Tito’s Picks For Best Anime Of 2024
by Tito W. James
As we enter a new year, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the amazing animation we’ve had received the past year.
Look Back
Look Back is a thought-provoking film, especially in the current cultural landscape where art is being devalued in favor of technological efficiency. We also get a peek inside manga-ka Tatsuki Fujimoto’s head, as each of the two girls embody an aspect of himself –- the ambitious rebel and the sensitive painter. In typical Fujimoto fashion, not all is as it first appears and audiences can expect to laugh and cry in equal measure. Director Kiyotaka Oshiyama and the animation team create a solid and enduring adaptation that’s sure to speak to the artist in each of us.
Dan Da Dan
Dan Da Dan’s bizarre genre-blend of action, horror, and romantic comedy is a perfect fit for Studio Science SARU. The subtleties of the manga are captured and expanded upon for each iconic scene. The voice actors embody each character, and the chemistry between Momo and Okarun is dynamite. Both characters are equal protagonists and the series makes great use of shonen series action and shoujo series romantic drama. The result: an anime that will create new fans and surprise veteran otaku.
Elusive Samurai
Created by Yusei Matsui (Assassination Classroom), The Elusive Samurai follows the tale of Hojo Tokiyuki, a boy on the run after his family is overthrown by Ashikaga Takauji. With his only allies being a shady priest and his followers, the young lord must seek revenge and regain his glory, with his only weapon: a superhuman ability to flee and hide. Surprisingly disturbing and uplifting with adorable characters, this anime stole my heart in more ways than one.
