Anime has been pretty wild this year with a number of mega hits and high profile sequel seasons most notable the final season of Attack on Titan and a few long running show such as Bleach entering it’s final seasons after such a long run, which is cool and end of an era I suppose. In terms of general trends, this past year has been overflowing with so much isekai trash that I don’t know what to make of it anymore. The isekai anime offerings this year are so over saturated with varying degrees of the same formulaic shit that even I who normally gives some of these shows the courtesy of a first episode watch, found myself skimming them after the first 2-5 minutes in. I really like the isekai genre and the creative stories that it can potentially tell, I really do; but this year it was just too much man generic shit all the same. Do you know what has been missing lately in the anime trends lately tho? Nice chill cute girls doing cute things moeblob anime with either bright or pastel colors, fuck man; there used to be so many before, so much that I couldn’t watch them all but now there is like none, which has been a complaint of mine for a few years now. Sad. Once again, there is no mecha anime worth noting other than Gundam as the genre is basically dead outside of already established IPs and series with decades of legacy. There has also been a increase in Netflix online anime for better or worse which at least for me personally is not good because it decreases the discoverability of shows, at least in my opinion. And of course vtubers has been my main source of home entertainment at home, which probably occupies like 80% of the time on my tv via chromeast, at least outside of working hours, which I do not regret in the slightest.
As per new tradition, I’d like to take the time to recognize a number of shows that came out this year but for whatever reason, I did not watch finish watching and ended dropping, even tho everyone else thinks it’s the hottest shit still. I suppose you can say this is my list of failures/acknowledgment of notable shows that should at least have a sentence or two.
Noteworthy/Honorable mention shows that I did not finish:
Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha S2 – I am sad that I did not end up finishing S2 of Anos Voligold and his cute bitches + harem to it’s completion. For all intensive purposes I would have but due to the poor timing of it airing in the winter, during planning of my Japan Trip and it also having been massively delayed due to covid19 production issues only beginning to air again into the Fall season, I kind of forgot about it to be honest while shiny newer shows took my attention more. Sadge. Maybe I’ll try picking it back up again but unlikely.
Eiyuuou, Bu wo Kiwameru Tame Tenseisu – On paper this would have been a great show but it just turned out to be a generic isekai trash story with the main girl being a former king reincarnated into the same world in the future but as a cute girl sword warrior. The main interest in this show is that it was based on a light novel with illustrations done by Nagu, which if anyone knows anything about it also works as a vtuber for Hololive English as a certain purple tako girl that seems to be a character straight out of FGO. Yes, while Nagu’s illustrations and character designs are good, it just wasn’t enough to keep me interested as the show itself suffers huge pacing issues and questionable storytelling methods, not to mention lack of character depth. I dunno, maybe I’ll give it a try again powered with the knowledge that I know.
Benriya Saitou-san, Isekai ni Iku – This is another isekai show that is probably pretty good and for the first few episodes was entertained, featuring a regular handyman transported into a fantasy world but ends up being really useful despite there being wizards and knights and shit. A comedy and joke show at heart, I couldn’t finish this show because of pre-japan trip planning taking a priority and other shows which is too bad. In a slow time I would have finished this show but in the fast paced year that was 2023 of Reckless Abandon, there simply was no time for this one. Too bad, at least there is no merch that I see of this show being made like figures so in that regard I’m not missing much.
Lv1 Maou to One Room Yuusha – By all metrics this show I should have finished, it had jokes, great premise, voice talent, fan-service and even a linear story but for one reason or another I did not finish this show. I think it was because while the concept of the show was great for telling jokes and gags, the author of the original material wanted to tell stories about more serious social issues as the entire story gradually transformed into a big geopolitical drama commentary on the state of the world and society, which honesty man, I don’t really need. I want to laugh and be entertained, not ponder society’s ruin, we already know that will come in time.
Zom 100 – Another great show that lots of people like but I think just suffered a combination of there being too much other good shows to watch in a season so it kind of fell off with it’s somewhat formulaic approach to storytelling. The concept is fantastic being in a zombie world and the main guy just wants to live his live and do a bucket list before he dies or becomes a zombie himself but that of in itself is part of the problem. I kinda hate the main guy, he is so annoying and I had a hard time trying to justify watching this just for the action and animation, while very good, not something that I couldn’t get from another show. While there are some cute girls that appear based on the intro, by episode 3 or 4, they had all not joined the main crew of 2 bros, so it immediately became a waste of time for me if this show ended up being a journey of 2 gay bros. Not worth it.
