The Best Anime of Spring 2024

As we reach the end of the Spring 2024 anime season, now's the perfect time for our editorial staff to come together and highlight the best the season had to offer—both the mainstream hits and the hidden gems.

Note: the commentary below may include spoilers.

Rebecca Silverman

Best: YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

There are political dramas, and there are Political Dramas. YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master is less a tapestry of characters and events and more a folding fan or screen, where each new bend in the picture reveals a different set of character motivations, dynamics, and personalities to the point where, as of episode eleven, it can be challenging to know who to trust or whose motives to believe. But that's the beauty of it – for all that the people are mythical shape-shifting three-legged ravens, they're all remarkably human, navigating their way through secrets to try to land on the one safe place they can find, only for it to turn out to be an illusion that risks pulling them down.

Stepping away from metaphors, though, this is an excellent study of deeply twisted politics. In the Heian-style court of the yatagarasu, the crown prince must exhibit the traits of the kin'u (golden raven), and at the present moment, that's not the elder prince, but the younger. With the elder prince taking religious vows, things ought to be settled, but the empress is in no mood to allow her child to be overlooked, no matter what he may want. This places the younger prince in a very precarious position, with both brothers trapped in a war of succession that neither wanted, something which is mirrored in the life of Yukiya, the crown prince's new aide. Yukiya is the middle son of his family, but secrets about his birth mean that he's had to play the fool to keep the peace, which eventually lands him in the royal court…or so he thinks. Meanwhile, the four great families (one for each cardinal direction) have sent daughters to be crown princess candidates, with Asebi standing out as too naïve for life at court. But in this story, we can't take anything for granted, as the actions of two other ladies, Shiratama and Hamayu, amply demonstrate. This is a court fantasy that holds nothing back, using deceptively gentle imagery and cutting it until it bleeds. Will Yukiya survive the court unscathed? Is Asebi really as sweet as she seems? Someone needs to license the novels so that we can find out.

Runner-up: Tadaima, Okaeri

I know, I know, this is the omegaverse one. But even though that's not the genre I'd gravitate towards, this series has been a bright spot in my week. Yes, it has the genre trappings that make people leery of omegaverse in the first place, namely that people are classified by gender and a secondary set of characteristics that make them alphas, betas, or omegas, with omegas of any gender able to bear children. That's only important in so far as our main couple, two men, have biological children together; otherwise, the omegaverse stuff is kept to a minimum, mostly used to show that omegas are discriminated against. So then, what's the story about? It's a slice-of-life about a young family just doing family things: the kids grow and learn, the parents try to balance their lives with their children, everyone makes friends, and that's about it. The children are the highlight, with Hikari doing such recognizable things as being determined to write letters to his best friend every day and deliver them, only for us to learn that said friend is a dog he's afraid of. We watch his personality develop in an admittedly nearly too cute way, but this child is loved, his parents love each other, and aren't stingy with the casual physical affection that helps show it, and it's just nice. It's the least omegaverse omegaverse I've encountered, but more than that, it's a lovely story about a family. If you can put aside any genre preconceptions, it is worth giving it a chance.

MrAJCosplay

Best: Kaiju No. 8

Kaiju fans are eating well this year! I never really presented myself as a kaiju fanboy, but I have to respect the love and dedication that the genre has recently gained. We've gotten both artistic and bombastic acclaimed movies in the genre, and now we have a beautiful adaptation of what I think is an incredibly solid manga that plays around with the concept of Kaiju in a unique way. I was up-to-date with the Kaiju No. 8 manga before the anime officially came out,, so I already knew I was in for a good time, but I have to respect Production I.G for giving this the adaptation it deserved.

While a lot of the narrative beats are pretty standard, the execution is really strong. I like the camaraderie built up in the defense force. Despite being a relatively harsh world, there's surprisingly not a lot of cynicism, and every time the show looks like it's going in an edgy, cynical direction with its characters, their bond shines through in a more wholesome way. Our lead is a genuinely good guy who can pull his weight in unique ways with his kaiju knowledge. I could've just watched an entire show of him cleaning up kaiju corpses.

While I think the character designs are a bit flat, Production I.G takes advantage of that design sense to go for some fast-paced and well-choreographed animation. Having epic sword combat in a show about giant monsters sounds odd, but it genuinely led to some of the more interesting action sequences I've seen this season. Then we get the amazing particle effects to coincide with those high-impact attacks accompanied by a soundtrack I am still listening to. This is the only show this season where I wasn't bored by a single episode and I cannot wait to see more of the darker elements be adapted in the future.

