An adaptation of a Korean cult manhwa, a cooking show about monsters, and a crazy action movie about aliens and ghosts.
Lonely hikikomori were not bored this year – the anime industry had plenty to surprise viewers in 2024. We pick the year's most highly rated titles so you can add them to your must-see calendar.
1. Delicious in Dungeon, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Falin has been eaten by a dragon in a giant dungeon. Now her brother Laios and his friends must rescue her. But they have no money or time to prepare provisions. They will have to cook their own food right in the dungeon – from the monsters that live there.
The Trigger studio took on the adaptation of the popular manga, which mixes a cooking show with adventure fantasy. Previously, the studio worked on Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
The anime turned out to be incredibly beautiful: it has detailed backgrounds of a multi-level dungeon and appetizing images of dishes from a variety of monsters.
At the same time, the series does not turn into a situational comedy: the story gradually unfolds and becomes more serious. We learn more about the layout of the dungeon, the motivations of the characters and the secrets of this amazing world.
2. Solo Leveling, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Sung Jin is one of the hunters, people with superpowers. Hunters are called to close the portals that lead to dungeons with monsters. No one knows where they come from. But if the hunters do not defeat the boss in the depths of the dungeon and do not close the gates, the monsters will be able to get out.
But Sung Jin is the weakest of the hunters. He can only go into small and harmless dungeons. In one of these places, he discovers a mysterious room with magical statues. Sung Jin dies there.
But this is only the beginning of the story, because soon he wakes up in a hospital bed – with new abilities.
The original manhwa stood out not so much for its complicated story, but for its detailed and stylish art. It is almost impossible to replicate this level in an anime, but the A-1 Pictures studio is trying to get as close to the original as possible.
3. Dandadan, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Momo believes in ghosts because her grandmother is a medium. Lonely guy Ken believes in the existence of UFOs and has dreamed since childhood that aliens will become his friends.
It turns out that both are right – aliens and ghosts are real. Now Ken and Momo are forced to defend themselves against their attacks.
Dandadan is a kaleidoscope of wild ideas and plot twists. The anime mixes urban legends, pseudo-scientific programs about the secrets of ancient civilizations and images of Japanese ghosts from myths. At the same time, Dandadan is a romantic comedy that only pretends to be action and horror.
4. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, 2023-2024
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
The elf Frieren has lived for many hundreds of years. Time flows differently for her than for ordinary people. The ten-year hunt for the Demon King becomes a turning point in her life.
The adventure makes her understand the value of time, feel the power of regret, and set out again – in the footsteps of past heroics.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is the best fantasy anime of the year and possibly the best series of the year in general. The anime skillfully balances everyday scenes from the life of an elf with exciting battles with dragons, demons and monsters.
The series raises philosophical questions: how time flows and how the world around us changes under its pressure, what strength is and whether it is necessary to fight fear. And why even ordinary words can be dangerous weapons.