What anime genre do you just not enjoy?

[Darklord_bg]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin_Sama

Pretty much take what the majority of people have said in this thread and then invert it and you'll have your answer.

Okay seriously though, I grow weary of formula eroge conversion/romances and Slice of Life (Comedy). Not Slife of Life where there's actually something to think about, but the kind that just features wacky antics like Manabi Straight.

I guarantee though that my favourite genres are going to get nailed many times before this thread is up. Sigh....

I can feel your pain...literally.

My favorite genres are also mecha and shounen and they seem to be the most commonly-hated genres among anime fans.

I guess people don't really understand mecha series - they think it is all about the super robots and 'saving the world', where they couldn't be further away from the truth. Mecha series (at least good ones) incorporate in themselves several other genres, which are usually liked - action, drama, romance, even slice-of-life. They have an interesting story, engaging characters and at the same time provide you with constant adrenaline. Really, the super robots are just like the book's cover - if people don't like the cover, they don't bother reading the book.

Also, concerning shounen shows, they seem to be frequently misunderstood too. Most of those are based on ongoing manga series, so that's why they end up being too long. As far as I see most complaints directed against such series are that they never seem to finish, but this is by design - it's not like the producers are trying to milk them for all they're worth and continue them until forever. It's funny how people mention Claymore as the only shounen show they like - the truth is - it hasn't finished either. The manga keeps on going and the anime producers decided to stop at a certain point and change the story completely - a rather poor decision, I think. I wonder what the reactions would be if the show had continued.

In any case, I digress from the topic, so I guess I should talk about the genres I don't like:

1) Slice-of Life: Really, this is the antithesis of everything I look for in anime - which is "to escape from reality". I really don't mean to say that I want a show that's wildly unrealistic - I always want a degree of realism, so that I can relate to the show. However, a show needs to have an engaging story that goes out of the ordinary lifestyle of an average person. I don't want to watch shows about people living their everyday lives and facing common problems - really, I get enough of that from real life.

2) Anything with harem This is the genre that I despise the most, because it doesn't have one of the main elements I look for in anime - cool male characters who I can admire and relate to. Those shows portray male characters as weak-willed and indecisive and generally pitiful creatures, and even if they are good, they are always inferior to their female counterparts. I can't stand such a view of the male gender in general. To add to that, the stories of such shows are always full of cliches and the same character archetypes.

3) Shows that center around fanservice - Don't get me wrong here. I think fanservice is good for a show, if it is used sparingly and tastefully. However, if the entire show is an excuse to show panty shots, the whole anime fails in my opinion.

I guess in the end, I like genres that have a fast-paced and engaging story and try to stay away from shows that are boring and "ordinary".

[Liddo-kun]

Originally Posted by Chiibi

I love threads like these because I can proudly state: NOTHING!

*is open to all genres. If you avoid one genre altogether, you could be missing out on something awesome. I've tried pretty much everything from every genre EXCEPT the sports genre. Princess Nine actually looks kinda good though.

People who don't like BL or GL genres though, I can understand. You probably shouldn't watch something if it makes you feel very uncomfortable or disgusted.

Oh, I thought you can't stand too much horror Chiibi. XD

[Sheba]

I do not enjoy most of anime that tried to deal with war as topic or vehicle for drama. It oh so very often looked silly, or sugarcoated in pointless romantization of war or pompous and redundant "WAR IS BAD! MKAY?!" underlying messages slammed over our heads in an attempt to make the product thought-provoking. And often, I do not find the grit (maybe never?) I liked in the likes of "Saving the private Ryan", I have yet to find one anime that gives me that feeling of constant danger like in "Enemy at the Gates" or "Das Boot".

As a long-time watcher of western war movies like "Nothing new on the western front", "Platoon" or "The Pianist", I found such anime, well, silly.

And no I am not going to name any genre, it's up to anyone's guessing.

[DragoonKain3]

Personally...

#1 would be anything homosexual, be it shounen or shoujo ai. Call me homophobic, I don't care, as I really could care less about what happens to a homosexual couple. It's not like I hate the genre, it just absolutely doesn't interest me at all. I keep asking myself 'So what?' whenever I watched these shows. Exception example, none that I can think of.

Pointless Harem shows are my #2, like say, KimiAru, Nagarasete Airantou or Seto no Hanayome. Plot and characterization are what I look for in an anime, and this genre by definition lack either. Exception example, Kage Kara Mamoru, as the show itself is so over the top and cheesy that it's actually interesting.

