The anime world continues to entertain and blow away fans with high-quality stories and animation. With the previous year giving countless hits and top-tier titles to the anime community, 2024 wholeheartedly continues the trend. The past six months have been nothing but a frenzy-filled experience for the fans as some long-waited names made their highly-anticipated comeback while others managed to etch their names in almost everyone’s watchlists.
Surprisingly, 2024’s anime lineup has been exceptionally well-rounded and consistent so far. From a decent number of romance anime changing the atmosphere to a few action sleeper hits that have pumped up the audience, it’s pretty much been a neck-to-neck contest. While critically acclaimed series like Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, and more have come back to dominate the scene, a few new anime names have successfully made the audience approve of their newfound supremacy.
Demon Slayers are at a disadvantage in the war against Muzan Kibutsuji’s Demons equipped with an incredible healing factor known as regeneration.
10 Girls Band Cry Is A Visually Stunning Original Series
Eye Candy With An Emotional Story
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This criminally underrated original anime series flew under the radar despite being helmed by Toei Animation. It might seem like another musical show where unlikely characters come together to form a band, but that might be an oversimplification of Girls Band Cry. The anime follows the messy life of a school dropout named Nina, who moves to Tokyo and crosses paths with her favorite musician. Before she knows it, Nina is being dragged into a group of hot messes who decide to form a band to unleash their beautiful chaos.
However, it’s not an easy journey for them as the band members face intriguing challenges both within themselves and the music industry. The most compelling part of the series is the characters who perfectly capture the impatience, the fear, and the frustration related to finding oneself and fighting to keep their passions alive.
9A Sign of Affection Is One Of The Best Romance Anime of the Year
A Swoon-Worthy Tale of Young Adult Love
IMDb Rating
7.8
MAL Rating
8.2
A Sign of Affection entered the anime scene with high expectations since it was already deemed as a highly-anticipated romance anime of 2024. Fortunately, the heartfelt story of Yuki and Itsuomi immediately had the audience smitten with their romance. The story of a deaf yet strong-headed girl experiencing her first love with a handsome and free-spirited Itsuomi is the tale of the year. Despite having tough competition against several other meaningful love stories, A Sign of Affection stood out for several reasons.
Its stunning animation and non-high school setting piqued the viewers’ interest in how creative and realistic this story might be. Although there are some trope-filled cute moments here and there in the show, it doesn’t diminish the fact that it’s a strong story that emphasizes the journey to love rather than the emotion itself. It’s a swoon-worthy anime with visuals that will transport the audience into Yuki’s beautiful world.
A Sign of Affection
Romance
Yuki Itose is a college student who’s into friends and fashion. She’s also deaf. A chance meeting on a train leads to a serious crush… But can it grow into something more?
Release DateJanuary 6, 2024
Creatorsuu Morishita
Production CompanyAjia-do Animation Works
Streaming Service(s)Crunchyroll
8Delicious In Dungeon Emerged As A Scrumptious Sleeper Hit
A Savory Palate Of Comedy And Fantasy
IMDb Rating
8
MAL Rating
8.6
Delicious In Dungeon is an unconventional hit that did it without any fancy battle sequences, epic fantasy tales, or grand characters. Everyone in this flavorsome story is only out to survive a dungeon that has nothing but monsters. When a group of adventurers ends up having a failed raid in a dungeon, they face dire consequences when the swordsman, Laios’s sister, is eaten alive by a dragon. Hopeful to rescue her before she is completely digested, the group sets out to find her.
However, the only problem is that they are fresh out of rations and food, and the only thing edible down in the dungeons are the monsters themselves. Fortunately for the adventurers, they are met with an expert who teaches them how to perfectly cook monsters into delicious dishes. Although it’s not the first time culinary themes have been explored in fantasy anime, Delicious in Dungeon pulls it off with clever comedy and artful culinary antics that the fans can’t help but love this delicious story.
Delicious in Dungeon
Anime
Fantasy
Comedy
Action
Can sisters be reincarnated from dragon poop? Laios and his friends Marcille and Chilchuck delve into an endless dungeon in search of his fallen sister, fighting monsters, starvation, and corruption.
Release DateJanuary 4, 2023
Main GenreFantasy
StudioTrigger
Main CastSayaka Senbongi, Kentarou Kumagai, Hiroshi Naka and Asuna Tomari
7Wind Breaker Is An Entertaining Saga of High School Brawling
It Is a Newfound Story of ‘Brawling’ Friendships
IMDb Rating
7.6
MAL Rating
7.83
Wind Breaker is one of the sleeper hits of 2024 and a delinquent-styled story that surprisingly works well. Fans aren’t new to the underdog/neglected shonen-type protagonists who set out to be the best to prove everyone wrong. However, this premise works for Wind Breaker because of its clever buildup, clarity, and comedy. The anime doesn’t overcomplicate things and offers exactly what it intends to do from the first episode.
