Reflecting On 2024’s Anime Of The Year Nominees

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I think we all know at this point that Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 is going to win Anime of the Year, as well as a lot of other awards, in this year’s awards ceremony. The combination of popularity and critical acclaim, along with the recency bias and Attack on Titan not being eligible for this year, has pretty much made it a guarantee. Even if only half the season is eligible and it’s going to come back next year, it’ll win because nobody in that fandom would vote that way and there’s not a good dividing point between the first and second half of Season 2 to begin with. We’ll cross the bridge of it’s almost inevitable double-dipping next year, but for this year, I want to take a deeper dive into the six nominees and what they did to deserve their spots.

I obviously think they all deserved it, so you’re not going to hear any stupid “mid” comments from me regarding Mob Psycho 100 and Heavenly Delusion being more deserving than Demon Slayer and Oshi no Ko. Fuck the people who say this. You know they would not win, and would honestly get less votes than what ended up getting nominated. Let’s look at these selections.

So the order I’m looking at these anime is based on the number of likes their individual Instagram promotions got. I’ll go through the anime that got the least amount of likes on Instagram and work my way up to the anime that got the most likes. It’s not the most accurate way to judge if something is going to win because like Twitter, Reddit, MAL, and such, Instagram only covers a small portion of the anime fandom, plus there’s the timing of posts and amount of time people had to upvote them (which is also constantly changing for the record). But it’s the only public way to view trends for this Awards show since Crunchyroll discontinued that Twitter voting system they had last year, and it has the most attention when it comes to their social media promotion.

Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc – I’m not surprised this is in last place on the Instagram rankings because despite being a record breaker in terms of raw numbers, there are a lot of people who are vocal about disliking Swordsmith Village. Initially I liked it more than the last season, but after a rewatch of the entire Demon Slayer series that is out so far, I changed my mind. But that doesn’t change my opinion that I think this arc was great.

The animation of course was still amazing. CG fish looked a little weird, but otherwise it still looked really good. I liked the new characters and their development. Genya and Muichiro were great characters with sympathetic backstories that made you see them in a whole new light, as well as Sanemi and why he was so cruel to Nezuko at first meeting. That’s one thing I really love about Demon Slayer: how it re-contextualizes previous events and characters without calling too much attention to it, and how a character will only get screen time if they’re important to the narrative.

Mitsuri didn’t have as much as screentime as I would have liked, but she was pretty good too. I liked how she didn’t have any tragedy in her life other than just being a super strong woman with natural pink hair. I also really liked Tanjiro’s swordsmith and his devotion to the craft to the extent that he doesn’t mind losing an eye in the process. While it doesn’t go into detail because Demon Slayer in general prioritizes action over world-building, I liked the small insights into the sword-making craft this season did and why it’s important for the Demon Slayer Corps to rely on them.

Upper Moon 4 I honestly think was pretty good as a villain. I liked how he was an unlikable coward as a human and how that translated to his powers of being hard to kill because he’s always running away. I liked seeing Nezuko get to fight more and the strategies they used to whittle down all of his reverse uno cards. I liked how they used those “Demon Slayer” marks more in this arc and how even with those, Upper Moon 4 would just not die. The Shonen Jump slow pacing and repetition was a little annoying, but why exactly are you watching a Shonen Jump series if you’re not prepared for that? Plus it’s easier to sit through when you binge the season.

Upper Moon 5 was a little lame, I’m not going to lie. I get he’s supposed to be more of a joker character who uses tricks rather than physical strength, but I forgot he was supposed to be a highly ranked demon and wrote him off as a throwaway villain on first viewing, which isn’t really something that I’ve had to say for the previous major demons. I get he also summons the CG fish, but against a named character, those things are just fodder. Also didn’t care for Tanjiro pulling out Zenitsu’s flash-step at the last minute. I know it’s not as good as Zenitsu’s, but that was some stupid last-minute plot armor right there.

And of course, I think the ending was great. That scene where Tanjiro is having a panic attack was a masterclass in visual storytelling, plus the reveal of Nezuko’s immunity to the sun and Muzan’s backstory was really good. I like how Muzan is basically just this spoiled brat who wants immortality because he grew up with a weak body. It made me really happy to see the village cheering for Tanjiro as he got wheeled off. What else can I say? I thought this arc was great.