Runner-up: Spice & Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf

Maybe this is cheating a little since we're talking about a remake of one of my favorite anime of all time. I've had a lot of doubts about the Spice and Wolf anime because I feel like I've been waiting years for a continuation. This series just unceremoniously stopped and was stuck in limbo for years. I still own the Blu-rays, so why would I want to watch a retelling? While this is derivative of what we had before, it's still derivative of good and well-written material. Spice and Wolf is still an enthralling show unlike most other things on the market and this retelling has reminded me of that.

The relationship between Holo and Lawrence is well-established thanks to the tight and witty character writing. Never have I seen two characters give off such married energy so quickly. However, they're developing relationships and emotional maturity is only half the story. Spice and Wolf does the impossible and makes economic theory and merchant business practices seem genuinely interesting. The story never presented itself in a condescending, overly simplified way. It merely tells things like it is and trusts that the audience will understand. Is this all writing that I've seen before? Yes, but it has a fresh coat of paint with a soundtrack that I would argue is relatively close to emulating the charm of the original. What I hope is that this isn't the end of Spice and Wolf material because this season does tease something more beyond the original anime ending. If we could cover the rest of the material in the original light novels down the road, then this retelling may be the start of a true masterpiece.

Steve Jones

Best: Train to the End of the World

This is the kind of show I watch anime for. Sure, I love a good band drama, and I'll never say no to a solid sci-fi thriller, but I'm most attracted to the most inexplicable works. Any rote summary of Train to the End of the World is going to fall short of capturing the experience of watching it. Let me give it a try: four girls board a train bound for post-apocalyptic Ikebukuro to reunite with an estranged friend, and they meet interesting characters at the stops along the way. Is that accurate? Yes. Does it communicate that there's a multi-episode arc dealing with a sentient lobotomizing butt mushroom? No.

Train is foremost an exercise in farce and surrealism. It pairs some of the wackiest shenanigans with some of the weirdest art and character designs you'll see this year. Its commitment to its insanity is also well above par. One episode parodies an anime that doesn't exist, and our only frame of reference for that is a blink-if-you-miss-it collection of excerpts from a fan book that one of the protagonists procured in the premiere. Moreover, the show moves a clip appropriate for its titular vehicle. The dialogue often feels paced like an old zinger-slinging Marx Brothers feature, and in general, watching a Train episode feels like watching a normal anime episode on 2x speed. If that sounds insufferable to you, you're probably right, but my neurons are wired to love it. I've got a terminal train brain.

Before I disembark, I'd like to thank director Tsutomu Mizushima and writer Michiko Yokote once again. They haven't steered me wrong before, and assuming the show doesn't completely derail when the finale airs, Train to the End of the World will stand as my new favorite fruit of their collaboration. It's ambitious, philosophical, dumb as bricks, and one of a kind. I hope they have even more gonzo ideas in their tank. Bring them on.

Runner-up: Delicious in Dungeon

It's difficult to find something to say about Delicious in Dungeon that hasn't already been said by my peers on this site or the wider anime community. We all know this series is great. Yoshihiro Miyajima's confident adaptation of Ryōko Kui's excellent manga has given us a full course of consistently funny, mouth-watering, and thoughtful escapades in dungeon gastronomy. It's a holistic work on par with the literary fantasy greats. It's a Trigger show that applies the studio's pool of talent intelligently. It's a crowd pleaser that's also not afraid to get weird with it. Trust me, I could go on and on.

If I had to hone in on one aspect, though, I'd say that Delicious in Dungeon's key ingredient is its cornucopia of characters. The likes of Marcille, Laios, Senshi, Chilchuck, and the rest of these goobers apply a soothing salve on the years of forgettable isekai-poisoned fantasy series that have passed quickly and violently through my grey matter. Every dungeon crawler in this story, by contrast, teems with personality. They stick with you. They haven't left my Twitter feed since the series began six months ago. I saw so many beautiful minds go absolutely feral for Chimera Falin, and they were all correct to do so. Delicious in Dungeon is a rare bounty. I'm glad I could savor it this time around, and I'll be back for seconds when season two airs.

James Beckett

Best: YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

I would have been mighty skeptical if you had told me a few months ago that Yatagarasu would be my obvious pick for the season's best show. Though I've tried plenty of times in the past, I've never been able to find a period high-court drama that really clicked with me, and I figured that my brain just wasn't programmed to fully appreciate all of the manners, politicking, and backstabbing that form the core appeal of such stories. It's probably why I never had much luck getting into A Game of Thrones, either.

