and dated back in middle school, and broke up during graduations after more than a few spiteful disagreements. 

The two are suddenly reunited when Mizuto's dad decides to re-marry after losing his wife, and the new lady in question turned out to be Ayai's mom.

The two ex lovers are now forced to live together as step-siblings while trying not to re-kindle any reserved romantic feelings for eachother in their shared living space.

The premise while immediately suggests an Incest-type anime along the lines of Domestic Girlfriend, but it's actually a lot less spicy and more wholesome.The main leads who once shared strong feelings for eachother now struggle in their new awkward situation of having to be siblings, and the fact that they're now close makes them start to develop feelings for eachother again, because they get a daily reminder of the things that made them fall in love in the first place.

Of course they're in denial of this though, and this creates a fun dynamic between Yume and Mizuto, filled with teases and mind games, making it mildly similar in a way to Kaguya Sama: Love is War in it's antics. 

7) VERMEIL IN GOLD

(Action, Ecchi, Magic)

Kinsou No Vermeil tells the story of Alto Goldfield, who despite having examplary grades as a diligent student of Ortigia Magic Academy fails the test of summoning a familiar. He stumbles into an old worn-out grimoire and consults it in order to succeed at summoning, and he did, but things didn't turn out as he expected.

Alto ended up summoning a powerful demon and succubus named Vermeil. Given the spirit contract they now bear, they live as master and familiar, and while hiding the fact that she's a demon from the academy, Vermeil becomes determined to fulfill his dream of becoming a powerful sorcerer, and their relationship grows into a wholesome and romantic companionship.

 Adding to all the spicy releases of this season, Vermeil in Gold is certainly the best among the ecchi this season. Magical academy based ecchi certainly isn't scarce in the world of anime, and this certainly has proven itself to be a standout entry to this architype of anime. It introduces the wild succubus arousal concept that's been seen in many hentais and ecchi, but even with all the fantastic ecchi scenes of nudity and erotic teasing, the anime focuses more on the growing relationship between Vermeil and Alto as they climb the ranks of the academy together and overcome the many obstacles they encounter. It's one of the most entertaining animes this season, the amazing animation and design making both the fight scenes and ecchi scenes worth beholding every week.

6) PARALLEL WORLD PHARMACY

(Fantasy, Magic)

The story of Isekai Yakkyoku follows world-class medical researcher, Kanji Yakutani, who lost his younger sister to a tumor and dedicated his life to finding a cure for her ailment in her name, but ends up dying at the age of 31.

Yes, this is an Isekai, and after death he was given a new life in a Fantasy world as Farma De Medicis, son of an esteemed family of medical practicioners with divine abilities that allow him to create and erase any material he can visualize the structure of.

He observes the world and it's primitive approach to medicine; archaic medical diagnoses and treatments, and a class system that allows the best of medicine to only be made available to the elite class.

Using his powers and knowledge in medicine, Farma aims to reform the medical system of the world using his pharmacy as a medium.

It has a pretty formulaic approach towards setting up it's Isekai story, and a concept of pharmacy in fantasy that's not so new in the genre nowadays, but despite that, it still manages to shine brightly among other shows of it's kind through its compelling narrative. The anime naturally gives off a light-hearted aura with it's intriguing setting and charismatic main character, feeling a lot like a mix of Dr Stone and Ascendance of Bookworm.

The thing to most appreciate about this show is how properly it told it's story and built up to it's main setting unlike many other shows of it's kind. It's an amazing and relieving show that shouldn't be missed this season.

5) THE YAKUZA'S GUIDE TO BABYSITTING

(Comedy, Slice of Life)

The Yakuza's Guide To Babysitting tells the story of Tooru Kirishima, who's known and feared in the criminal underworld of Japan for his notoriety and brutality as the 'Demon of Sakuragi'. After his antics nearly jeopardizes a treaty made with a fellow dangerous crime family, Kazuhiko, the leader of the Sakuragi yakuza family gives him the task of babysitting his 7 year old daughter, Yaeka, in order to teach him a lesson. As the delinquent and the little girl who were once strangers begin to spend time together, their heart slowly opens up to each other, forming a comforting father-daughter relationship in their daily dynamic, and eventually becoming a light in each other's lives.

The premise should make it pretty clear how wholesome this show is. We've already seen the whole father-daughter relationship theme in beloved animes such as Kakushigoto, Hinamatsuri and Spy X Family, but while this show bears similarity in setting with these afformentioned animes, it certainly stands out in it's execution as a slice of life comedy. It has genuinely heartwarming character moments right off the bat, and the work done to make the tone as refreshing as possible certainly makes it's episodes something to look forward to. The Yakuza part of the story and the comedy are also well handled, adding to the growing relationship between Yaeka and Kirishima to make this a truly wholesome show.

