Most underrated anime series of Winter 2024

Winter 2024 boasts an incredible lineup of new anime series. Here are some of the most underrated shows that are not getting enough recognition.

While the current season’s anime has been a bit underwhelming, we’ve still had some fantastic series like Mashle Season 2, Classroom of the Elite Season 3, and Solo Leveling, the latter of which has undoubtedly taken hold of the anime community.

However, while these shows have been the highlights of the year so far, some terrific anime has also been sidelined. There will always be series that fail to gather attention due to low publicity or because they don’t have the same eye-catching character design.

Now that all the Winter 2024 series are out, we have prepared a list of some of the most underrated series that are still ongoing.

The Witch and the Beast

The Witch and the Beast is an intriguing anime series that recently made its debut. The mysteries, action, and complexity of the story will reel you in from the very beginning. The story follows Guideau, a feral girl with the eyes of a beast, and Ashaf, a soft-spoken man with delicate features.

One day, this strange duo arrives in a town controlled by a witch, who is believed to be their hero. However, the truth is far from it, and Ashaf and Guideau know it beforehand.

Sasaki and Peeps

The story follows Sasaki, a middle-aged man and a corporate slave. To fill the emptiness in his life, he visits a pet shop and adopts a bird on a whim. However, that bird turns out to be a legendary mage from another world and has the ability to cross between worlds.

Sasaki’s life turns upside down when the bird drags him into a fantasy world. Sasaki wants these new powers to live a peaceful and comfortable life, but there are always those who stand in his way.

Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp

Based on the manhwa of the same name, the story follows Elise, who lived as Dr. Aoi Takamoto, a genius surgeon in her second life. Popular for her skills, Aoi was considered a prodigy, but she died in a plane crash. However, she returns to her original world, living as Elise de Clorance.

In her first life, she was an ill-mannered impresses whose greed and jealousy led her family to ruins and her death. Now that Elise is back in a time before everything went wrong, she’s determined to make things right. She refuses to marry the future emperor Prince Linden de Romanoff and become a doctor. However, things may not go as she plans when the indifferent prince starts paying more attention to her.

Mr. Villain’s Day Off

This Winter 2024 anime follows Warumono-san, a member of a malevolent organization whose mission is to invade Earth and wipe out humanity. However, even an extraterrestrial being like him needs his rest. He visits pandas at the zoos, buys ice creams, and enjoys his peaceful life after committing evil deeds.

The story is wholesome, and it’s fun to watch a dangerous supervillain enjoying the little things on Earth. Most of the story centers around his inner thoughts as he experiences new things or does mundane things like going to a convenience store.

A Sign of Affection

Based on the manga of the same name, this anime series will make its debut in January 2024. A Sign of Affection is a lighthearted, romantic comedy centering around Yuki Itose and Itsuomi Nagi. Yuki is a hearing-impaired university student. 

She rarely interacts with anyone except for her best friend, Rin Fujishiro. However, her life slowly begins to change after she meets the silver-haired and multilingual Itsuomi Nagi, a mutual friend of Rin.

All these series are currently streaming on Crunchyroll.