Has it really been almost a year since my last post on the blog? How time flies! At least this year it didn’t take me until February to do my yearly recap. Every year I say, “I’m going to do more blog posts this year,” and while I didn’t do that in 2024, the silver lining is that I did write a book! A light novel (sort of) to be exact. Forgive me if I make a promise to write a blog post about that experience, as we all know how blog post promises go…
Anyways. Anime! I really liked that the 2023 edition of this post ranked everything I watched (from this year and not), so we’re bringing back the format for 2024. Hope you enjoy!
Completed Shows | Rewatches | Unfinished
Completed Shows
19. Dandadan [Science Saru, Fall 2024]
Yeah, I know. I made the mistake of jumping in on the Shounen Jump property everyone said was different, made at a studio whose house style I generally dislike, and surprise! I didn’t like it. From the rape aliens in the first episode to the tiring repetitive dick jokes to the unceasing yelling, Dandadan got off on the wrong foot with me and never recovered. Even stuff like the Acrobatic Silky backstory, which theoretically could have got me with the excellent technical execution, left me cold emotionally. Maybe I’ll learn my lesson that I’m just not here for modern Jump stuff, but don’t count on it.
18. Metallic Rouge [BONES, Winter 2024]
This one hurts me. Studio BONES’ 25th anniversary project, an original anime, a sci-fi setting with good designs, a banger OP with incredible visuals, and an awesome insert song (THE MOMENT HAS ARRIVED FOR FIGHTING! THERE IS NO ESCAPE OR HIDING) all seemed to be pointing toward a show that would feed me for the rest of the year. And then, after a few decent episodes, the whole thing completely collapsed in a way that made me wonder how professional show-makers could produce such a disaster. Still, as much depressing as Metallic Rouge ended up being, it had elements I was very there for. I can imagine a version of this show that followed through on the promise, and I’ll always have a soft spot for shows that fail in an attempt to do something cool.
17. The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies [BONES, Summer 2024]
Another BONES show in the bottom three? Say it isn’t so. As occasionally cute as this adaptation of Cocoa Fujiwara’s (rest in peace) manga was, it’s lucky that it was a short and not a full-length production. I rather think it might have been intolerable in a longer format. The concept is cute, but fundamentally this is not a show with much going on; it’s just a series of set-ups for moments where Mira, the evil lieutenant, gets ambushed by how cute Byakuya, the magical girl, is. That’s nice enough. Unfortunately, as much as I respect Cocoa Fujiwara’s unbridled horny passion for her magical girl, the avenues through which it was generally expressed were often grating for my personal viewing experience. It did look quite nice, though.
16. Blue Lock vs. U-20 Japan [8bit, Fall 2024]
Blue Lock is very fake soccer, but it’s kind of funny how it’s also a better action shounen than any other shounen I finished or tried this year. There are elements to Blue Lock that remind you that the show has a female audience in mind, and what do you know? The ladies win again. Blue Lock might have very limited animation (although there was a widescreen sakuga explosion in the final episode) and refuse to deviate from pretty typical story beats beyond making the characters a little extra deranged, but the execution is solid. I tuned in every week because I wanted to see what happened next. Hard to do much better than that for this type of show!
15. Sousei no Aquarion [Satelight, 2005]
As an avowed Shoji Kawamori fan, it was kind of shameful that I hadn’t seen the 12,000 years show until now. The reality is that Sousei no Aquarion really isn’t all that good, especially compared to its successor, Aquarion EVOL, but it’s very definitely my kind of not all that good show. There are some real highlights, though, like Satoru Utsunomiya’s episode 19, which eschews the show’s frequently disgusting mix of mid-2000s 3DCG and frankly poor drawings to adopt an entirely unique aesthetic for a denpa-style episode that completely floored me. Also, they got me every time “Genesis of Aquarion” was used as an insert song. Now imagine if they had idols singing during the fights…
14. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei [SHAFT, 2007]
Speaking of 2000s era anime, I’m slowly chipping away at the “golden era” of SHAFT’s beloved niche wacky comedies. SZS I found to be a little bit of a mixed back and less enjoyable than Pani Poni Dash on the whole, but there were some ongoing gags/characters that I enjoyed quite a lot (Kafka, Chiri-chan, Matoi, and Meru in particular). Other parts were a bit harder to watch, like the bits with Tarou that are, uh… if not actively racist, then at least have racist vibes. Overall, though, I do continue to enjoy these kinds of anime that feel like the creators just doing whatever the hell they want. Even if it makes for an uneven viewing experience, as an artist myself I enjoy the unfiltered shitposting creativity, even if I feel like watching SZS gave me insight to how watching too much of SHAFT’s idiosyncratic offerings has broken the brains of certain friends of mine.
13. Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden [Gainax /SHAFT, 2001]
Alright, let’s get the bad out of the way first. Shikijou-sensei damn near makes Mahoromatic completely unwatchable. She is that intolerable. She also shows up a lot right out of the gate, which makes it even worse. Thankfully, she shows up less and gets owned by Mahoro more as the show continues, but this is admittedly a pretty big strike against the show. Also, there’s a lot of casual nudity complete with nips, so yeah. I know that’s a lot of disclaimers, but I really did come to like Mahoromatic by the end. Mahoro herself is sweet and cute, Chizu eats, Suguru is frankly much better than he ought to be, and the “retired combat android” subplot is more affecting that one might expect (I suspect Mahoro’s cuteness has something to do with this). I hope Mahoro never shuts down.
12. Look Back [Studio DURIAN, 2024]
I’m probably going to get tarred and feathered for this considering the movie that’s going to appear above Look Back later on, but I think where I ended up on Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s admirable adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot is that the twist left me more detached than emotionally moved. The obvious inspiration from the KyoAni arson makes my reaction on that front a somewhat tough pill to swallow, to be frank, but intellectual understanding and emotional response are different things. So while I do very much appreciate both Oshiyama’s astounding effects and Fujimoto’s refusal to offer platitudes or cliches on the creative urge, Fujino and Kyomoto’s story ending with a kind of metaphorical/magical realism gesture simply doesn’t make the whole thing resonate the way I’d like it to. Don’t misunderstand me, though. Look Back is still a phenomenal film, and I’m glad I watched it.
11. GIRLS BAND CRY [Toei, Spring 2024]
I saw a post recently (I’m very sorry to whoever this was, I wish I could remember) that said something along the lines of, “People’s response to the end of Girls Band Cry depends on whether they had bad parents or good yet flawed parents.” I think this is overly simplistic, but I do think it’s insightful to note that whether you think Nina’s father’s actions are controlling abuse or well-intentioned, ultimately loving imperfect efforts probably comes down to personal views on parents. Personally, I lean more toward the latter interpretation, but there’s no denying that Girls Band Cry sort of sputters out once Nina is reconciled with her family. You know what’s good the whole way through, though? Awa Subaru.
10. Brave Bang Bravern! [CygamesPictures, Winter 2024]
Bravern is incredible. From the title-proclaiming OP (with sound effects!!!) to the soulful ED and all the brave banging throughout, I probably felt more unfiltered joy watching Bravern than any other show this year. You remember when people used to use the term “Gar” to describe certain kinds of anime? I feel like we could bring it back for Bravern because it just has that same kind of banging spirit to it. It’s unfiltered, unashamed, and uninhibited (again, the ED). It’s hard to guess what could have compelled Cygames to shell out the money to let Masami Obari go crazy, but I guess we have to be thankful for Granblue Fantasy for letting us all experience the magnanimous spirit of super robot anime in the year 2024.
9. “AS FATE HAS DECREED” [KURO GAMES, 2024]
You know what, if Kvin can talk about Wallace & Gromit and Nijisanji for the Sakugabowl, I can talk about a gacha game cinematic in my end-of-year blog post. Wuthering Waves may not have been the Genshin Impact killer, but it is absolutely an improvement on the formula and, in my view, more clearly a passion project than a calculated money-sucking behemoth. The “AS FATE HAS DECREED” cinematic is one piece of evidence I would submit for this claim, an engrossing, beautifully rendered short film focusing on the character Jinhsi. Stunning music overlaps with gorgeous, purposeful cinematography (I particularly adore the match cuts equating Jinhsi’s ascent to power to her fated battle against the Sentinel that saved her life) that is attractive as a standalone and meaning-filled if you know the story.
8. Noir [Bee Train, 2001]
Noir was, by far, the biggest surprise of the year for me. I tried it out on what was basically a whim with a friend after we bounced off Chrono Crusade badly, and was instantly stunned by the fact that it had actual direction. And not just serviceable direction, but inventive, arresting, cinematic direction. Add in the Yuki Kajiura soundtrack and the delightfully sparse script and you have the recipe for a fascinating, engrossing tale of two women assassins that transcends the “girls with guns” sub-genre. Rarely does slow, quiet storytelling work as effectively as it does in Noir. The fact that more people don’t know and champion this anime surprises me a bit; it’s never going to be popular, but it’s definitely a hidden gem that deserves at least a little cult (heh) following.
