Top 10 Anime of 2024

It's been a very eventful year for me, but in the middle of everything I still managed to watch a pretty good amount of anime. From wolves and deer to kaiju and losing heroines, here's my top 10 of this year. 


Top 10 New Anime:

10. Spice and Wolf

Nothing extraordinary in terms of art and animation, but it was still nice to have a more down-to-earth fantasy anime. The second half in particular had many good episodes. Ami Koshimizu is great as Holo. 

9. The Elusive Samurai

I had high hopes for a Jump anime from Team Umehara, and sometimes those hopes were met and even surpassed, but far too often I was left disappointed. Some of it was due to the story not always knowing which tone was appropriate, some was the usual Aniplex planning causing visible melting. It really was a series of ups and downs. 

8. Senpai is an Otokonoko

Despite the modest production and sometimes mistimed mood swings, I ended up getting really invested in this one. It's always nice to see LGBT stories in anime told with the tact they deserve, and the characters being so likable helped a lot to make me care about them even more than I expected. 

7. My Deer Friend Nokotan

Profoundly stupid. Yes, that is a compliment. In fact, my only criticism is that it should've been even more stupid. SHIKANOKO NOKONOKO KOSHITANTAN--- *gets shot*

6. Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

Despite my initial fears, Roshidere ended up being more than just its gimmick. In fact, the gimmick was kind of outshined by all of the (frankly more entertaining) side plots and side character shenanigans. 

5. Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary

Interesting series that often manages to be unsettling despite being about high schoolers eating sweets and solving mundane mysteries. Promised Neverland director Mamoru Kanbe shows he's still got it. 

4. Kaiju No. 8

I used to read the manga weekly but fell off and haven't even touched it in a long while. The anime - despite the character designs not being to my taste - is a very solid adaptation and often even impressive. Anime-onlies might be disappointed by how generic the story is, though, but it's far from bad and that alone is already a relief to me. 

3. Dandadan

I knew of this story's reputation, but nothing could prepare me for actually seeing it in all its insanity. It's a wild mix of occult horror, shonen action and high school romcom, where you can have a centuries-old monster granny locking a teenager's balls in a literal golden ball in one episode, and a stunningly told, tear-jerkingly tragic backstory in another. (No, I'm still not over that episode.) 

2. Girls Band Cry

I missed Garukura's weekly release because it wasn't simulcast on any platform (wtf Toei), but once it appeared on Crunchyroll later, I just had to give it a go. Such a great series! Lovable characters with endlessly entertaining interactions, that good rock'n'roll attitude and pretty solid music too. The (almost) full CG animation took very little time to get used to and managed to combine the best aspects of the anime style and CG animation in a way that rivals even the works of studio Orange. 

1. Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

Speaking of lovable characters, Makeine's whole premise is that the protagonist essentially acts as an ex tempore therapist for a trio of endearing losers. Naturally, hilarity ensues. But while it is funny as hell, it's also got a lot of heart. In particular, Komari's arc touched me deeply due to how I can relate to many of her feelings. (Still a funny gremlin tho.) The anime is also visually some of the best I've seen from A-1, with very well done athmospheric use of colors that reflects both the change of seasons and the shifting emotional states of the characters. 

Top 5 Sequels:

5. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II Part 2

4. Laid-Back Camp Season 3

3. Re:Zero Season 3 Part 1

2. Oshi no Ko Season 2

1. Sound! Euphonium 3


And that's it for this year! Happy New Year and I'll be back for more irregular posting in 2025!

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