Ryza no Atelier – The slice of life alchemy JRPG series that I used to follow but didn’t follow for a few years/series that was saved by a hot main character and her thicc thighs. Not even joking. The only reason this anime exists is because the popularity of the main title character Ryza and her design as well as all the other female characters of the game. I thought maybe this might be a good watch but it turns out pretty boring and very slow, even for Atelier games. Too bad.
Spy x Family – After fully watching the first season and enjoyed it, the novelty and charm of Spy Family has somewhat worn off considerably which has led me to drop this show. While good wholesome fun, there is a lot of filler in the show and stories drag on and on that have no forward moving plot points or direction which make watching episodes feel like pointless one off excursions that never come back in the future. It didn’t help that the start of S2 had alot of spy games and almost no Anya or school time hijinks, which is where I think this show shines. At the pace and direction they are going at, this is going to be a long ass show that they are going to milk for many many years, I don’t think the story is good enough for me to commit to that unfortunately.
Fumetsu no Anata e S2 – What an astounding fall from grace. What was once considered one of the best shows in years past in my opinion I have stopped watching for the foreseeable future. Why? I am not entirely sure but it was a combination of japan trip timing and story-plot dragging on that didn’t make me compelled to continue this show. Compared to the first season which was fantastic, S2 already starts off weird and kind of slow and then gets stuck in a story arc that honestly is kind of boring/shit compared to previous story arcs, it drags on too long with the new characters introduced not helping either. While it is sad, that’s just how things go sometimes and with word online that the next story arc is the worst/killed the entire show/manga, I feel even less compelled to continue watching.
Due to the many events and trips this past year I would have thought I would watch less anime, and that is indeed true; but not by much, I ended up watching 16 shows in full, only two from the 18 shows that I watched last year in 2022, noice. So then, with all that said and done, let’s begin the ranking of the shows that I did finish completely!
Shows actually watched:
16. Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san S2
Nagatoro S2 was more or less more of the same and in some ways just a little bit worst than the first season. While the first season had major character development I felt that this season dragged on a little bit too much and only really picked up near the end with the introduction of new characters to the art club and some minor relationship progress between Nagatoro and the boi. While it is technically the last on this ranking, it by no means is a bad show, it just means that it wasn’t extraordinary and probably could have been adapted better the manga for pacing and progression faster.
15. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 6 – Stone Ocean (Part 3)
Even though it was released a year ago all at once on Netflix, I finally got around to finishing Stone Ocean Part 3 and oh boi it was quite a ride, although not what I was expecting from it’s ending. Indeed, while as a whole Stone Ocean was alright, I feel like the author of JoJo wrote himself into a corner, always trying to one up himself in the scale and scope of the battles and stakes at hand. Part 3 was messy and everywhere compared to Part 1 and 2 and it seemed like the author really couldn’t figure out how to end this story, and it really shows with the last few episodes. As the tentative ‘end’ of the original JoJo linear historical timeline, before the author explores alternate timelines and dimensions, it is a bit sad that it ends this way but who knows. Could have been much better but I think the author put his ambitions to high and the results are just meh, underwhelming.
14. Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!
A new show about a tomboy girl who is actually cute and also sporty? Noice. A combination of romance, gag and comedy, this show is pretty solid and well grounded and most importantly all of the characters are likable or at the very least tolerable. It doesn’t have huge lol moments but it it is interesting most of the time with chuckles here and there. While not particularly popular in the wider anime cultural sphere (no merch), it’s worth a watch for something a little different than your standard harem or isekai trash but not for everyone.
13. MF Ghost
After many years of brewing and no car racing eurobeat anime on the air, the spiritual/actual successor to Initial D finally has it’s first anime made and it’s quite different from it’s predecessor. While I enjoyed the show thoroughly, I can’t help but feel that Initial D was better overall as a story and I think most fans would agree, especially for a S1. The fact that the show ends without any meaningful conclusion or wrap up is very odd, it feels like there should be another episode or two for a clean ending but there isn’t and it’s kind of weird. Opening song is great and all the other eurobeat songs but character development? Of other drivers? Almost non-existent which I hope in future seasons they will go more into because right now, MF Ghost is just a shell of a show that could be great, but feels like the story hasn’t even begun at all yet. Hope for the best.
