Anime Summer 2024 Weekly Ranking July 5th to July 11th

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. NieR:Automata Ver1.1a (Cour 2). Ep 1

I firmly believe the first cour of this anime was underrated. The first episode was a great return and I hope it draws better attention as the episode 1 of cour 1 drew criticism for some admittedly bad CGI. This episode was great however, the start sets up a great premise and the plot twist dropped my jaw. It’s saddening to know what 2B must do, and how many times she has done it. The writing for NieR is top tier so this may be one of my favorite shows of the season.

2. Oshi No Ko. Ep. 2

This episode hit close to home. As an author, the cruelty of your greatest efforts ending with little to no results, or in this case getting thrown off the project, is harsh and heartbreaking. But this is the draw if Oshi no Ko for me. It’s critique on the industries of entertainment it focuses on, and the reality of it. Glamor and money aside, it’s cruel and unfair. GOA, even after being thrown off from the project, is still asked to make concessions, and he can do nothing more than accept. Harsh, but I enjoy this as it feels real. Good episode overall, I look forward to the revised script and perhaps a second chance for GOA. Favorite part of the episode however, is Kana’s sense of style. I love how she dresses and it’s enough to make her my favored girl in the war of love.

A: Very Good

Good episodes, anime I would recommend to someone looking for something to watch.

3. The Elusive Samurai

What a twist of genre, masterfully done to an unsuspecting audience. A very strong pilot episode for an anime. I was locked in prepared to enjoy a nice comedy until a I saw a head roll, now I look forward to the journey of a boy becoming a hero. The animation and art style are beautiful, which is to be expected from a studio like Cloverworks. Overall, this may be the anime I look forward to the most this season.

4. Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf. Ep. 14

Holo can pull Lawrence as she pleases, his sparks of jealousy are always funny but convey how much he cares for Holo. The ending was a surprise and caught me off guard as well. Also, have a sneaking suspicion we’ll have a rival face off, interested to see where they take the rest of this arc.

5. Days with my stepsister. Ep. 2

This anime continues to impress me with the serious topics it wants to discuss. The difficulty of social standing, the desire to want to be independent and the challenges that come with it. Of course, what is the draw of the show is the relationship between the leads. Often in show likes this we see the leads fall into a questionable love, but that doesn’t seem to the route we are taking and I commend that author for that. It is possible to rely on and care for someone without the need to be a couple, at times, that person just comes into your life. Wonderful, and I hope this anime continues with this. Also, wow, that ending surprised but I’m glad all is well.

7. Suicide Squad Isekai. Ep. 5

Harley Quinn, and Anna Nagase, are the draw of this show. The voice actress first impressed me as Ushio in Summertime Rendering, but she is a perfect cast for Harley. This episode was cool, but I do see why there is discussion about the animation. My thoughts on it? It’s fine. Too often nowadays anime fans are too quick to blast the quality of animation, calling the animation of this bad is simply incorrect. I have seen bad animation, this is nowhere near that. There are some strange scenes, but it’s good overall when compared to horrible animation. Case and point: banished hero lives as he pleases. As for the episode, the fight against the dragon was cool, but ending made me sad, if our boys are no longer with us then I hope the crew gets some sweet revenge as this fight is personal now.

6. Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest

Fairy tail is one of my very first anime so I’ve been very excited for this anime for a long time. The return was good, we get the setup for the focus of the 100 year quest, Of course, the best part of this episode is seeing our main cast back on screen, and specifically one member who happens to be my favorite. Won’t say who, but it won’t be hard to figure out. Overall, look forward to watching this weekly, the fights and hype moments are sure to bring me just as much serotonin as the original show did and I’m all for it.

B: Good/Solid

8. No Longer Allowed in Another World

Oh yes, I need my seasonal dose of Isekai, and this one has a character that I really like. The idea that the infamous truck-kun is really an angel sent to bring people to a better life is funny, even more so when those it brought had no desire to be taken to another life. I also like the current main cast, cute girls are just to easy to like. Now that the MC has a goal, I look forward to the season, but I also the writing will be good.

10. My Wife Has No Emotion. Ep. 2

The mystery continues, though Mina does show clear signs of some emotion. The episode is endearing, Takuma clearly cares for Mina and is willing to stay by her side throughout the night. Even if she may be a robot, a connection has formed in which they both care for each other. As to whether this nothing more than her programmable is yet to be known, but for now, I like to think this an accumulation of her programming gaining some sentience and, in that sense, emotions. My overall opinion on this show will vary greatly by where the story is taken and the resolution, for now I’ll keep my hopes up.

12. 2.5 Dimensional Seduction

I try to watch every ecchi so this was an easy choice to pick up. Before continuing however! I will say that the ecchi tag is used to loosely. Some shows have the tag, but at best we get panty shots, which is not enough to merit the tag. AS for this show we will have to wait and see, but the first episode is enjoyable. Our main cast are adorable geeks and I look forward to watching them interact, and even more so to judging whether this anime is deserving of the greatest tag of all.

9. The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies

There should be no questions as to why I picked this show. The first episode did surprise me given that it’s half the length of usual episodes. As for the episode itself, it was a nice introduction to our main couple. I enjoy both their characters, one a hopeless lover head over heels for his nemesis, the other a struggling hero in need of the support from someone who happens to be her nemesis. I look forward to more of this, and I the love will continue to bloom.

11. The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses Season 2. Ep. 2

See the girls copies was fun as most aren’t an exaggeration of them but it’s still annoying to find out some less than stellar qualities. I also agree, they are well endowed. Overall a good episode with setup for what may be the focal plot of the season. Look forward to the war, and it seems our main cast is ready for it.

13. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3. Ep. 12

The storm dragon returns! With that said, I must put this back in B. We have plenty of setup, but I still believe the payoff will be disappointing as the last was. I’m open to being wrong however. It’s nice to see the strength of another demon lord, creating a labyrinth like this is a great power, though I do wonder if anyone will actually ever reach the end of it. Even if they do, facing the storm dragon would make anyone decide to call it.

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!