Bocchi the Rock! – If this was an awards show for a Japanese audience, I could see Bocchi having a much higher chance of winning. But then again, Japan absolutely loves Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Oshi no Ko too. Chainsaw Man and Vinland Saga are not as big there, and thus they’d be last place instead, which I could see making a bunch of people mad. And there’s already a bunch of Bocchi fans who are super mad that it’s getting nominated now when it should have been last year. Even though there was absolutely no chance if was going to beat Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, or Cyberpunk Edgerunners because of how much more fucking popular they were. Recency bias? What’s that?

Anyways, I’ve made it clear that Bocchi is not my genre, so I can’t really judge it fairly compared to the other nominees. Doesn’t help that the story is kind of plain if you read it out loud. It’s basically about a girl experiencing social anxiety and trying to overcome that by joining a band. No real drama either. Mostly just Bocchi being a weirdo and her friends doing their best to help her. Also the humor isn’t really my thing. I’m not into those kind of visual gags unless they’re supplementing something really stupid.

But I don’t think every nominee has to be something you like, let alone respect. And I’m honestly lucky that of all the anime I don’t like that the jury could have picked, it was the one that I had the most respect for. Because Bocchi really set a new bar when it came to the cute girl slice-of-life genre with it’s amazingly creative visual humor and the somewhat grounded yet exaggerated story that a lot of people vibe with. You guys remember how big K-On was for it’s time? Well this is the new-gen version for the many people who loved that show.

Is it also carried by animation like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen are? Yes. Considering the source material is a 4-koma and a large part of the appeal comes from the visual gags, that should be a given. There’s also the music, which I can’t even remember at this point, so I’m just going to assume that it’s super good for people who are into it. I don’t really know what the future of Bocchi is, but it definitely has grown in popularity since it’s finished, and that’s pretty respectable for a show that wasn’t very hyped before it aired. The popularity is a little muted in the West admittedly. Raw number-wise, all the big shonen it aired with are still more well-known. Even Blue Lock has a bigger fanbase, let’s be real. But of course, Blue Lock’s animation is ass, which tends to get you disqualified from anything award-related.

Plus, we need some variety to at least pretend that our awards aren’t dominated by shonen action. So why not have Bocchi as an Anime of the Year nominee? It obviously won’t win, but at least it’ll dominate the more relaxing categories because it was the clear standout for those who prefer their anime to be a little comfy. And aren’t Spy x Family.

Vinland Saga S2 – Fourth place on the Instagram rankings, which is somewhat impressive given it’s the least popular of the six nominees. But it also illustrates how clear it is that this show is not winning Anime of the Year. No matter how much critical acclaim it gets. No matter how many online publications insist it’s the best of the best. Vinland Saga S2 is destined to just be the Anime of the Year nominee with the fewest nominations. Might win Best Drama assuming the Attack on Titan fandom doesn’t overwhelm them though.

Does it deserve the acclaim though? Absolutely. I can’t stress enough how fucking blown away I was watching Vinland Saga’s second season. I’m honestly surprised how many people said they were put off by the lack of action, because there was still quite a bit. I will say that I agree with a few episodes being a little too slow. But by the show’s second half, literally everything was amazing apart from the visuals not being the greatest. They were decent, but they weren’t exactly immaculate, similar to the Kingdom anime post-S2.

Every single character was great in this anime. Even the ones I didn’t think much of at the time like Ketil, I grew to really remember after he pretty much lost everything, including the fact that his own name was a lie. Einar and Snake are my new favorites of the cast. But of course, the star of the show was Thorfinn and how he finally grew into the viking that Bjorn and Askeladd wanted him to be even if they had very different viewpoints in how they lived and how they raised him.

Everyone memes on the “I have no enemies” line, but it was honestly a really amazing line that perfectly encapsulates Thorfinn’s new viewpoint to only use violence when necessary and to never hold grudges against people. He basically became the sort of pacifist that Kenshin or Vash or Chisato were, but a lot more interesting because even with his fighting skills, Thorfinn can’t exactly land non-lethal blows on his enemies very efficiently. Even in this season, he had to take a lot of ass-whoopings before the king would even listen to his proposal. And the internal journey he went through to get to his current viewpoint was so natural, so earned, and so beautifully realized.

