The Chinese animation industry had been slowly growing and evolving and every year, donghua (Chinese anime) fans are quite lucky to get new titles despite the small diversity that we currently have when it comes to stories. While we have to acknowledge that xinxia (cultivation) and wuxia (martial arts) elements are popular and often well-received in China, I think it’s also about time to delve deeper into other genres to get a diverse ecosystem for donghua viewers who are looking for a wide range of stories. I believed that Chinese animation can offer more than this, especially with how wide and big the Chinese literature is.
Nevertheless, we have plenty of hype for the Chinese anime lineup this 2022 – both from different producers in China such as Tencent Penguin Pictures, YOUKU, Bilibili, and iQIYI.
Chinese Anime to Watch in 2022
In line with this, we are quite glad to give you guys a recommendation of the newly released donghua this 2022 (some from the last month of 2021) which you may not heard of yet. These titles are both sequels and new original and adapted works. I have watched some of these series and have been satisfied with most of them. So, instead of hearing the same old titles from other lists and recommendations, here’s a list of new Chinese anime to watch this 2022 that you might not have heard before. I hope you’ll get some hidden gems from this list.
Purple River
Zichuan | This donghua is a breath of fresh air from all the cultivation and martial arts Chinese anime that we had all this time. It reminds me of Game of Thrones, albeit in Chinese style yet with so much Western influence, this is a fantasy story that thrives in all the political intrigue and power struggles, making it exciting and amiably entertaining.
Related Post: Chinese Novel Zichuan (Purple River) Gets Donghua Adaptation
Immortality
Yong Sheng | Here’s one of those classic Chinese cultivation anime that we had most of the time. One thing that I love with Immortality is that despite how generic the story is, I am deeply engulfed by the drama and the animation is pretty decent that every episode is giving me a satisfying ride. Plus, we have rather gorgeous character designs in this series.
Dragon’s Disciple
Long She Yanyi | Alright, this newly released donghua is quite peculiar or unique because it’s a wuxia story but took place in a rather modern world setting. It’s like watching different martial arts schools teaching their students as they vie to be the best. Yes, this is another donghua about martial arts but with narrated differently.
Related Post: Chinese Anime Dragon’s Disciple to Air on January 28 on Bilibili
The Indomitable
Qian Cong Shou | Considered by many donghua fans as one of the Chinese anime of 2022 due to its strong premiere which took place in January, Qian Cong Shou had been one of Bilibili’s most anticipated series since 2021.
Related Post: Qian Cong Shou Donghua Opening Theme Had Been Revealed
Song of the Broadsword Specials
Zhen Dao Ge: Chenshi Hang | This is a special for one of 2021’s best action donghua – Song of the Broadsword (Zhen Dao Ge). It is a story of vengeance as we follow the journey of the MC who will exact revenge on the people that murdered his family, but as we go deeper into the story, we came to realized that these people he went after seem to be men of virtue. Now, this is where the theme of morals and standards comes in.
Busted! Darklord.
If you’re a fan of cute and hilarious donghua such as Non-Human, The Furious Yama, and All Saints Street – Busted! Darklord. is the new series from Bilibili that you need to watch.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality Season 2
This is the sequel to A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality and I must say that both the story and animation have gotten even better. This donghua had become one of my all-time favorite cultivation stories and I love how grounded the main character Han Li is compared to the other MC from different series.
Related Post: 10 Chinese Anime Like The Mortal’s Journey to Immortality
Stellar Transformations Season 4
Together with A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality Season 2, Stellar Transformations Season 4 had been my guilty pleasures in the first quarter of 2022. This is a Chinese anime that I’ll always be proud of to discuss with anyone and with all the common antics it shares with many xinxia series, it may sound familiar to every viewer but it also has its own appeal that makes it a worthwhile experience, especially with how well-written the story is.
Yangyao: Spirit Catcher
For fans of Spiritpact and much other anime with supernatural and exorcism plots, Yangyao: Spirit Catcher is an absolutely must-watch donghua for you. It’s one of Tencent’s underrated series that aired from the last quarter of 2021 but I am fully convinced that this is a gem that many avid fans of Chinese animation should see.
Fantasy X Hunter
Huan You Lieren | Outside of the cultivation antics is this exciting story of Fantasy x Hunter, a Chinese anime that will remind you of Sword Art Online. This is animated by Colored-Pencil Animation, the studio behind The King’s Avatar Season 2.
The Magic Chef of Fire and Ice
Bing Huo Mo Chu | From the author of Soul Land, Tang Jia San Shao, The Magic Chef of Fire and Ice is another awesome story to follow. The series was released in November by YOUKU and follows similar antics from all the novels written by Tang Jia San Shao, albeit the story can be superior compared to many other xinxia series out there. This is peak fantasy with the fusion of both the Western and Eastern elements.
The Peak of True Martial Arts
Zhen Wu Dianfeng | Here’s another Chinese wuxia anime from YOUKU which was released in December 2021. It is an original story and one that revolves around the usual antics in Chinese animation and that is cultivation beautifully blended with martial arts.
Related Post: YOUKU’s Zhen Wu Dian Feng Donghua to Premiere on December 24
Return of Gods
Zhu Tian Ji | Also known as The Era of the World or Thousand Worlds, here comes another recently released donghua as follows the thousands of years of rivalry between a heavenly immortal and the evil emperor. This new donghua is adapted from a Chinese web novel and is currently released by YOUKU on their official platforms.
Proud Swordsman
Adapted from a novel called Super Elation Under the Sun, this is quite another underrated donghua that I think needs more appreciation. Released by Tencent last October of 2021, Proud Swordsman offers the same antics as almost every xinxia series out there.
My Journey to Another World
Wo De Yi Jie Zhi Lu | This is an isekai donghua (Chinese anime with reincarnated or transmigrated mc) and I think many people might enjoy all the funny antics that this new series has to offer. It’s quite bizarre and absurd, as we have a normal guy who got transmigrated to another world, he possessed the body of an absolutely handsome man, but what gives, he was not able to cultivate. Thus, his journey to the path of becoming a cultivator has begun in order for him to return to his original world.
