Anime you think don't deserve the heaps of praise, and why they don't.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

There are some anime that tend to get a ridiculous amount of praise. Cowboy Bebop, the Fullmetal Alchemist anime and manga, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the bulk of Studio Ghibli's works are all universally loved by everyone who watches them.

Well, almost universally.

This is the thread for you to complain about why a usually critically acclaimed anime isn't actually that good. I'm not just referring to any popular work that isn't a masterpiece, so don't come here to complain about why Naruto isn't actually the most amazing thing ever to come out of Japan. For instance, Fish really doesn't like Last Exile, but most people tend to think Last Exile is a fantastic show. This would be a place for Fish to say Last Exile actually sucks and for the fans to try and convince him otherwise, or perhaps be convinced otherwise.

[ShiroiHikari]

This thread probably won't end well.

I personally don't get all the acclaim for Studio Ghibli's works. Some of them are very, very good, to be sure. But not all of them are masterpieces. Miyazaki tends to be far too heavy-handed for my liking, and they pretty much ruined Howl's Moving Castle by (apparently) not reading the last half of the book before they wrote the screenplay.

[Nate]

I thought Fish has fully stated why he thought Last Exile was a terrible show. He'd just be repeating himself at this point I think.

Anyway I've tried a couple of times to watch Cowboy Bebop and I found the show to be dreadfully boring. I really don't understand the love for this series. I mean okay yeah the music is awesome but I can just buy the soundtrack for that. I don't need to watch an anime that puts me to sleep to hear it.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I thought Fish has fully stated why he thought Last Exile was a terrible show. He'd just be repeating himself at this point I think.

I was just using that as an example.

[Yamamaya]

Ghost in the Shell The Movie

I watched it and although I found it interesting, I don't see why it was that great.

The characters felt a little flat to me. The only time they actually showed any life was when they were standing around spouting philosophy about the human condition, what it means to be a human, Bible verses out of context, etc etc.

Not to mention the fact that the movie didn't have enough time to develop the tension between the various agencies hence what we got was essentially an excuse plot for the puppet master to meet Makoto.

[goldenspines]

In my very humble opinion, not very many anime titles in general deserve heaps of praise. A lot of the time, there are anime that are produced that are "good" but not spectacular. They aren't hated, they just aren't loved by all. Taking an anime like Black Cat for example. It wasn't an awful anime, but it wasn't anything wonderful, either (from what I watched, which was the first/only season). Many anime fall into this general category when it all evens out. Some people will like/dislike it more than others.

But sorry, no ranting here. I generally don't hate some anime titles as much as I just check them out and drop them, never to think of them again. ^_^;

Though, there are some anime that never should have existed, but I won't go into that. XD;

[Yamamaya]

I know nothing about Black Cat other than the fact that there's a character with green hair in it named Sven.

And that my friends is awesome.

[MightiMidget]

Black Cat is not spectacular by any stretch, but it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be campy fun. =) It's cheesy and awesome, and I flat-out adore it. But not something I would recommend for someone looking for serious drama. ops: Or serious, well...anything.

Though I second Nate's opinion of Cowboy Bebop. There were a couple episodes that I really enjoyed, but for the most part I found it really boring. I did watch the whole series, and read the manga trilogy (but not the additional two), and still just don't understand why is amazing...maybe because of its spin of Earth being unique? Dunno.

[blkmage]

For the most part, I've found that people very broadly tend to be able to detect good things and bad things. In most of the cases where I find something to be lacking is usually when I go back to watch something that was sort of the trailblazer of its day but has either aged poorly or has been superceded by something that does what it tried to do better.

For instance, a lot of people love Air. I do not; in fact, I can't really say any good things about Air at all. But I know that's because I watched Clannad, then Kanon, then Air, which is kind of unfair to Air, but there you have it.

Similarly, a lot of people still praise Azumanga Daioh as a masterpiece, but I've found the last eight years of those shows to be far more interesting and entertaining than Azumanga. That's not to say it's bad, because it isn't, but there's so much more out there than Azumanga.

Or, how about them original FMA anime holdouts.

Yeah, I really don't like Air.

[Atria35]

I think AzuDi is a bit overhyped. It just doesn't really seem that funny to me. There were some episodes, and some moments, that really made me laugh or feel, but for about half of it, it just seemed... bland.

[Ante Bellum]

I didn't like Howl's Moving Castle. There are so many things that don't make sense or could have been done better. Like the ending...wow. Just wow.
And, while I did like some of his other movies, I don't like how preachy some of them are.

[Cloud500]

I think most of Miyazaki's more recent movies don't deserve nearly as much hype as they get.

