If you’re an avid anime fan then you’ve undoubtedly become familiar with the seasonal anime structure. Contrary to how western media releases their television programming, new and returning anime series come to us every three to four months in huge batch packages and invite the discussion of will this anime season be “worth it”. Similar to how sports fans judge their teams by their “strength of schedule”, anime fans judge a season by how “strong” it will possibly be. However, what is that strength judged on? The answer could vary from fan to fan but through 2022 there was one season that everyone had their eyes on, Fall 2022. Now that we have crossed over into 2023 and the assertions that the Fall 2022 season will be the “best anime season ever” have sizzled down let’s look back and see if this was in fact the “best ever”.
The idea of anime seasons is a relatively new concept in the west. If you are a newer anime fan then you’ve definitely heard the story of how more seasoned anime fans struggled to watch anime in the nineties and early 2000s. Luckily, times have changed and now anime is more readily available than ever before. This availability has also increased the amount of new and exciting stories that have been in production. One big name that came in the anime season format was “Attack on Titan” in 2013. Releasing two cours (two parts) of the anime over the time-period of April 7th to September 29th it would slowly take the world over by storm but wouldn’t return until four years later in the Spring 2017 season.
Even though “Attack on Titan” returned to monumental praise and acclaim its season, Spring 2017, doesn’t share any of that love. So, what is the difference between a season like Spring 2017 and Fall 2022? This could be the fault of many factors, but we can boil it down to three main factors: hype, diversity, and follow through. Hype refers to how excitement is built by the community before the debut of an anime. In Fall 2022, “Chainsaw Man” was the most hyped anime by far. “Chainsaw Man’s” first trailer on MAPPA’s YouTube page garnered over 16 million views which puts it above “Attack on Titans Final Season”, “Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO” , and “Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc” official trailers by over nearly 10 million views. “Chainsaw Man” may well have been the most hyped anime in history.
Yet hype alone can’t carry an anime season. “Chainsaw Man” was definitely the most looked forward to anime of 2022 but it’s not for everybody. For an anime season to be looked at as better than average it must appease fans of all tastes. There must be the big shonen action pieces, the shoujo love stories, the peaceful slices of life, maybe a big sports series, and possibly even a little yuri or yaoi to balance it all out. Although we are missing the yuri or yaoi, Fall 2022 met and delivered on the promise of a diverse anime season. The slate showed us that we would be receiving anime that could possibly meet the taste of nearly every anime fan who watched.
“Blue Lock” gave us a different take on the sports genre with throwing away the essence of teamwork for individuality. “Bocchi the Rock” was the cute, musical slice of life with stellar animation that entranced fans and reminded them of fan favorite anime “K-on”. “Bibliophile Princess” took us back to the tale of classic shoujo love stories with tropes that we’ve loved and missed from the genre. This is only the start to a season that gave us more different and good series then we thought possible. Many of these series even managed to meet the third condition, follow through. Even with “Chainsaw Man’s” hype and the promise of a diverse season, Fall 2022 could’ve easily flopped. It doesn’t take much for the anime community to flip on a season and with one or two expectations not met the conversations would’ve quickly turned sour.
By week three of the Fall 2022 season, the community seemed to agree that this season was one for the books. “Chainsaw Man’s” anime met and exceeded expectations with the animation and how it followed the manga, Blue Lock was the brutally individualistic battlefield we wanted it to be, and the talk of underrated gems was discussed daily. By all means, the Fall 2022 season wasn’t just a good season it was a GREAT season, and that was something no one could deny. On the merits of these factors then the argument for “best season” could very well go to Fall 2022. Nevertheless, there are two more important factors that I believe are integral to judging an anime season: impact and preference. Adding in these two factors I would like to wager that the Summer 2019 season is better than Fall 2022.
Summer 2019 handily met all the previously stated requirements for a good season of anime. Although the hype was concentrated mainly to one anime like in Fall 2022, there were three anime that had the whole community excited: “Fire Force”, “Vinland Saga”, and “Dr. Stone”. From the mind of “Soul Eater”, Atsushi Ohkubo, “Fire Force” would make its anime debut. The popularity of “Soul Eater” carried over to “Fire Force” as its fans waited on fated breath to see what the creator was bringing to them next. Manga fans carried the hype for “Vinland Saga” and “Dr. Stone”, promising anime only watchers that both shows were well worth the hype. Each brought something new to the plate that pulled watchers into its clutches.
This season met the diversity quota by giving us gems such as “Astra Lost in Space”, which was a sci-fi, mystery that is praised by all who’ve watched it. A story that encompassed one season of anime that had the perfect amount of twists to keep its watchers eager to see the next episode. “O Maidens in your Savage Season” was the romance, slice of life that took you through the journey of five high school girls learning to figure out life. “Given” took us through a whirlwind romance coupled with enchanting musical numbers and very spicy drama. These along with other anime would make sure to follow through with amazing episodes that kept us excited to watch every week.
Summer 2019 would give us a moment that could arguably be a turning point for anime. “Demon Slayer” episode 19 would change the game for anime for the rest of the year. By the end of 2019, the “Demon Slayer” manga would become the top selling series eclipsing One Piece. Its impact would carry into the new year, in December of 2020 there would be 150 million copies of the manga in circulation. Whether you liked the anime or not its impact is undeniable and continues to this day. For Fall 2022, it is still too early to determine if its impact will eclipse that of “Demon Slayer” but as of now there’s no anime that has garnered the impact that “Demon Slayer” has.
The last criteria an anime season must meet is preference. After all it is you the watcher whose opinions and feelings judge the quality of an anime season. For many Fall 2022 is the best anime season ever but for others such as myself there are other seasons that are better. What do you believe makes an anime season good? Do you think Fall 2022 is the best season ever? And what anime season do you think is number one? There can only be one season that tops them all so which one should it be?