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The Best Upcoming Anime of Summer 2022: Our Writers’ Picks


The Best Upcoming Anime Summer 2022: Writers’ Picks

It’s that wonderful time in the anime calendar once again! Just as big series like Spy x Family and Kaguya-sama are reaching their conclusion, we get to look ahead to some of the best upcoming series to watch in Summer 2022.

Summer 2022 looks set to be a season defined by hugely-anticipated sequels and new slice-of-life adventures. However, no matter what you enjoy, we’ve got the perfect recommendation for you.

Our anime writers have been pouring over the upcoming series and have selected their favourites – take a look!

Made in Abyss Season 2

The Best Upcoming Anime Summer 2022 Made in Abyss
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+ 6

Nominated by Cathlyn Melo

The beauty of Made in Abyss Season 2 will be its unresolved mysteries, which will contribute significantly to its compelling narrative. Not to mention the aesthetic visuals, wise integration of music, well-written characters, and the drastic tone shifts that made the series one of the best animes of all time.

I’m really looking forward to Reg, Riko, and Nanachi’s new adventures in the Abyss. Having theories myself, I wonder if some of these will materialize in the anime.

Season 2 will be a sequel full of exciting and interesting things to look forward to!

Related: Do You Need to Watch the Made in Abyss Movies Before Season Two?

Classroom of the Elite Season 2

The Best Upcoming Anime Summer 2022 Classroom of the Elite
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+ 6

Nominated by Aira Calina

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji is a student at Koudo Ikusei Senior High School, a reputable institution that ranks consistently high in all of Japan.

But beneath the school's brand of prestige and distinction, there is a highly questionable system in place.

Students at Koudo Ikusei are divided into classes A through D depending on their merits, with student experience getting considerably worse the lower the class ranking. But just because a class ranks low doesn't mean it has to stay that way.

Season 1 followed Ayanokouji and the rest of the "worst students" dumped into Class D, as they all worked as a class and in smaller, more scheming groups to increase both their collective and individual rankings.

Seeing as the last episode of season 1 graced fans with a chilling shot of a different (read: real), crafty-looking Ayanokouji, the arrival of the highly anticipated second season is welcome, though long overdue.

To summarize, Classroom of the Elite Season 2 is finally coming after five long years and I bet fans like myself can't contain their excitement!

One Piece Film: Red

The Best Upcoming Anime Summer 2022 One Piece Film Red
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+ 6

Nominated by Nobelle Borines

One Piece Film: Red is the 15th anime movie of the franchise and it promises something new for the Straw Hats.

We'll get to see the crew enjoying a concert by Uta, the "World's Greatest Diva" who has a surprise connection to them: Luffy reveals that she's actually Red-Haired Shanks' daughter!

There's action, music, and humor to look forward to in the next One Piece movie and it comes at a perfect time. The franchise is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year!

One Piece Film: Red is scheduled for release in Japan on August 6, 2022, and the international release dates could be announced soon.

Shadow’s House Season 2

The Best Upcoming Anime Summer 2022 Shadows House
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+ 6

Nominated by Madalena Daleziou

Given how disappointing The Promised Neverland Season 2 was, I’m probably a hopeless optimist, but I really look forward to Shadows House Season 2.

The gothic aesthetics and creepy house setting were just my cup of tea, and, before the big revelation, I spent days coming up with scenarios about what the shadows were.

At its heart, Shadows House is an anime about the quest for truth, freedom, and identity, all themes that appeal to me, and I’m excited to see Emilyko, Kate, and the rest of the cast embark on new adventures.

Kakegurui Twin

The Best Upcoming Anime Summer 2022 Kakegurui Twin
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+ 6

Nominated by Margarita Rances

To start, it’s an interesting thing to have gambling within the school rules. Kakegurui Twin follows a young girl going from an ordinary family to an exquisite school where gambling is part of the system and then slaying it.

Come to think of it, life itself is a gamble that everyone plays, may it be by choice or through force. Will chance be able to beat you or will you be able to beat chance in its own game?

Related: The Smartest Anime Characters of All Time

Lycoris Recoil

The Best Upcoming Anime Summer 2022 Lycoris Recoil
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+ 6

Nominated by Will Taylor

For me, summer is the perfect time to chill out with some slice-of-life comedy, and this new series has lots of promise.

Lycoris Recoil is a new restaurant-themed comedy series directed by Shingo Adachi, who was the animation director for Working, one of the best work-life anime of all time.

The story revolves around two girls waitressing at a Japanese tea house that caters for every order. No matter whether it’s your morning cup of tea or a sudden zombie infestation, the house is on hand!

Original anime series are always harder to sell to audiences, hence why we see so few nowadays. However, it feels like this series has all the ingredients to be something of a cult classic and I’m hoping it can break through this summer.

We hope this list has got you in the mood for some new series this summer. We’ll be covering all these and more here at Epicstream, so stay tuned!

For more articles like this, take a look at our Anime page.