#3 would be anything with excessive loli in it, and especially when they showcase these in a 'sexualized' manner. Kyou no Go no Ni was fine because it parodied many of the situations found in the romance genre. But things like Kodomo no Jikan and Moetan are a nono. Heck, even I dropped sky girls because even though the main cast of females is aged at 16, they look no more than 12. While that isn't usually a problem, the problem is that there doesn't seem to be an exception AT ALL in the first 5 episodes apart from really old bags. >_>

#4 the horror genre. Very rare in anime terms, but horror for the sake of horror is like sleepings pills for me. For example, Jigoku Shoujo. After playing Wolfenstein 3d and espeically Doom when I was a kid, that basically desentisized me from anything 'scary.' Exception example, Ghost Hunt, as the characterization is awesome as I expected of the authour of the original work.

#5 would be the fighting shounen genre. My main beef would be that these kind of shows keep going on FOREVER, and I simply lose interest because there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Exception example, Kenichi, as he gets his ass handed back to him from time to time and the anime always seemed like it was going forward and not dragging things on like the likes of Bleach or Naruto.

[Sorrow-K]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I'm getting pretty tired of "pick the girl" series (or "harem" as some call them) - but mostly because either the guy is so indecisive no decision is reached (reset wuss out), the motivations of the characters are poorly thought out, or the characters get jerked into position because of some last-minute popularity poll rather than an author-driven well-crafted plot. Fortunately, there've been some recent efforts in ensemble cast romance dramas that are redefining that segment of anime somewhat.

I'd say these are part of the shounen romance genre, and yes, most are terrible. The girls have a big part to play in this (most are one kind of archetype or another), but, IMO, nothing cripples a shounen romance quicker than a spineless, indecisive, unlikable male lead. But, yeah, you're right, we've had a few gems in the last few months.

The problem with saying that you just can't enjoy a given genre is that you're locking out the potentially good titles in the genre. I usually can't stand long-running shounen action titles, but I'd still say Fullmetal Alchemist is right up in the top tier of anime we've seen this decade (ok, this one's only moderately long compared to the more popular titles). Same with mecha. Most mecha are crap, but Gasaraki is about as intelligent an anime as I've seen, while I'm only just know finding out about the joy that is Code Geass (an anime that I foolishly dismissed while it was running because of superficial preconceptions).

I'm usually the first to decry an inane shounen anime, but thinking back, I can easily name at least twenty I've seen over the last few years that I've thoroughly enjoyed (almost all of which have been made by either Madhouse, Sunrise or Bones). Similarly, I usually tend to enjoy shoujo or slice-of-life titles, but there's a number of which I've seen but didn't like at all. The difference, I think, is that crap titles in these genres will go right under everyone's radar, while crap shounen titles tend to still get a sizable following.

The answer to the question: none, but that's because I prefer to judge anime independent of their genre. Hell, I even think there's some value in a good genre piece... provided it doesn't follow too many cliches.

[Ichihara Asako]

I'll watch pretty much anything if the premise/story catches my attention.

In general I'll avoid sports, and -ai/yuri/yaoi titles, but even then, there have been some series under those categories I've enjoyed. So for me it's not a black and white issue. Having broad tastes is a bit of a curse. ^^;

I have to agree with Vexx though, some harem can be really terrible. Crappy male leads and generally poorly resolved relationships. But I do like the harem genre as a whole; Those issues just come down to poor writing/storyboarding, which can kill any show.

Sports, I just find really boring. Like watching real sports on TV. I just don't see the point, really. I'm not interested at all. But then, Hikaru no Go is a sports anime, and it has one of the best cases of character development ever. Plus Sai was awesome. I know other sports series follow a similar formula, but I actually enjoy Go, so it was easier to watch, than say... basketball, or boxing, or racing or whatever.

And -ai/yuri/yaoi, or the 'love' series that go beyond general romance just bore me too. I've never been a huge romance fan (though romantic comedies win =p) and most of these tend to be pure drama with no interesting elements... like animated soap operas. I find it difficult to relate to the characters, which makes it impossible to enjoy. Maria-sama ga Miteru is the only one that falls in to this category I've liked.

Fortunately they're rare, so I can still watch most of what airs each season quite happily. ^^

[Trogdor Jube]

Magical girl. They all seem the same to me.

Hentai, unless it's REALLY interesting.

I have no clue who's idea was it to make sports anime.

