The Summer 2022 anime season is entering its final stretch, and several series are going full throttle. Some are diving headlong into their final story segments, while others are tying together loose threads before they go dormant for another year or two. As we enter September, though, some of these shows have risen above the others, and that’s not even considering the new shows taking the scene at the last minute. Of them, these are the five best anime of September 2022 you should watch.
Made in Abyss Season 2
Best Anime to Watch in September 2022
While Made in Abyss Season 2 may have tackled some stranger topics and themes than past story arcs – and that’s saying something considering where this series has gone – its final stretch can’t be missed.
Embracing the thrilling highs and heart-wrenching lows the series originally gained attention for, the second season has built itself to a crescendo of climaxes and payoffs. Multiple characters are set to collide in violent fashion, and there’s sure to be a hefty amount of action to go along with the Cthulian body horror and monstrosities that are lurking in the wings.
Storywise, there’s just as much reason to jump into the series. Between the flashback to a previous group’s doomed expedition into the Abyss and the main party’s own continued struggle for survival, there has been no shortage of epic tragedies and tragic epics to be enthralled by.
To say this series is one of the best anime to watch in September 2022 would be an understatement. We can only hope the wait between this season and the next isn’t as long as those between previous cours.
Isekai Ojisan
Best Anime to Watch in September 2022
Though it wasn’t the most high-profile reverse Isekai of this season, thanks to The Devil is a Part-Timer!!, Isekai Ojisan has proven itself the better of the two overall.
Self-aware to a perfect degree and ready to lampoon everything anime fans hold dear, this show is a refreshing breath of fresh air among the deluge of cookie-cutter offerings. Tropes are examined in a way that fully accepts how silly they really are, and sacred cows of the medium, like Neon Genesis Evangelion, are properly roasted for how overly-hyped or misinterpreted they can tend to be.
Its characters are something to be commended, too. They’re loveable without being too sympathetic, and their issues are self-inflicted enough to make laughing at their failure fun without being mean. This is before one even considers how they try to capitalize on the special abilities granted to them, which is so believable for the current time and age that it almost hurts.
It’s not one of the best anime of all time by any means, but in terms of the best anime to watch in September 2022, it’s an easy addition to anyone’s list.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean
Best Anime to Watch in September 2022
Before anyone asks, no, it is not required to watch all of Jojo’s Bizarre adventure to enjoy its Stone Ocean arc.
More akin to the series’ fourth arc than anything else, Stone Ocean is an encapsulation of the series’ creativity and insanity. Most anyone can dive into it and enjoy the gonzo fights, eccentric characters, and eye-popping art free of worries, as it tells its own story with minimal connection to the arcs that came before it.
Likewise, there’s never been a better time to check it out. Following a lapse of nearly 10 months between new episodes, the series’ second part is finally set to hit Netflix this month. No longer will viewers be stuck wondering how Jolyne will escape her unjust incarceration and take down the people responsible for trying to take her life.
As such, it’s an unexpected but welcome addition to our list of the best anime to watch in September 2022. It’ll by no means be a smooth ride, but viewers can be sure it’ll be an original and entertaining one.
Call of the Night
Best Anime to Watch in September 2022
Standing right next to Made in Abyss Season 2 as a standout of the Summer 2022 season, Call of the Night is a new benchmark for cozy and chill anime.
Contemplative and relaxing, as much as it’s fantastical and racy, the series is that perfect mix of arthouse glitz and fun comfort food-style appeal. Ko’s continued journeys into the night alongside Nazuna and his friends has remained a gorgeous and relatable jaunt through what otherwise could have been a run-of-the-mill coming-of-age tale.
This is thanks in no small part to the aesthetic and the characters. Its animation and art style is distinct enough that it stands out from other shows easily, breaking the mold while also doing everything it intends to do with grace. Its characters, meanwhile, are surprisingly deep, portraying a level of nuance that lends the larger series a sense of maturity.
Both these elements help the show’s heavier themes land flawlessly and have kept it from slipping off our list of the best anime to watch in September 2022. For anyone who is still on the fence about checking it out, rest assured that it’s a show that is well worth the minimal time investment to experience.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Best Anime to Watch in September 2022
Though only trailers have been released prior to the show’s full airing, and it could still go either way, Studio Trigger’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is easily among the best anime to watch in September 2022.
A spin-off series set in the same universe as Cyberpunk 2077, the show pulls no punches for the sake of sticking to Trigger’s more cartoonish aesthetic. The trailer for the series alone has buckets of blood and gore galore, meaning the lauded studio is intent on maintaining the more violent elements of CD Projekt Red’s less-than beloved IP.
However, it also appears to have a heaping helping of story to go along with it. Though the details aren’t entirely clear – again, because the series isn’t out yet – there appears to be some genuine emotion driving the characters in their struggle to survive Night City and the dangers lurking within it.
Could it still be a disaster, just like the game was? Quite possibly. Even then, though, the show would be worth seeing just to know how much of a train wreck it is. Either way, though, we’ll be watching this series in its entirety as soon as we’re able.
