"Watch more anime!"

 – Tristan "Arkada" Gallant from Glass Reflection, Canadian Reviewer

Welcome.

This is a ranked, spoiler-free list of my top 13 favorite anime series "this year" (more on that in a moment).

...Because that's clearly what most people come to NG for: Anime opinions! xD

Some stuff you should know about this list before you skip down to the rankings:

- There are no links or images to the shows here and I will not discuss the actual content - only mood and quality of the writing as well as the animation/"cinematography". You can go in absolutely blind, if you so desire. Since this is a service no one (I know of) provides, I thought this ranked list would be a good idea.

I would not expect that readers would be psychics who waited almost 12 months in order to get recommendations from me of all people - but we cannot all watch "every single anime" and we are into different stuff. "Different" can still be "good", though.

- Only anime series that aired their first season during 2024 will be considered.

- 2nd or 3rd seasons will not be included - so As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World will not be on here. "Consecutive-cour series"/"2nd-cour series" do count - explicitly so I can "cheat in" The Apothecary Diaries.

But yeah: Generally, if you watched season one of a show and liked it, you don't need others to tell you to watch the second and third season as well. At that point you already know if you like it or not.

- If a show's premise didn't sound interesting to me, then I didn't watch it. Even if I had access to every single series that comes out somewhere, I do not have the time and energy to watch everything.

- I am no professional reviewer. That being said, I critique quite often. I just don't do it on NG anymore. Because fuck those crybabies and their drooling fans. I am under no obligation to improve the creative output of others and I can still hand out poor ratings to poor submissions.

- All the shows are watched and judged with original Japanese voice acting with English subtitles provided by others. I do not comb the web for good subtitles anymore. If the English dubbed version is shite or if there are no good subtitles available in your country, I wouldn't know about it. Likewise, I would not be able to say "The EngSubs from [a certain place] or [certain person] are the best." (Who can even afford multiple services these days?)

- Also: Yes, shows such as Senpai is an Otokonoko, Cherry Magic! and A Sign of Affection were good and worth watching. But I will not pretend that I am sooo deep and that I enjoyed them to an extend which would justify including them here. Not every single thing I happen to like has to be "the best". And likewise: Just because I'm not hetero doesn't mean that I will automatically like all shows aimed at a stereotypical LGBTQIA+-audience the best. (Once more: The aforementioned series were good; just not "the best".)

I still enjoy me some representation, though. ;)

- The list starts with the last place and moves to first. Because that's how you do these "review" style of lists. This isn't a playlist...

- And finally: This list is sorted by my own preferences. For those who have trouble understanding this: My personal tastes can be different from yours - there is no "objective" way to "rate" culture and art. The wording of individual entries may be adjusted or expanded upon during the next 3 days. But while I may still agonize over the wording, the sorting of my candidates is final. I'm an honest person and I honestly do not give a fuck about what you liked this year. And if I did I would seek out and read your list on the topic. (Once again, the comment section is closed because I cannot be asked to read and moderate "lol, but..."-comments. I don't hate you, dear reader - I just do not care for a discourse on subjective opinions on the matter.)

Now without further ado:

#13

Delicious in Dungeon

[Danjon Meshi]

While still a pretty good watch, at some point, a fun show about fantasy c[Spoilers!]ing, exploration, as well as aiding friends and companions suddenly turns into this complicated and convoluted mess of a story that nobody asked for. The start is still very good, but I really have to ask myself: Who thought that this kind of change was a good idea?

Since I did not read the manga I've decided to blame Netflix. They had it coming, anyway! ;p "Goodbye Netflix!" And that's a significant part of the reason why Ranma ½ (2024) isn't on this list - I didn't watch it. I'm sure it's great and "not at all" a rehash of a story that has already been exhaustively animated many years ago and has already had more special episodes than most of the readers had birthdays!

...

Thanks for bringing us "She-Ra", though. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power was out of this world.

I can highly recommend the first 12 episodes of Delicious in Dungeon. The other 12...? Not so much.

While the production of a second season has been announced I'll be content with the early episodes (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and call it a day. It was the fun kind of "weird" until they changed the formula halfway though the series and I really cannot stand this kind of behavior.

#12

Acro Trip

[Akuro Torippu]

Not a Magical Girls anime as such and more genre adjacent.

It has some great moments and some boring ones, but the characters (including a protagonist you can sympathize with) are what saves this series for me.

