There were so many great anime this year that I felt compelled to summarize the best anime movie of 2022. I will divide this list into several posts, I remind you that the rating is personal and I could only rank what I actually watched. You are of course welcome to share your summaries. Enjoy reading and may 2023 be a successful anime year!
Best Anime Movies 2022 Ranked
1. Eiga Yurukyan (Laid-Back Camp)
The two-hour movie version of Laid-Back Camp set a decade after the end of season two of 2021, reclaims the title of the best slice-of-life anime movie of 2022. Something about this anime movie is just so cute and comfy that two hours in I almost drowned in sugar.
The meager plot is only an excuse for the now adult camping fanatics to reunite, reach a mutual objective, and display what they’ve done with their lives. Rin Shima has severed her renowned bun hairdo – a subtle, modest yet spooky horror! On the other hand, Nadeshiko Kagamihara remains as sunny and affectionate as ever – don’t ever change, Nadeshiko! Rin is currently in a highly demanding job in magazine publishing/journalism located 4-hours away from home while Nadeshiko maintains her dream job at an outdoor equipment store.
Laid-Back Camp has no conflict. Everyone gets on fine with one another. Obstacles and stresses are easily resolved. It was the best two-hour I spent on any anime in 2022, I eagerly (or at least calmly and quietly) await the upcoming third season.
2. 5-toubun no Hanayome Movie
The 2022 anime movie concludes the plot of the anime The Quintessential Quintuplets
The story revolves around Fuutarou Uesugi, a hard-working high school student who devotes all his time to studying. He looks from the outside like an alienated guy who is not exactly interested in social life, but his situation is a bit more complex. Uesugi comes from a poor family and hopes with the help of his impressive achievements to get them out of debt, and this goal is the only one before his eyes. One day he meets Nakan, a new student who has transferred to his school, and dares to sit next to him at the dining room table. Impressed by his perfect grades, she asks him for help with her studies, but she is flatly rejected at the same time. Uesugi turns to move on with his life, but at that moment he receives a call from his sister about a new job that their father managed to find for him, one that could utilize his talent and also bring home a respectable amount of money. The job is to be a private tutor for five girls coming from a rich family, whose father is willing to pay a lot of cash for someone who can save their terrible grades and help them finish high school. The five, of course, are Nakan’s sisters, whom he rudely rejected earlier.
An anime movie that is the climax to one of the best ecchi harem movies I’ve seen recently and in general. Even though I was almost alone in the theater, I enjoyed every moment, and it was easily the best cinematic experience I had this year. I know that not everyone was happy with this ending, but I was convinced that it was the ideal way to end.
3. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
Admittedly, I was skeptical. Dragon Ball movies are usually nothing, and Dragon Ball Super in general is nothing special. It didn’t help that for some reason they switched to CGI animation in stark contrast to Broly’s success. But somehow the new animation didn’t bother me, the script that focused on the characters of Gohan and Piccolo was not bad at all, and apart from the not-amazing ending and the stupid shape changes – I actually really enjoyed it. One of the best anime movies of 2022.
The visual correct one of the things that bothered me the most in Dragon Ball Super – was the drawing style. The visual style is a significant improvement from what we usually saw in Super in its TV version, and Goku looks more like how he was drawn at the beginning of Z. This is also true for the color palette chosen if you compare the orange shade of Goku’s clothes in Super and in DBZ to the current picture, you will find that it is more like the option the second Of course, this is only the first visual and things may change – but I certainly hope that this is the style that is meant to be in the new film.
4. Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie
The plot revolves around Okkotsu Yuuta, a cursed boy who is haunted by the ghost of his childhood friend, Rika Orimoto, who was killed in a car accident and turned into a terrifying monster that harms everyone around him. Rika in her current state is what is known in this world as a “curse”, and it is not just any curse, but one of the most powerful that exists. The bloodbath created by these two catches the attention of an organization of jujutsu wizards, who decide to execute Yuuta, and thus end the party. Luckily for the boy, one of the most powerful sorcerers, sexy girl Gojou Satoru, has a different suggestion. Gojou takes Yuuta under his wing and offers him to become a student at the jujutsu school, where he can become stronger and learn to control Rika.