Thanks to the ANN After Show, though I had to stick with Yatagarasu and hot damn, I am so glad that I did. Yatagarasu is easily the most slept-on anime of 2024 already, and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that changes. The mix of historical tropes and fantastical trappings gives the show a lot of opportunities to drop enticing tidbits of worldbuilding and raven-themed lore. Its characters are well-written yet suitably enigmatic, to the point where you absolutely believe it whenever the show reminds you that not one cast member is to be trusted. Best of all, though, is that the half-dozen different plot threads that the show is slowly unraveling are all constantly benefiting from the show's perfect pacing. There's never so much going on that it becomes a chore to keep track of, but the show also teases us with just enough intrigue and suspense each week to make the wait for the next episode agonizing. If you missed out on Yatagarasu because of its late-in-the-season drop, do yourselves a favor and correct that mistake now! We've got an additional season of corvids colluding coming up this summer, and you will regret not being able to keep up with it alongside all of us, raving ravens.

Runner-up: Tonari no Yōkai-san

Speaking of shows that have been criminally underseen this spring, I have some words for everyone who hasn't been showing Tonari no Yōkai-san with praise and admiration: What the hell is wrong with you? Have you even seen Buchio the Nekomata Who Wears a Backpack and Uses a Cellphone Like a Little Person? Or Jiro the Lovable but Reserved and Damaged Tengu Who Would Be the Main Character of Everyone's Self-Insert Fanfics If This Show Aired Back in 2007? What about Wagen-san, the Devoted Life-Partner of a Bisexual Widower Who Also Happens to Be a Living Volkswagen Golf Mk. I???

It's one thing if you simply haven't heard the good news of the universe wherein all of the gods and yokai of Japanese myth are not only real but also live on Earth as your neighbors and best friends, or if you're perhaps not in the mood for a show that is so overflowing with empathy and humanity that it can be heart-shattering, but if there are any of you out there that already know about Tonari no Yōkai-san and simply choose not to bask in its comfy glory every week…well, I don't even know what to say. Do you just hate good things? Are you…are you bigoted against cute kitty-cat boys who do chores and call their adoptive human mothers “Mama-san?” because they're so danged polite and anxious? Whatever the reasons, I urge you to do some serious soul-searching and reconsider your chosen path. It isn't too late to let Buchio into your life!

Kevin Cormack

Best: Train to the End of the World

Without a doubt, this gloriously demented, often incomprehensible, always reassuringly weird show was what I most looked forward to watching every single week. Four girls set across the nightmare dreamscape of what is left of their world, traveling across vast expanses in an abandoned train in search of a missing friend. Every stop brings new insanity as the girls encounter people transformed by the activation of 7G communication technology. It's like a cross between Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi and Stephen King's Dark Tower series (with elements from The Stand and Stand By Me).

Despite the brightly-colored madness and comic situations the girls often find themselves embroiled in, there's a constant undercurrent of existential and sometimes even body horror. Everyone in this world has been irrevocably altered in some way, against their will. The girls' parents and guardians have all been transformed into animals, and sometimes, the carnivores lose control and eat their friends or family members. Other people are infected by mushrooms that make them happy but fatalistic, and their lifespans are drastically shortened. The girls meet a horde of zombies who explode when aroused, a town of Lilliputian-like shrunken people, and a whole city caught up in a bizarre magical girl anime re-enactment. Interspersed between these longer encounters are totally random phenomena where suddenly everyone is seized by a sudden severe urge to itch, or dark regrets torture them, or people are randomly turned into custards and eaten. This show is bonkers.

Thankfully, we're accompanied by an adorable cast of well-written characters who are perhaps the most relatable teenage girls since Oh Maidens in Your Savage Season. They each have their deep-seated character quirks, neuroses, and regrets, and their interactions with one another are often hilarious. The show also looks great, with each locale depicted with surreal otherworldliness, or sinister strangeness, as appropriate. This train's journey is a bizarre yet fun one that I'm sad has to come to an end – it's the kind of thing I watch anime for.

Runner-up: Delicious in Dungeon

Unlike the similarly excellent Frieren, where its first part easily outclassed its second, Delicious in Dungeon only improves as it progresses, with heightened senses of danger and dread the deeper Laios and his friends delve into the depths of the Mad Mage's labyrinth. Their initial objective of rescuing lost healer Falin's remains from a dragon's stomach and then resurrecting her goes more horribly wrong than anyone expected, raising the stakes dramatically.

