Most Disappointing Anime of 2012, Animesuki's Choice

[Arya]

Originally Posted by Kanon

I see a lot of people listed Another. I didn't realize it was that disliked. As bad as the ending was (and it was bad), this doesn't erase the ten or so excellent episodes we got beforehand for me. I suppose I might be more of a journey kind of person. I loved speculating about this show.

I agree with you, too. Neither did I. And it was so fun speculating, guessing and all

Anyways, here my list:
Eureka seven AO:
This was my main disappointing anime this year. And I'm not even a big fan of E7. So my disappointment came because they fed me with three first episodes that were so good, they had everything, good introduction, good storytelling, good pace, good music, good characters. (and Eureka, but not Renton). I was really thrilled back then.
But after episode 4, everything changed. And I say everything. To the point to be insulting. Naru disappeared, Truth appeared, the episodes changed into a monotone and boring monster of the week episodic structure. The plot became really a mess, and even the characters became unrelatable.
So, if the show had started bad, I wouldn't have been disappointed, because after few episodes I would have dropped. But this kind of things are those I can't really stand. And I couldn't even have dropped it till episode 20 or so.
And I haven't even touched the fact that this show should have been a sequel. Because it's bad enough just as a standalone series.

Sankarea:
I had forgotten about this show to be honest, but I read it listed here and recalled about the disappointment I had, not strong as E7AO, but due to a similar behavior. The show started strong, too strong apparently, it was a mix of comedy and serious business, so much serious to push things to the extreme ... and after that? Nothing. It toned down to a mediocre comedy series, boring I would say, with even a not well defined narrative, they put some single character episode here, a filler episode there. Dropped around episode 8 or so.

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate:
I had forgotten it too. Anyways, it is the less disappointing among the ones I listed. Because I started watching with zero expectations. The chocolate part was the weakest to me. It took some episodes to get me hooked thanks to the election sub-plot, and secondarily even for the love part, or what I misjudged as love one. Not that I hadn't foreseen how things could have ended, but given that the writing seemed solid I hoped for the best, but in the end writers chose to go for the clichè. And the chocolate part swallowed all.

I could list La storia della Arcana famiglia, that was really a bad series, but since I hadn't any expectations about this show I wasn't disappointed by it, just amazed by how bad it was. The only good point was that they baked some cookies that we do for Christmas

Oh, I don't know if I should mention it, but little busters! disappointed me a bit, merely thanks the all the hype it got, and I dropped right away (but even because probably it wasn't my cup of tea). So I don't know if I have the rights to list it here. Anyways, I followed the sub-forum for a while and apparently the show did't get any better, so apparently I took the right decision dropping it.

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by Kanon

I see a lot of people listed Another. I didn't realize it was that disliked. As bad as the ending was (and it was bad), this doesn't erase the ten or so excellent episodes we got beforehand for me. I suppose I might be more of a journey kind of person. I loved speculating about this show.

Yeah, I went into it expecting nothing big and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an actually deadly curse that put a serious timer on the class as they're picked off one by one. I'll agree that the ending was a tad rushed, but I saw it going that direction when I learned it'd be 12 episodes. It wasn't supposed to be a blockbuster ending; they solved the problem at the last minute and had to bury their dead friends as a result.

Oh, I don't know if I should mention it, but little busters! disappointed me a bit, merely thanks the all the hype it got, and I dropped right away (but even because probably it wasn't my cup of tea). So I don't know if I have the rights to list it here. Anyways, I followed the sub-forum for a while and apparently the show did't get any better, so apparently I took the right decision dropping it.

What episode did you drop it? We've barely begun to hit the arcs and everything's constantly improving, so it might be worth picking up for just a little longer. It does get a little too much hype, but it's not a bad show in my opinion.

[Vexx]

Problem is -- "Dissapointing" entirely depends on one's expectations going into the series. The series may be great for many people but make fans of the source material beat their heads on a desk.

Or someone may be upset because the story seems to deserve spicier moments but it always stops just at the PG line.

