2022 has been an exciting year for anime so far. Many beloved hits have returned once again, along with some great new titles for fans to enjoy. Every season is filled with highly anticipated series, and just about all of them have been a smashing success. But not every series can top the charts, and though there’s been many incredible anime this year, 2022 has also brought plenty of disappointments.
In some cases, a new series release failed to meet fans’ expectations. Meanwhile, some returning titles dropped the ball and completely fell flat. Either way, many anime series this year haven’t reached their true potential and let down fans who were hyped for their release.
Updated on December 29, 2022 by Chelsea Steele: Overall, fans can all agree that 2022 has been an amazing year for anime. From returning favorites to brand-new hits, there have been many successful titles over the months that fans can't get enough of. Unfortunately, not every series has been as successful, and some have even been outright flops. This list has been updated with even more less-than-stellar titles that came out this year.
15 RWBY: Ice Queendom Failed To Impress Fans
Despite its popularity, anime fans have always been torn when it comes to the RWBY franchise. Some love it, others hate it, but it's always been an influential part of anime since its debut. As a result, it only seemed natural for it to get a continuation, so when RWBY: Ice Queendom was announced to release this year, fans couldn't contain their excitement.
Many had high hopes that this new series would bring a new era to RWBY and fix many of the old series' mistakes. Unfortunately, this was far from the case, and RWBY: Ice Queendom has followed the same disappointing path as the original, with poor pacing, a lackluster story, and unimpressive visuals that have let the fans down.
14 Love Of Kill Has A Promising Premise, But Is Poorly Executed
Josei anime are pretty rare, so fans were excited to see Love of Kill coming out for the Winter 2022 season. Unfortunately, the series failed to meet expectations in many ways.
From the poor execution of the story to the unlikeable and forgettable relationships, just about everything seemed to go wrong with Love of Kill. Even the finale left something to be desired and poorly wrapped up the storyline in a rush-job of a conclusion. Though it had a lot of promise, Love of Kill has easily become one of the most disappointing anime series of 2022.
13 Tokyo Mew Mew New Isn't As Good As The Original
Tokyo Mew Mew is a classic magical girl series that fans of the genre have adored for many years. The series got a brand-new reboot this year, titled Tokyo Mew Mew New. This Summer 2022 series revisited the beloved story, updating it for modern audiences.
Unfortunately, despite the hype surrounding it, this series failed to take off as many expected. Though there's nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't hold up when compared to the original. It's a cute and enjoyable take on an old favorite, but most fans found it to be bland and uninspiring, adding nothing to the franchise overall.
12 The Devil Is A Part-Timer Season 2 Was A Shocking Flop
The Devil is a Part-Timer! is a beloved reverse isekai series that helped popularize the genre in many ways. So when fans learned this iconic 2010s classic was going to return in 2022, they were excited.
Among the many incredible returning titles this year, The Devil is a Part-Timer Season 2 was undoubtedly one of the most highly-anticipated of them all. Unfortunately, the second season failed to live up to its predecessor in just about every way. With lackluster writing and poor animation and visuals, this continuation was a shocking failure that left fans wondering what went wrong.
11 To Your Eternity Season 2 Fails To Live Up To Expectations
With such an amazing start to the To Your Eternity anime adaptation, it was almost certain that the next season wouldn't be able to compare. Unsurprisingly, many fans have found themselves disappointed in this continuation. That isn't to say that the second season is bad. In fact, it's still a great series. Season 2 has just failed to live up to many fans' expectations.
To Your Eternity Season 2 lost much of the emotion and beauty that captivated fans in the first season, leaving it a shell of its former self in a lot of ways. Luckily, To Your Eternity will have a third season to potentially redeem itself.
10 Futsal Boys!!!!! Has A Bland Story & Poor Animation
As a series centered around a unique sport that gets little attention, many were excited to see Futsal Boys!!!!! when it came out. Unfortunately, it completely failed to live up to all the hype. Rather than embracing its uniqueness, this run-of-the-mill series is just like every other sports anime out there, with a bland storyline that fans have seen a thousand times.
On top of that, the animation in Futsal Boys!!!!!is subpar at best. While it can be decent in some shots, it often looks very cheap. Though this isn't a problem for all fans, many nowadays can't sit through a series with bad animation.
9 She Professed Herself Pupil Of The Wiseman Disappoints Fans With A Boring Story & Abysmal CGI Animation
She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman is yet another isekai series to hit the scene. However, its premise was interesting enough that viewers were intrigued. Despite this, the series has turned out to be just another virtual reality isekai anime filled with all the usual tropes that most fans can no longer stomach.