What I enjoy so much about Delicious in Dungeon, aside from the wonderful characters and the delicious-looking food, is the clever storytelling. A throwaway comment from prior episodes may be extremely important, or a previous item or discovery might provide a new way forward. The dungeon is almost as much of a character as the people exploring it – it's a living, breathing place with distinct, detailed environments with their own painstakingly constructed ecosystems. Everything has a reason for how it appears, acts, grows, or feeds. I particularly love the explanation of the Changeling Mushrooms' life cycle, even though it's pretty morbid.

The central quartet of Laios, Marcille, Senshi, and Chilchuck bounce off one another convincingly and amusingly. Their little foibles and sometimes opposing priorities often trigger fiery arguments or slapstick humor. They act just as I imagine a seasoned group of travelers trapped in a difficult situation would. New cat-girl party member Izutsumi is a delight and shakes up their dynamic wonderfully.

Trigger's animation is excellent, with incredibly expressive character designs, and the studio's trademark kinetic action scenes get plenty of opportunity to shine. I cannot wait for the second season.

Christopher Farris

Best: Delicious in Dungeon

Delicious in Dungeon is one of those anime that's likely to rack up accolades from many other writers for both the season and the year (to say nothing of whatever year the gratefully announced second season comes out). So you won't need me to tell you that Studio Trigger's pitch-perfect adaptation of Ryōko Kui's genius manga series is a lovingly rendered piece of animation bringing to life some of the most hilarious, heart-warming, high-concept fantasy world antics ever put to screen. We all figured that out in the show's first half a season ago.

What I can tell you for my part is Delicious in Dungeon hype felt real as it continued its run. This series saw friends of mine who have never kept up with seasonal anime jumping on board, sucked in as it seems only Netflix-released Studio Trigger anime can manage. I was sharing fanart and memes with these people in communal-viewing bonds, the likes of which hadn't been felt since we kept up on shows as they aired on Adult Swim. I was having the deep lore of the series enthusiastically related to me by manga fans, and then someone else I knew jumped on and finished the story via that manga before the anime was even done. It was electrifying like a jolt from poison tentacles that you can only protect yourself from using a ridiculous frog suit. Maybe the series' notoriety meant my social media timeline had long spoiled something like the hilariously banal surprise of Chilchuck's divorced status. However, that didn't matter when my friends and I were all laughing at it. Like a delicious meal from a dubious source bringing a band of adventurers together around the dinner table, this goofy gourmet story brought together friends and fans to revel in it. You bet I'm ready for a second helping.

Runner-up: Sound! Euphonium 3

Going back to refresh myself on Sound! Euphonium ahead of this new season's premiere (it had been five years since the last movie entry, after all), I was surprised to be reminded of just how tight the series was. Every step taken across Kumiko's journey through high school and the band felt so satisfyingly deliberate. No matter how minor they seemed in the massive ensemble of the Kitauji High School band, every character introduced felt like they had some piece to contribute to the overall performance. That does all result in the (perhaps appropriately) overly rehearsed feeling that characterizes Sound! Euphonium, but damn, if it isn't a tone the show plays well.

The drive of Kyoto Animation to tell the story of Sound! Euphonium to the completion of Kumiko's third year is something to behold. Throughout this third season, echoes have resonated with past moments that forged and shifted character connections. Time and again, Kumiko and Reina find themselves at a crossroads together, and every time, it looks, moves, and sounds incredible. This is a series that seamlessly works in new cast members like the unassumingly ominous Kuroe or the lovably irascible Kanade but still finds time to bring back beloved past characters like Asuka—this is not a high school anime where senpai are exiled to the graduation zone for all time. That established sense of time and our place in it makes Sound! Euphonium feels so real despite its acted-out artifice. Like a masterfully played concert, I'm so glad I've heard it played to completion.

Richard Eisenbeis

Best: Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction

Despite the odd choice of starting with the epilogue (with its episode 0) and the questionable localization of the anime (using “dubtitles” instead of true subtitles and not translating any onscreen Japanese in the subtitled release), the actual content of this anime makes Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction an easy pick for best of the season.

What we have here is the coming-of-age story of Kadode, a girl who, as her high school life comes to an end, realizes she has no idea what to do after graduation. She has no true passions and has just been floating through life. The only things that move her are her crush on her teacher and her ride-or-die best friend—a girl who seems to live in a reality all her own.

