The 9 Must-Watch Anime Of the Summer 2024 Season

The 2024 winter and spring anime lineups will be a tough act to follow, as standout series like the wonderful end to Frieren’s first season, and the complete delight of Delicious in Dungeon, were delightful, and set a high bar for the summer season. But thankfully, it’s shaping up to have some gems of its own. We’ve collected nine of the best to add to your viewing schedule.

If there is a theme to this season’s lineup, it should be superb second seasons. That could be purely attributed to 2023 darling Oshi no Ko making its hotly anticipated return, but it’s also joined by sophomore runs of the NieR: Automata anime, Tower of God, and Shy. Of course, a lot of new shows are also on this list for you to check out. Here are nine anime you shouldn’t miss this summer 2024.

Watch it on: MAX, Hulu

There’s a genius to the simplicity of Suicide Squad ISEKAI: Send the DC universe’s team of villains into a tropey fantasy world, let them run wild, and hilarity will ensue. The Suicide Squad are well known enough now (thanks to two movies and a mediocre game) that the anime dosn’t have to work overtime to familiarize the audience with the characters and their whole deal. This iteration of the team keeps it mostly classic, with the likes of Harley Quinn, Peacemaker, King Shark, Deadshot and Clayface, though—as is so often the case with this lot—this has proven to be Harley’s show, and I’m not complaining at all.

Watching the oddball team of villains deal with the often tongue-in-cheek issues of a fantasy realm at war has proven to be a wonderful combination, and seeing more DC characters pop up in the future will only add to the fun. The show also retains the team’s signature penchant for violence, and it looks fantastic in its energetic and colorful animation style.

Watch it on: HIDIVE

The first season of Oshi no Ko was one of 2023’s best anime, and the second aims to repeat the success in 2024. Based on the first two episodes, it’s going to easily accomplish that. For the uninitiated, Oshi no Ko follows siblings Aqua and Ruby, twin children of the murdered pop idol Ai Hoshino, on their dual missions to gain stardom while solving their mother’s murder. The first season saw the twins push into the world of fame in their own ways, Aqua through acting and Ruby through singing, while Aqua some detective work on the side.

Season one was an enthralling arc that had a lot to say about the dangers of celebrity and how society builds up these stars, holds them to insane standards, and turns on them in a second. The show’s wonderful writing and gorgeous animation made its expert weaving of comedy, drama, and mystery seem effortless. Season two throws us right into the next phase of Aqua’s investigation, set in the midst of a high-stakes theatrical production.

Watch it on: HIDIVE

If you are looking for something to fill the void left by Delicious in Dungeon, then Dungeon People is your best bet. The new anime follows a thief who gets an unexpected job offer to manage a dungeon full of monsters. It’s a fun twist on the dungeon fantasy formula that offers some more slice-of-life-style storytelling.

If you like the off-kilter approach to a Dungeons & Dragons style campaign that Delicious in Dungeon often had, there is a lot in Dungeon People that can scratch that itch. So far it doesn’t do anything as spectacular in its storytelling and character work as Frieren or Delicious in Dungeon, but it’s a cute show to relax with.

Watch it on: Crunchyroll

Simply put, NieR: Automata Ver1.1a is the best video game adaptation around right now. The first part of the season (which aired last year) made this abundantly clear by offering new twists for returning fans of the game while also managing to be a succinct and engaging retread of the original story for newcomers.

Part two of season one looks to dive into the real meat of NieR: Automata, with the game’s endings A and B behind us. Returning viewers can expect even more philosophical conundrums and rugs being pulled out from under them. The first episode alone is a stunning reinterpretation of one of the source material’s most incredible moments. Hopefully this bundle of episodes won’t be plagued by the production issues of the first part.

Watch it on: Crunchyroll

I’m always looking out for the next great rom-com anime whenever a new season drops its lineup. In the past we’ve gotten the likes of Kaguya-sama: Love is War or last years’ Skip and Loafer. Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian isn’t quite on that level yet, but I’m cautiously optimistic that it could be after a few more episodes.

Alya is a straight-laced student council member constantly berating Kuze for his antics, but she does find him cute and secretly says as much…in Russian. Of course, Kuze understands Russian and can’t find a way to tell Alya that he’s been able to understand her confessions all this time. What ensues in the first couple of episodes is a cute and combative relationship between the two. So far the duo have great chemistry, which is essential to success, but I’m still waiting for the show to be more than the typical genre trappings. There is a fanservice-y moment in the premiere that made me roll my eyes, but Alya and Kuze have unexpectedly serious discussion about it immediately after. If we are lucky this won’t devolve into pure fanservice and instead move past genre tropes to be something special.

Watch it on: Crunchyroll

This might be the best-looking show of the season. The premiere alone has gorgeous animation and stunning use of color, from bright foliage to deep red blood. But The Elusive Samurai is more than a pretty face. It follows Tokiyuki, a carefree kid who just wants to live in peace but is thrust into a violent world after a brutal coup.

That conflict between peace and war at the heart of Tokiyuki’s journey is reflected in the show’s gorgeous animation. There is a lot of juxtaposing imagery that further visualizes that internal conflict. With such a strong protagonist and animation, I have high hopes that The Elusive Samurai will be able to sustain the standard set by its premiere.

Watch it on: Crunchyroll

Mayonaka Punch came out of nowhere and dazzled me with its premiere. It begins with our protagonist, Masaki, getting booted from her three- woman YouTuber group for being too violent after punching one of her costars on a livestream. She tries to start a new channel to regain her fanbase, but is disheartened by the constant hate she gets for her violent actions and the fact that her new channel bombs. Masiki’s luck turns around when she meets Live, a vampire who’s been having mysterious dreams of Masaki and is hell bent on drinking her blood. Masaki comes up with the bright idea to make spectacular videos using Live’s powers, and in exchange Live can feed on Masaki once her new channel reaches one million subscribers.

Masaki is an amazing protagonist whose brashness makes her an enjoyable girl failure, while Live’s overeager thirst for Masaki comes off as an adoring obsession. The first couple of episodes are full of fun hijinx, and there is some potential for Live and Masaki’s relationship to grow into something more than just a means to an end for both of them.

Watch it on: Crunchyroll

I’ll be honest, Tower of God season two doesn’t have the juice in the same way that season one did back in 2020. The animation style has a much less distinct identity, especially with the lack of those bold black lines, yet I am still hooked. While the aesthetics might not be there, the world still is.

The titular Tower, and the inhabitants inside it fighting to make their way to the top, are still so well fleshed out that I can’t help but be interested in what awaits them all. Even after four years, It’s good to see Bam back and I’m ready to hopefully get some answers on season one’s cliffhanger and what’s really up with Rachel.

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