The fascination with robots and mechanical devices has been going strong for quite some time, and it shows no signs of abating. The popularity of mecha anime is growing. For anime fans who are curious about the genre but haven’t seen any before, the best place to start is with the best of 2022.
8 Muv-Luv Alternative 2nd Season
Takeru Shirogane is able to return to his home planet with the use of tech developed by Professor Yuuko Kouzuki and the psychic abilities of Kasumi Yashiro. Takeru needs Yuuko’s cooperation to finish the Alternative IV project — the final humankind’s chance against the BETA, an extraterrestrial civilization assaulting the planet. Takeru and the other pilot trainees at the Yokohama school all get their diplomas as the anti-BETA project draws nearer.
Takeru and his crew are ambushed by the BETA while testing the new software for the Tactical Surface Fighters. These are the massive fighting suits utilized by humans to fight against the alien invaders. Takeru witnesses the brutal murder of a close friend and just escapes death himself. He then escapes to the other planet and suffers a similar fate. Yuuko believes that everyone in the multiverse will meet the same tragic end; thus, Takeru must conquer his trauma to defend his loved ones.
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6 Date A Live IV
Shidou Itsuka has faced and conquered many obstacles on his journey with Ratatoskr, but their work together is far from done. Shidou deviates from his normal routine when he decides to aid a homeless, malnourished lady he sees sleeping on the street. After they go to her place, she reveals that she’s the well-known manga artist Nia Honjou, who has been under a pseudonym. Nia, however, wastes no time getting to the heart of the matter. She reveals that she, too, is a Spirit and is privy to Shidou’s covert plan.
Nia wants to experience Shidou’s charm firsthand, so she invites him on a date with her. While searching for a way to permanently disable her abilities, Shidou finds out more about Nia and her connection to the sinister Deus Ex Machina Industries.
5 Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island
Another anime in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, this show sees the Earth Federation Army planning an offensive to take Odessa, the base of operations for Zeon’s Earth Attack Force, after a defensive struggle in Jaburo. Ahead of the expedition, Amuro, as well as the White Base, go to Belfast to stock up on supplies. But now the White Base has fresh orders: go to the deserted “Island of No Return” and eliminate any remaining survivors.
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Amuro goes to the island in quest of missing troops, but instead comes upon some kids and an unexpected Zaku. After Amuro’s Gundam is destroyed in combat, he runs upon a guy named Cucuruz Doan. Can Amuro recover the Gundam and make a clean break from the island if he learns its secrets?
4 Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs
Trapped In A Dating Sim mixes romance and mecha. Reborn from his life as an office worker, Leon finds himself in a dating simulation game where women rule and only attractive males are allowed to participate.
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But fortunately for Leon, he has an advantage: he remembers his previous life in its entirety, including a full run-through of the game he is now locked in. This gives him an advantage over the other players. See Leon start a movement that will alter the face of the world so that he may live the simple life he’s always dreamed of in the country.
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2 Hairpin Double
This action-packed anime follows a team of five female racecar drivers who turn into heroes in order to keep the track safe.
The Okayama International Track is the scene of an unexpected appearance by a masked figure and a number of monstrous creatures, all of whom have the same objective: to get their hands on the unidentified power that lies dormant under the surface of the racing circuit.
1 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
In Japanese, this show is known as Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo, and it marks another installment in the Mobile Suit Gundam series. After much convincing from her mother, Suletta Mercury travels off-world to enroll at the Asticassia School of Tech. There, student duelists judge what’s good and bad. The victor gets Miorine as his bride, a reward set by Miorine’s father.
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Miorine’s current fiance, Guel, is the finest aviator in school, and wants to move in with her. Suletta is against this idea, so Guel confronts her. Suletta wins the match, but her triumph is nullified since she is arrested for allegedly using a banned type of mobile suit. Miorine, unable to tolerate any more wrongdoing, suggests a new battle with increased stakes. Suletta faces expulsion and the destruction of the Gundam Aerial she loves, unless she can win a second round.
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