Welcome to THE SECOND ANNUAL NOSCHOOLSATURDAY ANIME OF THE YEAR AWARD🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥‼️‼️‼️ Compared to 2023 which was completely STACKED, 2024 was definitely less hype, but that doesn't mean there weren't some fantastic series to enjoy.
The actual contenders
for my Anime of the Year title this year are only 3, but before we get into
those, here are the honorable mentions, which were notable for one reason or
another, but didn't quite make the nominees:
Bleach TYBW Cour 3 is something I absolutely expected to be an anime of the year contender, but to be honest, I didn't find it as enjoyable as Cours 1 and 2. This is weird since it actually has my favourite moment in TYBW, which is the return of Grimmjow. Although that was incredible, I think the weekly schedule was a big factor for ruining my experience. I very rarely watch a series weekly and watching this one cuz I was hyped in the beginning was a mistake. I pretty much binge read the TYBW arc in the manga, which was so fascinating at the time, I could barely put it down and I think that was the best way to experience this part of the story. I'll definitely be watching Cour 4 when all the episodes are available so expect it as a potential nominee for 2025's Anime of the Year.
The next honorable mention is Dandadan. I'm not much of a glazer of the series itself, but 10% of my enjoyment came from the amazing opening and 90% came from granny Seiko. Those alone make it worthy of an honorable mention.
I'll also put Metallic Rouge on here ONLY because of the fantastic ost that is Crimson Lightning. I'm not gonna dilute this list into multiple categories, but if I did, this would win Soundtrack of the year.
Another honorable mention goes to the 2nd half of Frieren. I know Frieren technically started coming out towards the end of 2023, but my mentality is, the episode needs to have come out in 2024 for it to qualify and the 2nd half of Frieren did, so it's eligible. I've seen a lot of discourse online about the tournament arc being the weak point in the series and dragging for way too long and I couldn't disagree more. The 2nd half of Frieren is the peak of the series so far, cuz it was essentially a massive battle royale between mages. Big fan of Frieren herself too, especially cuz she's such a GIGA RACIST towards demons. Respect.
Finally, I got Solo Leveling season 1, which did a good job
of establishing a solid foundation for its world. Not quite anime of the year
material, but I definitely see the potential and expect it to get better as it
keeps going.
Now that we've gotten through the honorable mentions, here are the 3 contenders:
Beyblade X in 2024 showed me which direction the greatest
toy franchise in the world is headed in for its 4th generation. This is the
only anime this year I did an entire review on and I'm pretty sure it's the
longest blog I've written on here so far. Most people probably couldn't care
less about this, but as someone who's been a Beyblade fan ever since the
original plastic generation, Beyblade will always be special to me. There are a
lot of criticisms I have for Beyblade X, but I enjoyed my time with it and
actually looked forward to the next episode, which is a great sign. The fact
that the real life Beyblades are some of the most fun I've ever had with the
toys also indirectly increased my enjoyment of the anime as they go hand in
hand by promoting each other. I still can't believe all the Beyblade series were confirmed to be canonically in the same timeline! CRAZY!!!
MF Ghost season 2 was IT. I already enjoyed season 1, but when I say everything is improved in season 2, I really mean EVERYTHING. The Eurobeat ost is better. For as much as I like Wilder Faster Louder in season 1, I LOVE Not For Sale in season 2. It's honestly up there with not only the classic Initial D songs everyone knows from the memes like Running in the 90s, Deja Vu and Gas Gas Gas, but also my personal favorites like Let's Go Come On, Looka Bomba and Revolution. I already said Metallic Rouge's Crimson Lightning is the best ost this year and I stand by that, because of how meaningful it is to me, but Not For Sale is an easy close 2nd and it certainly wins in the hype and energy department.
Now that all the setup of season 1 is done, the story also picks up in season 2. The 2nd MFG round at Lake Ashinoko GT was awesome and that series of passes in the fog by Kanata was an absolutely generational run. Season 2 also has my most rewatched anime moment of the year where just over halfway through episode 16, Kanata makes that legendary pass and starts drifting like Takumi. I literally can't get enough of this moment!
I know I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. Frame Lock??? Png Lock??? Yeah, I'm unironically putting Blue Lock season 2 on here as the final contender. Now we all know the animation is absolute booty cheeks, but I'm not a Blue Lock manga reader so I didn't go into the season with any great expectations. This is One Punch Man season 2 all over again. The reason why I'm not as pissed off as everyone else is cuz I care infinitely more about One Punch Man that I do Blue Lock and yet here we are. Honestly what sold this season for me were the new characters like Shidou, Sae and Aiku. I enjoyed the story way more than season 1 too, cuz it felt refreshing to finally bust out of those constant elimination challenges and lock in for an important match with actual stakes.
The fact that I almost binged the entire season in a day proved to me how much I enjoyed it despite all the negative reception online, but that's not where the surprises end. I accidentally downloaded the first few episodes in English and... I can't believe I'm saying this... but it was actually great! I had to watch the last 2 episodes subbed cuz the dub wasn't out yet, but honestly, watching the rest of it in English was such a breeze. That "Next Episode" button was sooo easy to press, cuz the pacing was super fast. Once you've seen almost 700 anime, I find that because you're experiencing less and less uniqie things, sometimes episodes start flowing slower, where usually a 20 minute episode would feel like 30 minutes. Blue Lock season 2's episodes felt more like 10 minutes, which is the biggest compliment I can give it.
FINALLY, 3 incredible anime in 2024, only 1 winner... THE ANIME OF THE YEAR IS...
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MF Ghost season 2 babyyyyyyyyyy!! When you got me lowkey thinking I enjoy MF Ghost more than Initial D, you know you're doing something right. It's so similar, yet so different. Day time races instead of night time, a large group of racers instead of 1v1s and much less downtime between the action. MF Ghost feels like a proper sequel to a legendary series, which is really coming into its own. It's kinda like comparing the Fortune Cup to the World Racing Grand Prix in Yugioh 5Ds. A larger cast of more interesting characters we spend more time with resulting in longer, more action packed racing. It not only managed to amazingly adapt the 2nd round of MFG, but also did a fantastic job setting up the 3rd round, making me super excited for season 3.
Aaaaaaand there it is. I'm willing to bet most other award shows/blogs/videos and so on will stick to more expected choices like Dandadan and Solo Leveling and even though my picks may seem unconventional by comparison, I stand by em all. Lemme know what you think and thanks for reading! 💪😎
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I expect nothing but unconventional choices from you, my man! Haven’t watched any of the three series, but I’ll trust you with it. Personally, for me, top three of 2024 would be Apothecary Diaries (have you listened to the opening? It’s a CERTIFIED BANGER). That followed by Demon Slayer just because it’s a 10/10 story and characters, and my last is a tie between Mashle and Yatagarasu!
ReplyDeleteGreat picks man! MF Ghost season 2 was in my top three, but I think I enjoyed Viral Hit more. Probably a very niche pick but I had so much fun with that series.
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