12. NieR Automata Ver1.1a
After a very poor release schedule having been delayed like multiple times due to covid staffing production issues and ending up spanning like 2 or 3 seasons, this NieR Automata anime adaptation was alright, pretty good in fact considering the large scope and story that the actual games runs you through. While good in it’s own right, it’s by no means a replacement or substitute for the original game, it’s more of a supplement with various new things being added to the story and executed differently from the game which is actually more interesting if you have already played and completed NieR Automata in full. Definitely enjoyable and worth a watch just to get an idea why this game/story is so beloved. Looking forward to the second half of the story with a S2.
11. The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls – U149
I like idolmaster Cinderella girls. I like the original Cinderella girls anime that aired a number of years ago and I think this one featuring even younger idols that are under the height of 149cm, is just as good, maybe even better in some aspects. A very cheerful and positive idol anime, featuring some of the most popular loli members of the franchise I have always wondered why these group of girls was so popular. Having watched the anime, I know why and I get it now, they are all good girls in there own ways and what I think the show does best is actually pay a reasonably level of attention to all the girls, even though there are so many, with each episode kinda dedicated to one girl each. Throw in some cameos from the normal cast of Cinderella girls and newer girls that were not in the first anime and you have a recipe for success for a pure idol anime that is largely filled with no downsides or negativity. Good shit.
10. Goblin Slayer S2
Goblin Slayer returns for a S2 and it’s just as good as I remembered from S1. Picking up somewhere after the movie, or at least I think it does the team continues to do it’s goblin killing thing and goes into more character development for some of the side cast like High Elf Archer, Priestess, Sword Maiden and Goblin Slayer himself which is all good shit. In terms of action, it’s much less than S1 and not as much shock factor as S1 because by now, you are kind of used to it but that’s ok as it makes up for in in character development and general direction. I wonder how this show/story will end? Who knows, looking forward to more.
9. Golden Kamuy S4
Golden Kamuy is now in it’s fourth season and man, it’s still getting better. While a long term investment I’d recommend still watching this show, it’s good shit. While still good, compared to previous seasons, not as much progress has been made in the wider story but just more character development in regards to motives/goals/purposes of character has been revealed. The focus is a bit everywhere on so many different crews/groups so while shit did happen this season, it feels like nobody made any big actions or movements lol. Still good shit tho.
8. Dr. Stone S3
Dr Stone S3 was pretty good, spanning across 2 cours I wasn’t quite sure if this was S4 or S3 but yea, it’s S3. The tone of the show has changed a bit and the goals have changed for the better with alot of new characters, most largely likeable. While the science aspect of the show is still on point, it’s gotten to a level where lots of assumptions and shortcuts are taken for granted which in earlier seasons, they would have like half an episode or full one dedicated to getting X material or thing, these days, the idea is thought of and bang, small montage of building or crafting and said complex device or tool is already made lol jokes. Despite it’s somewhat rushed pace and the questionable island arc, huge movement was made in the wider story and goals which is great and sets the stage for the shows eventual conclusion, hopeful within the next couple of years. Good shit.
7. Edomae Elf
This is a great chill show about a elf from another world who ends up becoming a shrine goddess in modern Japan for many years and has become something of hikkomori/gamer/otaku. With a formula premise like this, how can I not like this show. Taking place in Tokyo and serving as an indirect tourist anime for others, this show certainly hit home airing during the Spring anime season, literally when I came back from my trip to Japan, with memories fresh of the trip, it was all good, it was like I was just there. Everything about the show is nice and chill, all the cute girl characters and such and the fun joke stories that they bring. Good shit, would watch sequel if they ever made it.