If you are not into Magical Girls this is most likely not for you, though.

At the time of writing, this is still airing, but I am confident that the placing for this wouldn't change, even if they suddenly decided to double their budget for the show.

#11

Dandadan

[Dan Da Dan]

Well written story and characters, fantastically over-animated at times (very impressive), but the story doesn't really grab the viewer and does not make them long for the next episode.

Still: If you like very pretty eye-candy and aren't violently allergic against humor aimed at Japanese teens, this is very watchable.

At the time of writing, this is still airing, but I don't see it getting considerably better (or worse).

#10

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

[Nozomanu Fushi no Bōkensha]

This is an interesting story with very good pacing, good character writing, solid animation with mid-tier budget... It's even still good on a re-watch. ...And I have the feeling it was completely ignored.

If you are (to put it lightly) "sad", but you have no desire to engage with positive teenagers and bright colors, then this "unwanted" anime series with a sobered but not defeated mood might be the right pick for you.

#9

Mr. Villain's Day Off

[Kyūjitsu no Warumono-san]

This is what you watch when you need a break - from everything!

It tries too hard to relax the viewer, but at the end of the day I cannot fault it for that. It does a good job at what it has set out to do and if you, dear reader, are one of the people who cannot decide if they want to vomit or cry first when you crawl into your save space in the evening, this is definitely for you.

While there is no doubt that the target audience is adults, I'd reckon that anyone who landed on this article would be the right age to enjoy it. I doubt kids would like it, though.

#8

Sasaki and Peeps

[Sasaki to Pii-chan]

Do you enjoy stories? Do you enjoy genres? Are you fairly confused by my vague phrasing? :3

Sasaki and Peeps is a lot of stories and a lot of genres all interwoven into one impressive work of art. You will likely enjoy it, but you need to be rather awake to process everything that is going on. I also suspect that you will enjoy this more if you rightfully fancy yourself as being an intelligent adult.

This would have ranked considerably higher, but is weighed down by large stretches filled with commerce and bureaucracy. On the other hand: That I still rank it this high despite this grievance should tell you how competently put together this is.

The production of a second season has been announced and I'm looking forward it.

#7

Dungeon People

[Danjon no Naka no Hito]

If Mr. Villain's Day Off was not strong enough for you and you need something to fill you with more hope and confidence, Dungeon People might fulfill that need: The characters are all incredibly genuine and I would describe the world as "rough and real, but lovable".

While this might speak to people who like power fantasies, this is a warmth fantasy instead:

"Imagine if people - but good!"

#6

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash

[Saijaku Teimā wa Gomihiroi no Tabi o Hajimemashita]

If you think that title is quite a mouthful... well, you are absolutely correct*, but you probably also didn't watch a lot of anime until now. Fear not: This might be for you. The Weakest Tamer (and so on...) is really accessible even for viewers who aren't familiar with "the usual tropes". Everything will be explained to you in a digestible pace. If you have children (or parents) that you would like to watch some hopeful, current-day anime with, this one is pretty much the ideal pick. And if you're a "veteran", it isn't bad either.

That being said: There have been no signs that a second season will be produced - which is a very common occurrence in anime series. In a nutshell: Most anime series get produced as "high quality advertisements" so more mangas will be sold.

* How about "The Weakest Tamer's Journey"? This took me about 10 seconds to workshop. Dearest Honobonoru500, I love your work and I do understand that artists are typically pretty overworked (regardless of country). But next time please consider getting a second opinion on a title.

#5

Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord

[Akuyaku Reijou Reberu 99: Watashi wa Ura Bosudesuga Maou de wa Arimasen]

Now that's a title you could pummel somebody to death with...* ;3 And also kind of a spoiler - but you can't blame that one on me.

This will be my most divisive pick for this list: The writing isn't out of this world and neither is the animation budget. But it does things that no other series of this making does - or at least not this well. The comedy is almost entirely dry humor that can actually land with a "western" audience and the protagonist is perfectly reasonable and smart for a change.

Just a spoiler-free heads-up: You will likely think you are watching the wrong series at first - because Yatsufusa could not have recommended... "this". That's a regrettable design-decision I cannot defend, but will excuse. It gets cleared up within the first episode. (Like in Gakkou Gurashi!.)

As an added bonus, the story will be concluded by the end of the series so you don't have to wait for a sequel or curse the Japanese animation industry for baiting you once again.

