Anime is perhaps one of the biggest pieces of Japanese media that has gone mainstream. Thus, it’s no surprise that every new season brings more fans eager to experience more and more anime series as they make their debut. In fact, there are so many of them coming out that it can be hard to decide what to watch first. Thus, here are my suggestions for the top 5 anime series of the Spring 2024 anime season to help you out with that decision. Let’s see…let’s start out with:

5. Astro Note

Definitely intended for a niche audience, but that’s not a bad thing.

This sci-fi romcom anime’s run from April 5, 2024, to June 21, 2024, got a bit of a mixed bag in regards to critical reception. Despite that though, I still believe that Astro Note is still one of the better anime series of the Spring 2024 season. It may be an anime catering to a niche audience, but it does it very well. If you’re a fan of those older sci-fi anime from the ’90s to early 2000s, then this is the show for you.

You can watch all 12 episodes of Astro Note only on Crunchyroll.

4. Kaiju No. 8

Military science fantasy anime at its peak…almost.

If you like military science fiction stories, then Kaiju No. 8 is definitely the anime for you. This is peak military sci-fi in the vein of Edge of Tomorrow, only with the military in this story fighting kaiju, just as it was in the original manga by Naoya Matsumoto this anime was adapted from. I would say my only complaint with the anime lies more in how the manga treats its female characters later in the story, but you can still see hints of that even this early. The female characters definitely feel like they get a lot less screen time than the male ones do. Still, it’s a fun story if you can stand that. There’s even a season 2 of the anime coming sometime in 2025.

You can watch all 12 episodes of Kaiju No. 8 only on Crunchyroll.

3. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc

One of the best anime of the Spring 2024 season, but it could’ve been so much better.

Honestly, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc was one of the most hotly anticipated anime of the Spring 2024 season. It’s no wonder too. The previous Swordsmith Village Arc season began and ended on very high notes for the story Koyoharu Gotouge penned. This season…mostly did that too. It has very, very good animation quality thanks to Ufotable and the hard work of their animators, and the music continues to be outstanding as well thanks to Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina. However, the story of this season is weirdly lacking. It feels very rushed and compressed, not least of which due to it only being eight episodes long. The first and final episodes are extra long to try to compensate for it, but it still feels much shorter than normal. Perhaps the anime film trilogy that will follow this season will make up for it.

You can watch all eight episodes of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc only on Crunchyroll at the moment.

2. Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF

It’s not always this silly, but it’s always hilarious when it is.

Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF is this high up on my list of best anime of the Spring 2024 season for a number of very good reasons. Not least of which is that it’s the updated remake of an anime that I’ve been waiting for so very long. Nearly 15 years, to be precise. Yes, that was how much time has elapsed since the original Spice and Wolf anime ended back in 2009 without any kind of conclusion to the story. Hopefully, studio Passione will bring this remake to the satisfying conclusion Isuna Hasekura wrote for it in the original light novels. If not this season, then perhaps hopefully the next.

You can watch all currently available episodes of Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF (totaling 18 episodes as of this writing) only on Crunchyroll.

1. Black Butler -Public School Arc-

Yana Toboso fans have been waiting for this for a very long time. Myself included.

Honestly, it’s no surprise why I’m putting Black Butler -Public School Arc- at the top of my list for the best anime of the Spring 2024 season if you’ve watched it too. Simply put: Yana Toboso is a genius mangaka, and studio CloverWorks did a marvelous job adapting her manga into an anime. The animation quality is just gorgeous. Feature-length anime film levels of quality, really. All complement a wonderfully dark fantasy comedy story that will make you laugh as much as leaving you on the edge of your seat. If you like mystery and/or dark fantasy, then this is the anime for you.

You can watch all 11 episodes of Black Butler -Public School Arc- only on Crunchyroll.