The prequel film is not fundamentally different in terms of the series’ atmosphere and the type of content, but it is a short arc with a much clearer purpose, which does not only include exposition but also reaches some kind of result. This does not mean that it is better than the series (I don’t think so, although the difference is not great). It does mean it allows me to enter digging mode. The anime movie has good action, cool characters, and an excellent script that is also canon for the series – this is really a successful movie. It was absolutely one of the best 2022 anime movies I’ve seen this year.
5. One Piece Film: Red
The 2022 movie is the 15th in the One Piece movie series. It is the most successful release in the series by far, with its revenue figures being more than double compared to its predecessor. One Piece” has always been a success story, both in anime and especially in the manga, and now it also enters the list of best 2022 anime movies to come out of Japan.
One Piece Red apparently takes place somewhere in the middle of the events of the “Wano” arc. Luffy and his friends arrive at the performance of the most successful (and only?) idol in the world of One Piece, which goes by the name Uta (ウタ, a song in Japanese), where everyone from all over the oceans comes together. Everyone wants to hear Uta’s voice, wave glowing stick lights in the air like good fanboys, and forget about the rest of life’s worries. The event is in jeopardy when Luffy decides to approach Uta in the middle of the performance, then it turns out that the two have a shared history and that she, he claims, is none other than Shanks’ daughter. The stick lights and music are thrown aside when the pirates finally decide to act like anime pirates, spot an opportunity to blackmail one of the most powerful people in the world, and kidnap her. But even without the help of Luffy and the gang – it seems that Uta is doing pretty well on her own against this threat. In fact, everyone, including the Straw Hat crew, seems to become captive to her never-ending appearance.
Uta was very successful in my eyes as the main character of the movie and is easily my favorite of the other characters presented in the One Piece films so far (and she also has a great design. Admittedly that helps). The decision to make Luffy’s childhood friend the antagonist is excellent and I love the rivalry between the two, the desire of each of them to usher in a new era in their own way, and the background story of the girl that is revealed step by step and is easily the best part of the film (and if there is Something that “One Piece” is strong in is background stories/flashbacks).
Uta is the most beloved singer in the world. Her voice, in which she sings while hiding her true identity, has been described as “otherworldly”. She will appear in public for the first time in a live performance. As the place fills up with all kinds of excited Uta fans – pirates, the Navy watches closely what is happening.
6. Natsu e no tunnel, Sayonara no deguchi
This 2022 anime movie follows the story of two high school students Anzu Hanashiro and Kaoru Tono who find a tunnel that leads them to another world.
The animation and voice acting were superbly done by Studio CLAP, who expertly captured the beautiful rural Japanese sceneries and the characters’ emotions. Unfortunately, the pacing of the film was incredibly abrupt which adversely affected many scenes and made it hard to follow the mystery and romance elements of the show.
7. Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island
This 2022 anime movie is based on the 15th episode of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, which was adapted into a full-length theatrical feature 40+ years after its original airing date, and unlike the original, the film was released in multiple countries.
There was a big appeal to watching the White Base crew as a “found family” during the early stages of the show. It was fascinating to see the contrast in how Amuro & Doan cared for their respective families, and how they cared for them back in return. People who are unfamiliar with Gundam should also be able to appreciate it.
8. Suzume no tojimari
Suzume is a 17-year-old girl from a small town in southern Kyushu. One day she meets a young man looking for a door, and the two find one among the ruins on a mountain. Suzume opens the door and soon other doors opened throughout Japan – and with disasters.
In case anyone had any doubts, this is Makoto Shinkai’s new film which brings with it sky-high expectations. It’s worth watching it because of the visual aspect that was the main attraction.
