2021 has been a great year for anime so far, with modern shonen classics like Jujutsu Kaisen and Dr. Stone continuing their brilliant runs, as well as incredible pieces of storytelling like Wonder Egg Priority and To Your Eternity making their debuts. There really has been something for everyone.
The year might not be over, but it's never too early to start looking forward to what a new year of anime might bring, and the 2022 line-up already promises to have just as many gems as 2021. From throwback magical girl adventures to spine-chilling horror, here are 10 upcoming shows that have die-hard anime fans checking off the days on their calendar — but that some might not have heard of.
10 Tiger & Bunny Finally Gets A Second Season
Superheroes are, of course, dominating screens right now, so it's no surprise that Tiger & Bunny is set to come back with a second season — more than a decade after the first ended.
Tiger & Bunny offers a unique twist on the genre, with superheroes having to focus on pleasing their sponsors as much as fighting crime, and for whom dropping in the rankings can mean being out of a job. Offering a satire of commercialized entertainment along with some great action, this is a series that should be welcomed back with open arms.
9 Slow Loop Seems Perfect For Fans Of Yuru Camp
Ever since Yuru Camp's second season ended, fans of shows featuring cute girls doing outdoorsy things have been desperate for something to fill the void. Luckily, Slow Loop looks set to solve that problem.
Viewers will join protagonist Hiyori as she explores the world of fishing, a pastime loved by her deceased father, while getting to know her new stepsister Koharu. Like Yuru Camp, it promises to showcase plenty of beautiful scenery, this time of the sea, along with touching moments between its characters as they build relationships.
8 Blue Lock Is A Sports Anime With A Battle Royale Twist
A good sports anime will quickly become a favorite for anime fans, as will shows like Sword Art Online or Mirai Nikki that see their characters battling to be the last one standing. So Blue Lock, which combines these two genres, might well become one of the year's breakout hits.
Three hundred of Japan's best soccer strikers have been "imprisoned" in Blue Lock, and only one of them will make it onto Japan's national team, with the rest banned from the sport for life. It might sound like a fate much better than death — but for these boys, soccer is everything.
7 Requiem Of The Rose King Retells A Thorny Historical Saga
The work of William Shakespeare might seem like an unconventional subject for anime and manga, but the shojo series Requiem of the Rose King proves that it can be done — and done well. This series gives the play Richard III a stylish update with incredibly ornate shojo art and reimagined characters.
Classics like The Rose of Versailles prove that historical shojo series, while seeming like an odd mix, can be extremely successful. Fans of the genre are hoping that Requiem of the Rose King can capture the same magic.
6 Extra-Terrestrial Boys & Girls Looks Out Of This World
The completely original science fiction anime Extra-Terrestrial Boys & Girls looks to have a fascinating plot, as a group of children stranded on a space station must use the technology left with them to survive.
Extra-Terrestrial Boys & Girls comes from the mind of Mitsuo Iso, whose unique animation style can be seen in some of the best moments from Gundam 0080 and The End of Evangelion. His previous original work, Denno Coil, has been widely regarded as a brilliant hidden gem since it aired in 2007. That series also features children learning to live in a technologically advanced world, so there's no doubt that Iso knows exactly what he's doing with his newest creation.
5 Sasaki And Miyano Promises A Touching Queer Love Story
There can never be enough queer love stories in anime, and the adaptation of the acclaimed boys' love manga Sasaki and Miyano means that 2022 will have at least one.
The unique selling point of the series is that boys' love manga itself plays a role in the plot: shy protagonist Miyano is a big fan of the genre, and through sharing his love of it he ends up getting closer to the school delinquent, Sasaki, which makes him realize he might have been connecting to it on a deeper level than he thought...
4 Tokyo Mew Mew New Remakes A 2ooos Magical Girl Classic
Tokyo Mew Mew won over a generation of magical girl fans when it aired in 2002 thanks to its adorable animal and sweets-themed aesthetics. It was hampered, however, by poor animation and a truly terrible English dub.
Now, a full 20 years later, Tokyo Mew Mew New looks set to finally do the story justice. As long as it stays true to the original's heart, it will definitely win over older fans looking for a fun throwback as well as the next generation of magical girl aficionados.
3 Orient Could Be The New Shonen To Look Out For
The announcement of any new shonen anime is bound to cause a stir among anime fans with the question on everyone's lips being: will this become the new big shonen that everyone's watching and talking about?
Orient, a story of two boys and their journey to become demon-fighting samurai, might stand a better chance than most, as it comes from Magi creator Shinobu Ohtaka. However, with a second season of Demon Slayer starting in late 2021 and a Jujutsu Kaisen prequel movie also coming out at the end of the year, it'll be a tough climb to the top of the shonen pile.
2 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Explores The World Of The Hit Video Game
There hasn't been a video game in recent memory that got as much hype as Cyberpunk 2077, and that seems ready to pick up again with the announcement of a spin-off anime. The series promises to further explore the game's vivid world with a whole new story and cast of characters.
Plus, it's coming from the amazing team over at Trigger, so fans can look forward to some incredibly slick character designs and animation. This Netflix original looks set to be a hit for gamers and anime fans alike.
1 Uzumaki Adapts A Classic Horror Manga
Good horror anime have always been in somewhat short supply, but that looks to change in 2022 when an adaptation of Junji Ito's classic horror manga Uzumaki is set to air.
With a unique black-and-white style that, judging by the trailer, is able to capture all of the incredible — and terrifying — details of Ito's art. Paired with a haunting soundtrack from Colin Stetson, most famous for his work on the modern horror classic Hereditary, this series looks like it's going to be a stand-out. Just don't watch it in the dark.