Welcome to the Gundam Anime Corner 2022

A wise woman once said, “The Net is vast and infinite.”  Withing that expanse of digital wonder and chaos is this little neck of the woods I call my own.  This, Dear Readers, is the Gundam Anime Corner.  We enter 2022 coming up on the 8^th Anniversary of this blogs existence.  Started back in 2014, the Gundam Anime Corner began as a creative exercise to keep me writing regularly and eventually focus more on short story writing.  Ironically, short stories got pushed to the wayside in favor of me talking about all the Anime I had in my sizeable DVD/Blu-Ray collection.  What began with a review of the first half of Eden of the East has grown and evolved over the last 8 years.  Top 5 lists, First Impressions and, at last, Anime to Manga Comparisons have joined weekly reviews of giants like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Macross and, of course, Mobile Suit Gundam, and more is set to join that list.  The world is…well it’s still a rough place to be in right now.  However, it’s my hope that in a laundry list of articles about how crappy the world can be, a little article detailing how cool an Anime is or how incredibly horrific another one is can bring a smile, a chuckle, and general interest to the medium I’ve loved for more than half of my life.  Anime is a world of amazing wonders, terrifying horrors, jaw dropping fight scenes and stories from the heart.  I’m often revisiting familiar favorites here but am more than open to checking out more recent stuff too.  No matter what, so long as there’s Anime out there, damn right it’s got a shot of being talked about right here on my blog.  2022 is here, Dear Readers, and I hope that during it, I can make this year the biggest and best one for the Gundam Anime Corner yet.

 
Wow, that was a bit more emotional than I’ve done in a while.  How about I dial back the emotion and give you guys a sneak peak at what’s coming during the first couple of months of 2022.
 
Tenchi Muyo! (January 3-14, 2022)

The King has come to the Gundam Anime Corner…well A King, the King of Harem Scifi Anime and the most eligible bachelor in the universe: Mr. Tenchi Masaki.  Throughout 2022, we’ll be taking a look at the Tenchi Muyo series that aired on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block in the early 2000’s, starting with the original OVA that was a lot of people’s first exposure to the out of this world crazy that was Tenchi Muyo.  I’m really stoked about this one since I haven’t watched Tenchi in a while.  So yeah, Tenchi Muyo kicks off 2022 but look out for Tenchi Universe and Tenchi in Tokyo coming later this year too.
 

Girls und Panzer (January 17-28, 2022)

So I did a First Impression Friday feature on this late last year and kept on watching…and I was so amazed that I quickly added this title to the 2022 line up.  Girls und Panzer might be one of the strangest titles I’ve covered here: High School Girls engaging in a sport you’d think they’d be least interested in-Tankery (aka riding around in vintage tanks and blasting the bejezzus out of each other).  Tanks, cute high school girls and a healthy dose of slice of life…this could easily secure a spot on my Top 5 Best Titles I’ve Reviewed in 2022 list if it goes right.  Not only will I be reviewing the 12 episode TV Series, I’ll also be looking at the follow up film: Girls und Panzer der Film as well.

 
Trese (February 4-7, 2022)

From a side of the world who’s supernatural side has gone criminally underexplored comes Trese.  Based on the Filipino comic of the same name, Trese follows the titular lead as she acts as both an investigator and defender of a city with a temperamental truce between Humans and mythical monsters.  This one comes at the request of a good friend of mine cause every once in a while, I owe my friends a look at the shows they enjoy.  Will Trese wow me in its short 6 episode run?  Guess we’ll find out come February.

 
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (February 18-28, 2022)

How about an actual romantic Anime for the month of Love?  This ones been on my radar for sometime, long after I did a First Impression on it back in 2019.  With Netflix finally hosting it, I was able to give this deceptively titled show a run through and…wow.  Much like Girls und Panzer, Bunny Girl Senpai might have a shot at making it onto my Best of 2022 list come end of the year.  This isn’t just an Anime about a ridiculously cute girl who occasionally walks around in a sexy Bunny Suit.  No, it’s about far more than that and could very well be the closest to a Twin Peaks setup and environment I’ve seen in an Anime since Durarara.  And, just like Girls und Panzer, I also plan on looking at the direct follow up to the TV series, the Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl movie too. 
 
Notice that a few dates are still open and all titles are subject to change.  But most of these shows are locked in for sure (Tenchi and Bunny Girl Senpai for sure).  Anything else that pops in post this intro, pure surprise for all of us.  Beyond Reviews on Monday and Friday, keep an eye out for more Top 5 Wednesday’s on Wednesday and a brand new feature taking over Fridays until I decide to bring back First Impression Friday.  With Toonami celebrating its 25^th Anniversary this year, I’m heading back to the beginning and delving into my favorite titles from the blocks earliest days, exploring the Anime that wowed me and helped shape me into the fan I am today.  Many I’ve already talked about on this blog but who knows, maybe some extra personal insight could be fun.  Dear Readers, Toonami Flashback Friday begins Friday, January 7, 2022.  And since my in depth comparisons for the Manga versions of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing have been such a blast to work on, be prepared for a new Manga/Anime comparison to join their ranks sometime this year too.
 
And yeah, that seems like a good place to pause and let things simmer.  I haven’t even touched on the bigger projects I have planned for later in the year, including my most ambitious Extended Summer Series selections and possibly even finishing out the last of the Mobile Suit Gundam series that I still need to look at.  It’s gonna be a busy year…but I can garuntee you that it’s gonna be a helluva lot of fun too.  Welcome back to the Gundam Anime Corner, Dear Readers…lets get back to it.