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2024 has been a stacked year for seasonal anime releases.Apothecary Diaries,Frieren,Dandadan, andBlue Boxare a short list of the anime this year that will last in anime fan’s minds as we continue on to 2025, ready for new shows, new seasons, and new goodbyes to our favorite anime series as they finally achieve their endings. This summer anime season this year has been particularly great too; the second season ofOshi no Kofinally came out, but we also had brand-new anime adaptations like the shoujo romanceAlya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian.
The problem with so much good anime coming out quickly is that there’s a chance for good anime to be missed completely. Anime fansonly have so much time in the dayto watch new shows, and it’s likely shows that aren’t attached to massive franchises or already popular manga series aren’t likely to gather or retain watchers. These anime in the Summer 2024 season, instead of being swept under the rug, are the focus of today’s article.
Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
Falling In Love With Rejected Waifus Is More Fun Than It Sounds
Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroinesis about Kazuhiko Nukumizu’s experiences as a self-proclaimed ‘background character’, a title which he is satisfied with. However, he sees a popular female classmate publically rejected by her childhood best friend in the middle of a restaurant. Uncomfortably, Nukumizu is told by a girl, named Anna Yanami, about the encounter and her feelings towards this. This ends up bringing Nukumizucloser to the forefront of a love storythan he’s comfortable being, and it’s not the first girl who ends up tagging along on his journey of self-discovery either.
What makesMakeine: Too Many Losing Heroinesso great is how the ‘harem’, although it doesn’t really feel like one, forms. Nukumizu is truly friends with each of these girls, and helps them move on from rejection and learn what makes each of them shine like a unique individual.
What’s also interesting, unlike the harem anime this initially appears to be, is thefocus on character growth in the protagonist. Nukumizu both gets more comfortable moving out of his ‘background character’ role, and also becomes more comfortable with himself as a person, which leads to new encounters and situations he never would have found himself in before. Furthermore, no one has ended up with anyone yet, so this anime can be shipping (or friend-shipping) fodder until more of the light novel is adapted, if ever.
Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary
Trying Really, Really Hard To Not Be Anime Protagonists
From the creators of another slice-of-life mystery animeHyoukacomesShoshimin: How to Become Ordinary.However, this anime is completely different from its older sibling. This time around,the anime stars a duo trying to avoid mysteriesall altogether, whose names are Jougorou Kobato and Yuki Osanai. Kobato has a bad habit of inserting himself into other people’s problems due to his natural detective skills, but these are far from appreciated. He makes a pact with his incredibly shy friend Osanai, who attempt to live ordinary lives… even if unordinary circumstances keep finding their way to the pair.
What makesShoshimin: How to Become Ordinaryworth the watch is the unique dichotomy between the duo trying to avoid what most main characters would be actively seeking out to avoid the plot. This gives us unique interactions between the characters, and of course, mini slice-of-life “mysteries” to solve similarly toHyouka’s the characters are forced into, one way or another. This anime is perfect if you want a slightlymore laid-back version of its predecessor, or you’re looking for chill character dynamics on a relaxing weekend. It’s also a great anime to watch before the second season comes out next year in April of 2025.
Atri: My Dear Moments
Making The Best Of Globing Warming
Atri: My Dear Momentsis based off a visual novel game about a world where water levels have risen to the point that Earth has lost a significant portion of its habitable lands, and losing modern technology in the process. One of the affected, Natsuki Ikaruga, lost his leg in a submarine accident,preventing him from going on scientific missionshe once thought would make his career, and is stuck on a mostly-deserted island as a result. On this island, Natsuki meets a woman named Catherine, who links him up with a robot named Atri that was created by his grandmother.
“Time is a cruel thief to rob us of our former selves. We lose as much to life as we do to death…”
Atri reveals that she was given a very important mission by Natsuki’s grandmother, but Atri is unable to remember what it is. Natsuki makes it his new life mission to discover what mission his grandma gave to Atri, finally giving himself the same purpose he once had before the submarine accident. Over the course of the show, he discovers how muchhe can achieve despite his limitations, and what a difference he can make to a world he once thought as ruined.
Atri: My Dear Momentsis by far the most profound of the three recommended here, so save this one for when you have a box of tissues ready. The show goes over themes of adulthood, losing hope for your dreams, living with disabilities, and other difficult themes that make this animea unique watch in a landscape of high school-aged heroesand overly OP isekai protagonists. It’s incredibly refreshing to see these deeper themes explored with a brighter, more positive ending for the protagonist experiencing them.
