Anime has had a banner year in 2024, releasing all-time greats to bookend its start and final months. Weekly Shonen Jump saw some of their most underrated gems, like The Elusive Samurai, get a viral adaptation, and subversive Kodansha series like Go! Go! Loser Ranger! garnered acclaim among viewers. Every season essentially found an iconic fixation among viewers. But with so many hits, only one anime can be selected to stand above its peers for ComicBook.com’s Golden Issue Award for Best Anime TV Series in 2024.
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And the winner of 2024’s ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Anime TV Series is…
Dandadan!
From its theatrical debut at the end of the Summer 2024 season through its streaming premiere, anime fans were bewildered by Dandadan’s absurd yet incredible story. Blending supernatural elements with cryptids, conspiracies, and extraterrestrials, this anime has something for any and all viewers. The story begins with a star-crossed intersection of Momo Ayase’s and Ken Takakura’s lives, whom Momo calls Okarun for his otaku-like obsession with the occult. The series quickly grabbed the fandom by their collective kintama and never let go all season, with Okarun having his family jewels stolen after a mutual scare dare with Momo gone horribly wrong.
Each new episode shows Science SARU’s unique, intricate animation at play, with dynamic backdrops to enhance viewer immersion and motif-driven color washes to signify when a major enemy is present. Everything is deliberate, and while the series inevitably had brushes with censorship, it never ceased to court controversy.
Okarun’s unusual romance with Momo begins to bloom over what is confirmed as only the first season of Dandadan, but that’s only the start. Initial antagonist and later supporting hero (and bona fide mascot) Turbo Granny becomes an immediate icon in her maneki-neko form. Aira joins the crew after an incredibly tragic seventh episode endears her savior, Acrobatic Silky, to the audience, while Jiji balances cringe and charm near the season’s end. Together, Okarun, Momo, and friends tackle everything from lecherous aliens to Godzilla-inspired lake monsters to sumo-themed aliens. All these adventures happen while the team awakens incredible abilities, survives humiliation at school, and grows as people.
While the animation is an easy and immediately noteworthy element, Dandadan Season 1 deserves recognition on all fronts for its wonderful production. Strong points include the idiosyncratic cultural infusions of Kensuke Ushio’s musical score and Creepy Nuts’ infectious opening theme song. The series features exceptional performances of both Natsuki Hanae and Shion Wakayama, the latter of whom contributed a standout “gyaru” portrayal. Special note should be made for Dandadan’s English dub stars, A.J. Beckles and Abby Trott, with Beckles in particular nailing the nuances of Okarun’s rigid, awkward nerdy self and his all-too-cozy (but alarmingly depressive) alter ego.
That’s before even getting into all the amazing trivia, like learning about Mayumi Tanaka, the iconic voice of Monkey D. Luffy, lending her talents as Turbo Granny, and the incredible Aleks Le turning in a hilarious performance as Jiji. Dandadan Season 1 is a remarkable anime, and even if the ending may leave viewers craving more, the package as a whole is nothing short of sublime to represent 2024.
The nominees for the 2024 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Anime TV Series are:
- Delicious in Dungeon
- Dragon Ball Daima
- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
- My Hero Academia Season 7
- Dandadan – WINNER
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