The Best Anime of Fall 2024 So Far

4. Dragon Ball Daima

Watch on Crunchyroll

Watch on Netflix

Few series are as big a deal as Dragon Ball: Goku is deservedly a household name everywhere from Japan to Latin America. And unsurprisingly, as a long-running, sprawling thing, this tale has taken many forms over the years, from Dragon Ball Z’s endless parade of space fascists trying to blow up Earth to Dragon Ball Super and its escalating interdimensional conflicts. In many ways, Dragon Ball Daima feels like a return to the beginning, when our hero and his problems were much smaller scale. Taking place after Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga, in this iteration, a new bad guy steals the Dragon Balls and uses them to revert Goku and pals into children. From here, our spiky-haired Saiyan must travel to the Demon Realm and undo this wish. Toei Animation entirely follows through on this OG Dragon Ball referencing setup by recapturing the adventurous, Journey To The West-inspired spirit of the original series. Once again, getting from point A to point B is far from trivial, and our protagonist is saddled with obstacles and restrictions that make it so power-scaling obsessed bros can’t get mad when Goku breaks a sweat while fighting low-tier goons. It also certainly helps that these martial arts showdowns are animated with a vim and vigor sometimes absent from Super, as each punch and kick sends cronies flying. Considering this was one of the final projects that series creator Toriyama worked on before his untimely passing, it’s great that Daima is such a fitting send-off to one of the most influential artists of our time.

3. Ranma ½

Watch on Netflix

I said it before, and I’ll say it again: I am genuinely shocked that this reboot of Ranma ½ is so much fun. Much of that enjoyment can be chalked up to MAPPA’s excellent translation of Rumiko Takahashi’s iconic art style, as well as how they successfully bring both lithe martial arts and physical comedy to life. But what I didn’t expect was for the series’ sense of humor to hold up so well, especially considering how much of Takahashi’s work feels very of its time. Just like in the original series, the central premise here is that Ranma and Akane are two martial artists set up in an arranged marriage by their parents. Oh, and there’s the whole thing where Ranma recently fell into a magic Chinese hotspring that makes it so whenever they are doused in cold water, they physically transform into a girl. Hijinks ensue.

While I won’t pretend most of the gender stuff here is exceptionally thoughtful, there is occasionally more going on than just “Ranma looks like a woman now; isn’t that funny!” For instance, Akane struggles with comparing herself to her more traditionally feminine sister, while Ranma seems to become increasingly comfortable with switching back and forth between presenting as a boy and a girl. And all throughout, whenever a recurring bit is on the verge of getting old, unexpected bursts of absurdity keep things hilarious, like schoolwide melees for Akane’s hand or fated rivals without a sense of direction. Add in the fact this latest adaptation trims down some of the repetition from its source material while seemingly maintaining its most important arcs, and you have the ingredients for a revitalized classic.

2. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

Watch on Netflix

While there have been plenty of pleasant surprises this Fall, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth is easily the most unexpected discovery. The story follows Rafal, a child prodigy who comes to question his low-risk lifestyle after he begins researching the “heretical” and then-unproven model of heliocentricism. It’s an interesting premise, but where events become truly compelling is how this battle over astronomy gets at deeply held sociological beliefs and systems of theocratic control: through the geocentric model, this Catholic Church equivalent argues that Earth is the “lowest” point in the cosmos and that its inequities and cruelty are not only immutable but an intentional gauntlet of suffering that must be endured to secure a spot in Heaven (and of course, donating alms to the Church certainly helps see the pearly gates too). As a group of dissident thinkers and unlikely stargazers study the cosmos at risk of torture and execution from inquisitors, they each find that a dangerous truth is worth much more to them than a comfortable lie. If you need a reminder about the unbreakable nature of the human spirit and the beauty of passing down the possibility of a better future you may not personally see, you should probably watch this outstanding television program.

1. Dan Da Dan

Watch on Crunchyroll

Watch on Netflix

Defined by stylish action sequences and a surprisingly affecting central relationship, Dandadan has blasted past its already high expectations with supernatural skill. We follow Momo and Okarun; she was a ghost-believing girl, he was a UFO conspiracy boy. After a dare goes sideways, the two realize they’re both right, and Momo is granted telekinetic abilities while Okarun gains a paranormal power-up that they use to take on extraterrestrials and hostile spirits. While the source material is already very well-regarded, Science Saru has gone positively ballistic with this adaptation, capturing these otherworldly turns with punchy sequences that demonstrate the studio’s trademark creativity. It’s an exceedingly well-directed series, from the high-octane beatdowns to the more grounded will-they-won’t-they shenanigans between our wonderfully dorky leads. These two are just so well characterized, and Momo’s strong sense of justice, quick-thinking, and hilarious fixation on 20^th-century Japanese film star Ken Takakura mixes perfectly with Okarun’s kindness, satisfaction with finally making a friend, and alien-obsessed eccentricities. As a result, the series works confidently regardless of whether it’s fixated on romance or ghost punching, and it’s all elevated by Science Saru’s eye-catching sense of style. At least so far, Dandadan has met the hype.

Elijah Gonzalez is an assistant Games and TV Editor for Paste Magazine. In addition to playing and watching the latest on the small screen, he also loves film, creating large lists of media he’ll probably never actually get to, and dreaming of the day he finally gets through all the Like a Dragon games. You can follow him on Twitter @eli_gonzalez11 and on Bluesky @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social.

For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV.