[Radd]

Well the theme of this thread is different from the 'best anime evar' threads, it's still just tossing around names. I do think this thread could be better if people state why they hate the anime they do, and perhaps references some of the shows they like.

I mean, if you like simple characters, straightforward action, and don't care if the plot makes sense so long as you get your kicks from other parts of the show, then you're probably going to hate shows that are full of character developement, detailed, complex plotlines, and light on the action.

For me, however, those shows are my bread and butter. Legend of the Galactic Heroes, for example, features some of the most well done character/plot developement, epic storylines, and complex character interaction in all of anime. I eat this sort of stuff right up. I absolutely adore it. But entire episodes go by where no action takes place, it's just commanders, diplomats, and rulers discussing things, making threats, putting plots into motion, and the occiassional scenes that show the epic scenario from the everyday person's sort of view. The battles are glorious, millions of spaceships all lined up in their formations, exchanging tons of fire...but it's all shown from an epic, big picture sort of viewpoint, with only glimpses of the action from the eyes of the fighter pilots and ships gunners.

Shonen action fans, Gundam Wing/FMP fanatics are likely to look at a show like this and go, "WTF? Where's the action? This is boring. Boring and gay."

Macross 7 shares some similar problems in that it's very light on action, but focuses very heavily on some of the best character developement anime has to offer. The entire show is also based around some very specific ideals, and if you can't relate to those ideals, you're not likely to enjoy the show. What action there is is often very poorly animated, with lots of recycled animation. Not much fun to look at, unlike other Macross shows like Plus and Zero where the fast paced, and incredibly detailed mecha action is the highlight of the show.

I do so love shows that stick to their guns, where the creator's ideals shine through in a very well-told sort of way, such as shows like Captain Herlock. Shows where the characters stand for something, and those ideals and beliefs can come into question and be put to the test in exciting, yet believable ways.

I also love shows like Lupin III, with quirky, memorable characters, gadgets, and plots. Everything about these characters just oozes class and personality. From their costumes, to their voices, to what kind of car they drive.

But because of my own personal tastes, there's a lot of very popular anime that is simply not my cup of tea.

Gundam Wing was one of the primary offenders for a very long time. This show was just far more popular than it ever deserved to be. The characters were flat, many were forgettable. They didn't stand for anything, often just moving to advance the action without any real storytelling significance. The main characters and their mecha were all far overpowered, only ever coming into some sort of dire situation through blatant plot devices and horrible writing. The overall plot was painful to comrehend, there was nothing deep or insightful about it, yet the show tried to spin it off in just that light. It was simply garbage designed to cause conflict, without there really being a reason. None of the villains ideas held any merit, and the show did not even attempt to justify why these characters thought as they did in anything remotely resembling a believable manner. None of this was a problem of americanization either, as the fansubs were just as wretched.

Full Metal Panic shares some of Gundam Wing's problems with the flat, unbelievable characters, complete with the stoic, unemotional hero that is impossible to relate to. He's a gimp with a robot, that conviniently happens to be good at blowing things up. Though I must admit that FMP is not nearly as bad as Gundam Wing, I didn't actively hate it, it just did not hold my attention enough for me to want to finish it. It was completely forgettable, and yet attained a huge fanbase in the fansub community.

Naruto is much more in ling with my feelings on Gundam Wing. I just cannot stand this show. I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of the tournament shonen genre, but even as far as these shows go, there's much better than Naruto. One Piece and Hunter x Hunter are both superior in nearly every single way, yet don't seem to have nearly the popularity. What's more is the way that Naruto tries to forcefeed you a moral, down your throat in a way that flies completely and utterly against what I like about shows that serve up their ideals in a way that drives the story and the characters further, and don't wind up making the show sound like an after-school special...which is exactly how Naruto comes off. Oh no! We lost because we didn't work together as a team, like the guy toild us only about a dozen times!

Shows like DBZ, Eva, Pokemon, and Akira are all excellent examples of extreme popularity and infamy in the anime fandom. They're not bad shows, despite what people might be saying this week. They're also not the greatest anime of all time, despite what those same people might have said the week before. Such cycles are not limited to anime fandom. I can remember when MC Hammer was popular, and then a few years later, the same people that owned all his albums and praised him as one of the greatest musicians of all time were suddenly denying they ever liked him, or that they ever owned any of his albums. People do things like that, for some reason. Everyone wants to fit in with their own 'in' crowd. Whether that crowd is praising or insulting whatever happens to be popular, or used to be popular.

I can somewhat relate to this. I could not stand Pokemon when it was popular. I didn't even want to give the show or the games a chance simply because I could not walk 5 feet without some idiot jabbering to me about how great it was. It was many years later, after the excitement had died down, that I found the show was entertaining, if mostly forgettable, the some of the movies are downright enjoyable and very well done. The latest one has some excellent examples of animation and compositing, and a nifty little story. It's not a bad franchise, the games are actually excellent little throwbacks to the good old days of RPGs that were insanely difficult unless you did a lot of building up and looking for items. Tons of hours worht of gameplay.

I remember when I was one of those jabbering idiots, raving about Eva. I seriously enjoyed the show while it was running, unfortunately the show didn't hold much staying power. Once I figured out the mysteries, put together all of the unspoken going-ons, and worked out what happened at the end...that was it. Eva held no more excitement for me. I won't say it's a bad show, but it's certainly not the best. I would applaud the tv series for not spelling everything little thing out and turning into a plotless action-fest, but the movies just had to come out and ruin that effect. I absolutely cannot stand the Eva movies, and whenever I hear someone claiming that the series needed them as a 'proper' ending, it just makes me weep for the future.

Akira, not a terrible translation from manga to big screen, but it was simply the best that could be hoped for given the scope of the original manga. I do enjoy a lot of parts about it, given that it does not fall into the trap of explaining all the mysteries for an audience that is too lazy to think for themselves, but most of the characters just did not stick with me, and a lot of the events could have been fleshed out more. Of course, to do that the movie would have had to have been much longer, and it was already pushing a huge budget. Still, to this day, you have to admit that there's probably only one or two animated films that boast animation as impressive as what was achived with Akira.