The fact that Thorfinn can carry the show this much and yet practically every supporting cast member gets their own distinct arc that ties into the main character’s journey without getting swallowed up by it is nothing short of amazing writing that makes Vinland Saga so acclaimed. The only other recent anime I can think of with writing that immaculate is Blue Eye Samurai, which unfortunately is not actually Japanese and would never qualify for these awards shows. It’s really something you have to experience for yourself, and if you find it too slow, well you could always watch Blue Eye Samurai instead. That honestly could use more popularity too.

Oshi no Ko – So the funny thing about Oshi no Ko is that it was the nominee that Crunchyroll promoted last on their social media. It’s a Hidive exclusive and online discussion of the manga died down considerably around the time it took an extended hiatus. But then I see over the course of a night, it gets over 60,000 likes on Instagram while Bocchi has somewhat capped at 40K (and even Demon Slayer got a recent surge in likes, although it’s still below Bocchi), so nope. People still remember this show. It’s unlikely to have the same hype it did when it returns, but honestly I didn’t think it would ever get that hype to begin with.

But I’m really glad this show got nominated for so many categories. Because it was really good. I still do prefer the manga because the anime doesn’t always do a great job at adapting the chapters in a way that’s natural for a single episode, and the animation isn’t always a standout. However, everything I like about Oshi no Ko was realized so well with this anime. The emotions when the characters battle their own personal demons. The insights into the dark side of Japan’s entertainment industry. The off-beat humor of a buff dude wearing a chicken mask teaching the girls how to succeed online. The reality show arc being one of the most goated drama arcs I’ve seen in recent anime.

So many people attach themselves to the first episode and I don’t understand why, because Oshi no Ko is so much more than some reincarnation drama about searching for a serial killer. I don’t even understand why people focus so much on the idol bit since idols only make up a fraction of the show’s subject matter. At it’s core, I wouldn’t even say the search for said killer is what provides the forward momentum for going through all these different facets of the entertainment industry. It’s Aqua’s deteriorating mental state as he’s trapped between the shadow of his dead mother/idol and moving on with his life.

I really like all of the other characters, especially Kana and Akane, but Aqua has got to be among my favorite recent protagonists because of how reincarnating as his oshi’s son turned him into someone who’s neither his past self nor someone who just grew up as the son of a celebrity. He’s basically this weird kid who technically has previous life experience, but he’s still a kid at the end of the day because that life experience doesn’t really mean shit against his own biology. He can’t do doctor stuff anymore. His talents lie into being an actor, which he never had any inkling of doing in his previous life. I won’t go as far as to say he’s “reincarnation done right”, but he’s definitely what I prefer if I have to deal with a reincarnated protagonist.

And of course, the focus isn’t just on him. The supporting cast get their time to shine as well, although not too much since this is just the introductory season of a long-running manga. Ruby honestly doesn’t get a lot this season (and honestly it takes a while before she gets proper spotlight), but Kana, Akane, and even Memcho to a degree get some pretty good development regarding their careers and the struggles they have to deal with. The director is cool. Aqua’s and Ruby’s stepmother is cool. There’s a bunch of really interesting characters in this show with their own arcs, and I can’t wait to see them animated whenever the show comes back.

As it is now, it’s good. But I know it gets much better, so I can’t shower too much praise on this anime as of yet. Definitely still deserves to be nominated for as much as it did, although there’s not a single category it’s in that doesn’t have a big shonen, so I really doubt it’s chances of getting even one award.

Chainsaw Man – Since I haven’t read the manga to this, I don’t really know why it’s considered one of the best shonen stories of all-time. I just know that the first season is the introductory portion, because of course it fucking is. There isn’t a single goddamn long-running series that shines in just one cour, and if you say otherwise, you are lying. No I do not think the first season of My Hero Academia was all that great.

That said, yeah this was a pretty goddamn good introduction for what’s to come, and I’m not surprised that it seems to be the runner-up favorite behind Jujutsu Kaisen when it comes to sweeping awards. The number of nominations this show got should make it clear that anyone who says it’s appeal was crippled by the long wait we had to actually vote for this anime were lying. If an anime can’t survive a year, then that anime wasn’t worth remembering to begin with. And I still remember Chainsaw Man to this day.

