9 Pieces (and One Piece) of Pop Culture io9 Is Thankful For in 2022

Thanksgiving is right here. A day to take a seat again, mirror, and take into consideration all the nice issues in your life. Family, mates, your well being—these are all worthy. But what about reveals, motion pictures, and comics?

Each yr, the io9 employees writes concerning the popular culture we’re grateful for. The leisure that has introduced us pleasure over the previous 11 months. Things that we’ve not solely favored, however which were so transformative or impactful, we’re truly grateful they exist. So sit again, seize a turkey leg, and see what the io9 employees is grateful for in 2022. (Or, if you’d like, look again at 2020 and 2021.)

We’re Thankful for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury

I completely love Gundam, however with the primary mainline collection on the horizon this yr since Iron Blooded Orphans, I used to be nonetheless full of a way of trepidation about The Witch From Mercury. Very little of the franchise within the twenty first century has grokked with the issues I like most about Gundam as an idea—and the messages that resonate most clearly all through the earlier works in it—have existed in entries like SEED, Reconguista in G, or the aforementioned Orphans. Would Witch From Mercury comply with go well with? Had Gundam forgotten easy methods to be Gundam exterior of nostalgic retreads of its authentic self?

Thankfully, I used to be blown away from episode 1 of G-Witch, because it’s turn out to be affectionately recognized. Not only for the potential sapphic vibes between its feminine protagonists Suletta and Miorine, nor the unbelievable design and motion of its main mecha, the Aerial. Witch From Mercury constructed out a brand new Gundam world that explored anime tropes that the franchise has probably not touched earlier than—largely a highschool setting—with explorations of transhumanism, bio-tech, the way forward for capitalism, the military-industrial advanced’s relationship with class warfare, and extra, with the hallmarks and chunk I like about Gundam’s core beliefs. Finally, there’s a contemporary collection that feels reverent of what Gundam was when it first started, with out simply straight aping or rehashing it. While there’s loads of alternatives for Witch From Mercury to disintegrate because it continues, for now, I’m grateful for Suletta Sundays having turn out to be the spotlight of my week over the previous few months. – James Whitbrook

We’re grateful for queer media

This yr appears like we’ve actually turned a nook in queer illustration in media. No longer relegated to facet tales and three-second editable clips, queer tales are lastly getting the limelight. From Our Flag Means Death to Interview With the Vampire, even sprinkling in Guillermo de la Cruz’s popping out story on What We Do within the Shadows and the very lesbian-coded Gundam: Witch from Mercury (see above), I really feel like I can lastly suppose to myself, “I want to watch a show focused on messy queers,” and I’ve a plethora of tales to select from. There’s under-the-radar reveals like The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself and kids’s animated reveals like The Owl House and Paranormal Park which can be additionally doing an incredible job at delivering fully-rounded characters and deeply queer tales. To say nothing of the books which have come out this yr. I may not have cared for Nona the Ninth, however in between Taz Muir’s Locked Tomb sapphics, Freya Marske’s sexy witches, the Burning Kingdoms’ magical catastrophe sequel The Oleander Sword, and the ultimate installment of the orc/sorcerer romance of the century The Thousand Eyes, the lesbians ate nicely in 2022. At the top of the yr I’m simply grateful that I can see myself, my tales, my mates, and my romances someplace on display, depicted in a manner that facilities the characters themselves and never simply the challenges of being queer. – Linda Codega

We’re grateful for RRR

I’ve by no means had a theatergoing expertise like RRR. I’ve seen the movie 5 occasions and every appears like the primary. The epic historic fantasy musical and bromance with blockbuster motion from director S.S. Rajamouli is a life-changing cinematic expertise like no different. The viewers will get on their toes, cheers, laughs, quotes alongside, and even has a dance-off. I’ve been chasing that movie-audience excessive ever since and no movie this yr can evaluate. N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan are immediate stars—equally charismatic romantic leads and motion heroes. I refuse to observe RRR on Netflix till the streamer affords it in its authentic Telegu language, but when it’s the one manner you’ll be able to watch, simply do it, particularly since there’s a sequel within the works! Give it all of the awards. – Sabina Graves

We’re grateful for bizarre style TV that’s not a part of a franchise

Nothing in opposition to realizing what you want and selecting to stay inside these boundaries, whether or not it’s a present inside the Marvel or Star Wars universe, a prequel to a present you as soon as favored however with many extra dragons, or a fourth season of a present about raunchy vampires. But 2022 had a very excessive charge of “this show sounds cool, don’t know much about it but guess I’ll take a chance” kinds of style titles that ended up fairly majestically rewarding the viewer. Just to call a number of, however Our Flag Means Death, Archive 81, The Resort, and Severance all discovered their niches shortly with characters we couldn’t cease interested by, and plots that made us cheer when second seasons had been introduced (or sigh sadly when the other occurred). That these kinds of reveals exist in any respect provides us hope that creativity continues to be alive in Hollywood, and makes the existence of all these freaking streaming providers really feel a bit extra justified. – Cheryl Eddy

We’re grateful for the return of the cinematic expertise

When the pandemic first hit in 2020, and thru a lot of 2021, film studios made the fitting name in delaying movies till such a time when seeing them within the theater can be a protected endeavor, each financially and for moviegoers. Even although we’re removed from out of the pandemic woods, loads of motion pictures have come out this yr (for higher or worse) with the intonation of “only in theaters.”

