Again inspired by Phoenix’s series of posts. My manga version is here.

I start a lot more anime than I do manga, due to reasons like doing mostly anime watching challenges but not manga reading challenges, plus the fact my entire anime consumption was structured around the “try basically everything as part of the seasonal format” idea for a good 5 years, so I have currently 154 anime on my drop list. These anime fit into one or more of these categories:

It was Tedious to Watch

This note, for Hakumei and Mikochi, explains what this category is about: “I kept comparing this to Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou, with this one being in the negative. After forcing myself through 2 of the allotted episodes, I had to go and do something else to remind myself that I shouldn’t have to force myself to watch things just because they’re behind paywalls – the important thing is you have fun and I was just being kinda apathetic to it.”

Examples:

• Hakumei and Mikochi
• Katekyo Hitman Reborn: I liked the series and fell head-over-heels for Hibari…but then one day I lost my love for him and never looked back, so even trying to watch the anime was tedious.
• Onsen Yousei Hakone-chan

Too Much WTH

The same thing as the manga post: I’m easily pleased, for the most part, so something that stands out negatively in a medium known for being sensationalist is…bad, to put it lightly. Also includes It’s Just Not Funny.

Examples:

• Thunderbolt Fantasy: Taiwanese puppets by Gen Urobuchi??? For a medium which is predicated on the fact it is (mostly) Japanese???

Sidenote: Thunderbolt Fantasy actively caught my ire because my parents consume more live-action wuxia and the Chinese equivalent to jidaigeki than I do, so even though I wanted to like it (those sword powers are pretty cool, according to my notes), it was basically at odds with why I got into anime in the first place.

• Machikado Mazoku: Even though I tend to fall hook, line and sinker for basically any magical girl anime in existence, I just didn’t laugh for most of what I sampled and the rest of it was behind a paywall.
• Rinshi! Ekoda-chan: Extremely experimental and only 15% actual anime…

Not My Niche

Following on from those two categories are anime I admit may be beloved by others, but not me, because I don’t have the sensibilities of said “others” (not including humour, which is covered by the previous category). Includes Too Much Ecchi and Pandering to the Yuri Fanbase (When You Probably Shouldn’t).

Examples:

• Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku: The protagonist forced the yuri gaze on to the audience.
• Marchen Madchen: It has fanservice, but it also makes me sad. That’s because it was the last work of the author before they passed away, plus it was a metaphorical trainwreck.
• Mushoku Tensei: Two words: “Horny baby”. Well, not just the horny baby, but that’s the only really SFW reason I can give, haha.

It Actually Sucked

Similar to the manga post: In a medium as big as anime, there are duds. Lots of duds.

Examples:

• Heybot: The note explains everything: “I was so ashamed of watching this when it first aired, I decided to not document it…until it became ANN’s target for jokes. So, you win, stupid booger fight. Be happy I didn’t give you a zero.”
• GET UP! GET LIVE! #Geragera: The top ranker for one of my seasonal lists…ends up a stinker. That’s because this was clearly for their established fanbase, to the point they tell you to check out their website for more.
• Dynamic Chord: Never has the euphemistic phrase “beating the meat” been a threat until now… *shudders* (<- exaggerating a bit, but watching it is like watching a trainwreck in motion) (For context: In a scene in episode 1 where the drummer is…well, drumming, the animation is so bad, I’ve nicknamed it “beating the meat”, because it looks like he is…uh…)

I Didn’t Care

I dropped some anime after forgetting where I was at, regardless of the legality of the content. Then again, this is anime versus my ability to find it and Funimation took away a perfectly good sublicensor, so I’m more willing to go back to the high seas now…

Examples:

• The various Pokemon entries that make up most of the end of my drop list
• Kimba the White Lion/Jungle Taitei
• Chikyuu Bouei Kigyou Dai-Guard: According to my notes from watching an episode of it with the anime club: “The reason I dropped this? There were a bunch of people witnessing the robot moving, but then suddenly they were holding boxes! Not sure if that was my fault for not paying attention or an actual animation error, but I’ll take it to be the former until I can watch the show again.”

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Not surprisingly, I copy-pasted content between the two posts and they worked just fine.