Highlights
- Ishura’s slow start pays off with intense battles, messy episodes lead to unpredictable outcomes.
- Brave Bang Bravern is hilariously quirky with over-the-top characters and unique mecha subgenres.
- The Weakest Tamer showcases gorgeous animation and a comforting storyline with a vulnerable protagonist.
The Winter 2024 anime season is gradually coming to an end, and it has been a fun ride for the most part. As always, a few series have risen to the top, dominating the discourse and getting most of the attention along the way. Anime like Solo Leveling, The Dangers in My Heart, and Mashle warrant their hype, and they will likely be remembered long after their current runs are finished. Even if they cannot satisfy everyone’s preferences, these shows have a wide enough reach that they have likely touched most people who might enjoy them.
Naturally, not every anime can be Classroom of the Elite or Delicious in Dungeon. For one reason or another, some series slip through the cracks as they are either overshadowed by their peers or suffer from poor starts that discourage viewers from committing any more time to them. Let’s take a look at some underrated Winter 2024 anime that warrant another look.
As “underrated” is a vague term, shows that have
low member counts or scores on MyAnimeList
will be considered.
Also, any series ranked among the
Best Winter 2024 anime
will not be included since they are already spotlighted in that article. That said,
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
,
Urusei Yatsura
, and
Kingdom
are all underwatched.
Ishura
A Slow Build To An Explosion Of Action
Ishura‘s structure can be off-putting. The isekai anime dedicates its first five episodes to introducing powerful warriors who will eventually engage in a war between two kingdoms. While containing quite a bit of clever world-building, the chapters do not always directly connect nor do they sustain much momentum, causing the show to seem like it is spinning its wheels. The characters themselves are interesting but not necessarily likable, particularly Soujirou, who is highlighted during the first episode.
These episodes are messy, confusing, and can seem inaccessible, despite featuring consistently great fights. However, Ishura starts to bring things together in episode 6 when the war finally breaks out, paying off all that build-up. Since then, the anime has consisted of nothing but intense battles between overpowered characters who have largely been presented as equals, meaning these fights’ outcomes are generally unpredictable.
Brave Bang Bravern!
Unexpectedly Hilarious
Except for maybe Gundam, most new mecha anime are destined to be overlooked. While never extremely popular in Western countries, the genre has really struggled to garner any attention in recent years, and Brave Bang Bravern! is no exception. One of Winter 2024’s least-viewed anime according to MyAnimeList, the series has barely found an audience outside of Japan, which is a shame as there is a lot to love about this quirky action-comedy.
Brave Bang Bravern! is quite a bizarre experience. The anime smashes together a couple of mecha subgenres, throwing an over-the-top super robot into a more “grounded” real-robot military setting. Bravern, the story’s main mecha, is an absolute delight and one of the season’s low-key funniest characters, and he has a charming dynamic with his human partner, the perpetually bewildered Ao Isami. The remaining characters are also decent, and the same can be said for the action sequences.
The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash
Gorgeous Animation & Endearing Protagonist
As always, Winter 2024 is overflowing with isekai anime; more surprisingly, most of the shows are quite good. Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy, The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, Villainess Level 99, and Sasaki and Peeps are all solid examples of the theme, and they have been well-received. Despite not quite living up to its source material, My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered has produced its share of hilarious moments and garnered a fair amount of attention. Fluffy Paradise and Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp are perfectly fine shows, even if they are not memorable enough to warrant specific recommendations.
That leaves The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash, an underrated Winter 2024 anime that has seen its reputation steadily grow as the season has progressed. Boasting some of Winter 2024’s prettiest animation, this series goes against the typical isekai blueprint by focusing on a genuinely vulnerable protagonist who is just trying to survive after being marked for death by her village. As Ivy travels from town to town, she meets both friendly and off-putting people, all the while gradually developing her tamer skills. This anime is oddly comforting despite the protagonist’s depressing situation.
Mr. Villain’s Day Off
Cozy Slice Of Life Goodness
Winter 2024 has very few slice of life anime. Sure, a couple of romance and fantasy series lean into that territory, but they are hardly proper examples of the genre. Consequently, Mr. Villain’s Day Off scratches an itch this season otherwise ignores, and it provides a wholesome and lighthearted way to spend half an hour.
As suggested by its title, the show follows a sentai villain as he tries to make the most of his single day off per week. Due to hailing from another planet, Warumono-san is not all that familiar with Earth’s customs, and he uses his free time to learn more about the world he plans to conquer. Generally, this entails going to the zoo to observe pandas. Although a bit too repetitive at times, Mr. Villain’s Day Off is simply pleasant. The protagonist is the perfect blend of cool, suave, and clueless, while the side characters inject enough flavor without overstaying their welcome.
Sengoku Youko
Gets Most Things Right
In a season overstuffed with both action and fantasy stories, Sengoku Youko was always likely to be stuck in an uphill battle for attention. Scheduled for 37 episodes, White Fox’s anime is going to be around for most of the year, but it will probably not attract too many new viewers after the Winter 2024 quarter ends. Based on a respected manga that lasted for nearly a decade, Sengoku Youko cleverly blends a historical setting with mythological elements to create an engaging battle shonen package that seems ripped right out of the early 2000s.
This series would have been the perfect companion piece for Inuyasha, and the story has only started to bring its pieces together. Envisioning a world where humans and katawara are constantly in conflict, Sengoku Youko follows an eclectic range of characters who all have complex feelings about both races, including one person who detests humans. With relatively complex characters, an interesting setting, and solid action, Sengoku Youko deserves way more attention.
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