The opening with all the movie references. The numerous different endings. The animation. The cinematography. The characters. The action. That scene where Makima caused a bunch of people to explode out of nowhere. Denji kicking the bad guy in the balls. Power’s very existence. Why would I ever forget Chainsaw Man? It was such a visually unique shonen in the best of ways, and while I’m not super sold on the story as of yet, it really was a great experience watching a Shonen Jump series shot more like a Hollywood movie. Too bad Japan didn’t like it, but if it makes them feel any better, the director for Season 1 has since left MAPPA so maybe the new team will do a visual style that suits them more.

There’s not really a lot I can say about Chainsaw Man beyond my love for it’s grungy attitude at the moment, but I can definitely say this was a very confident premiere that you would have full faith in the rest going forward if it wasn’t for MAPPA’s horrible business practices leaking to the whole world. I loved what I saw and I hope to love future arcs even more. In terms of new anime bias, I can definitely see why this is the popular one. Oshi no Ko may have better writing and Bocchi the Rock may have visually stunning wholesomeness, but do they have the sloppy blowjob devil crying all the time, only to turn into John Wick the instant her life is actually threatened in one of the most cinematic reverse unos I’ve ever seen? I dunno why that scene stands out to me the most.

Jujutsu Kaisen S2 – Number one in Instagram votes. Number one in most anime fans’ hearts. 99% sure this is going to be the number one winner this year. Obviously it’s going to come back next year, but it’s honestly not worth thinking about judging Jujutsu Kaisen in terms of what’s actually eligible so let’s just double-dip come the 2025 Awards. And I’ll say that Season 2 deserves all of the accolades and attention it gets…as long as you’re not opposed to action as substance.

Because from the very start, Jujutsu Kaisen has been shit at any kind of storytelling that wasn’t related to the action. And with Season 2, it just doubles down on the fact that it has nothing to it beyond fight scenes. The world-building is a load of dog shit that doesn’t serve the plot in any way beyond getting us ready for the next fight scene. The power system is nothing but the rule of cool masked under AP Calculus lessons, and the fact that we need a narrator to explain that shit is laughable. The supporting cast is horribly mismanaged. Shit screen time. Shit story relevance. Shit fighting ability a lot of the times as well. We learn nothing interesting about so many of these characters and then they just get unceremoniously written out because if the audience doesn’t care about them, why should the author bother to make them care?

For someone who’s supposed to be the main character, Yuji really doesn’t get a whole lot to do until the very end. And it mostly just comes down to ending his feud with Mahito and nothing else. He still doesn’t have much of an end goal in mind beyond consuming Sukuna’s fingers and sacrificing himself at the end. His development pretty much boils down to getting traumatized by all the shit that’s happened in his life like he’s auditioning to be in HBO’s The Last of Us. We don’t even really know much about him. He has a generic backstory of wanting to be a good person for his dead grandpa and literally nothing else. While everyone gets cool superpowers, he can only punch things really hard. Sukuna living inside of him is pretty much the only thing that’s kept him plot-relevant, and honestly Sukuna affects more of the overall story than Yuji does. He was the one who obliterated an entire city. Yuji just simps for Jennifer Lawrence.

And yet despite being nothing more than a showcase for animation, fight scenes, and fanservice for the ladies, Jujutsu Kaisen is just so fucking fun to watch. It’s so fucking cool. Maybe it gets to be too much in the later arcs, but as of right now, it is the perfect example of how overrated good writing can be. Obviously it’s still important, but anime is primarily a visual medium. And when the visuals slap this hard with just enough context so you can appreciate what it’s depicting, it becomes a reminder as to why animation is my preferred medium of entertainment. And why this series continues to grow in popularity despite (or because of) all the controversies it’s been getting into as of late.

Like what more can I really say? Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 will win Anime of the Year. Some people will complain. But we’ll all move on. And JJK will still be one of the top series for years to come. The action is just that good, and hopefully will stay on (or better yet, surpass) that level when it inevitably returns.