2024 Anime Year In Review: Hits And Hidden Gems
The world of anime is more accessible to the masses in 2024 than ever before. Gone are the days of having to watch the latest Dragon Ball Z episodes split into 10 parts on YouTube. You’re no longer limited to “imports” on eBay for reasonably priced DVD box sets. You don’t even have to face the rental store clerk to see Chobits!
These days, you can enjoy your degeneracy, wholesomeness, action, drama, and isekai-power-fantasies legally, and for relatively cheap, across streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, Netflix, and more! Even better, you can get entire cours and seasons (OFFICIALLY) on Blu-ray for less than the cost of 2 episodes of FLCL on DVD at Suncoast in the mid-2000s!
Let’s take a look at look back at some of the anime hits and hidden gems of 2024.
NEW HITS
There were several new series that saw release this past year, and there were some solid gold hits.
DANDADAN (Crunchyroll, Netflix)
There’s no denying that this sci-fi rom-com is a certified banger. From Science Saru (Ping Pong The Animation), this series sees would be alien-hunter Okarun and psychic-gyaru Momo take on the triple threat of genital obsessed extraterrestrials, tragic supernatural spirits, and teenage love.
Official Synopsis:
When high schooler Momo, from a family of spirit mediums, first meets her classmate Okarun, an occult geek, they argue—Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts. When it turns out both phenomena are real, Momo awakens a hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse. Together, they must challenge the paranormal forces threatening their world.
Solo Leveling (Crunchyroll)
A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online) brought the heat with their adaptation of the Solo Leveling web novel by Chugong. Lots of action, a little bit of comedy, and enough power fantasy moments to make anyone willing to face lethal giant statures for a shot at the same!
Official Synopsis:
They say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but that’s not the case for the world’s weakest hunter Sung Jinwoo. After being brutally slaughtered by monsters in a high-ranking dungeon, Jinwoo came back with the System, a program only he could see, that’s leveling him up in every way. Now, he’s inspired to discover the secrets behind his powers and the dungeon that spawned them.
RELATED: Solo Leveling Season 2 Release Date Revealed In New Trailer!
Dungeon Meshi (Netflix)
Trigger (SSSS.GRIDMAN) was cooking (yup…) with Dungeon Meshi, also known as Delicious in Dungeon. This fantasy series sees the party sustaining themselves off the…stone and dirt floors of moster-filled dungeons. Action, adventure, and heartfelt moments await you in the dark depths.
HIT SEQUEL SEASONS
Classroom of the Elite Season 3 (Crunchyroll)
Classroom of the Elite first hit in 2017, and came from Lerche (Assassination Classroom). It would take five years to get a second season, but only two more for a third. The end of Ayanokoji & Co.’s first year is at hand, but there are plenty of backhanded deals, manipulations, and creepy stares to be had before it’s all over!
Official Synopsis:
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and his classmates have finally advanced to Class C, but a tumultuous third term lies ahead. They face an exam known as the “mixed training camp,” a co-ed test in which all classes must work together to achieve high scores. Not only are students forced into unpredictable groups with former enemies, but those who fail to reach the benchmark will be expelled!
[Oshi no Ko] Season 2 (HIDIVE)
The first episode of [Oshi no Ko] may be one of the most shocking starts to a series, ever. And the second season does more than hold it’s own to those kinds of bar setting moments. The play within the show offers a glimpse into the intricacies of translating stories across different mediums, and the struggles artists can face during the process. Aqua, Kana, Akane, and the others all get a chance to shine in this great series from Dogo Kobo (My Senpai Is Annoying)
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3 (Crunchyroll)
Another series that made fans wait multiple years between it’s seasons is Re:ZERO. However, the isekai giant has made the four-year waits worth it! White Fox (Goblin Slayer) bring the series to life, once again.
Official Synopsis:
A year has passed since Subaru’s victory at the Sanctuary. He savors a life of fulfillment while Emilia’s camp stands united for the royal selection—until a fateful letter arrives. Anastasia, a royal selection candidate, has invited Emilia to the Watergate City of Priestella. But as the party begins its journey, crisis stirs beneath the surface and Subaru meets a cruel fate once again.
OTHER SEQUEL SEASONS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS
Demon Slayer’s Hashira Training Arc continues the series’ hyped action and prepares you for the final arc, coming in film format, starting next year! My Hero Academia’s seventh season bring s the series one step closer to joining it’s Manga source in being finished. Also, Konosuba Season 3 saw some amazing growth for Darkness… she’s still a degenerate masochist, but a much more capable one. All three of those are available on Crunchyroll
NEW HIDDEN GEMS
Dragon Ball DAIMA (Crunchyroll, Netflix)
2024 saw the passing of Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama. However, the mangaka, who also gave us great character designs in games like Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest, didn’t leave this world without one more gift though, and that was Dragon Ball DAIMA! This is a return to form for the series, and one that should garner more attention than it seems to have had.
Official Synopsis:
Goku and company were living peaceful lives when they suddenly turned small due to a conspiracy! When they discover that the reason for this may lie in a world known as the “Demon Realm”, a mysterious young Majin named Glorio appears before them.
Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian (Crunchyroll)
She don’t know that he knows what she’s saying, in Russian. That’s the premise of this adorable rom-com.
Official Synopsis:
Alya is a transfer student enjoying popularity at her new high school, often sporting a cold shoulder while earning high marks in class. She ignores her nerdy classmate, Kuze Masachika, except for when she blurts out a flirtatious line to him in Russian. Little does she know, Kuze understands Russian, though he pretends not to. Let’s see where this wacky love story takes them!
Ranma 1/2 (Netflix)
MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen) brings an old classic back to life for a whole new generation. Ranma 1/2 delivers on the original’s chaotic comedy and provides a beautifully colored and textured world for old and new fans to enjoy alike. A bonus for old fans is the return of the original voice actors for both male and female Ranma and Akane Tendo.
OTHER SHOWS YOU SHOULD SEE
Go! Go! Loser Ranger is a fun take on the Super Sentai/Power Rangers tropes and can be seen on Disney+. Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii is a toxic dumpster fire of NOT GOALS, that is wildly entertaining. It can be found on Crunchyroll.
There are plenty more amazing anime series from the past year, so head down to the comments and let us know what you watched and enjoyed in 2024. Happy holidays, and we look forward to, and hope you have, an amazing 2025!
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