4) FUUTO TANTEI

(Mystery, Sci-fi, Action)

Based on the Kamen Rider W Japanese TV series of 2009, Fuuto Tantei or Fuuto Pi is centered on Fuuto City, an advanced city where criminals make use of USB-like devices called "Gaia Memories" to turn into powerful beasts called "Dopants" and commit all sorts of attrocities with their new powers.

With villains comes heroes, as the two private detectives of the Narumi detective agency, the self-proclaimed "Hard boiled detective"- Shotaro Hidari and his eccentric partner Philip investigate these odd events arising in the city of Fuuto and battle these delinquent Dopants using their combined Gaia Memories to transform into the hero of Fuuto, "Kamen Rider W".

Despite all the spicy and erotic content this season, this might just be the wildest anime this season. The thing to love most about this anime is that it doesn't just jump into the action. Right from the start, the show immerses you into an endearing mystery that explores a crazy world filled with colourful characters and uncanny possibilities in a stylish tone similar to detective animes like Bungou Stay Dogs and Balance Unlimited. When the action kicks in, it's certainly a thing to behold. 

The amazing work by Studio Kai in its cinematography and character design are already enough to get you visually fascinated by the show, but the transformation and battle scenes were as shocking as they were beautiful. 

Its visual aesthetics, characters, mystery and humor are all reasons why Fuuto Pi is undoubtedly one of the most lovable animes this season.

3) CALL OF THE NIGHT

(Supernatural, Romance, Vampire)

Being the most anticipated new anime of this season and the adaptation of a popular manga, Yofukashi no Uta is a title that certainly needs no introduction.

The story follows Kou Yamori, an average middle school student whose personal struggles made him quit going to school, only finding solitude in his night time walks in the streets of Japan.

One night he runs into an attractive yet weird girl named Nazuna Nanakusa, who turned out to be a Vampire.

Nazuna got fascinated by him, and helped him explore and enjoy 'the night' in a manner he's never experienced before, and this makes him determined to fall in love with her and become a vampire.

As I've said a lot of times, when a widely beloved piece work gets an amazing adaptation, it's always a beautiful thing. The adaptation quality of Yofukashi no Uta is top quality and it's no surprise fans are head over heels in love with the show. The stunningly luminescent visuals and cinematography from Lidenfilms and the impeccable OSTs from Creepynuts add up to create an irresistible vibe that makes each episode a soothing watch. It's not much in terms of it's story so far, but the dynamic between the main leads and their night time explorations are brought to full glamour. We're made to feel the relief of cruising the night alongside Nazuna and Yamori, and this makes it a really relieving episodic experience.

I loved the reality of being stuck in doubts about your life and finding clarity in something rather unusual. Yamori finally getting an aspiration after meeting Nazuna was inspiring, and you can't help but root for him in his romantic adventure to become a supernatural being of the night.

2) LYCORIS RECOIL

(Action)

Remember how I said every season has that one underrated gem that just drops and completely dominates the season?, Well as we got Vivy Flourite Eyes Song, Ousama Ranking and Paripi Koumei in recent memory, this season's surprise blockbuster is none other than Lycoris Recoil.

The DA (Direct Action) is a syndicate that worked to reduce the terrorist attacks in Japan, particularly through its "Lycoris Project", where orphan girls are trained to carry out missions geared at stopping terrorist attacks before they happen.

During a hostage mission, Takina Inoue goes rogue, endangering the hostages and this leads to her getting transferred out of the DA into a cafe and base of operations called LycoReco, where she meets the prodigy and star agent of Lycoris, Chisato Nishikigi. She partners up with the cheerful and talented Chisato and together with the gang at LycoReco they face the threats hiding in Japan.

If there is an anime this season that goes really hard with it's action, it's Lycoris Recoil. Literally guns-blazing every episode with these spectacularly animated sequences of modern warfare based violence that elevates the experience.

The entire "cute girls with guns" concept isn't new at all in anime, but with the level of quality put into this by A1 Pictures, it can definitely stand as the most enjoyable and visually appealing of the bunch. 

The plot is really intrguing as well. Despite being heavily action-centric, it has proper buildup and leaves room for the characters to be highlighted and developed. 

It's amazing the effort put into boarding it's story through not only the angle of the heroes, but the terrorists as well, and much is to be expected from the final showdown between the two sides.

