Top 10 Popular Anime I Don't Love

Back when I was younger, I thought InuYasha was a pretty cool anime. I liked the designs of Feudal Japan and the concepts of the demons, full-blooded or otherwise. But overall, the entire series has quite a bit keeping it from being one of the greatest in my eyes. The biggest reason is that it took 2 series to finish the saga, which I can't help but think is bogged down by some of the occasional bickering by InuYasha and Kagome. Speaking of Kagome, sometimes she gets kidnapped by a random villain despite being able to hold her own with a bow and arrow. I mean, she is the reincarnation of the Priestess Kikyo for corn's sake. Despite the creativity, characters, and awesome music, this is a flawed jewel in the rough.

I settled on putting this on the list for a reason I will explain shortly. While it has passable drama and decent humor, it can get pretty corny, especially the dub ("bag of hamburgers", anyone?). Now the reason it's on this list (besides that dub) is because of what people are saying about Kousei's treatment. His backstory involves his dying mother pushing him to be a piano prodigy to the point of beating him, while two potential love interests also hit him for comedic purposes. Yeah, pretty messed up if you think about it. But as was the case with InuYasha, this is still an anime I liked.

This is the most popular anime according to MyAnimeList.net, as well as a majority of people. In my eyes, Death Note wasn't anything too special for me. Sure, it was a darker series with a witty bite to it (like House M.D.), but it just wasn't for me. The protagonist Light Yagami is clearly screwed up in the head, and believes he can make the world a better place by killing people. Although while some of his victims happen to be criminals, I still can't root for him or his cause. Team L all the way until the end.

I do remember liking Rurouni Kenshin and its amazing ending theme "Heart of Sword". But later on, I learned that the anime version was a rather loose adaptation of a manga I have yet to read. The backstory for our protagonist is dark and tragic, which sounds better in your head with age and whatnot. I personally didn't mind the comedy much as that was what I liked in my anime when I was younger. But given that it has been over a decade since I last seen it, I can't remember much. Take it with a grain of salt.

Does anyone remember how overexposed Madoka Magica was a few years ago? It was overwhelming! So I EVENTUALLY got myself to watch it, and... it's actually decent. I was afraid it would be as painful as Evangelion (which is higher on this list), but it actually succeeds where Evangelion failed. An interesting story that completely deconstructs magical girl tropes halfway through. Characters I actually had some investment towards (i.e. Homura). Actually ending with some kind of closure. However, one of the few downsides is Kyubey's motive. Some of the implications behind it border on sketchy. He even mentions finding another option at the very end of the series. While I hesitate to call it good, it definitely isn't bad.

I can't believe that this was part of Shonen Jump's "Big 3" franchises. Even if One Piece and Naruto aren't my favorites, they were both charming in their own ways. Bleach is another story. Some people compared this to Yu Yu Hakusho (a great series IMO), but I don't really see the similarities. At first, Bleach started off decently, but then the Soul Society arc happened. It could have been good if it didn't drag and introduce enough characters to populate a village. Because of that, I kept getting confused as I was hoping for Ichigo and his allies to save Rukia (despite her protests). Luckily, I got to where it happens, but I dropped off from there since then. Would I ever go back to Bleach, to the next (non-filler) arc? I don't even know, so what do you people think?

On the eve of Easter in 2006, Eureka Seven soared over to Cartoon Network in the West, and... uhhh… Given that I was 14 like Renton was, I related to him a little bit. But the bad part is what he goes through in the first several episodes. Not by the enemies he and Eureka have to fight, but by some of their crewmates. Why? It's so mean-spirited and just unnecessary. Eventually, it does stop, but the damage has kinda been done. Also, what's the deal with Eureka's... "children"? They're quite annoying and offer little to the story.

I was introduced to DRRR!! through a meme based on the ending sequence "Trust Me". The anime itself is somewhat confusing. I really don't know what The Dollars' big goal is, happen to be curious about Celty and her missing head, would like to know the roots of Izaya's intense sadism towards other people, and want poor Anri to survive all that madness. They're like carrots being waved above me out of reach. By the way, Shizuo is probably my favorite character because of how strong he is.

I'm sorry, people. When I first watched Evangelion on TV as a teenager, I wanted to like this because it was considered the #1 mecha series in an anime magazine. But I kinda hated parts of it. So, what is the problem? The very things it was notorious for. I don't hate Shinji, but he can be too weak-willed, and he doesn't deserve being nearly everyone else's whipping boy. A lot of people like Misato, but I think she's a little... loose. In fact, the only character I cared about was Rei. And if you know about episode #23 (the one after the infamous mind rape episode), I can't help but be outraged at what happened. That's all I have to say.

Alright, I know what you're thinking: "But it was made by Satoshi Kon, director of Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers!" That is true, and I should see those movies. Paranoia Agent isn't just uninteresting to me, but it is also an eyesore half the time. Look no further than its intensely creepy opening. But the final nail in its coffin for me was the twist at the end. Why couldn't the writers come up with a more compelling twist than what we got? This is why we can't have nice things. But I digress.