The story's twist is that it's told in a world where a giant UFO dominates the skies of Tokyo. Three years before, when it suddenly appeared, the Americans dropped a bomb on it (killing thousands of Japanese civilians), and then… nothing. It's just sitting there doing nothing.

What unfolds in the background of Kadode's personal story is a thesis on human nature. On one hand, it's a look at how we can adjust to anything—how even the most important moment in human history can quickly become “normal.” On the other, it's a condemnation that we can never get past our egos, petty problems, or self-centered BS—and that we never can just leave well enough alone.

It's fantastic from scene one and is one of those shows that only get better as things go on—especially once it jumps genres and spends an arc being a grim-dark deconstruction of Doraemon. Seriously. Watch this one. It will blow your mind.

Runner Up: Kaiju No. 8

On the surface, Kaiju No. 8 appears to be just another anime inspired by live-action tokusatsu shows like Kamen Rider, Power Rangers, or—most obviously—Ultraman. We have a team of soldiers whose job it is to face kaiju big and small—with one of their number secretly empowered by an otherworldly force that allows them to fight even the most dangerous of monsters head-on.

Yet, while its constant homages to tokusatsu classics are fun, they're not what makes the story great. Rather, it's the fact that this is a Superman story done right. Our lead, Kafka, can transform into the strongest kaiju ever seen—one able to annihilate other kaiju in a single punch. He's so dramatically overpowered that there seems to be little that could threaten him if he went all out. But that's the trick. Just because Kafka can likely win every fight doesn't mean he is willing to.

Kaiju No. 8 understands that the most important aspect of a good Superman story is not the “super” but the “man.” It's not the powers that make Kafka a hero but the human soul within. Before his transformation, he is already a hero—willing to risk his life for others. And after becoming a kaiju, this doesn't change. While revealing his secret will almost certainly lead to his death, he does so again and again. He's not willing to let others die when he has the chance to save them—not to protect himself or even the dream he's so desperately striving for.

Of course, that “weakness” is also his strength. Those who come to know his secret become his most loyal friends, striving to protect him and his noble heart—seeing that the world is a better place with people like him in it. Kafka isn't a superhero because he punches things really hard; he's one because of the people he inspires and the hope he creates.

All this makes him a hero you can't hope but root for—and raises the anime as a whole to the top echelons of the season in the process.

Lucas DeRuyter

Best: Delicious in Dungeon

Surprise, surprise; Delicious in Dungeon, recipient of three Best of slots and two Runner-Up picks for ANN's Best Anime of Winter 2024 round-up, is excellent in its second cour. It elevates everything I loved about the first batch of episodes and is rapidly becoming one of my favorite anime of all time. What initially started as a novel take on the well-worn fantasy genre is rapidly blossoming into a beautifully written exploration of human desire, existing as a neurodivergent person, and weighing your passions against your personal and social responsibilities.

While this was hinted at in the first cour, this run of episodes bumps up Laios' autism from subtext to full-on text! In this batch of episodes, we finally meet Shuro, the last former party member in the failed expedition who acts as the inciting character for this incident. While Laios had previously hyped Shuro up and spoke of him as though they were close, Shuro reveals that he doesn't like Laios. While Laios thought he was being pleasantly curious by asking Shuro about his home country and inviting him to join the party, Shuro found Laios' earnest curiosity annoying and his offer imposing. He couldn't turn Laios down because his noble upbringing makes him too polite to say no and because he has a crush on Laios' sister, Falin.

Though I know it's irrational, I have a deep-seated anxiety that the people in my life only care about me out of obligation or the material things I can do for them. Seeing Laios confront this exact situation and come out of it by acknowledging his wrongdoing but still being resolute in his goal of saving Falin inspired me. I can't think of any anime as of late that's made me feel as seen and inspired as the back half of season one of Delicious in Dungeon.

The other characters rounding out this main cast are also blossoming in some pretty endearing ways. Marcille's friendship and crush on Falin which she probably isn't even aware of is heartwarming and adorable. Chilchuck being both the voice of reason and an organized-labor icon while being one of the most divorced characters in all of anime is also an entertaining juxtaposition. Then there's Senshi, whose tragic backstory reveal makes him an even more beloved (and hot) character.