7. Alice and Therese’s Illusion Factory [MAPPA, 2023]
Localized in the U.S. as Maboroshi for some reason (horrible marketing choice), Mari Okada’s latest film as a solo director definitely doesn’t live up to the standards of widespread appeal that the imperious Maquia set. And, as far as I’m concerned, that’s just fine. I probably overuse the word sickos these days, but Alice and Therese’s Illusion Factory is absolutely full-on Okada sickos content. I see the flaws—the convoluted storytelling, the goofy set-up, the relative incomprehensibility—and I frankly couldn’t care less. The sometimes lurid emotive expressiveness and distinct style of character writing are everything I’ve come to love about Okada’s work. There are simply no other people in anime who are titling novels about girls raised by wolves, Alice and Therese: The Wolf-Girls, then importing that title to the title of their film without using either name in the film itself, and then also using the fact that “Alice and Therese” (アリスとテレス) is almost the same as the Japanese spelling of “Aristotle” (アリストテレス) and then using that as a reference to the Plato’s allegory of the cave (which is sometimes mis/attirbuted to Aristotle) in which people in a cave only see the real world through shadows and sounds, which thematically synchronizes with the story of Alice and Therese’s Illusion Factory. NO ONE ELSE IS DOING THIS. I LOVE HER. THANK YOU.
6. BanG Dream! It’s MyGo!!!!! [SANZIGEN, 2023]
The force of my friends’ love for MyGo!!!!! eventually proved to be too much for me to resist, and it turns out they weren’t crazy. MyGo!!!!! kind of rules. It has regular-good content (basically everything involving Tomori), sickos-good content (Sakiko destroying Soyo), hits-you-in-the-heart-good content (Tomori’s spoken word performances), and even comes to a satisfying emotional conclusion. The music is generally pretty good, too; Hina Youmiya’s singing voices sometimes feels a bit insubstantial for the style, but that’s a minor complaint. We’re all gearing up for Ave Mujica now, but even if that show doesn’t turn out, My Go!!!!! will stand very well on its own.
5. Sousou no Frieren [Madhouse, Winter 2024]
The first handful of Frieren episodes are probably the second-best show on this list. The fact that it ends up an number five isn’t the result of any major drop-off on the show’s part, but just a reflection of that fact that there is excellence and then there’s excellence. Frieren and Fern are the duo that make the show work, and even when we get into tournament-arc mage-fighting, the two of them are what keep things going. It’s just a bit unfortunate that the show does sort of start to turn into self-parody with the Himmel flashbacks; even for someone who stayed unironically onboard with them longer than most, by the end they started to feel more obligatory than meaningfully considered. But hey! Really, really good fantasy anime that isn’t isekai! Is it in vogue again? We can only pray.
T3. Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines [A-1 Pictures, Summer, 2024]
As some many of my friends pointed out, there are many aspects about Makeine that could probably fool you into thinking that I wrote it myself. Blue-haired childhood friend with an unrequited crush? Check. Brown-haired childhood friend with an unrequited crush? Check. Imigimuru character designs? Check. Story concept allegedly “inspired” by Darling in the Franxx‘s Ichigo? Check. But while Makeine does admittedly basically hit all my database animal instincts, there’s a lot to be said for the quality direction and the surprisingly sensitive way that it handles its characters’ relationships with each other. Takibi Amamori’s gentle writing isn’t perfect (Mahoromatic saves Konuki-sensei from being worst anime teacher I saw this year), but it does feel distinctively warmhearted. Makeine cares about its characters and their struggles. Under Shoutarou Kitamura’s guidance, that gentle core is polished until it shines. But again, childhood friends.
T3. The Apothecary Diaries [OLM, Winter 2024]
Maomao for protagonist of the year! Maybe even protagonist of the last half-decade. Seriously, when was the last time we had an anime with a lead character who is as much a tour-de-force, in personality and story impact, as MaoMao? Everything that is good about Kusuriya runs through Maomao’s unique perspective, from the way the mysteries play out to the funny ways she relates to other characters. Kvin has already written at length on the quality of the production, so I won’t get into that here, but I simply have to acknowledge just how rock-solid Kusuriya is at all levels. It’s honestly a tragedy that productions like this are the exception, not the rule in today’s industry. Then again, if anyone deserved sheer competence, it absolutely was Maomao. Thank goodness Kusuriya got what it deserved, so we could all enjoy her adventures in the best way possible.
2. Shoushimin Series [Lapin Track, Summer 2024]
Shoushimin is my pick for best anime of 2024. Although limited in terms of animation, it more than makes up for it thanks to Mamoru Kanbe’s direction and Honobu Yonezawa’s (yes, he of Hyouka fame) writing. Kobato and Osanai are little freaks, both kind of recognizable as the high schoolers they are and also weird in a way only fiction allows. The peak of the show is obviously Kobato risking his life to steal Osanai’s Charlotte, but close on its heels is the slow reveal of just how deranged Osanai is (but she’s cute so it’s okay, right?). Again, not to overuse the sickos thing, but Shoushimin is just one of those shows that’s either for you or its not. And, given the fact that I think it’s the best anime of the year, you can pretty easily guess where I fall.
