Spring of 2022 turned out to be quite an eventful season for anime fans. In recent years the spring season has often been the busiest and most competitive time of the year with anticipated adaptations, new seasons to popular series, and an unusually high amount of sleeper hits. Given this track record of high standards, there was understandably a lot of competition going into spring 2022.
While the usual suspects garnered a lot of hype and anticipation, there were the ones that came out and completed their run with little or no fanfare. However, a few series managed to get a second look from other curious viewers, and the initial interest for some of them looked promising. Unfortunately, as the shows got underway, for one reason or another, they lost steam, which in some ways is a worse fate than not being watched at all.
Aharen Is Indecipherable
Japanese Title | Aharen-san wa Hakarenai |
Genre(s) | Comedy, Romance |
Where to Watch |
It's not uncommon for the teaser PVs of a series to drum up a lot of hype or anticipation for the show's premiere. Aharen Is Indecipherable is one of these examples, as anime fans reacted very positively to the show's colorful animation and bright character designs. The titular character of Reina Aharen received special attention due to her similarities to fan favorite "dead-pan loli' Kanna from Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. The snippets of comedy in the teaser PVs were also well-received, setting up the show for a fairly successful run.
As the show got underway, early reviews noted the show was par for the course as a Slice of Life, but special attention was brought to the dated humor. Given that the manga was published in 2017, it's not surprising that some of the humor may no longer be relevant. Said humor was often described as more appealing to those heavily associated with humor found on popular platforms such as TikTok or Tumblr, especially in the Japanese market.
While these may be glaring negatives for some, those that chose to stick around and watch the series to completion found a competent "rom-com" with colorful characters, outdated but clever humor from a few years ago, and a comfortable Slice of Life story worth enjoying.
Date A Live IV
Japanese Title | デート・ア・ライブⅣ |
Genre(s) | Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi |
Where to Watch | Crunchyroll, Funimation |
Regardless of how popular or well-received a show may seem to be there is not always a guarantee of a second season. If a show is pushing its fourth season, then it's clear that a formula has been found, and it's unlikely to change or attract many new fans. Date A Live IV seemed to be doing the unthinkable as it received more attention than expected before its release and had a great opening three episodes. This caused a stir in the community and caught the attention of anime fans who otherwise dropped or avoided the series altogether.
Unfortunately, the show made little headlines afterward, concluding satisfactorily to the dedicated fans but maybe not so much to the newcomers. Newer viewers who jumped in following the initial surge of positive first impressions to the season likely were lost in the plot and potentially turned off by the ecchi aspects the show is known for. This did mean the season ended without too much fanfare for the wider community,
Tomodachi Game
Alternative Title | Friends Game |
Genre(s) | Suspense, Thriller |
Where to Watch |
From the earliest trailers' fans noted Tomodachi Game seemed to share a lot of similarities with the critically acclaimed Korean show Squid Game. This would prove to be true since both shows are psychological thrillers taking place in the modern day following a unique cast of characters trying to survive a complex set of games in hopes of repaying debts. This led to a ton of initial hype for the series even rivaling shows such as The Rising of the Shield Hero and Spy x Family.
The hype quickly and quietly died down as the show got underway, only to be replaced with a mix of disappointment and disinterest. The show's story was the target of criticism as it was filled with loopholes that many reviews cited as early as episode three. The main plot itself left much to desired as it was noted as surprisingly simplistic and didn't appear to be well-thought-out in the long run.
In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki
Alternative Title | Kunoichi Tsubaki no Mune no Uchi |
Genre(s) | Comedy |
Where to Watch |
With the runaway success that was Skilled Teaser Takagi-san, author Souichirou Yamamoto would become the go-to for quality Slice of Life anime/manga. The wait wouldn't be long as In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki would receive much fanfare upon its anime announcement. Much of the hype came from the cute character designs the author was known for and the promise of unique adventures in this story to separate it from Skilled Teaser Takagi-san.
While the show was certainly not another Skilled Teaser Takagi-san it did a good job of providing what fans of the author's previous work were expecting. It may have come up short in the eyes of the wider anime community as it didn't do much but iterate on an already proven formula, just with a different setting. For fans who love Yamamoto's style, this was ideal, but it would be unfair to say the show ended on the same high it started with.
Love After World Domination
Alternative Title | Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de |
Genre(s) | Action, Comedy, Romance |
Where to Watch |
When Love After World Domination got its first set of trailers, what immediately stood out to fans was the show's Tokusatsu-inspired aesthetic. The designs of the characters and world immediately reference popular Toku properties such as Super Sentai and Godzilla but also had some influence from Power Rangers as well. Add to the unique premise of star-crossed lovers, the show had potential and got a lot of the communities' attention despite the tough competition in the "rom-com" genre.
While the initial interest was there, it's quite clear the show didn't live up to expectations and lost a lot of its attention after the first few episodes. Those that completed the show enjoyed its references and found it to be a competent romantic comedy that parodied a lot of the usual tropes of the genre. A lot of the plot leads to very predictable situations, and unfortunately, it appears to have come off as another generic romantic comedy.