[Ante Bellum]

I haven't seen anything more recent than Howl, but I have to say, I like his older works better.

[rocklobster]

Oh, the flames I'll get for this one: FLCL! I just HATE this series. There is no point to it. It's just six episodes of nothing but randomness and fanservice. There's no plot at all, until the final episode, and even then, it's only touched upon for a short portion of it. Enough already! It's utter trash!

[Atria35]

No, no- I thought FLCL was obnoxious.

It's obviously not trash, since people do enjoy it- it's random humor. Random is random- it doesn't have to have a point. People definitely have different senses of humor- I don't like the Three Stooges, for instance.

But I think that people exaggerate how funny it is.

[Nate]

Yeah, I really don't like Air.

I've also made my opinion on Air known on this website. I liked the series--loved it actually--up to a certain point, and then I was like "Okay you lost me this is stupid and now I hate it." Great music though.

Similarly, a lot of people still praise Azumanga Daioh as a masterpiece, but I've found the last eight years of those shows to be far more interesting and entertaining than Azumanga.

This is another one that gets so much praise, I watched the first two episodes and didn't find it the least bit funny and gave up on it. I could tell it was trying to be funny, but I found it a bit like when your six year old cousin comes up and tries to tell you jokes. He's definitely trying but he's just not good at it.

[Yamamaya]

All this AzuDaioh hate makes me a sad kitten.

It's more quaint than "LOL THIS IS HILARIOUS." It hovers very much in the slice of life territory.

Also the 4koma style manga was better. Trying to make a plot out of every episode tended to make the episodes themselves seem bland.

[LadyRushia]

My beef with Air is that I feel like it should've been longer for all the stuff it was trying to include. That, or they should've cut two of the later episodes out that just make everything confusing. Other than that, I enjoyed it.

Also, I don't think Hetalia is entertaining or funny, but most of that is probably because I'm not a history buff. I'm not a fan of Ouran either. I've seen a few episodes and it didn't really grab me.

@Yamamaya--I agree. I love AzuDai and all the subsequent SoL series I've seen. I find the substitution of plot for situation interesting, although I feel the genre is going to run out of steam very quickly. There's only so many times a show about high school girls who go to school and then graduate will differ enough from its predecessors to be fresh. AzuDai's thing is high school in general, Lucky Star's is otaku focused, and K-ON's is music. There might be others between them that I haven't seen, and I also know that SoL is broader than the high school stuff, but I can totally see how its appeal is limited.

[Yamamaya]

@Rushirar

SoL is a genre that is best in small amounts. Too much SoL can bore you, however small amounts can be a refreshing change from your normal action/plot driven shows. The best part about SoL is that it doesn't try too hard to get your attention, it simply lets the quaint atmosphere speak for itself.

I somewhat agree with Quran. I am a history buff but sometimes the bishification and yaoification of nations in Quran can get a bit old. It was funny at first.

[bkilbour]

wow. I loved FLCL, but I see the points against it.
I don't understand why dbz and gundam are so popular. It feels like, after the first few seasons of each, they just recycled the same plot over and over again.
-gundam wing; watch us fight and do awesome giant robot stuff! Political intrigue! 15 year olds can't trust anyone! Let's preach world peace through gratuitous mechanized violence!
-dbz; big bad guy comes, tries to destroy the world (or whatever), and then goku destroys it with a new version of super-sayan.
This might be skimming, but I yawn nonetheless.

Azumanga Daioh was cool if you like character based humor. If you don't like Seinfeld, you'll never like this anime. I'm cool with it, but I ain't gonna say it's the best show since "friends."
Lucky star was even worse - they did the same thing as Azumanga Daioh (it's a show about nothing!), but made it even more one-dimensional and relied too heavily on breaking to fourth wall.

[blkmage]

My beef with Air is that I feel like it should've been longer for all the stuff it was trying to include. That, or they should've cut two of the later episodes out that just make everything confusing. Other than that, I enjoyed it.

Also, I don't think Hetalia is entertaining or funny, but most of that is probably because I'm not a history buff. I'm not a fan of Ouran either. I've seen a few episodes and it didn't really grab me.

@Yamamaya--I agree. I love AzuDai and all the subsequent SoL series I've seen. I find the substitution of plot for situation interesting, although I feel the genre is going to run out of steam very quickly. There's only so many times a show about high school girls who go to school and then graduate will differ enough from its predecessors to be fresh. AzuDai's thing is high school in general, Lucky Star's is otaku focused, and K-ON's is music. There might be others between them that I haven't seen, and I also know that SoL is broader than the high school stuff, but I can totally see how its appeal is limited.

