2024 has been a great year for anime thus far, with brand-new hits like My Deer Friend Nokotan and Delicious in Dungeon gaining traction alongside established hits like One Piece and My Hero Academia. Recently, a prominent Japanese review service revealed which 10 anime works that were released in the first half of 2024 were the most popular among its users.
Filmarks, one of Japan’s largest media review sites, allows users to rate works based on a star scale of one to five. Per PR Times, Filmarks has now released its official “Anime Rankings for the First Half of 2024,” which only counts series that premiered or had seasonal continuations in 2024. The list includes a number of works that have gained large audiences outside of Japan, such as My Hero Academia and Black Butler. However, these ratings ultimately shed some interesting light on the differences that exist between Japan’s viewer base and the worldwide anime community. CBR readers can out the top 10 list below.
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The Top 10 Anime of 2024 So Far According to Japanese Viewers
- Sound! Euphonium Season 3 (4.54 / 1,842 ratings)
- Hazbin Hotel (4.44 / 3,079 ratings)
- The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 (4.37 / 2,292 ratings)
- My Hero Academia Season 7 (4.35 / 1,062 ratings)
- Kingdom Season 5 (4.26 / 1,349 ratings)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc (4.16 / 872 ratings)
- Sand Land: The Series (4.16 / 836 ratings)
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 (4.11 / 1,802 ratings)
- Black Butler: Public School Arc (4.10 / 839 ratings)
- Delicious in Dungeon Season 1 (4.07 / 6,631 ratings)
Thus far, Sound! Euphonium is the year’s reigning champion, beating out Hazbin Hotel by a significant margin. Based on Ayano Takeda’s popular light novel series of the same name, this slice-of-life anime follows first-year high school student Kumiko Oumae, who keeps most of her classmates at an emotional distance. Things change when she joins the Kitauji High School Music Club as its lead euphonium player. Later, Kumiko encounters the beautiful but reserved Reina Kousaka, a figure from her past who she never expected to see again. The majority of the series chronicles the slow development of their relationship, which eventually becomes romantic.
Japan May Be Eschewing Some Action-Heavy Anime for More Comedy & Drama
Since most of Japan’s top-rated series belong to either the isekai or action genres, Sound! Euphonium’s #1 spot may seem unusual at first glance. However, past data suggests that Japanese audiences are open to enjoying slower-paced works that focus on character relationships and comedy as much as they do action-packed adventure. Earlier this year, Ranked.net determined that The Dangers In My Heart — a heartwarming high school love story between a reclusive loner and a cheerful extrovert — was the site’s most popular series of the Winter 2024 anime season. The trend away from pure action is also evident among younger anime viewers. Last month, prominent Japanese research company Alpha Generation Labs discovered that elementary school-aged children (between 5-6 years of age) are veering away from One Piece in favor of works like Spy x Family, Detective Conan and Demon Slayer. While all three series feature action sequences, their appeal also relies heavily on plenty of suspense, humor and character-driven drama.
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Anime Like Solo Leveling & Kaiju No. 8 Find More Popular Overseas Than in Japan
Notably, many anime that have made huge waves overseas, such as Classroom of the Elite, Kaiju No. 8 and Solo Leveling, are nowhere to be found on Filmarks’ chart. The latter’s omission is perhaps the most surprising considering that A-1 Pictures’ hit dark fantasy even powered its way onto Hollywood’s radar, earning a “Best Anime” nomination at the 2024 Astra TV Awards. Unfortunately, Solo Leveling has failed to captivate Japan’s viewers the same way. On Ranked.net, many users levied heavy criticism against the series for its allegedly derivative plot and weak lead character, Jinwoo Sung. While both Solo Leveling and Kaiju No. 8 put action at the forefront, the latter is arguably more thought-provoking than the former since it often takes time to explore the concept of humanity through its lead character, Kafka Hibino. However, the positive elements of both works have evidently not been enough to gain the attention or favor of most Japanese viewers — at least so far.
Source: Filmarks 2024 Rankings via PR Times
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