And you realize what? For most of the motion pictures that I’ve seen in theaters this yr, it actually has felt like Theaters are Back. And it helps that there’s been some movies price seeing in theaters: The Batman, Nope, Ambulance, and The Woman King are all crowdpleasers and Movie-Ass Movies, experiences that completely hit on the massive display. Top Gun: Maverick takes the highest Movie-Ass Movie expertise for the yr, with an in depth second being Prey. Yes, it’s strictly on Hulu and can possible by no means see a theatrical launch in its life, however it feels prefer it was made to be watched in a theater. For those that are vaccinated and really feel protected sufficient to step right into a theater once more, right here’s hoping we get extra of some of these movies in 2023. – Justin Carter

We’re grateful for Top Gun: Maverick

I’ve to leap off Justin’s choose right here however for a distinct purpose. First, I need to absolutely acknowledge that Top Gun: Maverick isn’t an io9 film. But a part of why I adore it and am grateful for it does apply to the films we cowl. You see, so usually today sequels are made to movies we cherished rising up. Sequels we by no means, ever thought would occur, be it a seventh Star Wars, a 3rd Ghostbusters, you get the thought. And virtually all the time, these motion pictures don’t evaluate to the originals. How may they? At greatest they’re strong remakes.

But Top Gun: Maverick was completely different. Over the years of ready, the group created a film that’s virtually definitely higher than the unique. A movie that works as a pure motion film, however works even higher with that icing of nostalgia. I first noticed the unique Top Gun when it was launched in 1986 with my late grandfather so watching this one brings again all of the feels. Probably why I’ve watched this new film virtually a dozen occasions since its launch, each in theaters and at house. – Germain Lussier

We’re grateful for Ghosts

We’ve spoken about how charming the BBC sitcom Ghosts is earlier than, and also you’d be forgiven in case you determined to offer the American model a strive. But it’s such traditional TV consolation meals that CBS’s Ghosts stands—or a minimum of apparates—simply as strongly to its supply materials. When Samantha (iZombie’s Rose McIver) discovers she’s the proprietor of a dilapidated Victorian mansion in New England, her pleasure to show it right into a bed-and-breakfast together with her husband Jay (Pitch Perfect’s Utkarsh Ambudkar) is tempered considerably when she falls down the steps, is clinically lifeless for a minute, and wakes as much as discover the home is inhabited by a wide range of ghosts from completely different time intervals in U.S. historical past, from an Eleventh-century Viking to a Nineties finance bro. It’s the type of present that will have completely had amusing observe again within the day, however the traditional construction solely augments the heat and coronary heart Ghosts nonetheless has underneath its incorporeal chest. —Robert Bricken

We’re grateful for One Piece

I’ve been recommending individuals take a look at the uber-popular manga One Piece just about because it was first revealed in 1997. It’s a job that’s solely gotten tougher because it has crept up in size, now operating greater than 1,000 points. But I’m not absolutely insane; the explanation I need individuals to spend a million hours of their lives studying One Piece is as a result of it’s that good, and is best than every other collection about rewarding long-term followers. This yr noticed the epic finish of the huge Wano storyarc, adopted by an expositional lore dump so large and mind-blowing it’s made my head spin. Calling One Piece a narrative about pirates is technically true, however it’s additionally about historical past, mythology, science fiction, samurai, dragons, robots, legendary creatures, future, monsters, world tradition, and a lot extra. Hey, these 1,000+ points needed to be full of one thing. —Robert Bricken

We’re grateful for cinematic tv

For occurring twenty years, tv has been getting higher and higher. And whereas enormous geek reveals like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead introduced that to a complete new degree, it appears like 2022 has taken that up even one other notch. This yr we bought a present primarily based on Lord of the Rings, a brand new Game of Thrones in House of the Dragon, an Obi-Wan Kenobi present, quickly we’ll get a Willow present, then there’s Andor, She-Hulk, and the checklist goes on and on. Not solely are these all actually good style reveals, they virtually universally really feel like reveals that, 20 or 30 years in the past, would have been made as motion pictures. And but, in 2022, we get to observe them within the consolation of our personal properties. Massive-scale, big-budget style motion pictures prolonged into full TV reveals. What a world. (And sure, I do notice that is in opposition to Cheryl’s equally good choose above.) – Germain Lussier

Want extra io9 information? Check out when to anticipate the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on movie and TV, and every thing you might want to find out about James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water.