1. To Heart [OLM, 1999]
The 1999 adaptation of Aquaplus’s To Heart is the best anime I watched this year. Yes, it’s the fact that the show is essentially 13-episode victory lap for the childhood friend to end all childhood friends, Akari Kamigishi. Yes, it’s the fact that the show’s gorgeous cell animation production is to die for. Yes, it’s the lowkey, life-like directorial style. Yes, it’s that Hiroyuki turns out to be quite a good character on his own. Yes, it’s that Akari and Hiroyuki basically adopt Multi. Yes, it’s the hugely nostalgic sound of the OP. It’s all of these things and more. It’s the way To Heart has stuck with me and grown on me every since I finished it in January. Much like Haruhi was the progenitor that remained unsurpassed, To Heart feels the same. No matter how many imitators there may be, sometimes the first is the best.
A fitting sentiment for a show where the childhood friend has already won from the very start.
Rewatches
Hunter x Hunter [Madhouse, 2011]
While I did watch fewer anime this year than last, the fact that I rewatched all of the 2011 adaptation of Hunter x Hunter surely makes up for that, right? I last watched the show back when it was airing, and I’m very pleased to report that it holds up just as well now as it did thirteen years ago—not that I’m all that surprised. I’d forgotten a lot of details both big and small in the intervening years, but the overall effect is that Gon & co. are just better than any of their compatriots in the shounen genre. As cliche as it probably is to say, Chimera Ant is still an impossible, astounding work. I thought I would not cry at the end, having seen it once before. I was completely wrong. The arc continues to defy concise description or admiration, but it only exists thanks to the groundwork that comes before. It was a real pleasure to see it all again.
By the way, I proceeded to go on and catch up with the manga after I finished the show & all I can say is that I stand in awe of Togashi. How he manages these insane matryoshka doll plots I will probably never understand.
Overman King Gainer [Sunrise, 2003]
Speaking of genius I cannot comprehend: Tomino. I rewatched Overman King Gainer this year to show it to a friend, and it remains one of the most fun, most full-on enjoyable anime I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. You smile, you laugh, you drop your jaw when everyone who’s anyone shows up to animate the Dominator, you sing KING!!! KING!!! KING GAINER!!!! at the top of your lungs. I already wrote a whole blog post several years back about the show, so you can go read that if you’re still not sold on why you should watch this masterpiece of entertainment.
Unfinished
It might seem a bit odd to end the post with shows I didn’t even finish watching, but indulge me. I just need the closer (or the motivation to finish them).
Hikari no Ou S2: I fully intend to finish Junji Nishimura’s latest, but it’s not an easy watch so I keep putting it off. Still one of the most unique viewing experiences and story settings in recent memory, and that counts for something.
ATRI -My Dear Moments-: ATRI isn’t an old show, but it sure feels like a throwback to a different time. I’m not sure if that’ll be enough to get me beyond the five episodes I’ve watched, but I do appreciate it for what it is.
Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night: Probably a casualty of the distaste of my friends as much as my own time constraints, Jellyfish never got over the finish line after 5 episodes. I did like the part where Mahiru anguishes over wanting to like her own art, though.
Dungeon Meshi: Yeah, I don’t know if I’ll go back to it. Marcille is cute, but I’m just not sure after 3 episodes if the show is for me. I think I’m struggling with the casual way they’re going through the dungeon when what I really want is the freaky reincarnation magic later. I just don’t care that much about imaginary fantasy cooking.
Sasaki to Pii-chan: I watched 8 episodes of this, so I felt like I at least owed it a bullet point. Unfortunately, it basically was just not that interesting. As we’ve seen above, sometimes raw competence is good enough is the source is exceptional; when the latter isn’t, though, you just get dull.
Sasakoi: It’s too nice, and it didn’t help that the production didn’t so much implode as practically evaporate. Shows like this should get to exist, even if they’re not great, so it’s a shame the industry literally can’t handle them.
And that’s all 2024 wrote (and all I wrote about 2024)! Thank you so much for reading to the end, if you did. After so many years of this blog being only very sparsely updated, I always appreciate that there are still people who return to see what I have to say about things. It’s nice that my record of the anime I watched is still of mild interest to at least a few.
Here’s to a great 2025 of anime! And feel free to chime in with your favs from the last year in the comment if you like!