6. Kimetsu no Yaiba – Katanakaji no Sato-hen
Another year and another season of Demon Slayers Yaiba, this time it’s the swordsmith village arc and while it was good from a technical animation perspective, it just wasn’t as good as the Entertainment district arc which was extremely hype and the mugen train arc before it from a story development and intensity battle hype. It feels really like a side story, a really good one to introduce some other Hashiras that don’t have that deep of a story to be used in the future battles as ex-machina, which honestly, will probably happen. It doesn’t help that this was a solo Tanjiro story this time so no dumb comedy or hi-jinks from ‘the boiz’ and very limited time for Nezuko, except for the end with major story/character development/changes. The villains this time were also very weak/annoying compared to predecessors and have especially weak backstories, which is one of the things I enjoy most of Demon Slayers, which unfortunately this time was very lackluster. It was a necessary arc yes, but not the best by any means in terms of the already high quality that Demon Slayers anime holds up to. Great, but not the best.
5. Mushoku Tensei S2
After a pretty slow start with our boy Rudeus having PTSD from everyone leaving him at the end of the last season and spending a few episodes fucking things up again with girls and life in general as a depressed sadboi, he finally realizes what he needs to do in life and decides to go to magic school in order to search for the cure for his erectile dysfunction. This is not even a joke, that’s basically the main objective of this story arc and it’s very different from the previous story arcs of homeless reincarnation, which is not bad, just different. While the show itself is still fantastic and I still consider it probably one of the best isekai’s out there, the tone and pacing of the story slowed to a crawl in exchange for full on character development and relationship building, it became essentially one of those generic magic school animes but with Rudeus in it and gathering a few friends along the way. While slow, I think this story arc was necessary for Rudeus’s character development and some very important larger story/goals that have been lingering since the start of the show began have now been partially addressed/answered. It’s also the first time this anime has a opening sequence, which is boring sentimental garbage in my opinion; I would have much rather had no opening like before as it leaves more to the imagination and no foresight into the story, ahwell. Despite it’s very different tone and pacing, I still thoroughly enjoyed Mushoku Tensei S2 and look forward to the second cour set to air in the spring season.
4. Oniichan wa Oshimai!
This gender swap hikkomori rehabilitation slice of life chill anime sleeper hit of the year definitely deserves it’s praise and acknowledgement as a great well rounded show that may interest many different people and groups, both men, women and everything else in between for obvious reasons. I like pastel colors and this show delivers it with nice palettes that are easy on the eye, not only that but with excellent animation and a lot of cute round designed girls and topics/gags filled with amusement and jokes. Not to mention that this anime features heavily collaboration works from Guilty Gear Strive and other Arc System Works fighting games, the pacing, flow and tone of the show is on point and ends nice and cleanly; so that if they never make a sequel to this, that is totally ok. I like that, you know, shows that end well and cleanly. S2 is a bonus, not a requirement like so many other shows these days and I applaud it for that. Great show all round.
3. Mobile Suit Gundam – The Witch from Mercury S2
The first Gundam anime featuring a female main character comes to an end and in my opinion it was done really well, probably one of the best original Gundam series in probably a decade to be honest that is not called build fighters or some other spinoff since Unicorn maybe. A lot of people have mixed feelings towards this show because just like many things these days, the creators are trying out different things and this show doesn’t really conform to the standard Gundam formula at all which for some immediately means it’s a write-off to them. I see it however as a great show that appeals to the times and modern youth, not just because the main character is like gay/lesbian but rather the themes and world are so unlike other gundam shows. In many ways, the world of Witch from Mercury mirrors our own where companies rule the world instead of nation states as we know them today and is a very interesting take for a Gundam show where there are no true bad guys, just different perspectives. Tied with excellent animation and mechas, likeable characters and design and good tension/drama it makes for a good show where you really don’t know what’s going to happen next, I for one had no idea how this show was going to end and the ending was quite interesting/surprising to say the least. I could see them making a sequel to this show in the near future but even if they don’t, I don’t regret watching this Gundam anime at all. Worthy of the third best show of 2023, which leaves up with the top 2, what’s it gonna be then?