[Chiibi]

Originally Posted by -boiledliddo-

Oh, I thought you can't stand too much horror Chiibi. XD

Higurashi is the only horror anime I've been unable to watch.

Magical girl. They all seem the same to me.

They're really not, actually. Depending on the title. If you look at Princess Tutu, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, and Shugo Chara, they're VASTLY different from each other. But to each their own.

[Liddo-kun]

Originally Posted by Chiibi

Higurashi is the only horror anime I've been unable to watch.

I remember now, you can't watch it but want to know what happened.
So you just read it on an anime blog with pics.

Back on topic:

I notice mainstream shounen anime and slice-of-life genres are getting hit a lot.

[Chiibi]

Yes.... yes, I did....
I don't regret it because after researching it, Higurashi would've shocked and horrified me too much if I watched it. I know that is the point but I just don't enjoy being shocked and horrified. I enjoy sleeping.

I still like the characters and the music though.

[KholdStare]

Originally Posted by -boiledliddo-

I remember now, you can't watch it but want to know what happened.
So you just read it on an anime blog with pics.

Back on topic:

I notice mainstream shounen anime and slice-of-life genres are getting hit a lot.

I'm not sure why people hate slice of life so much. I still find them an escape from reality, for the fact that they are portraying another world that we are not living in. Of course I don't entirely love this genre also, but with subtle comedy and lovable characters, then I will enjoy it, such as in Ichigo Mashimaro. I will also argue that 5 Centimeters per Second is slice of life because it portrays reality, but of course that had a plot. But there's another thread entirely devoted on this, so...

For every one of these genre that I "don't like," at least one series of that genre is on my top ten list. That just goes to know that it's really not that great to generalize things, and that if the anime is enjoyable enough, then you don't really care what genre it is.

[Zu Ra]

Mechas Harems and Dating Sims .... I stay clear from these genres they just are not my thing . I do admit there have been rare cases where I have enjoyed this genres but not on a regular basis

[The Chaos]

^ And I Thought You Like Mechas >.<

[Star Jewel]

Well, my favs are Mahou Shoujo and Yaoi and Shonen Ai. I also enjoy a nice big slice of horror. ^_~

[The Chaos]

^Well This is Thread For Dislike not Like ^^""

[Dxon]

Anime's where everything is just to perfect or goes to well.

To perfect:
You know.. To perfect.

Goes to well:
Overpowered-pow-one-army-down-and-walk-away-as-if-nothing-happened shit.

[u43368]

Action shounen-Lost interest in it years ago.

Romance-If it isn't the main focus then I don't mind it, otherwise I don't even bother.

Sports anime-Don't care about (most) sports

Anything Moe- I can't stand it and it's the main reason I find myself gravitating to older anime.

[Veritas]

Originally Posted by jedinat

I'm not sure how to place it genre-wise, but I'm also pretty adverse to that typical type of eroge anime. I'm not sure how to explain it... there is like this strange otaku-dimension in which these anime take place; where lonely broken-hearted girls speak forlorn monologue into empty space; where elaborate and eerily similar plots endlessly repeat themselves, each trying to be sadder than the last... Eh, I dunno. the recent Kanon was an exception, since the girls were so adorable.

Except Kanon wasn't an exception. It was all that you just said you avoid.

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

Name 5 mech anime that fits your description.

I don't even watch many mecha and I can name 5 that fit his despriction [of 13 year old piloting human shaped mechs and saving the world]. Eva, Gundam Wing, Turn A Gundam, Gurren Lagann, Full Metal Panic. Granted, I was assuming that "13-year-old" was just a catch-all for teenagers in general. Hell, if you want to count the 2 Gundam series as one, substitute Tetsujin 28, one of the original super robot shows. Pilot was 12.

Anyway, I'm willing to give anything a shot, I just hate things that are endless retreads of things that came earlier, with no variation besides hair color of the characters. It seems the narrower the niches get, the more difficult it is to make something original. Lately I shun all the moe/renai stuff, but in the '99 I watched and enjoyed To Heart. But maybe I wouldn't if I went back and watched it today. I would also say anime with no conflict at all. I gave ARIA a shot, it was pretty and cute but every episode was them starting out sailing, something minor happening (lost in canals, a gondola race, practice, hiding a kitten, etc.) and everything always being okay at the end of every episode. No suspense = no interest.

[Dxon]

I also don't like Yaoi.

Scares the crap out of me.

[FateAnomaly]

I generally don't exclude any particular genre. The only thing i don't watch are sports/music/art themed anime and yaoi. They simply don't interest me.