2024! What a year! The year of the banana-grabbing aliens! 2024 flooded us with a diverse range of anime, with something for everyone. Was picking what to watch always this hard? Of course, like any year, 2024 had its ups and downs (so long, Akira Toriyama), but how will you remember 2024? What 2024 anime turned your head?
The shows I ate up — that I couldn’t get enough of — defined the year. Excellent anime has a sneaky habit of forcing us to put down dish towels and commit our eyeballs to the screen. Yes, I blame good anime for creative excuses!
I’ve ranked my picks of the top 2024 anime according to how many piles of dishes we ignored to catch the show. The list runs from “mostly sparkling” to “new life was discovered.”
The Elusive Samurai Snuck into Our (Bloody) Hearts
The Elusive Samurai proved that what looks like a cute kid’s anime can quickly turn into a bloody nightmare. While not my favorite samurai anime from the year (that title goes to Blue Miburo), it was a solid competitor that grabs for the feels.
Dishes Rating: “You missed a spot!”
A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School Made Youkai Wikidiving Fun Again
Let’s take a moment to appreciate that not every 2024 anime on this list looks like a samurai period drama (because there are plenty of them here). A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School won over me because of the show’s interesting take on youkai and uniform fetish blackmail.
Dishes Rating: “Did you wash this in a swamp?”
Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary Taught Us the Quiet Ones Are Dangerous
Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary is perfect for recovering Dandadan fans. It has mystery, high school romance, and ballsy storytelling. The problem? You’ll invest real time before the show rewards you with any meaningful payoff. But it’s worth it.
Dishes Rating: “I licked it clean. It’s fine!”
Blue Miburo Made Blue Fashionable Again
Okay, I’m a hopeless samurai nerd. It’s true. Besides the ever-present glut of isekai anime, the 2024 anime offering included many samurai series. Sword freaks like me got our fix. However, Blue Miburo has the most to offer because it’s based on the true story of the famous Shinsengumi ronin of Kyoto. What I didn’t expect in 2024 was a strong message about convictions and justice.
See, I’m sick of the “live your own truth” and “if you believe it, you can achieve it” BS that Hollywood drip-feeds us. Reality is an immovable object, and only an idiot smashes their head against it, hoping it’ll go away. Personal convictions are good. Delusions bad. Blue Miburo knows the difference.
Dishes Rating: “I’m desperate! I’ll sell a kidney for a working dishwasher!”
Yatagarasu Told Us to Sit Down, Shut Up, and Listen Close
Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master hooked us with dangerous intrigue and beautiful backstabbing brides-to-be. I usually rewatch anime when I write about it. But Yatagarasu had me back figuring out who was who and why they were (probably) out to get somebody. That’s not a bad thing.
Dishes Rating: Jippo-guts (n) — South African slang for diarrhea.
Delicious in Dungeon Fed and Sustained Us
Dungeon Meshi hit our screens on the tail of Frieren. Together, these series provided entertaining fantasy anime most fans could enjoy. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End most likely won the meme race, but Delicious in Dungeon left us with the warmest fuzzies, even if we weren’t sampling cooked mandrake or broiled basilisk ourselves.
Delicious in Dungeon was a victory for Netflix and a solid entry in the “food anime + X = great anime” list.
Dishes Rating: “No, it’s your turn. I washed up last month.”
More 2024 Anime Recommendations from J-List’s Bloggers
Are you looking for ecchi spice in your cultured life? Notable shows include Plus-Sized Elf, Goddess Café Terrace, and Gushing over Magical Girls. I’ll ignore stacks of crockery to catch up on Hokkaido Gals. What will you be watching this holiday?
Dandadan Stole the Show (and Rude Fruit)
The energetic storytelling, irreverence, and frenetic animation of Dandadan will place it at the top of many “Top 2024 Anime” lists. And this occult-themed love story earned its praise well.
I’ll avoid spoilers, but the show ended much like it began. Those links are there if you pay attention. So, we’ll have to wait for the next season, but the bar is high. It was a pure plus that the season’s finale was set where I used to spend my year ends, and not all that far from J-List HQ.
Dishes Rating: “I’ll get to it in 2025.”
What 2024 anime stole your heart and inspired your most creative excuses this year? Tell us in the comments or on social media.
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