9. Goodbye, Don Glees!
Director Atsuko Ishizuka (No Game No Life: Zero) created her first original anime movie, Goodbye, Don Glees! in which she explores the story of a trio of fifteen/sixteen-year-old outcast friends and the hope for one last adventure. The trio has Ryoma, with his usual bashfulness, Toto the one with ambitions, and Drop the latest addition to the group, he is a character with a dark past. They are unjustly accused of starting a forest fire that happened nearby on the same night after a frantic night of drone flying and fireworks. In an attempt to clear their name, they head out into the woods in hopes that their drone will contain vital footage that will prove their innocence.
This is a fairly light-hearted anime movie with a few humorous scenes, especially at the beginning. I found the tone to be inconsistent and the tragic elements underdeveloped. There is a constant melancholy undertone about mortality and making the most of our short lives, but the tone is consistently melancholy.
10. Belle (Ryuu to Sobakasu no Hime)
17-year-old Suzo lives alone with her father. This lovely high school student is shy, introverted, and stutters when approached – and has a big heart and a desire to be more social. The trauma she experienced when she lost her mother at a young age, with whom she used to create music, now makes her vomit, physically, when she just considers singing. Thankfully, her avatar, Belle, has the singing voice of an angel. In no time at all – seriously, in less than a day – Bell becomes the most famous personality on “U” a popular social platform.
Suzu is a great main character, one you will root for, and the humor is fantastic. This may be director Hosoda’s funniest anime movie since The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
11. Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween
A serial bomber attempts to attack the wedding ceremony of Detective Miwako Sato (Atsuko Yuya) and Detective Takagi (Wataru Takagi) and Conan Edogawa (Minami Takanawa). As Conan dug deeper, he discovers it is related to the past incident involving Sato and the bomb squad. The bomber is about to launch a major attack, so Conan must figure out the plan and stop him before people are hurt.
A wonderful combination of mystery, drama, and storyline. Characters from the Police Academy were well used in this movie. This 2022 anime movie was probably the most interesting in the Detective Conan movies.
12. Inu-oh
Director Masaaki Yuasa directed this 2022 anime movie, and that was a good reason to watch Inu-Oh. The plot concerns a young man named Inu-Oh who was born deformed, and the adults covered every inch of his body – including a mask that he was not allowed to remove. One day He meets a blind boy named Tomona, and the two become friends and business partners: Tomona plays great music and Inu-oh dances, thus the two marginalized people survive the difficult society in which they live.
In an interview, Yuasa said that the film asks a simple question: What if 600 years ago there was a pop culture in Japan? That’s all I need to be convinced to watch it.
13. Teasing Master Takagi-San: The Movie
When Kasumi Toyama was a child, she always felt a sense of excitement and sparkle when she looked up at the night sky, and she was searching for that feeling ever since. In her first year of high school, Kasumi finds a star-shaped guitar in an old pawn shop’s warehouse, and this inspires her to start a band. She then meets four more girls, and together they search for the same excitement she once had. The movie follows Takagi and Nishikata during their final summer of junior high school. They find an abandoned kitten and decide to take care of it until they can locate its mother.
Teasing Master Takagi-San proves to be one of the best anime movies of 2022, it is an enjoyable experience. Keeping continuity with season 3, viewers get to enjoy movie-quality animation and watch out for Easter eggs bringing back memories of the previous seasons. Yukari, Sanae, and Mina show up in full force, though some of the other side characters don’t appear as often. The only real disappointment was the presence of an obnoxious talking parrot that could have been easily excluded.
14. Blue Thermal
A young student accidentally destroys, while playing tennis, a glider that belongs to the university’s aviation club. Since she is unable to finance the repair cost of 17 thousand dollars (I was also shocked, but that is really the price) – she joins the aviation club.
Blue Thermal is based on a short manga series that has already ended and is directed by Masaki Tachibana. Although the movie adaptation made an effort to deliver an engaging and wide-ranging plot about a first-year student, the result left much to be desired. You may want to hold back some of your own expectations if you are expecting a very emotional experience.