Anyway, don't really have a disappointing one to list because most of the offerings from 2012 are still in my queued "to watch" list -- been a bad year for actually *watching* anime

[Arya]

Originally Posted by papermario13689

What episode did you drop it? We've barely begun to hit the arcs and everything's constantly improving, so it might be worth picking up for just a little longer. It does get a little too much hype, but it's not a bad show in my opinion.

I dropped right away, around the first or the second episode, due to different reasons, but I followed the sub forum for a while, but didn't get any good vibes from it, so I'm not so encouraged in resuming it. In any case probably it will be better for me to marathon it instead of following it week by week, given its slow start.

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by Arya

I dropped right away, around the first or the second episode, due to different reasons, but I followed the sub forum for a while, but didn't get any good vibes from it, so I'm not so encouraged in resuming it. In any case probably it will be better for me to marathon it instead of following it week by week, given its slow start.

That's actually a good idea, I can see it working much better through a marathon, much like most of KEY's works. I just hoped you hadn't fully evaluated it from just one or two episodes. You're entitled to doing that of course, but it kinda feels bad when it happens, y'know?

[Kotohono]

Originally Posted by Coldlight

Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru: Futari no Elder. I enjoyed OtoBoku season 1. I was excited when news of a sequel came out. So much wasted potential in a mere 3-episode OVA. I thought it could have been much better as a TV series; but instead we get a severely shortened "adaptation" that, even to just an anime watcher clearly comes off as not doing justice to its lengthy source material. An entire VN in 3 episodes? Come on!

While I agree with the complaint about it being so short, I can't say it disappointed me, because I enjoyed the 3 eps. It would have been nice if it was longer though...

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Problem is -- "Dissapointing" entirely depends on one's expectations going into the series. The series may be great for many people but make fans of the source material beat their heads on a desk.

Or the reverse -- the fans of the source material enjoy it, but people who came in unsure of what to expect have wildly varying results due to their varied expectations. In the end, though, it all comes down to "Expected X, Got Y" (where Y isn't more appreciated than X). Plus, statistically, the shows most listed as "disappointing" are also most likely to have been viewed by the most people (and often the most popular/liked). To the anime industry, I'm sure the more disappointing shows are the ones that no one talks about, even on a "disappointment" list, because too few watched them.

For my part, I'm sort of in a similar boat to you -- I haven't watched all that many anime this year, and most the ones I've watched have been ones I've really liked (which is why I made time for them). I'm also not the sort of person who tries a whole lot of anime randomly just to see if I like it -- I typically narrow it down to a short list before a season starts.

Anyway, I suppose Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate is the only one I can nominate; I appreciated a lot of what it was trying to do, but I get annoyed any time a romance VN adaptation minimizes the actual portrayal of romance in the story, and in that sense it doesn't feel like a good adaptation of the game to me in the end. But I wouldn't have any problem if people did enjoy it for what it was -- just wasn't what I was looking for in the end.

[Arturia Polaris]

Hyouka EXTREMELY slow paced. And I'm used to being slow, but this just took it over the edge. Dropped at the culture festival.

PapaKiki Just moeblob and very vague premise.

Girls And Panzer I'll watch it, but I find it very... meh-ish. Worth a shot if you want to shut off your brain. not my kind of thing.

Arty

[Soverence]

Another was a series that a lot of people were disappointed in because they started to view it as more of a mystery anime then it really was suppose to be viewed as, it was at its core a horror series. The only real mystery was who the another was, but it never felt like the main focus to me and I think too many people got caught up on that which ruined I think the best possible ending for the series, sorry for being off topic though, back on topic :

1. Code:Breakers : The manga was fairly good for quite awhile so you would expect the anime adaptation would be able to capture this, but it is never really able to and just feels weak overall.

2. Black Rock Shooter(TV): Let me say this, this show is not by any means bad, its just that the OVA led you to think that this show would be something great and it was just average in the end, not bad, not good, just average, and that is why it was disappointing.

