2004 was a year that was getting close to the online distribution model of anime. While Netflix and other streaming services weren’t prevalent yet, it was getting much easier to watch anime than in the 80s and 90s. Major channels like Cartoon Network had anime blocks like Toonami and Adult Swim that introduced Westerners to shows like Gundam Wing and Dragon Ball Z.

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Plus Netflix had loads of DVDs to rent which was a much cheaper way to get anime rather than buy individual discs as they were, and still are, expensive. So, what did this year have to offer the anime world on a global level? Let’s jump into some familiar and obscure anime from 2004.

8 Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad

A Slice Of Life Music Experience

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad began as a manga in 1999. It took longer than most adaptations but eventually, the anime was made in 2004 in Japan followed by North American DVD sales in 2007. It’s a slice-of-life story about a teenager, Yukio, who is in a slump at school. Eventually, he discovers a band, joins up, and tries to rise to the top all while navigating what it means to be a teen. The only fantastical thing about the anime is the weird-looking dog, Beck, but it’s still an enjoyable chill drama.

7 Bleach

High Schoolers Fighting Spirits

Bleach began as a manga in 2001 before making the jump to anime in 2004 and the West would not get it until 2006. The story follows another high school teen, Ichigo, who runs into a Shinigami one night. A Shinigami fights evil spirits known as Hollows and after receiving her powers, Ichigo begins his new life as a Shinigami too.

Bleach is a notable anniversary to bring up because originally the adaptation ended right before the last arc. After a decade, it got picked up again in 2022 under the new name, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War which got fans hyped as they will finally have closure.

6 Gantz

Before Attack On Titan There Was Gantz

Gantz is one of the darkest anime from this era which in retrospect feels like the Attack on Titan of its day because of the gore, language, and unpredictability of the cast. It began as a manga in 2000 and then it got the anime adaptation in 2004 followed by a North American release on DVD in 2005. The story begins with Kei, a pessimistic teen who gets called to help a bum on the train tracks, leading to his death.

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Kei wakes up in a seemingly normal room with a bunch of other people who are apparently dead too. Eventually, Kei and the others get power suits and guns and are tasked with hunting aliens. The depravity and coldness of this anime are not for the weak of the heart.

5 Monster

What If ER Was A Mystery Show?

• Directed: Masayuki Kojima
• Studio: Madhouse
• Release Date: April 7, 2004

Monster had a wild ride as a medical mystery story from manga to anime as it took ten years. The manga began in 1994 and seemingly for its tenth anniversary it got an anime in 2004. This wouldn’t get picked up in the West until 2009 when it started airing on the SyFy network back when they wanted to get into anime like Ergo Proxy and Gurren Lagann.

The story of Monster follows the ups and downs of a surgeon, Dr. Tenma, who gets roped into a murder plot early on. It’s a long anime with over seventy episodes so there is more to it. It can be a slow burn at times but some of the revelations are truly mesmerizing.

4 Paranoia Agent

A Mystery Starring A Deranged Batter

• Directed: Satoshi Kon
• Studio: Madhouse
• Release Date: February 3, 2004

Paranoia Agent is another mystery anime but it’s a short one compared to Monster. This mini-series was directed by Satoshi Kon who was a famous anime film director known for his wild stories and unique art style with movies like Paprika. It began airing in 2004 in Japan and would get media released in North America that same year, but it wouldn’t truly take off in the West until it began airing on a loop on Adult Swim in 2005.

It is about a mysterious skater going around Japan known as Little Slugger who keeps attacking the cast of the anime. Without spoiling things, it will become clear early on that Little Slugger appears to be more than some ordinary maniac.

3 Samurai Champloo

The Spiritual Successor To Cowboy Bebop

Samurai Champloo was the spiritual successor to Cowboy Bebop as it was also directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. The anime began in 2004 in Japan, the West would get it on DVD in 2005, and then like Paranoia Agent, this anime got an Adult Swim run in 2006. Fuu is a seemingly ordinary girl who hires two samurai to find her brother somewhere around sunflowers.

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While it has some great samurai action, it’s much more than that as there is a modern hip-hop influence to the feudal Japan setting. It’s funny too and Netflix could probably adapt it easier into live action than their Cowboy Bebop show.

2 School Rumble

Fighting For High School Love

School Rumble may sound like a fighting anime set in a school, like Ranma 1/2, but it’s far from that. The manga began in 2002, it got the anime glow up in 2004, and then the West started to receive DVDs in 2007. It's a gag series wherein each segment is sort of like a sketch on SNL.

There is an overall plot though as the main girl, Tenma, is in love with a teen at her school, Oji. She tries to win him over but she has a suitor too, Kenji, who is a delinquent that likes to pick fights while writing love notes to Tenma. It’s a silly romantic comedy that would be perfect to check out around Valentine’s Day.

1 Sgt. Frog

Who Let The Frogs Out?

• Directed: Junichi Sato
• Studio: Sunrise
• Release Date: April 3, 2004

Sgt. Frog is by far the weirdest and funniest anime on the list. It began as a manga in 1999 and then it got the anime treatment in 2004. It took a while for the anime to start coming out in North America as there was a rights battle between 2007 and 2009 but Funimation finally won and started putting out DVDs in 2009.

The plot follows alien frogs who try to take over Earth but are easily defeated by a bunch of young kids. They then become their indentured servants and try to sneakily take over the world with wacky plots time and time again. Also, the titular Sgt. Frog loves building Gundam models.

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