I'll be the first to admit that the back half of season one of Delicious in Dungeon ends pretty unceremoniously, but the highs and clutch moments of stellar animation more than make up for any issues in this anime. It's a delight to see a cast of neurodivergent, queer, progressive, and genuinely off-beat characters in a show without the narrative reducing them to just those qualities. The character writing and themes of Delicious in Dungeon remain some of the best executed and thoughtful in the anime landscape today, and that's why it remains my favorite of the season.

Runner Up: Go! Go! Loser Ranger!

I wanted to like Go! Go! Loser Ranger! more than I did. Maybe it wasn't fair of me to set it up as a tokusatsu version of The Boys, but its premise and execution really invited that comparison. While the espionage angle of the anime was pretty fun, and the strategies used to defeat or out-wit the wildly overpowered Rangers were entertaining, I wanted a little more thematic meat on these bones. While a novel and edgy take on super sentai tropes is fun, there have been better deconstructions. It seems like a missed opportunity to say something about the society, fandom, or history that informed many of those storytelling conventions.

Still, I had a lot of fun with Go! Go! Loser Ranger!. It's clearly made by a team that cares deeply about the tokusatsu media that informs it. It also inspired a pretty fun This Week in Anime column between Chris and me. This anime is also super solid technically and in terms of voice acting, and I watched more of it than nearly any other in a season in which I had some major life changes and dropped a lot of shows. Its biggest fault is not living up to my probably unfair expectations, which makes Go! Go! Loser Ranger! my runner-up pick of the spring season!

Nicholas Dupree

Best: Delicious in Dungeon

That's right, I'm giving this show the top spot two seasons in a row, and you can't stop me. If you want more variety, you should have encouraged all the other shows I watched this season to up their game. If you don't like the Chiefs being back-to-back champs, beat them instead of crying about it.

More seriously, I put Delicious in Dungeon as best because it managed to top itself in every way across this second cour. While it benefits from having a rock-solid foundation to build on, this second half cleared its high bar with ease. New twists following the shocking tonal shift at the end of the first cour give the entire show a sense of urgency, making even the silliest side adventures feel meaningful. Introducing new characters gave us a stronger understanding of the complicated, whimsical, and deeply written world that's been kept out of frame until now. We've gotten key episodes that uniquely developed the core cast, from Senshi's shockingly grim backstory to Laios' complicated relationships with the people around him. In every aspect, the show has just improved with each episode while never losing sight of what made it so charming.

What sets it above anything else is how this second half evolves the defining gimmick of monster meals. What started as a quirky approach to world-building grows into a complex and thoughtful rumination on the nature of food in the cycle of life and death. Through dramatic moments and wacky gags, Delicious in Dungeon asks enticing questions about what food means to us across cultures, history, and the broad spectrum of human circumstances. It touches on questions of survival and the importance of challenging one's tastes. Eventually, it takes all of that and weaves it together into a mind-bending proposition for thematically justified cannibalism in a way that works. It's the perfect kind of show, in a sense – funny and easy to watch, but with a depth of fascinating ideas waiting to reward anyone willing to look for them. It takes what was already a great viewing experience and turns it into the high point of every week. That's why it reigns supreme across two seasons.

Runner-up: Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night

This show is, to say the least, highly frustrating. I have wrestled with it all season, trying to get a hold of what it's trying to do and say and whether or not it has the writing chops to achieve those ambitions. It's a series I constantly want to love more because there's so much good in it. The characters are all well-rounded, dramatically engaging, and deeply relatable to whoever struggles with their sense of identity in any way. It's willing to tackle topics most shows in this vein aren't, and it has a perspective on modern music production that I've never seen in anime before. It's got tons of gorgeous animation, evocative direction, and a fantastic color palette that carries even the weakest dramatic moment. There is a lot to love about this show.

Yet, for every genuinely fantastic aspect of it, some needling issue or odd creative decision arrives to drag Jellyfish back from its greatness. I'm writing this before the final episode has dropped, and I have shockingly little confidence about how well it will wrap things up. It could deliver a wonderful, thoughtful conclusion to its heroines' emotional journeys or fizzle out with a by-the-numbers ending that squanders all of its potential. It could do both, considering how previous episodes have played out.

Despite all of that, though, I appreciate that the show has so much room to disappoint in the first place. That level of volatility is only possible when dealing with something special willing to take risks. Other shows might be more consistent, but that's only by virtue of choosing their battles carefully, something this series is wholly incapable of doing. In a way, Jellyfish is just like its main heroines – naive and unseasoned enough to make big mistakes but bright-eyed and sincere enough to keep taking every big swing it can. I've got to appreciate that.