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by Soverence

Another was a series that a lot of people were disappointed in because they started to view it as more of a mystery anime then it really was suppose to be viewed as, it was at its core a horror series. The only real mystery was who the another was, but it never felt like the main focus to me and I think too many people got caught up on that which ruined I think the best possible ending for the series, sorry for being off topic though, back on topic :

Eh, lets be real here. The series wasn't particularly good at horror. The gore was more likely to make me laugh than horrify me.

[Allium]

Eureka Seven AO
The first three or four episodes were solid, with an interesting set-up and characters, but it soon degenerated into a mess; at that point, I didn't know where the show was heading for anymore. Truth's appearance only made it worse. I dropped it at around Episode 13, I think.

Sword Art Online
To be honest, I was already a bit let-down by the first few episodes, and I actually considered dropping it, but I started to like it from episode 10 onwards. But then came the second arc, and well, everything just went downhill from there. I plan to finish it just for the sake of seeing Kirito and Asuna's reunion, and to see how the story will be resolved.

I wasn't fond of the endings of Sakamichi no Apollon and Another, but I enjoyed the first couple of episodes a lot, so I wouldn't categorize them as 'disappointing anime.'

[Coldlight]

Originally Posted by Konakaga

While I agree with the complaint about it being so short, I can't say it disappointed me, because I enjoyed the 3 eps. It would have been nice if it was longer though...

I fully agree it would have been nicer if it was allotted more time, though I wasn't trying to say it was a bad/poor show - if that's how it came across. The shortness IS the big disappointment for me. I expected a sequel that was the length of a proper TV series - like season 1, and because I am aware it was a VN adaptation.

I couldn't fully enjoy it with the thought: ("Do they expect me to believe a mere three episodes are supposed to adapt a medium-length* VN?") Since I haven't even played the VN myself, I can only imagine the greater disappointment for those who did. A lot of potentially good stuff must have been cut to fit it all in a grand total of three episodes.

You know, the kind of disappointment over what could have been (hence the wasted potential remark). I found interesting potential plot points that weren't touched due to lack of time. I also thought the romance could have been sweeter if given more time to develop. Sadly, it was all we got.

*according to VNDB.org

[Frailty]

SAO
It started out great. Then I read the LN. The novel had a lot of emotion in it, be it funny or dramatic. The anime never showed any of this. The emotions felt bland and empty. They never explained anything what was happening. If I had never read it, I would have never have understood most of the things in there.
The animation however, is quite good. Especially the fight scenes

Little Busters!
a lot of things being forced here. Forced drama, forced moe characters and forced comedy. Not to mention the horrible voice acting on some characters, except for some (Yui Horie's doing a great job btw)
The only thing I like in the anime is Kurugaya, the original Little Busters gang and the opening and ending songs.

I'm quite surprised that many people were disappointed in Hyouka
IMO, it was quite good.

[KleenexGhost]

Aquarion Evol (second half)

Character development took a nosedive. For me characters are a huge part of whether or not I get invested in a series. Plot revelations which leave important unanswered questions. If Fudo was Apollonius, why did he just sit back and let things get to the point that they did?

Sword Art Online

Pretty much same reason Frailty stated.

Zetman (adaptation)

They tried to put too much into 12 episodes and it ended up feeling rushed.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Guilty Crown yet.

[sa547]

Another -- I could write a thousand words about its faults, but let's just say -- in terms of ridiculousness by the end -- it trumped over the entire Final Destination saga... and unrequited love.

The only series that was both infuriating and laughable (and good thing I was warned beforehand about the director due to the all-out slaughter in Blood-C).

[sudolicious]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Problem is -- "Dissapointing" entirely depends on one's expectations going into the series. The series may be great for many people but make fans of the source material beat their heads on a desk.

Exactly, I doubt this thread will really offer some meaningful result. Some shows disappointed me greatly, but they're still much better than other crap that was airing. I'd be more interested in a general "worse anime of 2012" thing, but maybe that's just me.

Also, some people's choices make my head hurt..