I think Air's biggest problem is that it couldn't manage how to deal with the separate arcs properly. Going from the end of one arc to the beginning of the next was extremely jarring, especially once you get into the "real" story. KyoAni has definitely gotten better at managing this particular little snag in Kanon and refined their handling even more for Clannad. It does make me hope that they'll eventually get around to animating Little Busters (or, sometime in the far future, Rewrite).

I actually disagree that Azumanga is more heavily slice of life, because it feels a lot more comedic than a lot of other slice of life shows. Azumanga has way more gags than reflective moments, which puts it closer to something like GA more than a Sketchbook or Hidamari Sketch. I'd also put Lucky Star closer to comedy than slice of life because of the extremely referential humour it employs, although KyoAni has gotten good at adding 'moments' where there were none (and they've gotten better at it with K-ON!).

I somewhat agree with Quran. I am a history buff but sometimes the bishification and yaoification of nations in Quran can get a bit old. It was funny at first.

wut

[TWWK]

*reads the Cowboy Bebop hate and bursts into flames*

*reads the Azumanga Daioh hate and explodes*

*reads the Air hate...and slowly turns back to normal*

I agree with blkmage, though. A lot of what I find poor (besides the obvious) are shows that don't hold up well. Rurouni Kenshin, for instance, just isn't nearly as good as it once was - and I have nothing but fondness for the series (the first two OVAs are still the best anime pieces I've ever seen).

One show I never enjoyed was Ah! My Goddess! - I know there are some megafans of this one out there. The central relationship in the story was just utterly boring to me.

I'll also throw out Elfen Lied. I'm not sure if this is universally acclaimed (though most notes I've seen about it praise it highly)...but to me, in almost every way, it's horrid.

[LadyRushia]

SoL is a genre that is best in small amounts. Too much SoL can bore you, however small amounts can be a refreshing change from your normal action/plot driven shows. The best part about SoL is that it doesn't try too hard to get your attention, it simply lets the quaint atmosphere speak for itself.

Oh yeah, I agree. I'm just interested on an analytical/scholarly/academic level in the progression of the genre, what ties each new series to the ones before it and what makes it stand out in comparison, etc. etc. because it is a pretty atypical, albeit popular genre. So, I'll keep watching them and one day write a paper on them or something because I'm that much of a nerd, XD. Of course, I always intersperse light-hearted SoL with more serious stuff, so I don't really get sick of it.

I think Air's biggest problem is that it couldn't manage how to deal with the separate arcs properly. Going from the end of one arc to the beginning of the next was extremely jarring, especially once you get into the "real" story. KyoAni has definitely gotten better at managing this particular little snag in Kanon and refined their handling even more for Clannad. It does make me hope that they'll eventually get around to animating Little Busters (or, sometime in the far future, Rewrite).

The Air-->Kanon-->Clannad thing is also something I'm interested in looking at because of the vast similarities and obvious improvements others have noted from series to series.

I actually disagree that Azumanga is more heavily slice of life, because it feels a lot more comedic than a lot of other slice of life shows. Azumanga has way more gags than reflective moments, which puts it closer to something like GA more than a Sketchbook or Hidamari Sketch. I'd also put Lucky Star closer to comedy than slice of life because of the extremely referential humour it employs, although KyoAni has gotten good at adding 'moments' where there were none (and they've gotten better at it with K-ON!).

Interesting. Like I said before, I've only seen AzuDai, Lucky Star, and K-ON (as far as series in that general area go) so I can't say I'm well-versed in the genre. I'll get on that eventually, though, XD.

[ShiroiHikari]

I don't understand why dbz and gundam are so popular. It feels like, after the first few seasons of each, they just recycled the same plot over and over again.

（　´_ゝ`）

[Hiryu]

I agree with the cowboy bebop hate. I really haven't seen all of it, but there were a few episodes that were good, and there were some that didn't really interest me.

I got a bone to pick with Inuyasha. It was quite popular back in the day, but that was before they showed the rest of the series. A good chunk of it is enjoyable, but it seemed to me like this happened later in the series:

Inuyasha:Time to kill naraku. Uh-oh! Naraku has a barrier around him that makes my attacks worthless! I guess I'll have to go on a 13-episode arc to get a new technique to get rid of that annoying barrier. Ok, I got the technique, time to die! OH WAIT, he has a new, stronger barrier now!

Oh, and the omni-present poison insects, cut me a break. The series would've been over long before if they weren't around every single episode. "Oh no, we totally gave one of our characters an overpowered ability! *nerf* Ha ha! Miroku is just used now for comical relief!"