* I know what title and a subtitle are - I'm just being pedantic. Places can already canonically use "Villainess Level 99" but some still use the Jenga tower-version.

#4

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

[Sōsō no Furīren]

People would have likely burned me at the stake if I made up a rule to include second-cour series and didn't list "Frieren" in a very high place. It is a really well-told story about topics you won't find tackled too often - to say the least. The animation is also... "delicious!" ("Sense... Who is that elf magus?")

But that being said, the journey that is the story is, at times, paced very slowly. This is absolutely intentional and makes sense within the confines of the story, but it might inspire you to gnaw of the corners of your furniture in anticipation for the next bit of "actual story" or character growth.

"Frieren" tells some lessons, but not every member of the audience might be up for that kind of storytelling all of the time.

The production of a second season has been announced.

#3

Gushing over Magical Girls

[Mahō Shōjo ni Akogarete]

"Te-he-he...!~" :3

Observant readers may have wondered why this list would be rated "M"... I was wavering whether or not I should forgo this show in favor of an "E" age rating; but a string of recent (and concerning) events have made it clear to me that we need a bit more healthy sex-positivity in our lives. And the series is really well written, actually. I did not put this over "Frieren" on a whim. So here we go:

Gushing over Magical Girls is a modern 2024 series that has streamlined a lot of elements of the Magical Girls genre in favor of telling a good story... And showing girls getting touched by other girls in strange and exciting situations...~ :3

At its core it is really quite an innocent series that doesn't treat its audience as if it was stupid. Unless you are sex-averse, the show is easy to watch and you are almost certainly going to have a good time (as well as deepen your understanding of the Magical Girls genre in some regards, even if you fancy yourself to be quite knowledgeable in these areas).

Watching it when you happen to have kids might pose a logistical challenge, though...

Fair warning: Not every episode will be "sexy strange". Not every "intimate exchange" between "sometimes consenting" partners (who will not be hurt - that bad) will be for you.

There is a censored and an "uncensored"/"less censored" version. Both are equally tame and there isn't a lot of actual nudity, but the censored version simply doesn't look as nice.

#2

The Apothecary Diaries

[Kusuriya no Hitorigoto]

If I were to make a list of the best 13 anime series of the decade in... *counts with fingers* let's say "in a few years", then I am confident that The Apothecary Diaries would not only be in it but would also be ranked quite high. This is a show the world desperately needed and I am very glad that it was made. The characters, while very "real" for their era, are the best they could be and have a lot of edges and angles that aid the telling of a throughout "believable" story. If you sometimes struggle with "suspension of disbelief" or if you feel that there aren't enough "real" female protagonists in anime, then there is a high chance you will love this series to bits.

I have nothing but respect for Rebecca Silverman, but to me, this show is clearly "S rank"-material. There has barely been a second where I haven't felt entertained or engrossed in the story.

The production of a second season has been announced at the end of the 24(!) episode long first season. If you aren't filled to the brim with confidence for The Apothecary Diaries by now, I do not know what to do with you.

...but...

After hearing me gush about this... How can this be only be the second place...? Well: In a different world, this show would have been first place. But considering the world we actually live in...

#1

'Tis Time for "Torture", Princess

[Hime-sama "Gōmon" no Jikan desu]

'Tis what you want to watch, dear reader.

If you are... a person of any age who has been stuck living on planet earth throughout the year 2024 and you are planning to brave the hellscape that will be 2025 'Tis Time for "Torture", Princess is what will most likely help you to find at least some of the mental strength to see another day.

This series is exceptionally well made, features exceptionally likeable characters with surprisingly healthy and grown-up mindsets. But one more word from me and I would be spoiling what this series is actually about, so I can only hope that I have stressed enough how good this might be for your mental health. Now go and watch 'Tis Time for "Torture", Princess. (Who cares about me waffling on here? You probably already got what you came here for.)

And that was it. 12 endless months. 13 great series. A bunch that did not quite make this list. ...and many, many more that were just "subjectively bad". Apart from a few notable exceptions, 2024 has not been a strong year for Japanese animation, but I hope I could help you find something that caught your interest.

It is worth mentioning that I can not recommend the service I'm using in earnest - at least not at the time of writing. Therefore: If you don't know how to find a certain anime - don't ask me.

