Well, that's 2022 gone, and while it may not have been a great year for many, it did at least leave us with a legacy of great toys, anime shows and manga, so let's concentrate on the positive as much as we can by looking back at the greatest hits of 2022 (and one crushing disappointment).
Best Anime: Cyberpunk Edgerunners/Gundam - The Witch From Mercury
Honourable Mentions: Spy x Family, Love After World Domination
I couldn't separate my two favourite shows this year (honourable mention to Spy x Family too) but both of my picks really blew me away this year. Let's start with Edgerunners, the spiritual successor to BubbleGum Crisis and Cyber City Oedo 808, with that trademark Trigger gusto, it was a gut-punch emotionally and gave us some instantly iconic characters in David, Lucy and of course Rebecca. Based on the Cyberpunk 2077 game, it takes the style, puts it through an anime lens and gives us a narrative that was so strong it literally revitalised the game overnight. One of the very rare occasions that the tie-in is stronger than the game. Eat your heart out, Witcher.
And then of course there's G-Witch, the darling mecha show of the year. It may be causing some controversy in the very picky Gundam fanbase, and God knows it's been latched onto by some who are reading far too much into the whole Groom plotline, but taken as its own thing, The Witch From Mercury has been a joy to watch. Great animation, incredible music and a charming lead have made the series something of a breath of fresh air for the franchise, though that undercurrent of menace and violence bubble under the surface. As usual, my favourite character is a peripheral one, the violent antagonist Sophie Pulone, who just lights up every scene she's in with chaotic violence. Hopefully not doomed like other crazy femme fatales in Gundam, but we'll see.
Best 3rd Party Figure: Newage Ymir/Grimlock
Honourable Mentions: Newage Jetfire, Fanstoys Mirage, Fanstoys Perceptor
Easily my toy of the year amongst some very stiff competition, I've been absolutely blown away by the incredible build quality, articulation and finish on this Legends-scale transformer, especially on the EX toy deco. The decals were a bit much for me, and I took the rather silly and expensive step of experimenting with removing them. This did not go well. Getting a little over-enthusiastic with a Dremel and buffer attachment I actually managed to damage the plastic. Ugh. So there's a battle damaged version running loose in my diorama now. But even this self-inflicted wound doesn't damage my love of this beautifully realised Dinobot.
Best Figure: Bishoujo Darkstalkers Girls
Honourable Mentions: Figma Ryza, Nagatoro Summer Queen
Possibly a bit of an unfair advantage as all 3 releases landed this year, but I've always enjoyed Kotobukiya's Pretty Girl line - the sculpts are sharp and the poses dynamic. The recent run of Morrigan, Felicia and Lilith has created a wonderful themed display for the under-appreciated fighting game, and while I'm ever so slightly embarrassed by the level of cheesecake inherent in the designs, I do love how vibrant and full of energy they are. A bit of a guilty pleasure.
Kotobukiya's Figma line has seen some great releases, including Ryza (Atelier Ryza) and Mona (Genshin Impact). It's been very heartening to see Nagatoro get some love, though not nearly enough in my opinion. The Summer Queen edition has lovely matte paint for the skin, but I'd prefer a figure without the bikini.
Best Manga: The Tunnel To Summer, The Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine
Honourable Mentions: Music of Marie, Don't Toy with me Miss Nagatoro, I Belong to the Strongest Girl at School
It's been a very strong year for manga, with some incredibly imaginative tales making it to the West. While The Music of Marie was certainly a strong contender, I edged toward The Tunnel to Summer for it's atmosphere and intriguing story. The series started life as a light novel, but made the jump to manga and has been animated into a film too. It's a terrific read with great characters and heartily recommended to fans of slice-of-life fused with supernatural mystery.
The Music of Marie is a Morbius-esque tale of fully-realised world that has a terrific twist and really rewards the reader with repeat reads.
Nagatoro continues to impress with it's cheeky lead character and awkward romance, something that is also present (but moving at a much faster pace) in One Peace Books' fantastic I Belong to the Strongest Girl at School, either of which will bring a smile to fans of tsundere love stories.
On a side note, I discovered Emanon, though it was released years ago so doesn't qualify here, but if I could recommend one manga that I discovered in 2022, this is it. Great art, intriguing story and a wonderful premise.
Best Mecha: Metal Build Justice Gundam
Honourable Mentions: Metal Build Nu Gundam, VF-25 Worldwide Release
Ooh, this is a close fight, but all Gundam. We had some amazing high end releases this year, including the Metal Build line Hi Nu Gundam and Justice Gundam both fresh for 2022. I can disqualify the Metal Spirits Ex-S Gundam from the Sentinel series because it was released in 2016 and I've only just imported a copy, but between the other two it's very, very close. The Hi Nu has a single quality issue, with one of the marks on the front armour missing (a small notch, so no big deal compared to other copies I've seen in the wild) and the funnels are a bitch to attach, but in terms of presence it is simply incredible, even moreso when you crack open the armour and reveal all the techy goodness within. But the Justice, with it's cranberry colours, detachable Fatum 00 Backpack (which makes for a very cool "Green Goblin" mode) wins out. I'd honestly never been that enamoured with the Justice, but seeing it in Metal Build form really brings home the lovely touches that are usually overshadowed by the more iconic Freedom Gundam. The ability to slide everything out on the Fatum to increase its size, plus that insane wingspan that really pops on the shelf, give it edge. Just.
Biggest Disappointment: Hi Metal R VF-0
Oh what a calamity this thing is (see my review over at UK Anime Network). I know the Hi Metal R line isn't the highest quality in terms of plastic, but this is beyond laughable. The last time I saw material this thin and poorly concocted was Transformers MP45 Bumblebee (v2), and like that travesty, you can see through the panels when held up against sunlight. The VF-0 is a fantastic design with some lovely industrial detail, but it's lost on this moulding. The panel lines are all but invisible, and despite all the additional parts, it displays best in plane mode where the deficiencies are best hidden. One to avoid.
Best Artbook: The Artistry of Macross by Hidetaki Tenjin
Honourable Mentions: hyka reoenl Artwork, Daydream the Artwork of UTOMI uiti
How can I not just fawn all over the first official release of a Macross artbook for a worldwide audience? Hidetaki Tenjin's love for aviation shines through in this fabulous book that spans the entirety of Macross (including the much-maligned Macross II) and to top it off, I managed to get a signed version thanks to a Facebook group. The power of fandom working together to spread appreciation for art never ceases to make me smile, and subsequently I have something of a dream volume for my shelf.
PIE International continue to delight with their high quality artbooks, two of which would be fighting it out for first place had Artistry of Macross not been such a special first. hyka reoenl Artwork comes in a gorgeous slipcase that contains two books - a slimline client artwork book full of stunning illustrations (including work from Arknights), and a thicker book of imaginative industrial vistas populated by her characters. The only flaw is the lack of translation, despite being an "International Edition", but the art speaks for itself. Similarly, Daydream: The artwork of UTOMI uiti features some surreal and dreamlike imagery which mixes the fantastical and everyday to great effect.
So safe to say we've been blessed with no end of quality releases in 2022, some of which will no doubt become classics of the genre. It's hard to say if 2023 will be able to match the quality of what's come before, but it's always good to have a high bar to strive for. I know for many people 2022 was a difficult year, and the coming 12 months don't promise to be much easier with war, recession and political unrest relentlessly dominating the news cycle, but for those precious moments we can escape to something more cultural and satisfying, I hope the new year can deliver. Whatever the future holds,
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