Aside from it's many exhilirating and tense fight scenes, the show still manages to have charming moments of character bonding. Chisato is undoubtedly one of the best girls of the season, and her lovable personality is a light that fans of this show look forward to seeing every week. Her dynamic with Takina as partners and friends makes the show quite wholesome.

1) UNCLE FROM ANOTHER WORLD

(Fantasy, Comedy, Magic)

At the top of this list comes my pick for best new anime this season, Isekai Ojisan.

Yosuke Shibazaki suddenly regains consciousness after a 17 year long coma which he reveals to his nephew- Takafumi Taoka was actually the result of him being transported to a fantasy world called "Gran Bahamal".

Takafumi becomes tasked with the responsibility of enlightening his uncle of the advancements and events that occured in the world during his long absence, and the discovery that that Yosuke retained his magical abilities from Gran Bahamal in the real world lead to their decision to start a YouTube channel and make money off his uncanny abilities as content creators.

As they spend time together, Yosuke shows his nephew alongside his friend- Fujimiya clips of his adventures in Gran Bahamal, where he was the overpowered Isekai protagonist who failed spectacularly at everything either because he was ugly or due to his dense mentality.

Isekai Ojisan has one of the most unique and genuine settings in Isekai history.

In terms of it's premise, it's pretty much what Gintama is to shounen but for Isekai; a parody that focuses on the main character's life after his big hero arc.

The first ever Post-Isekai story provides as much quality in its storytelling as it does in it's comedy.

The uncle's clips of his life in another world provides a lot of top quality humor due to the constant parodies of typical Isekai tropes and the reactions of the characters to these oddities.

Another thing to love in this show is how, like most top tier parodies, it makes references to real world concepts like "SEGA" and "PlayStation".

When it comes to entertainment value, no other new anime this season is a match for Isekai Ojisan.

The show establishes proper traits and dynamics for it's characters which all come in play during it's humorous displays and makes every character prominent and lovable in their own right.

It's an excellent parordy that doesn't just mock the Isekai genre, but popular anime and tropes outside the genre as well.

Atelier Pontdarc did tremendously well with their first real anime, applying gorgeous character design, animation, sound editing and voice-acting to make the overall execution of this show incredible.

The creative concept, interesting characters, hilarious comedy, masterful use of parody and stunning production values all create a superb weekly experience, and that's why Isekai Ojisan is my pick for Anime of the Season, Summer 2022.

Among the spicy new animes this season that didn't make the list, we've got the 2nd title from A1 Pictures airing alongside Lycoris Recoil, Engage Kiss. Even though it does have well animated fights, the story is rather mediocre and nothing worth making it a must-see show this season.

Another anime with great visuals from the same studio as a top show this season that didn't make the list is Smile of The Arsnotoria, which, despite having the gorgeous visuals of Lidenfilms, fell short in terms of storytelling and balancing it's "cute" side with it's darker parts.

Another show that could've made the list is The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious, that took a popular concept and did absolutely nothing to make itself distinct or special.

Two Isekais that aired this season that didn't make it to the list were My Isekai Life and Black Summoner, and both titles share the same quality of being generic with nothing remarkable about them other than the occasional tropes and flexes. 

Speaking of generic animes, When Will Ayumu Make His Move stood out as another failure from Takagi San's creator to make a worthwhile show after his first.

Yurei Deco and Bucchigire both had eccentric visual styles, but didn't execute their respective settings well enough to make them appealing shows.

Prima Doll is another to add to the visually appealing yet narratively mediocre shows this season.

Of course if there's a seasonal anime mid/trash pile, you'll most times find Netflix in it. The two animes released on Netflix early in the season- Spriggan and Bastard: Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy were both text book action flicks, complete with unremarkable stories and tropey flexes.

Lucifer And The Biscuit Hammer is another Spectacular failure that shouldn't be overlooked this season, as it took a popular manga from the 2000's decade and massacred it.

Among the rest of the trash this season we've got Extreme Hearts and Shoot: Goal To The Future that remind us what bad takes at soccer animes look like, Shine Post, Teppen! and Luminous Witches, filled with female leads but no quality and Kami Kizu Doll that's just another cringe idol anime.

We got a really spicy bunch this season and next season- Fall 2022 is looking to be better, and one of the most epic seasons ever.

Be sure to try out the animes on this list with an open mind and catch up with the positively reviewed sequels in order not to miss out on the experience this season's line up offers.

Leave a comment of your thoughts and share this link to fellow cultured folks.

See you all next season!.