5 things I hate about anime

Anime. One of my favorite things in life that's always provided me with quality entertainment for years. Now while I love anime, there's some things that I see across multitudes of anime that I  really hate. Here are 5 things that I HATE about anime.

Random drops in animation quality.

Good, quality anime.

Anime caught my eye because of how different it looked compared to american cartoons. I loved the way everything looked and how everything was animated in general. But  negative aspect I see in a lot of anime is animation quality. One example of this is Welcome to NHK. The first 3 episodes looked just fine, and then I get to watching episode 4, and it looks like shit. It is really hard to look at, and even harder to take seriously because of how bad it looks compared to before. I'm not asking for perfect animation either, I'm just asking for consistency, whether it be high quality OR low quality. Some people aren't bothered by the animation at all, but for me, it's a pet peeve. 

Overly oblivious/beta main characters.

Most whiny and spineless character of all time.

Another huge annoyance I have with anime is the mass amount of anime where the main character is completely clueless when it comes to the opposite sex, or they're just so dense that they don't even notice another character likes them, even though it's OBVIOUS. Some examples of anime with a main character like this include Seitokai Yakuindo, B Gata H Kei, Elfen Lied, and Mirai Nikki. It gets to a point where I end up hating the main character because they're so beta and whiny (Looking at you Yuki from Mirai Nikki). Now I know there are people like that in the world, and that's fine, but lately It's gotten to the point where almost every new anime I watch, the main character is completely spineless. I just want SOME anime to have a beta main character, not MOST!

This is who dies to keep you safe

Most of the main characters are teens.

Again, I like a lot of anime where the main cast are teenagers, I just don't like it when EVERY anime is about teenagers, no matter what the situation. Oh the world is ending? BETTER SEND A TEENAGER TO SAVE US! The best fighters in the world? ALL TEENS! The people who defend you from witches? 14 YEAR OLDS! *Cough Madoka cough.* It has gotten to the point where I just assume every animes main characters are all teenagers, unless said otherwise. I'd like to see more anime involving full grown adults, as a more grown and mature main cast is a breath of fresh air in the high school ridden anime realm. 

        

Too many filler episodes

Nothing makes me want to drop an anime more than excessive amount of filler episodes. Some examples of this include Naruto, Bleach, and Detective Conan. I don't ate filler episodes, that's not my point. In Code Geass, for example, I love the school festival filler episodes, because they're entertaining AND don't go on for too many episodes. But an anime like Naruto, for example, has a LOT of filler episodes. If you don't look up an episode filler list for Naruto, you could spend over over a DAY watching filler that is completely pointless and doesn't add to the story in any way. But even this isn't my biggest problem with anime, my biggest problem with anime is...

Bland and overused archetypes for characters.

Archetype- a very typical example of a certain person or thing

 For this, I'm talking about when an anime is full of walking and talking archetypes that aren't anything more than that. For example, in a lot of anime, there;s the "shy and awkward" type, the " talkative pervert" type, the "airhead with big boobs" type, the "emotionless and quiet" type, and so on and so forth.  There's a lot more, but I'm sure you can think of a few. Anyways, a character CAN have one of these archetypes and still be an amazing character. For example, Yugi Nagato from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a common archetype (emotionless, quiet), but is still a very great character, because she changes over the course of the anime and is a memorable character. But in a lot of anime, the characters offer nothing other than that specific archetype, and stay that way throughout the show. An example of a show that's guilty of this is Demon King Daimao. I do like the show, but all the characters are pretty much specific archetypes and aren't memorable or original in any way. 

3 most underrated anime

Underrated: underestimate the extent, value, or importance of (someone or something)

For this list, I am talking about anime that I feel is very good but not talked about or as popular as I think it should be. Think of them as diamonds in the rough.


3. Speed Grapher

I found this anime while browsing Netflix about a year ago, and thinking it would be another mediocre anime, because netflix pretty much only has mediocre anime. But after watching it, it became one of my favorites. After going to myanimelist.net and  looking at the popularity ranking (639), I was shocked. Speed Grapher is one of the most unique anime I've seen to date. When I say that, I mean it's not a bunch of cute highschoolers or any other generic and overused plot/setting. What I really like about Speed Grapher is how it's a very character driven, gritty, and dark show that shows what the ugly side of people is, sometimes literally. Oh, and the main character, Saiga, has a power that let's him blow anything up with a camera. Pretty cool right? Has an amazing opening song, cheesy but fitting music, and has one of the most exciting battles towards the end. A must watch. 

2. Kanon 2006

This anime never seems to be brought up when talking about great romance/drama anime. Clannad (my favorite anime) is usually brought but never this, even though Kanon is a great anime as well. Much like Clannad, you end up loving almost all of the characters, which can then turn into sadness, because this anime is quite a tearjerker. The animation and music in this are also top notch, with the music being what really makes every scene memorable. The storyline for this seems simple: the main character goes around helping other girls with their problems. But I see it as such a good anime BECAUSE it's simple, yet it is so entertaining and beautiful. A definite must watch for fans of Clannad, or drama/romance anime in general.

1. Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom

This is another anime that liked because of the very unique setting and characters. The main character wakes up not remembering anything about his past life, or even his name, and given 2 choices. He can either become an assassin for a gang called Inferno, or he can refuse, and be killed. He decides he wants to live, and is partnered up with an emotionless girl who also doesn't remember anything about her past. We watch them live their dangerous lives as assassins, becoming immersed in their world. This is another anime driven by the characters, as such, you'll end up rooting for the 2 to somehow escape their cruel situation, and crying in pain along with them. This is one of my top 5 anime, yet it seems like a lot of people have never even heard of it. That needs to change, because this deserves more recognition for being a brilliant anime.

3 most overrated anime

"Overrated- have a higher opinion of (someone or something) than is deserved."

Since anime is completely subjective, this is just what anime that I think are highly praised by a lot of people, but isn't actually that good. Sorry if one your favorites is on here, but anyways...

3. Sword Art Online

When I first heard the synopsis of SAO, I was extremely excited to begin watching it, and it started out as a good anime with a very original and cool idea for an anime. Since I like RPGs, this was like heaven to me. If only the second half had been as good as the first half.... Most of the original cast is set aside except for Kirito, so all the time developing them felt completely wasted. The random as hell incest thrown in just adds to my dislike of the second half. Kirito is also one of the most bland boring main characters I've ever watched. He has no personality at all, and he's a master at almost everything he does, and no reason is given why. Wasted potential is my main gripe with SAO though

2. Angel Beats

Angel beats is what I would call the perfect definition of a rushed anime. I feel if the studio making Angel Beats could have made it into a 24 episode anime, it would have been much better and more fleshed out. Sadly that's not the case. I also don't know why they added 3 episodes of filler when it was already such a short series. Back to the rushed part; The plot is very slow paced until about the last 2 episodes, then immediately starts going fast, leaving unanswered questions and loose ends galore. Add in the fact that all the characters are walking and talking heavily used stereotypes, and you end up with Angel Beats. 

1. Naruto

One of the most popular ongoing manga/anime series, Naruto has been a huge success here in America as well. Despite that, I still think it's a quite overrated anime. Let's start with the absurd amount of filler episodes. I'm completely fine with some filler, just as long as it doesn't get to a point where it's been  5...6... even 7 episodes of straight filler that add nothing to the story. Another problem is the also absurd amount of flashbacks. They add a flashback from 3 episodes ago, that clearly isn't needed, and the FLASHBACK takes up the whole episode that I'm watching. Frustrating. The constant talking during the epic fight scenes also detracts from the show, as unnecessary talking that last half the show really ruins the fight. Overall a pretty mediocre anime that I dropped after finally losing hope that it would get better.

Top 5 Anime Characters

We all have our favorite characters in anime. Some we like because they are fearless badasses. Some we like because they have  back stories that we can empathize with. Some we like because they have big boobs. No matter the reason, some characters just hold a special place in our hearts. Now, here are my top 5 anime characters.

1. Lelouch Vi Britannia; Code Geass

The most popular anime character of all time according to myanimelist.net, is a character that I initially didn't like. He is a self absorbed, egotistical, lying, genius, traits that I wouldn't think I would like in a character. But by midway through the first season, he was already one of my favorites, and after the second season, he was firmly planted at my number one character spot. You really want him to succeed, and the way he goes about trying to change the world is nothing less than really entertaining. Despite all the morally questionable things he does to change the world for his sister, you can't help but love this very complex and interesting character.

2. Mugen; Samurai Champloo

This puffy haired badass is one of my favorites mainly because he's exactly that, a badass. His style of sword fighting is a blend of traditional sword fighting mixed in with what seems break dancing. He's rude, vulgar, and a massive womanizer, yet he's such a funny character also. Not much is known about his back story, only that he used to be a pirate and that he never knew his parents. But there is some sympathy to be had for his harsh life as well, but he doesn't let that get in the way of being a very funny, cool, and lovable character.

3. Tatsumi Saiga; Speed Grapher

A character AND anime that are very underrated. Saiga, an ex war photographer who now lives in Tokyo, is an odd, but great character. I say he's odd because his love for photography turned into a sexual fetishism. He ends up receiving the ability to explode anything he aims his camera at due to his secret fetish. Now tell me that isn't one of the most unique powers you've ever heard! Besides his power, he's a very protective character towards people  that are important to him, as most of the show is about him trying to protect
someone. Cool, calm, collected, and having awesome hair, also helps.

4. Zwei; Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom

This character is very different from the rest on my list, mainly because you know almost nothing about him for almost half the show, yet still ended up being one of my favorites even before you found out about his history. The amount of hopelessness and depression he feels throughout the anime was thrust on to me as well, which is why I rooted so hard for him to escape his terrifying situation. He's also an assassin, which made watching him very entertaining and suspenseful. Couple that with him, despite being an assassin, being one of the most caring and kind characters towards the people he loves, and you got one hell of a guy.

5. Tomoya Okazaki; Clannad

One of the most developed characters of any anime I've seen, Tomoya starts as a student in high school who regularly skips school, sleeps in class, and is regarded as a delinquent. This alone caught my attention, as the main character is usually your average high school student. As the show goes on, he goes through the struggles of growing up and the struggles of adulthood, which is something that you don't see too often in anime. Watching his struggles through his life made me cry along with him at times, that's how powerful this character, and this anime in general are.