Five Anime series you should be watching this Winter!

We’re already midway through the winter anime season, and some seasons have finished already, but if you’re still undecided about which to watch, here’s a reminder of five highlights of the Winter 2022 anime line-up! We’ve covered as many genres as possible here, so there should be something for everyone.

Anime synopsis andviewer rankings by MyAnimeList/MAL Rewrite

My Dress-up Darling

Genre: Romcom

Viewer ranking: 8.5/10

Synopsis:

High school student Wakana Gojou spends his days perfecting the art of making hina dolls, hoping to eventually reach his grandfather’s level of expertise. While his fellow teenagers busy themselves with pop culture, Gojou finds bliss in sewing clothes for his dolls. Nonetheless, he goes to great lengths to keep his unique hobby a secret, as he believes that he would be ridiculed were it revealed.

Enter Marin Kitagawa, an extraordinarily pretty girl whose confidence and poise are in stark contrast to Gojou’s meekness. It would defy common sense for the friendless Gojou to mix with the likes of Kitagawa, who is always surrounded by her peers. However, the unimaginable happens when Kitagawa discovers Gojou’s prowess with a sewing machine and brightly confesses to him about her own hobby: cosplay. Because her sewing skills are pitiable, she decides to enlist his help.

As Gojou and Kitagawa work together on one cosplay outfit after another, they cannot help but grow close—even though their lives are worlds apart.

Our Comments:

Beautiful animation and believable characters make this a very watchable series! We enjoyed the chemistry between the two starkly contrasting characters.

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Ranking of Kings

Genre: Coming-of-age; Fantasy

Viewer ranking: 9/10

Synopsis:

The people of the kingdom look down on the young Prince Bojji, who can neither hear nor speak. They call him “The Useless Prince” while jeering at his supposed foolishness.

However, while Bojji may not be physically strong, he is certainly not weak of heart. When a chance encounter with a shadow creature should have left him traumatized, it instead makes him believe that he has found a friend amidst those who only choose to notice his shortcomings. He starts meeting with Kage, the shadow, regularly, to the point where even the otherwise abrasive creature begins to warm up to him.

Kage and Bojji’s unlikely friendship lays the budding foundations of the prince’s journey, one where he intends to conquer his fears and insecurities. Despite the constant ridicule he faces, Bojji resolves to fulfill his desire of becoming the best king he can be.

Our Comments:

Don’t let the retro art style and childish vibe deceive you – there’s a lot more to this anime than meets the eye! The dynamic animation, excellent characterisation and hard-hitting emotional storylines mean that many are calling this the “anime of the season”. Don’t miss out!

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Attack on Titan (Final Season Part 2)

Genre: Action

Viewer ranking: 8.5/10

Synopsis:

Centuries ago, mankind was slaughtered to near extinction by monstrous humanoid creatures called Titans, forcing humans to hide in fear behind enormous concentric walls. What makes these giants truly terrifying is that their taste for human flesh is not born out of hunger but what appears to be out of pleasure. To ensure their survival, the remnants of humanity began living within defensive barriers, resulting in one hundred years without a single titan encounter. However, that fragile calm is soon shattered when a colossal Titan manages to breach the supposedly impregnable outer wall, reigniting the fight for survival against the man-eating abominations.

After witnessing a horrific personal loss at the hands of the invading creatures, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to their eradication by enlisting into the Survey Corps, an elite military unit that combats the merciless humanoids outside the protection of the walls. Eren, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman, and his childhood friend Armin Arlert join the brutal war against the Titans and race to discover a way of defeating them before the last walls are breached.

Our Comments:

I don’t think there’s many anime fans out there who are unaware of “Attack on Titan”, but if you’ve not seen it yet, now is the time to catch up on past episodes so you can enjoy the finale in real time!

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In the Land of Leadale

Genre: Fantasy; Adventure; RPG; “Isekai”

Viewer ranking: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

The previously bedridden Keina Kagami finds herself in the world of her favorite VRMMORPG—titled Leadale—after the life support keeping her alive fails. Reincarnated in the body of her high-level character, “Cayna,” she notices that the world of Leadale is different from what she remembers playing.

As she comes to learn, two hundred years have passed since she last interacted with the world. However, this does not sadden Cayna—as it means that a new journey awaits her, filled with exciting prospects and unfamiliar faces all waiting to be discovered.

Our Comments:

Not perhaps as deep or ground-breaking as some of the others on this list, but “Leadale” makes for wholesome and light-hearted viewing. The art is beautiful, and the story isn’t too complex or edgy, so it’s perfect for when you want to be whisked away to a comforting fantasy world.

Sasaki and Miyano

Genre: Boys Love, Slice of Life

Viewer ranking: 8/10

Synopsis:

Yoshikazu Miyano’s troubles first start one hot summer day when Shuumei Sasaki steps into his life. Sasaki saves Miyano’s classmate from a group of bullies, and after that, Miyano cannot seem to shake off his eccentric upperclassman. His silent admiration for Sasaki gradually sours into annoyance each time the so-called delinquent refuses to leave him alone. Constantly being called by cute nicknames and having his boundaries ignored, Miyano wonders why Sasaki wants to get close to him.

The shy and easily flustered Miyano harbors an embarrassing secret—he is a “fudanshi,” a boy who likes boys’ love (BL) manga. The last thing he wants is for other students to find out, but through a slip of the tongue, he reveals the truth to Sasaki. Intrigued, the clueless Sasaki asks to borrow a book to read, which he is given very reluctantly. To Miyano’s surprise, Sasaki enjoys the BL that he receives and asks for more, marking a shift in their strange dynamic.

Although Sasaki appears to possess some personal agenda, his feelings for Miyano become complicated the more time they spend together. As they now share a common interest, their relationship is poised to change and further develop.

Our Comments:

BL sometimes gets a bad reputation for promoting toxic relationships with unhealthy power dynamics, but this is definitely not the case here. Sasaki and Miyano is a thoughtful and wholesome take on how young queer people process their feelings towards their first crushes as they try to understand their own sexualities.

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There we have it! Five very different series that we hope will please fans of all different genres! All are either in currently running or already finished, so you can get started on them any time.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about anime and manga at Anime Art Academy!