The show tells the interesting story of a gritty and unique-looking boy named Sakura Haruka, who moves to a different town to attend the famed school for delinquents and rejects. However, when he arrives at Furin, he realizes that fighting here means so much more than proving who is the strongest. Despite its trope-filled atmosphere, Wind Breaker tries to stand out with its well-executed brawls and a soft vibe filled with the spirit of friendship.
Wind Breaker
TV-14
Animation
Action
Adventure
A talented high school student with a passion for biking becomes the leader of his school’s cycling team. He faces numerous challenges, including intense rivalries and personal obstacles, as he strives to lead his team to victory. Along the way, he learns valuable lessons about perseverance, teamwork, and the true spirit of competition, pushing himself and his teammates to new heights.
6 Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Continues To Redefine the Isekai Genre
Mushoku Tensei Redefined the Isekai Genre
IMDb Rating
8.3
MAL Rating
8.4
Mushoku Tensei is one of the few celebrated isekai shows that has breathed new life into the genre. Like most isekai shows, Mushoku Tensei also gives into the trend of reincarnating particular nobodies in a fantasy world where they are gifted with limitless power. When a 34-year-old homeless NEET dies saving a teenager, he is reincarnated as a baby named Rudeus in a world of sorcery. Unable to do something meaningful with his past life, Rudeus decides to make this one count and experience everything he missed out on.
The first season aired in 2021 and the second season came in 2023 in a two-cour structure. Part 2 of Season 2 premiered in April and has successfully lived up to the original’s reputation. The sequel continues Rudeus’s journey to become strong, and between that, he also has to deal with his budding relationship with his long-term friend, Sylphiette. The reason why the anime keeps getting it right with the audience is its consistency in focusing on Rudeus’s life story without any unnecessary grandeur.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
TV-14
Action
Adventure
A 34-year-old underachiever gets run over by a bus, but his story isn’t over. Reincarnated as an infant, he’ll embark on an epic adventure.
Release DateJanuary 11, 2021
CastYumi Uchiyama , Tomokazu Sugita , Ai Kakuma , Toshiyuki Morikawa
Main GenreAnime
Seasons2
StudioStudio Bind
CreatorRifujin na Magonote
5 My Hero Academia Season 7 Continues With Its Grand-Scale Setup
MHA Remains A Force in the Anime World
IMDb Rating
8.3
MAL Rating
7.8
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My Hero Academia is a modern classic and a magnanimous name in the anime industry. When the titular anime returned for its seventh season in 2024, it was everything that fans expected and more. Following the trend of two-cour seasons, the series will subsequently be split and stretch over to October. Currently, nine episodes have aired, and they have been nothing short of spectacular. Living up to its reputation, the series has set out to blow the audience away by vigorously covering the Star and Stripe Arc, U.A, and the Traitor Arc.
The series will pick up from Season 6’s events as Deku discovers that there might be a traitor among the heroes and North America’s best arrive to help against the ultimate fight. Fans have been over the moon with this modern masterpiece as it continues to tell an epic tale with such straightforwardness and earnestness that it makes the anime shine.
My Hero Academia (2016)
TV-14
Action
Adventure
Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life—a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers. That’s right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered “quirk,” Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that’s not enough to stop him from enrolling in one of the world’s most prestigious hero academies.
Release DateMay 5, 2018
CastDaiki Yamashita , Justin Briner , Nobuhiko Okamoto , Ayane Sakura
Main Genre Anime
Seasons6
Production CompanyBones
Number of Episodes145
4Solo Leveling Sets The Precedent For Manhwa
An Anime That Has Thrived Upon Impeccable World-Building and Dark Fantasy Elements
In a seemingly manga-dominated scene, Solo Leveling made a superhero landing in 2024 and blew everyone away. Deemed as one of the most hyped manhwa adaptations of all time, Solo Leveling became an instant sensation for its dystopian tale of yet another underdog who then finds himself in the center of things. The story mostly revolves around an average hunter who is struggling every day for survival in a world where monsters and magic exist.
This widely-praised anime series has captivated the fans mainly through its world-building and compelling gameplay-like setting. One of the most outstanding qualities of this anime is its perfectly balanced distribution of tropes, clichés, and a few cringe-worthy moments. The anime offers a sense of vulnerability and fear through the characters and offers an edgy story that doesn’t depend too much on prolonged fighting sequences. Solo Leveling is a clear winner when it comes to mind-boggling plot twists and redefining dark fantasy.