[RWBladewing]

Hyouka for the pacing as already mentioned by others. I have a serious love/hate relationship with this series. I don't think I've ever watched another show where I really liked a character (Chitanda) and cared enough about the plot to want to know what happens, while simultaneously being so bored I wanted it to end as quickly as possible. I actually still haven't managed to finish it yet but still fully intend to. Weird.

Dog Days '. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece since the first was just silly fun entertainment for me, but this completely removed even the minor elements of plot and dramatic tension that the first had. It felt like an entire season of filler episodes.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by sudolicious

Exactly, I doubt this thread will really offer some meaningful result.

Well, I've found it informative. I'm genuinely surprised by how many people have listed SAO on this thread. I'll admit that there's some comfort in knowing that I'm far from alone in seeing certain weaknesses in SAO.

And while I largely enjoyed Rinne no Lagrange and Another, it's still interesting to see how often they've come up in this thread.

I think it's good to read substantively different opinions on shows, and sometimes threads like this one provides a good forum for those opinions to be shared.

And it's not like people are just engaging in mindless bashing - Clear, specific, calmly stated reasons are given for which anime people found disappointing in 2012.

[Marcus H.]

Votes Tally as of 11/27:

SAO - 15
Another - 9
Arcana Famiglia - 8
Eureka Seven AO - 8

Nise - 5

Hyouka - 4
K - 4
Rinne no Lagrange - 4

Brave10 - 3
HnG Can't Take My Eyes Off You - 3
Koichoco - 3
Natsuyuki Rendezvous - 3
Sakamichi Apollon - 3

BRS TV - 2
Code Breaker - 2
Girls und Panzer - 2
Jormungand S1 - 2
Kokoro Connect - 2
Little Busters! - 2
Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru: Futari no Elder - 2
Sankarea - 2

Accel World - 1
Amagami SS+ - 1
Aquarion EVOL - 1 (second half)
Dog Days S2 - 1
Gundam AGE - 1
Hagure Yuusha no Esthetica - 1
Hakuouki Reimeiroku - 1
Hiiro no Kakera - 1
Joshiraku - 1
Kamisama Hajimemashita - 1
Kill Me Baby! - 1
Kono Naka ni Hitori (ry - 1
Korezon of the Dead - 1
Kurobas - 1
Last Exile, Fam the Silver Wing - 1
Natsuiro Kiseki - 1
PapaKiki - 1
Saki: Achiga-hen - 1
Seitokai no Ichizon Lv.2 - 1
TLR Darkness - 1
Tsuritama - 1
Zetman - 1

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by papermario13689

Hayate no Gotoku - Can't Take My Eyes Off You: I'm going to toss out the fact that it's nothing like the original series, because it's not supposed to be. However, I didn't expect it to be so...mediocre. They want an element of comedy, but it's weak. They want an element of the original content, but it's completely jarring to see these new characters try and be interesting. Not terrible, but doesn't live up at all to its predecessors in any aspect (except for its opening).

It has to come down to this one, doesn't it?

Given that I rarely read manga or other source material, this one sticks out like a sore thumb, in that I've both read a good deal of the manga, and loved the previous two seasons. Expectations were pretty high for a third season, tempered only by the fact that the movie was a drastic drop in quality. This season unfortunately confirmed that this was not a fluke, but a herald of things to come.

This third season, as you point out, isn't exactly terrible, but it's a bland, pale imitation of the series' former glory. If it didn't still have all of the characters I've grown to love, I'd have probably given it the boot by now. A disappointment in the truest sense of the word.

Originally Posted by KleenexGhost

I'm surprised no one mentioned Guilty Crown yet.

I think that's mostly due to the fact that it started in 2011, and only concluded in 2012. I'd still count it as part of the year, though, since the ending of a show is paramount, and only when it's done can you judge it as a whole.

However, I would not describe it as one of 2012's most disappointing shows for one reason, and one reason alone: It let me down long before it hit its second cour. The events that unfolded in its latter half weren't disappointments to me, they were par for the course.