2. Oshi no Ko
As one of the most anticipated anime adaptions even before airing, I wasn’t sure how popular and impactful Oshi no Ko was going to be, I mean, it’s an idol isekai anime, how good can it be? Well, pretty damn good as a matter of fact; I first heard of this story when one of the vtubers I watched mentioned that she read the manga and was looking forward to the anime this year. With that in mind, I didn’t expect for the opening song of this show to be such a massive banger viral hit; “Idol” by YOASOBI has become a massive popular anime cultural hit like a explosion not seen probably since the first Attack on Titan opening song and no doubt is destined to be an anime song classic. Outside of the banger and amazing opening song and sequence animation, the story itself throws you for a loop with a 90 minute long first episode, setting the stage for what’s to come and then does an about face and then goes “NOP” this show ain’t what you thought it was about, then revealing the real story of the show. For all intensive purposes, the first episode might even be considered a stand alone movie, a self contained short-story where things end cleanly but no, things are actually just getting started, oh boi. Authored by the same mangaka that made Kaguya love is war, he has proven that he is a very talented and brilliant writer with a knack for pacing, character development, not just limited to comedies but also drama/suspense. Filled with a gripping story, animation, likeable characters and hopefully a end to the manga coming sooner rather than later, Oshi no Ko was probably going to be the best show of this year, however that is not the case, as a unforeseen hit show late in the year has managed to push it from the top spot, of course, what I am talking about is…
1. Sousou no Frieren
Also known as it’s full title as “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End”, Frieren is an anime that seemingly came out of nowhere in the last anime season of 2023 and basically usurped the attention of everyone with it’s also continuous airing of the first 3-4 episodes, attracting the attention of many when word of mouth got around that this show, was in fact, amazing and very good. Frieren is not an isekai, but it takes place in a fantasy world with magic and knights, with the main character being an elf girl that has outlived all of her adventurer party friends that she journeyed with for 10 years, a mere side errand in the scale of a long lived elf like her. When some 30 years or so past by, she finds herself reunited with her old party and soon after at the funereal of the hero of the party, Himmel who has waited to meet her again after so long. Only realizing now that human’s lifespans are so short compared to her, she feels devastated and is filled with sadness and regret that she didn’t spend more time and attention to Himmel if she knew he was going to die so soon. With this in mind, she begins a nostalgia journey, retracing the same 10 year route that she did with her party all those years ago to defeat the demon lord. Picking up a young girl mage and a young boy warrior at the recommendation of her aging now retired party members, she begins her journey once again. Wow. On paper there is nothing particularly noteworthy that makes Frieren stand out but the execution and amount of work/detail put into this anime is outstanding; the characters are filled with depth and charm and the world brimming with stories to tell and magic and things to discover. Frieren herself is a very likeable character, a stoic cold logical calm girl that uses her brain most of the time, but is shown to also be playful and pretty selfish at times, contrasting the very different sides to her personality is what makes her charming and relatable. The fact that her personality changes slowly as the show progresses as she builds stronger bonds and relationships with her traveling companions also adds to her likability, not to mention being straight up OP as a mage. The lessons and themes in each Frieren episode can be somewhat episodic but still contributes towards the larger linear journeying narrative and is a style of storytelling that I really enjoy, reminding me of Mushishi, which to this day I still consider the best anime ever created from a storytelling execution perspective. Outside of the characters, the animation is excellent when there is time for battles and action and from my understanding, the studio/director has put his soul into making this work great, animating minutes long action sequences that in the original source manga, is just a single still frame. While the character designs themselves are rather plain and generic, it works for the kind of story that Frieren is in and it’s world. The opening song, at least the first one is also a banger, also made by YOASOBI, the same musicians responsible for Oshi no Ko’s viral opening song, although not as catchy to be honest. Outside of those technical things, I think most importantly is that Frieren has the potential to become something much bigger than a two cour season anime, with it’s popularity spreading like wildfire around the world and most importantly, even in Japan. Since it’s anime debut, the sales of the manga have almost doubled and I see memes being created from the show, which indicate to me a high level of attention and presence in the anime pop culture world. I also see alot of merch being made for the show, which is always a good sign, which means on a business anime merchandise side of things, the anime industry support it because that means there is a demand for merch and people want to buy it. As a manga that quite literally is a covid-19 pandemic work, first starting serialization in April 2020, I see Frieren potentially continuing on for many more years to come; maybe even 10 years worth if the author is up to it to match up with Frieren’s actual journey in the story. With all that said, I think Frieren has the potential to become the next cultural phenomenon and because of it’s high quality and excellent storytelling, characters and narrative style, earns it my title as best show of the year.
Congrats Sousou no Frieren, you are the best show of 2024.
Bonus:
