Butt-wiping struggles, the difference between Nicole Fujita and Nicole Fujita, and how Totoro can help you make it through the winter.

On a cold winter’s day like today, there’s nothing like grabbing a warm blanket, a comfy spot on the couch, and a whole bunch of snacks so that you can spend the whole day in anime-watching bliss. Actually, a day-long anime binge watch, or manga binge read, sounds pretty appealing in any season, and below are SoraNews24’s most-read anime and manga-related stories from 2022, in both general and Studio Ghibli categories.

Top anime stories of 2022

● “I couldn’t…wipe my own butt” – Hunter x Hunter manga creator discusses medical issues

Hunter x Hunter creator Yoshihiro Togashi has frequently been the butt of joke because of the series’ frequent hiatuses, but it turns out his butt was no laughing matter.

● The 10 best manga to read in 2022, as recommend by Japanese bookstores

Don’t worry – if you still haven’t finished them all, or even started yet, you won’t lose otaku points for reading them in 2023 instead.

● Pokémon Center apologizes for writing model Nicole Fujita’s name as Nicole Fujita

Yes, the difference was so slight that even most Japanese people couldn’t tell the difference, but it’s there if you know where, or how, to look for it.

● One Piece’s Luffy spent years of manga’s publication without saying a word to one of his nakama

The leader of the Straw Hat Pirates isn’t exactly a shy or reticent guy, so it’s weird to see him apparently not have anything to say to a member of his crew for hundreds of chapters.

● One Punch Man manga artist’s amazing “practice” drawing is so good we think he might not be human

At this point we’re thinking it’s time to start joking that Yusuke Murata is a god and just seriously stop believing he’s human.

Top Ghibli stories of 2022

● Perfectly made snow Totoro spotted by anime director in Japan’s frozen north

One of anime’s greatest action directors encounters one of the medium’s ctest characters in an unexpected place.

● Studio Ghibli offering reprints of posters from all its anime films made from original plates

If you came late to the Ghibli fandom party, here’s an awesome way to catch up while making your home look beautiful at the same time.

● Studio Ghibli releases new line of rings designed to be both jewellery and figurines

Are they rings? Are they figures? Either way, we want them all.

● Haku is…Chihiro’s dead brother? Studio Ghibli fans blown away by Spirited Away theory

Even now, so many years after its theatrical release, there’s still so much to ponder and discuss in Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece.

● New Studio Ghibli humidifiers breathe anime magic into your home

Can’t bear the cold, dry winter air and the scratchy throats it creates? Don’t worry, Totoro and a few of his pals are here to help.

Top image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: SoraNews24, Ghibli Museum Online Shop, Studio Ghibli
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