Popular anime you just don't like.

[doug19992000]

Have you ever read/heard of an anime that a lot of people liked, and when you watched it. You really couldn't bring yourself to like said series or movie. Feel free to discuss any such anime in this thread.

One series I found myself not liking was Excel Saga. Most of the time I see this show discussed in forums, people are saying how funny it is. I found the series overall to be dull. There was moments that were funny, so it is not like I didn't get the humor. The show just seemed to repeat the same jokes again and again, which got old quickly. Then there is the main character Excel who I found to be irritating. Series could have been a little bit more bearable if she wasn't running around like an overactive nut for most of the time.

[d.yaro]

^ Yeah, Excel Saga was one that wore thin on me too. After about a hand full of episodes it got to be a chore to watch the series. I unloaded the DVDs before I left for Japan.

A similar case for me is Gintama. I did enjoy it...in small doses. But once the episode count got into triple figures I realized I didn't have the energy or patience to keep up with it.

As for something which is popular but I can't stand...that's a tough one. I suppose the series which comes closest to fitting that bill for me is Naruto. I've dabbled a little bit in the series and it hasn't really grabbed me. My overall reaction has been a respectful "It's nice that all sorts of people are really into this series". That's it.

[doug19992000]

I feel the same way about Naruto, that and Bleach. I can watch the occasional episode on Toonami, but I couldn't be bothered to stay up to date with either series.

[Psycho 101]

I find myself thinking that way about most Shonen Jump shows. I like them, but can only watch a handful of episodes at a time. Dragonball/Z, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and Gintama are shows I like, But just in small doses. I can only watch the equivalent of say 1 4-5 episode dvd at a time and then I need a break.

As for Excel.....I just never really got into it. it had funny EPISODES but was not truly funny itself. Much like Friends IMO. Funny episodes or bits...but overall not funny itself week in and week out.

As for me popular anime i don't like.....FLCL. For the ever living 9th circle of hell I just cannot stand or watch that show. I find it humorless and just annoying. I know EVERYONE freaking loves it but I just...no. I would rather drink a 6-pack of Bud Lite. those who know me know exactly the severity of that comment.

[freezespell]

For me, one anime that never really connected with me was One Piece. Yeah, I'm somewhat of a Shonen Jump fanboy, mainly because the majority of my favorite series just happen to be Shonen Jump anime, but I never really could get into One Piece. In my opinion, that story has gone on for way too long and there are way too many episodes for me to start watching from start to finish. Yeah, there are other long-running franchises out there like Dragonball, Naruto, and Bleach, but One Piece has them all beat by total number of episodes. One Piece even has The Simpsons beat by almost 100 episodes!

One Piece: 629
The Simpsons: 540
(as of January 24, 2014)

For it to have such a long run is impressive and it's definitely no easy feat to accomplish, but there are more accessible anime and manga worth my time and money than One Piece.

[Soul Tsukino]

The Count of Monty Cristo.


I got part of this series years ago from Bamboo and she raved about how great it was but I could not stand it. A bunch of rich snobs bitching about how much their lives suck. I wanted every character on that show to die except for ONE guy. The art was very flat and the "paste into selection" style for capes, hoods and stuff was awful. And what the hell was the point of the giant CGI battle suits? So, that was a pass.

[Hattie]

^ Ah, I'm surprised Bamboo liked it! For me the book is very special, but I thought the anime adaption was a total hack-job. Like you said, it really does an excellent job of making you hate the characters. I think they were trying to make you see things from another POV, but it was a mega fail. I do love the art direction, though – but none of the usual GONZO garbage CGI.

I'll also second One Piece and Bleach. I've tried to get into One Piece, I swear. I don't hate it at all, and I respect that it's hugely popular and that the artist wants to make it his one epic masterpiece by placing in every possible idea in there, etc., but I just don't get it. Sorry, rest of the world!

As for Bleach, I loved reading the manga for the first five volumes. After that, the story seemed so stupid for some reason; it's been a long time. I don't think Kubo can compose a page layout to save his life – which is rather sad, because his art is actually gorgeous on its own. Since this is an anime thread, I guess I'll mention that the anime became unwatchable simply because it's a typical shounen adaption... terrible pacing and animation (Kubo's style doesn't translate well, it seems).