Looking for a fun show to watch? We’re selecting our favorite debuts in the Spring 2022 anime season. Share yours in the comments and on Twitter!
I know a lot of people are probably going to pick Spy x Family, so I’m going to suggest a show that isn’t that! (Though it is exceptional and I think folks should watch it.) Instead? I’m going to say give Love After World Domination a chance. (It is on Crunchyroll.)
It’s a romantic comedy about the lead of a Super Sentai sort of group and the most capable minion of the villain falling in love. It is super goofy! The characters are extremely earnest and inept! They’re basically are going on dates in the midst of dramatic fights! Sure, there are only three episodes so far. Still, I’m digging it. — Jenni
It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to watch every notable show in a given season. This spring, though I’ve found myself keeping up with more weeklies than in the past few years. It helps that the season’s got a good spread of overwhelmingly charming blockbusters like Spy x Family and known quantities like the 3rd seasons of Kaguya-sama: Love is War and Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These. Those would definitely qualify as my seasonal pick for “best”, but they’re a bit of an obvious highlight, to be honest.
Something a little bit lesser known but quite intriguing is Ya Boy Kongming!, which takes the “Great Man” theory of history and turns it into the “Great Manager” theory of showbiz. Renowned 3rd-century strategist Zhuge Liang (courtesy name Kongming) dies and, in accordance with his wish to live again in “a peaceful world”, he’s transported and reborn in present-day Shibuya, Japan. There he takes his zillion-IQ intuition and applies it to the much less deadly but no less devilish task of… helping a young woman in her budding career as a pop star.
Where “reading Sun Tzu for business insight” is a hoary old cliche, Ya Boy Kongming! turns “having Zhuge Liang as your wingman” into a hilarious and entertaining show about, well, putting on a show. It is available on Hidive. — Josh
While Spy x Family is the runaway hit of the season (and deservedly so), another Spring 2022 anime series has me just as invested. Deaimon: Recipe for Happiness checks off my love of food-based anime and offers another unconventional family slice of life adventure.
It’s an incredibly sweet story set in a family run wagashi shop. Prodigal son Nagomu returns home after a decade pursuing his dream as a musician so he can train to take over the business. But when he arrives, his father informs him there’s a new heir: Itsuka, a young girl left in the care of the shop a year ago. Itsuka’s father seems to have abandoned her here, and Nagomu feels as though it’s his duty to fill in as a father figure until the two are reunited.
Definitely worth a watch if you need a little more food and family in your anime diet. It is on Crunchyroll. — Annette
Uh…
Wasn’t someone supposed to actually pick, er, Spy x Family? — Graham
What do you think is the best Spring 2022 anime series? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter! And read our other handy roundtables for more thoughts from the Siliconera team.