Miroku: Oh hey, let me use my wind tunnel to get rid of these guys!
Insects: *BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ*
Miroku: T_T Why must I be made to suffer like this?!

That, and they had like 5 chances to kill naraku. They just stood there wondering what the heck the mark on his almost completely destroyed body is, like a couple of idiots.

I feel the same about Ranma 1/2. It's mostly the earlier seasons that are good. There's a few good episodes in the later ones, but it dragged on for too long.

I never really got into Lucky Star. It's just a group of girls talking about interesting, mentally-stimulating topics like "what end do you bite out of this sea-shell shaped dessert?" Wow, that's so entertaining! Oh, but one of the girls is an otaku like you! That's atleast got to keep you satisfied, right?

Even though Nadia: Secret of the blue water is quickly becoming one of my favorites, there's a few "dead spots" where nothing really too important happens, and then something spectacular/shocking happens to make up for the lack of excitement for the past few episodes.

[Rusty Claymore]

One Piece. Ok, mostly because a lot of people are harping on many of the shows I enjoy, simply because they have a different taste. But, One Piece is (descriptive word meaning placed upon a pedastool way too often) way to much. It's art is ugly. It's not even a bad thing really, it's just the style. But the style is ugly. All of it's fans I've heard try to defend it as some sort of obscure expressionistic masterpiece. "The art is a little freaky sometimes, but it's a good show." isn't so hard to say, is it? XD

[mechana2015]

For instance, Fish really doesn't like Last Exile, but most people tend to think Last Exile is a fantastic show. This would be a place for Fish to say Last Exile actually sucks and for the fans to try and convince him otherwise, or perhaps be convinced otherwise.

http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=54989 <<< for my (and Fish's) opinions on Last Exile... probably fleshed out more than anyone ever wants to hear.
(How does everyone forget that I didn't like it either?)

[Nate]

I think because Fish has said it many times on the forums, and you haven't said it quite so much. Also you didn't post a picture of your MAL giving Last Exile a "worst ever" rating.

All of it's fans I've heard try to defend it as some sort of obscure expressionistic masterpiece. "The art is a little freaky sometimes, but it's a good show." isn't so hard to say, is it? XD

The art of One Piece is something that I enjoy, but if you like generic anime style, it's going to annoy you, yeah. I won't deny that most people that don't care for One Piece seem to do so because of its art. However, I will say this.

Look at most other anime and manga artists. How many of them have characters that look exactly the same in the face area, but with different hair? If you took, say, Sailor Moon (and I love Sailor Moon, don't get me wrong) and removed all the hair and just looked at the faces, all of them look exactly the same. One Piece doesn't have any characters that look alike. Everyone has a unique appearance, and that's due mainly to the art style.

It's more quaint than "LOL THIS IS HILARIOUS."

But see, that's my biggest problem with Azumanga Daioh. It may BE quaint, but it tries so hard to be "LOL THIS IS HILARIOUS." Like the whole thing with Chiyo's pigtails. "HA HA SOMEONE PULLED OFF HER PIGTAIL THAT SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HAPPEN BECAUSE IT'S HER HAIR LOL SO RANDOM! NOW SHE'S WIGGLING HER PIGTAILS AND FLYING HA HA YOU CAN'T FLY BY WIGGLING YOUR HAIR SO WACKY!"

If the humor in Azumanga Daioh is actually quaint, it's not because the show wanted it to be, it's because they failed miserably at being "SO RANDUM XDXDXD."

And there are people out there who like that kind of humor. Which is cool for them, but I'm just not a big fan of it is all.

[blkmage]

Oh, the flames I'll get for this one: FLCL! I just HATE this series. There is no point to it. It's just six episodes of nothing but randomness and fanservice. There's no plot at all, until the final episode, and even then, it's only touched upon for a short portion of it. Enough already! It's utter trash!

No, no- I thought FLCL was obnoxious.

It's obviously not trash, since people do enjoy it- it's random humor. Random is random- it doesn't have to have a point. People definitely have different senses of humor- I don't like the Three Stooges, for instance.

But I think that people exaggerate how funny it is.

I didn't enjoy FLCL very much, but I think that its themes and message were really, really obvious. I'm not talking about the humour, which was random. There was definitely an underlying coherence to it and I think you'd have to willfully ignore everything it was trying to say in order to say that it was all completely random. I mean, Angel Beats' plot was random and it still was able to deliver some kind of overarching message and FLCL is much better than Angel Beats.

[Atria35]

Ah. I admit, I only saw 2 eps before I got tired of it, so that actually makes a lot of sense.