In a world of gifted hunters and monsters, a weak hunter Sung Jin-Woo gains extraordinary powers through a mysterious program, leading him to become one of the strongest hunters and conquering even the strongest dungeons.
Release DateJanuary 7, 2024
CastAleks Le , Taito Ban
Main GenreAction
Seasons1
StudioA-1 Pictures
CreatorChugong
WritersNoboru Kimura
Streaming Service(s)Crunchyroll
Main Cast
3Demon Slayer Season 4 Almost Broke The Internet
The Season 4 Finale Is One Of The Highest-Rated
IMDb Rating
8.6
MAL Rating
8.4
Demon Slayer has steadily become a household name in the shonen genre. The series just wrapped up its Hashira Training arc, and while not for the entirety of it, the season finale did set the internet on fire. Crashing anime streaming site Crunchyroll and racking in a whopping 9.9 IMDb rating for “The Hashira Unite” proves the series’ undeniable aura and dominance. The recent season followed the events of the Swordsmith Village arc, and into Tanjiro’s brutal training with the experienced Hashira to become a top-rated Demon Slayer.
Season 4 primarily focused on the training routine with its effective storytelling while demons laid low. However, with Muzan still, in pursuit of Nezuko and his grand scheme of attaining world domination and immortality, Tanjiro and the Hashira are still in for a grand conclusion against the formidable demon. Living up to its reputation of world-class animation and fighting sequences, it’s safe to say that Demon Slayer Season 4 was this year’s fire tornado.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
TV-MA
Animation
Action
Adventure
Release DateJanuary 22, 2021
CastNatsuki Hanae , Zach Aguilar , Abby Trott , Akari Kitō , Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Main Genre Animation
Seasons4
2Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Emerged As An Unrivaled High-Fantasy Success
Frieren Is A Fantasy Gem With Feel-Good Vibes
From savage humor to sarcastically tackling dark themes, these dark comedies are perfect for anyone with a twisted sense of humor.
If there’s a fantasy title that has taught the anime world how to properly mesh together unlikely genres like slice-of-life and shonen, it’s Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. Released as a two-cour series, the show just concluded its epic run in March 2024 and had fans in a frenzy. The first part followed the journey of a thousand-year-old magically potent elf who reunited with her former party years after defeating the Demon King. Now, she wants to embark on a journey to search for something else that would give meaning or closure to her.
This visually stunning modern-day masterpiece captivated the audience almost immediately with its distinctive storytelling and approach to the genre. The second part starts with the same energy and beautiful animation and continues Frieren’s journey as she takes a mage exam to validate her prowess. The anime is heavily soaked with the stench of nostalgia and renewal of the fantasy genre that will plunge the viewers back into the mesmerizing Lord of the Rings kind-of atmosphere.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
TV-14
Anime
Adventure
Drama
An elf and her friends defeat a demon king in a great war. But the war is over, and the elf must search for a new way of life.
Release DateSeptember 29, 2023
CastAtsumi Tanezaki , Kana Ichinose , Mallorie Rodak , Jill Harris
Main GenreAnime
Seasons1
CreatorTsukasa Abe, Kanehito Yamada
Production CompanyAniplex, Dentsu, Madhouse, Shogakukan, TOHO animation, Toho
1Kaiju No. 8 Is A Top-Notch Monster-Action Sci-Fi
The Anime Has a Newfound Approach To The Shonen Underdog Trope
IMDb Rating
8.4
MAL Rating
8.3
After making a name for itself as a popular manga series back in 2020, Kaiju No. 8 made its big debut in April and absolutely blew the fans away. The monster-infested saga with top-tier battle sequences emerged from the depths of the Spring 2024 lineup and claimed the top spot. The anime exceeded the viewers’ expectations with its unorthodox take on the underdog trope and elevated the anime through impeccable pacing and character development.
Despite Hibino Kafka being the main character and the host of the strongest kaiju ever encountered by the Defense Force, Kaiju No. 8 evenly distributes the spotlight. Although the anime only treated fans with 12 episodes, the prospect of a sequel made sense of the way the show handled the story. From its visuals to well-choreographed and blood-pumping fighting scenes, Kaiju No. 8 has set a precedent for modern shonen and has introduced a better way of action storytelling.
Kaiju No. 8 (2024)
Science Fiction
Action
Kafka Hibino merges with a kaiju and gains powers, leading him to attempt his childhood dream in Kaiju No. 8.
Release Date2024-04-00
CastFairouz Ai , Wataru Katou , Masaya Fukunishi
Main GenreAnime
StudioProduction I.G.
Main CastMasaya Fukunishi, Fairouz Ai, Wataru Katou