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I firmly believe that Spring 2024 was the best season of anime we’ve had in a while. It was packed with shows of all types, which let viewers find a few to follow during those months. Yet, that doesn’t mean the Summer season was lackluster. On the contrary, we got many sleeper hits, new seasons, and long-awaited adaptations that any fan of this media surely enjoyed. With the season about to end, we’ve made a list of the best and worst anime of Summer 2024 to keep on your radar.
Before the fan base raises its torches, I want to clarify a few things. First, the fact that I call some of them the worst doesn’t mean they should be avoided. The reason why I picked some of them is because I found them underwhelming or just didn’t grab me a lot, which leads me to my other point. This is one of the many lists you’ll find out there, so it doesn’t mean it is a definitive one. You can always watch the shows I consider the worst and have a blast, and vice-versa. So, without further ado, let’s begin with the five best and worst anime of Summer 2024. As always, I’ll start with the ones that were underwhelming and finish with the real gems of the season.
10. Bye Bye, Earth
I was extremely excited when I started watching this show. Besides having my favorite seiyuu as a protagonist, the fact of seeing a lead female character with a big sword was good enough to grab my attention. Heck, she even does the Cloud Strife pose in the first episode. However, the excitement waned after a few episodes. In what seems to be a world with intriguing lore, interesting factions, and elaborate traditions, the studio did nothing to explain it well to us. I ended up being confused at the end of every episode and I was just waiting for the headache to end. It is quite sad because it seems the anime has a lot of potential, but it felt flat after each episode aired. Hopefully, the recently-announced second season will fix the conundrum, but I doubt it.
9. Love Is Indivisible by Twins
If I had a penny for every romantic anime that made my eyes roll hard this year, I’d have two pennies, one for this and one for A Condition Called Love, but let’s not delve into that trainwreck. As someone who’s watched Domestic Girlfriend, I have a high tolerance for dumpster fire shows, and even those are a bit more entertaining, but this one is dumb in many ways. While it does a great job of showcasing how stupid and confused teenagers are at that age, the protagonist gives the lead character of Rent-a-Girlfriend a run for his money. Yet, there are a few salvageable moments, like the geek twin being one of the best girls of the season, so there’s that.
8. Suicide Squad Isekai
The biggest letdown for many comic-book fans out there. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but I feel that WB is speed-running its way to drive the Suicide Squad series to the ground. While Suicide Squad Isekai wasn’t as bad as Kill the Justice League (thank God for that), it was underwhelming in many ways. Animation errors, inconsistencies in its art style, and a story that was glued together by a miracle, and I’m surprised the show lasted for as long as it did. Yet, it isn’t all doom and gloom. The character interactions are great, the music is superb, and fans of the series might enjoy seeing this group in a fantasy world. Suicide Squad Isekai isn’t the worst anime of Summer 2024, but it isn’t one of the best.
7. A Nobody’s Way Up to an Exploration Hero
A Nobody’s Way Up to an Exploration Hero has many things to be one of the worst of the season, but hear me out. It has a few salvageable things, too. First, yes, the animation is jarring. I love watching Magical Girl shows, so I don’t mind the overused sequences. However, there are many details that are distracting, like characters’ faces changing size during every frame or strange body proportions. Yet, the characters are quite enjoyable, and the take on the dungeoneering genre was fun. Watching the main character kill slimes with bug spray never got old, and the plot reached a great spot at the end. Still, there are much better shows in the season, but if you want a quick one to binge, you can’t go wrong with it.
6. My Deer Friend Nokotan
This show rests in the middle of best and worst. On the one hand, it has one of the catchiest openings of the season, an excellent cast of characters, including their voice actors, and coherent animation with different styles that blend perfectly. On the other hand, despite the unhinged and ridiculous humor, it wasn’t as fun as I thought it’d be. Every week, it seemed the show went from a good episode to a bad one. Oddly enough, I always thought the even-numbered episodes were the good ones (IE., 2, 4, 6, etc.) While it is nice to have a chaotic anime occasionally, some jokes didn’t take off, and some characters didn’t get enough screen time (justice for Meme Bashame). Still, it is one show I recommend watching if you just want to turn your brain off and laugh for a while.
5. Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian
As a quick disclaimer, here is where I begin listing the best anime of Summer 2024, while you could consider the above the “worst.” And what better way to begin than with everyone’s favorite Russian? This show caught me off-guard the same way Masachika caught Alya off-guard in the first episode. If you know, you know. This show has some of the key points for a great anime: great visuals, terrific art style, and likable characters, especially Yuki being the queen of queens. However, there isn’t a lot of plot until the final episodes. I don’t mind watching the rom-com anime cliches of going shopping, one sibling having a crush on the other, and situations that lead to fan service moments. But the story isn’t too interesting for the majority of the episodes. Thankfully, a second season is coming, giving me hope for something more intriguing.
4. Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
I have no idea what type of magic A-1 Pictures has for most of its shows, but Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! has been one of the best the studio has done. Out of all school anime with romance tones, this is the best in recent years. Instead of focusing on the usual male lead character who has his harem and ends up with one, this show focuses on the struggles of its “heroines” or female leads. With a main character who doesn’t want to be a protagonist and the girls not catching a break with romance, this is one show that breaks the mold in so many ways. Furthermore, it has one of the best visuals in the whole season and one that any school anime fan or rom-com enjoyed should add to their watchlist ASAP.
3. Oshi no Ko Season 2
I usually don’t like adding new seasons to a list because I prefer to give new shows their time to show, but I had to place Oshi no Ko here. After the series’ first season, I thought it would be hard to top that, especially with the shocking first episode. However, this story arc has been so great, both in visuals and narrative. The theater play features some of the most stunning visuals in anime, and the plot moves forward at a steady yet intriguing pace. While the realm storm is about to hit Aqua and Ruby’s boat, these episodes have been a treat and remind us why Oshi no Ko is one of the best shows of these past years.
2. NieR:Automata Ver1.1a – Second Cour
While not technically a second season, the second cour or block of episodes has fixed everything the first season broke. While the story has always been great, with a few new additions that help make this convoluted plot make sense for anime-only fans, these episodes have been mind-blowing. Taking elements from routes B, C, and D, these episodes have only shown us how the world of Nier: Automata is full of despair in the most horrific ways. Even if some were skeptical about the adaptation, it has done the source material justice and even added new details to enhance the plot or just build up nice moments to then hit us right in the feels with a sledgehammer. I wouldn’t blame you if you cried at the end of every episode.
1. The Elusive Samurai
Undoubtedly, The Elusive Samurai is the best and most stunning anime of Summer 2024, which might come as a surprise, especially since not a lot of people seem to talk about it during the weekly rankings. One of the reasons might be that it is a somewhat historical anime but focuses on a carefree protagonist who only enjoys eluding all sorts of danger. However, what makes it stand out is how perfectly it combines all of its contrasting ideas. The humor is top-notch and perfectly delivered, while it also has some of the most violent and gruesome scenes of the season. Furthermore, the visuals are beyond amazing and combine many styles that pay homage to shows from the 90s without compromising the modern feel. Overall, it is the perfect mix of many enjoyable things, and anyone will have a blast with it.
And there you have it, the best and worst anime shows of Summer 2024. While I only listed ten, there are many more worth mentioning. Shows like Pseudo Harem, Wistoria: Wand and Sword, Days With My Stepsister, or Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary are worth watching. However, this season might be one of the weakest as slice-of-life, rom-com, and comedy lead the weekly episodes. Yet, Fall 2024 looks like it’ll bring the big guns with some unexpected remakes, adaptations, and new seasons.
