Anime Summer 2024 Weekly Ranking June 28th to July 4th
These rankings are as of the episodes premiering June 28th to July 4th
S: Must Watch
Episodes I believe you must watch or are missing out on.
1. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 2 Part 2. Ep. 23 FINAL
Without a doubt, the best show of the season. Storytelling is stellar, characters are amazing, watching Rudeus’s journey is a satisfying road of mistakes, flaws, growth, and learning. That is what I enjoy about this anime the most, the flaws of each character paired with the stellar story telling. Paul was flawed, yet he left a permanent impression on the audience as someone trying his best to improve and save his family. Rudeus, our main character, is a person full of flaws and weaknesses. Yet he grows. As difficult as it may be, as often as we see him hit lows, he manages to pull himself up, with or without the help of others, and continue to live. I cannot overstate how wonderful it is to see storytelling of this caliber. It’s such an enjoyable experience to struggle alongside Rudeus, to cry with him, to feel the heartbreak of certain situations, and, most of all, what makes this the best Isekai of all time in my opinion, to experience the difficulty of decisions, the helplessness of having no answer. Life is difficult, there are moments where we are left without an idea of what to do. I have seen very few shows, out of the hundreds i’ve watched, display this as well as Mushoku Tensei does. In this episode, as Roxy begins to walk away, Rudeus doesn’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do. What is the right course of action? We just don’t know. There are many decisions that can be taken, each will have their own set of consequences. Another reason I admire this show, every decision has a consequence. Rudeus’s revelation of his actions with Roxy are met with understandable push back from Norn. He did cheat, he was unfaithful, he must apologize for that. Of course, Sylphie, ever the sweetheart, forigves them both and is glad Rudeus returned even after what he went through. Mushoku Tensei feels real, we’re just watching someone live in another world. He does not have every answer, he will continue to struggle, but I can say, without a doubt, that he will continue to do his best. That’s motivating to me. I’m sure Rudeus will face many more difficult decisions, he will reach more lows, but I’m privileged enough to be able to watch him live and strive to improve. Season 3 has been announced, I look forward to it as this one of, if not my favorite anime.
2. Kaiju No. 8. Ep. 12 FINAL
Great conclusion to this anime and a well deserved season 2 announcement. Kafka finding the strength to control himself by using inspiration from that which he has been chasing was great, I hope those two will stand side by side soon. Of course, I look forward most to Kafka mastering his power and becoming a great asset to the defense force. Season 2 can’t come soon enough, but I’ll be patient if it means we get similar quality to season 1.
A: Very Good
Good episodes, anime I would recommend to someone looking for something to watch.
3. Oshi No Ko. Ep. 1
A nice return to this anime. We’re thrown right into the next arc with the cast preparing for the play. I’m most interested in seeing the rivlaires between Akane and Kana play out here, but Aqua’s goal is also something to look out for. Lastly, the OP and ED are great. The ED has some breathtaking visuals of Ruby, what a privilege to see.
4. Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf. Ep. 14
A bittersweet for this episode. Of course, the journey is difficult and there may need to be concessions made, but this episode alludes to the heart breaking reality that two individuals that have become close to each other are fated to part. I only hope when the day comes they can both do so with a smile.
5. Days with my stepsister. Ep. 1
Having watched my fair share of slop in the past, I must admit that I came into this anime with the expectation that it would be a fanservice filled mess with infuriating storytelling. What we get instead is surprising and much more interesting if it continues as such. The first episode conveys a mature story of two individuals who happen to come into each others life as step siblings. After the first episode, I expect the story to go in a direction where our two main characters help each other grow despite being strangers until not long ago. This is setting high expectations, but if it goes this way then it will be one of my favorite shows of the season.
7. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3. Ep. 11
I’ve been very vocal about my issues with this anime, but I’m also going to sing it’s praise where it is due. This episode was a great step in the right direction if we’re going to have another batch of meeting episodes. Animation, as a medium, must be stimulating. It’s the advantage animation has over novels or manga, the culmination of sound and visuals that can enhance a series to greater heights. The first batch of meeting episodes this season did not do that. We saw simple panning between character and their reactions with little else. Paired with the decent writing of Slime, it made for a very disappointing viewing experience. This episode, however, did a great job at making the meeting interesting. We see examples of what they are planning, the fishing and guided tours, or just simple visuals to enhance the scene that is otherwise just a simple meeting. Furthermore, we have various scene transitions where Rimuru must walk from one place to another, or the moments with Shuna making food - which got some incredible care from the artist - which is already more entertaining than we got before. This was great, this should have been done for the first batch as well. While I can continue to complain, I’ll leave it there. Rumors say we’re in for another batch of meeting episodes, so long as they are taken in the direction of this episode I won’t mind.
6. The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses Season 2
Gaw lee, is something I said often throughout this episode. Season 1 was some time ago, but I’m positive there wasn’t this much fan service in that season. I’m not complaining, I enjoy some good fan service. This season will aim at a rivalry with another cafe which will be interesting, but I do hope we have more progress in the romance department. Or, they can just serve unlimited amounts of fan service, I’ll enjoy either.
8. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc. Ep. 8
Gyomei is so cool man. He’s deflecting the attacks from Muzan without hesitation. The final scenes were great as well, seeing the reactions of the demon slayer corps was great. The decision to make the final arc AOT style movies is the right decision in my opinion. Each will be great to watch, but I sure hope we get season 2 level of fighting for them.
B: Good/Solid
C: It’s ok/Fine
These are shows I happen to pick up but struggle to finish. Still watchable, but not without a good break in between episodes.
D: Do Not Recommend
Shows I do not recommend you not watch for various issues.
F: Bad
Anime with glaring issues that make them not only difficult to watch, but the watcher angry at times.
Some words
More to come soon!