And as pretty much every independent reviewer in "the west" will tell you: Some of those shows might have legal options that are actually available in your country - others might not. If the latter is the case and there are no legal alternatives, I would have no moral qualms about telling readers to use an internet search engine and look up places where they can watch those any way you can.

"Would have" because I obviously cannot condone piracy. Because that would be illegal. Even if this means you never get to see those shows and the publisher would take no financial loss from your actions. ...All because the companies behind them prefer to invest time and resources into trying to fight piracy sites instead of looking into how to get affordable and easily accessible anime to potential customers outside of Japan. And if piracy never even existed in the first place, they would "totally" watch out for you...

*Sigh!*

If you want anime recommendations from me beyond these 13 picks, my personal anime preferences are actually quite public.

And if you didn't like this list (or the lack of synopsis and visual references) at all, Arkada (from the opening quote) will probably do one for this year, so you can go there in just a few weeks and enjoy the work of a professional with way more competence, wit, charisma, and funding then me.

(In case the cesspool that is YouTube doesn't want to cooperate with your browser setup, use 9xbuddy - which is horribly named, but will get the job done.)

[This post concludes the first part of my December Road Map. (If you want to send something in, you still have until the 18th of December.) Was Thursday a good day to post it? Was this a good time of the day to post it? Probably not, but time will tell.]

Addendum 2024-12-12: I am such an idiot! If I had waited just one more day I could have published a "Top 13" on a Friday the 13th! x|

But I don't want to annoy people and it doesn't make the list better or worse, so I'll leave it as is. To make ammends: Here's a very good animation about the power of the number 13 made by @FrankHardon, who covers occult and "supernatural" topics.

(Still: What a blunder...!)

Addendum 2024-12-13: Fuck me sideways! I "just" wanted to feature fanart from the highest ranked shows on this list in my Art Portal favorites (I update them every Friday to give every set of 6 pieces a fair 7 days in the spotlight). I needed several hours to find some. Our artists are just terrible with tags... Or using the names of the actual source material...

Long story short: Out of 13 series I could find 4 with solid SFW-fanart. ...And two with NSFW-fanart. Because it was such an entirely unexpected find, I decided to share one of those as well - which is uncharacteristic for my profile, but I like it when (aged-up) characters get to have a sex-life for a change - and people who don't like that will have configured their filters accordingly anyway. So: Enjoy! ...Or don't. ;)

Addendum 2024-12-23: Prophecy fulfilled:

Glass Reflection - The Best Anime of 2024 [2024-12-22]

( I cannot wait to hear him rip my favorites a new one and place my least favorites first and seconds respectively... ;) )

Addendum to the Addendum 2024-12-23 (after actually watching the video):

If you have actually read this post and do not mind slight spoilers (visual and otherwise) I highly recommend the video I just linked to. Both for different takes on things as well as for getting recommendations for shows that I did not mention. Both of us featured some series that weren't exactly mainstream. Aside from other things, I was stoked that he included Villainess Level 99 in the #10 spot. ;)

My reason not to include "Appraisal Skill" and 7th Time Loop are very similar to Arkada's: They are still in the "buildup-phase" (amazingly...). While many shows might never be concluded, you'd like to see more than just the entry-level application of those hours of preparation. That being said As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World is enjoyable. It's just... 2 seasons have just concluded but the best thing I can say about it the a general NG audience is: "If 'you' want to learn about the effective use of BGM in animation, this is a good choice." It's just "too early in the series" to recommend... After eight hours!)

Some words of warning on Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master: The praise was "understandable". One could enjoy the show for various qualities. But it is not something you can recommend to those with limited time. Arkada has taste. But if you are not into "traditional Japanese-esque royal court stuff", this will not be as enticing for you as it is for Arkada. On top of that, around half of season one is completely inconsequential. If you want your plots to be meaningful and to go somewhere meaningful, this is not for you.

Dandadan. ... :)

I overall enjoyed how we could appreciate a similar pool of anime series for similar things - just to different degrees. Granted: It wasn't a big pool this year... That we seemingly had similar thoughts during our prep work was also quite a treat... It made me particularly happy when both our thoughts synced up on "a particular technicality" that many other will undoubtedly have ignored. But since I have no Top 13 of 2023, I am not held back by the same qualifiers/dis-qualifiers as him.

Lastly... When he lead up to his #1 spot I got very excited, because I knew exactly what show he was going to talk about. Great choice! :3

All of you: Enjoy your holidays and watch more anime - if you can.