As a result, most viewers agree that She Professed Herself is disappointingly boring. If that wasn't bad enough, the series' use of horrendous CGI animation and awkward still frames completely turns off the audience, making it an instant skip for most.
8 Vampire In The Garden Is A Forgettable Vampire Story
It's not every day that fans get a great new series from Netflix, but that's exactly what they got with Vampire in the Garden. Or at least, so it seemed. Overall, this Netflix original is a pretty solid story with gorgeous visuals. Where it really disappoints is in its story.
Though it's well written, Vampire in the Garden feels like just about any other vampire tale in media, adding little to nothing new to the genre. It's filled with tropes and clichés that work for the premise but leave it feeling very forgettable and empty.
7 Lucifer And The Biscuit Hammer Failed To Properly Adapt The Manga
Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer was one of the most highly anticipated anime of the Summer 2022 season. Fans of the manga couldn't wait to finally see the beloved story come to life on screen. But when the series finally aired, many were met with nothing but disappointment.
Thanks to a low budget, the Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer adaptation suffers from many problems, from low-quality animation to poor writing that leaves out key moments. It's become one of the biggest let-downs of the season, with many dropping it from the first episode.
6 Bubble Is Nothing More Than Eye Candy
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When Bubble was first announced, fans couldn't contain their excitement. Coming from the acclaimed Wit Studio, it was destined to become a smashing success from the start, and many were amazed by its stunning visuals. Unfortunately, beautiful animation is about all this film has going for it.
The hype train for Bubble came to a screeching halt immediately after its release, with many agreeing that the story was lacking and failed to keep the audience invested. With an incohesive plot and unrelatable character, it gave viewers little to latch onto and mostly left them feeling bored.
5 Tomodachi Game Is Just Like Any Other Death Game
There have been a lot of death game series in every kind of media over the years, including anime. Despite being such an oversaturated genre, many still thought Tomodachi Game looked promising.
However, most were sorely disappointed almost immediately, as the series turned out to be just another death game with the same old premise everyone's seen before. With poor writing, bland characters, and less-than-impressive visuals, most now consider Tomodachi Game a sad attempt at a psychological horror series that leaves its audience underwhelmed.
4 Requiem Of The Rose King Brought Nothing But Disappointment For Shojo Fans
It's been a long time since shojo fans have gotten any new series to enjoy, so when Requiem of the Rose King was announced, it got a lot of hype. Many hoped this anticipated adaptation would bring about the great return of the genre. However, Requiem of the Rose King failed to deliver at every turn.
With a rushed storyline, Requiem of the Rose King skips over many important scenes and details that give the story its depth and meaning. Its animation is disappointing at best and horrendous at worst, and some scenes aren't even animated at all, instead just telling the story through still frames. These issues were far too much for most fans to ignore, and it's now considered a total flop.
3 Science Fell In Love, So I Tried To Prove It Let Down Fans With Its Second Season
Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It has become well-known by anime fans for its weird yet cute and fun premise that combines comedy, romance, and education in a way no one ever expected. When season 2 was announced, most expected more of the same.
However, as season 2 progressed, the series started to take a more serious turn that felt unfitting and awkward among the comedic nature of the show. New side characters also got introduced, taking away from the main romance. While it's far from the worst, season 2 of Science Fell in Love was certainly a letdown compared to the first series.
2 Shikimori's Not Just A Cutie Was A Shocking Disappointment
Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie was one of the most anticipated anime series of 2022, and many believed it would become the next great rom-com alongside My Dress-Up Darling. Instead, it's become one of the most disappointing series of the year. Unlike other great romance series, Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie lacks in just about every department.
The story is uneventful, with little comedy or drama, and no lovable characters apart from Shikimori herself. However, some argue she's too perfect to really root for and ultimately brings the series down herself. While it's still a cute, feel-good anime, it has too many flaws and nothing to keep fans coming back.
1 The Rising Of The Shield Hero's Second Season Is A Total Disaster
Isekai has become a bloated genre with many mediocre titles, but The Rising of the Shield Hero has been a breath of fresh air for fans. It's easily one of the most popular isekai out there, rivaling even big names such as Re:Zero and Sword Art Online. Naturally, everyone was excited for its second season, and it was poised to be one of the best of the year.
Somehow, it's ended up as one of the worst instead. Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 has taken everything fans loved about the first season and thrown it out. In its place, the series has become just another generic, boring isekai, with the same bland story and characters. This continuation has turned the series into a disaster that fans are steadily losing hope in.