Best Anime Of Summer 2024 To Watch, Ranked

Even though they are not all born equal, every season contains dozens of anime that successfully manage to keep viewers coming back for roughly three months. The best Summer 2024 anime will not only inspire weekly discussions during their runs, but they are also likely to be remembered for years after their conclusions. The quarter is shaping up nicely and features plenty of new shows and sequels that are worth watching; however, a few series stand out from the crowd.

As the Summer 2024 anime season progresses, certain anime will naturally fall to the wayside as people begin to streamline their calendars. Simply put, keeping up with everything is rarely worthwhile. Therefore, let’s highlight the season’s greatest series to make picking what to watch as easy as possible. Which are the best airing anime?

8 Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest

MyAnimeList: 8.16

Fairy Tail is back with a proper sequel rather than just a new season. At this point, most people should be well aware of what to expect from Hiro Mashima’s franchise, and 100 Years Quest largely maintains its predecessor’s course, delivering action, comedy, fanservice, and a decent sense of adventure. Although things are explained well enough to follow the basic plot, newcomers should start with the 2009 show since Team Natsu’s members have already gone through most of their character growth and development.

As far as the best anime of Summer 2024 are concerned, 100 Years Quest is harder to rank than any other sequel as, for better or worse, it is just more Fairy Tail. There is nothing wrong with that, and the season should hit the mark with die-hard fans while having almost nothing to offer anyone else.

7 Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

MyAnimeList: 8.15

Arguably Summer 2024’s most highly anticipated new anime, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian has lived up to the hype so far. As far as school-based romcoms are concerned, Doga Kobo’s adaptation tells a familiar tale about a popular girl hiding her obvious interest in a somewhat “normal” male lead; in this case, Alisa’s cold demeanor is constantly undermined when she exposes her crush on Masachika in Russian, falsely believing that her classmate cannot speak the language. Not wanting to embarrass her, Masachika has kept this fact to himself, at least for the moment.

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Although not built on the most original concept ever, Alya‘s executes its genre staples well. Alisa and Masachika’s playful banter is not only cute but also presents the characters as equals. Unlike the many cookie-cutter male protagonists who drag down their respective anime romcoms, Alya features a strong MC who is more than capable of standing his ground and does not come across like an audience stand-in. As fun as Alisa and Yuki are, Masachika is the glue that holds this story together.

6 The Elusive Samurai

MyAnimeList: 8.01

Potentially the nicest surprise of Summer 2024, The Elusive Samurai has incredible production value, with CloverWorks seemingly going for broke to ensure a committed adaptation of Yusei Matsui’s shonen manga. The positives do not end with the animation, however, as the anime has so far been packed with lovable characters, historical information, and effective comedy. If it was not for another currently airing anime, The Elusive Samurai might just have the weirdest sense of humor of 2024, largely thanks to Yorshige’s outlandish antics.

The story gets off to a flying start, chronicling a bloody uprising against the imperial court that results in a new regime and the young Hojo Tokiyuki as one of the few survivors. Saved by an unorthodox Shinto priest and aided by a few child allies, Hojo sets out to regain his family’s lost power, a journey built upon his impressive talent for dodging and running away.

5 My Deer Friend Nokotan

MyAnimeList: 7.84

Exploding out of the gate thanks to a well-done trailer and a willingness to embrace silliness, My Deer Friend Nokotan is unabashedly stupid, and that is entirely meant as a compliment. Wishing to put her past as a delinquent behind her, Torako has gone to great lengths to play the part of the perfect high school girl; unfortunately, her ideal life suddenly comes under threat when a new student, Noko, bulldozes her way into it. Unpredictable, aggressive, and weirdly knowledgeable of her classmate’s secrets, Noko is unstoppable. She also has deer antlers.

While overshadowed by other characters, Torako brings just enough normalcy to balance Noko’s absurdity, and the latter is hardly the anime’s only outlandish character. Siscons are overdone in anime, but Anko is one of the trope’s more memorable parodies in a long time. My Deer Friend Nokotan is beautifully bizarre and unhinged, and the characters are just starting to gel. As fun as this series has been so far, the first episode was considerably funnier than its (still amusing) successors.

4 Wistoria: Wand and Sword

MyAnimeList: 8.04

Whether someone is a fan of DanMachi or not, they should watch Wistoria, the latest adaptation of a Fujino Omori story. With a capable but vulnerable protagonist, very good animation, a familiar but fascinating setting, and fun monster designs, the Summer 2024 anime has nearly everything someone could want from an action fantasy show.

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To stand alongside his friend, Elfie, Will must become a Magia Vander, which requires mastering magic and making a name for himself at Regarden Magical Academy. Unfortunately, Will cannot use magic at all, earning him the derogatory term “talentless,” along with plenty of animosity from his classmates and teachers. However, he is a strong warrior who can hold his own in battle, despite the class being considered inferior to mages.

Although his personality is relatively typical for a battle shonen, Will works because he has just enough weaknesses to ensure battles have a degree of tension. More importantly, Wistoria‘s fights have yet to miss the mark.

3 Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

MyAnimeList: 8.15

Summer 2024’s comedy anime lineup is fantastic, arguably exceeding the previous few quarters’ offerings. Initially setting itself up as a “serious” drama about teen love, Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! shifts to refined hilarity when Anna makes her proper debut and drags her friendless classmate, Kazuhiko, into her tragic love life. The classic childhood friend, she selflessly encourages her crush to pursue her best friend, a situation that leaves her unable to decide if she loves or hates them. Kazuhiko’s deadpan humor serves as a great counter to Anna’s emotional outbursts, and they are instantly a great pairing. Lemon and Chika are also fun characters who have been introduced well, even if they are not shaping up to be quite as funny as Anna.

Elevated by great animation courtesy of A-1 Pictures, Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! should be an entertaining dissection of harem and romcom conventions that also treats its characters as proper people rather than tools for mockery. So far, all the main characters are likable.

2 [Oshi No Ko] Season 2

MyAnimeList: 8.34

Undoubtedly the most hyped-up Summer 2024 anime, [Oshi no Ko] is building nicely on its predecessor’s foundation. Continuing his infiltrating of the entertainment industry in search of the person responsible for Ai’s murder, Aqua is part of a theater production that also features Kana and Akane, two girls who are the embodiment of charisma.

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While always bubbling in the background, the investigation storyline is not usually the show’s focus, something that season 2 has so far made abundantly clear. Aqua’s drive serves as an entry point into various professions, be it idol culture, reality TV, or the current arc’s theater season. Despite some rather outlandish moments, [Oshi no Ko] tries to present a grounded look at its subjects, exposing some of the entertainment industry’s seedy underbelly while also highlighting the passion that runs throughout the business.

1 Monogatari Series: Off & Monster Season

MyAnimeList: 8.98

A prequel/sequel/whatever in one of the more inaccessible anime properties, Monogatari Series: Off & Monster Season will only attract people who are already die-hard fans of Araragi, Shinobu, and company. Consequently, a recommendation feels pointless since anybody interested is almost certainly already watching, while newcomers should not even slightly consider starting with Shaft’s 2024 entry.

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Nevertheless, Off & Monster Season is unsurprisingly brilliant. Monogatari rarely sets a foot wrong, and any “bad” arcs are just relative. Due to the conclusion of Araragi’s story in Zoko Owarimonogatari, the current series focuses on the girls who define this universe, telling seemingly smaller-scale stories that explore these important characters’ continuing journeys. Despite still having a ways to go, Off & Monster Season will almost definitely be among the best anime of 2024.