The best anime to watch right now - Fall 2024
In a new rolling feature, we lay out all the anime that's incoming in the next few months!
As the trees turn red and the leaves fall, old series end and new ones begin to get us through the darker seasons.
So, as we come to the close of 2024, what anime series will be coming out in order to keep us all entertained?
There are plenty of great options to make a note of.
Read on to discover them all.
My Deer Friend Nokotan - out now
This anime is absolutely nuts, and aired during the summer – but if the insanity of Koshitan and Nokotan’s adventures in Hino were lost on you, then it’s time to check out the English dub, which is live right now on Crunchyroll.
Set in a small city in Japan, Torako Koshi is an ex-delinquent (a Yankee) who runs into a girl with antlers hanging from an electricity pole by said antlers.
When the girl, a deer-human hybrid named Nokotan, moves into Koshitan’s class, she threatens her perfect facade and begins to cause trouble, as well as having an alarming number of CG deer following her.
Seriously, folks, this one is weird, but it’s also great for anyone who’s visited Nara and understands the lure of the deer and the awesome power of the shika senbei.
How to watch: Crunchyroll
Dan Da Dan — out now
This is a series you can dive into now! Starting with a catchy opening theme from J-pop sensation Creepy Nuts, this is a wild ride!
It follows two high-schoolers, Momo Ayase (who believes in ghosts) and Ken Takakura (who believes in aliens), as they explore sites with alien or supernatural links, only for Momo to get kidnapped by aliens and for high jinks to ensue!
Dan Da Dan is set to be one of the must-watch anime of the year, so much so that the first three episodes will be screened in a cinema near you as Dan Da Dan: First Encounter!
How to watch: Crunchyroll
Ranma ½ — Netflix (Worldwide) — out now
This is one for all the older anime fans (like me!), an adaption of the Rumiko Takahashi (also known for Inu Yasha and Mermaid’s Saga) martial arts comedy series. This was a classic of the early '90s and still has a cult following today.
Ranma Saotome is changed when he falls into a hot spring: every time he gets splashed with cold water, he becomes a her!
Mixing Chinese martial arts with slice-of-life hilarity, the story has sitcom vibes which will definitely have new fans staring and going "Nani???".
Trust me, it is a heck of a lot of fun!
How to watch: Netflix
The Colors Within - October 2024/2025
Initially showing at the BFI in October and as part of the Scotland Loves Anime Festival, Naoko Yamada’s latest movie is absolutely beautiful.
The story follows a trio of teenagers who go to a Christian school and start a band. We’ve got the synesthesiac Totsuko, who sees the world in literal colours that surround people and her crush Kimi. Throw in the quiet young Rui, and the three of them explore teenage lives through music and colour.
This one might be sold out right now, but it will probably get a wider cinema release in 2025, along with a DVD and Blu-ray release. The film debuted earlier this year in Japan and the visuals are gorgeous! So keep an eye out for The Colors Within, and if it comes to a cinema near you, run — don’t walk — to your seats!
How to watch: Cinemas
Tying the Knot with an Aragami Sister — out now
Everyone loves a comedy, and this one is divine!
Uryuu Kamihate is a high-school student hoping to enroll in Kyoto University’s medical school when he is adopted in by the chief priest of Amagami Shrine. Initially, he think's everything's golden, but there's a catch! In order to take over the shrine, he has to marry one of the priest's gorgeous daughters: Yae, Yuna or Asahi!
This is the adaption of a popular manga series with everything you could want in a harem comedy, from cute miko to gorgeous shrines and the big question: who will Uryu marry? Half the fun will be finding out!
How to watch: Crunchyroll
Blue Lock Season 2 — out now
The popular football anime returns to steaming with its second season (Vs U2o).
Yoichi Isagi is continuing his quest to become the greatest striker the football world has ever known, thanks to the Blue Lock programme, but if he fails he will never be able to represent Japan!
Sports anime is a massive genre, with series focusing on archery, baseball and basketball, and for fans of football, this one is a great entry into the sphere!
How to watch: Crunchyroll
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Asha Bardon cut their teeth as a journalist in the mid 2000s, specialising in everything Japan, from tech and games to culture and anime. They’ve written for NEO, SFX, Newtype USA, ImagineFX, every official gaming magazine going, AOL and TenTonHammer.com amongst many others. In 2017, they moved into the world of manga adaption for an American publisher and now has over eighty published volumes under their belt. Asha has recently returned to journalism after completing two Masters degrees, one in Classics and a second in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies.
