Not all anime deserve the hate they receive! Join us as we dive into a list of misunderstood and underappreciated anime series that got more criticism than they deserved. From mecha to romance, we'll explore why these shows are worth a second look!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the anime that got more
00:13hate than they should have.
00:22Number 10, Mobile Suit Gundam Age
00:35Mecha fans can be a picky bunch.
00:37When it was released, Gundam Age was immediately dismissed by many for having a childish-looking
00:42art style.
00:44But you should never judge a book by its cover, or a Gundam for that matter.
00:53Despite its appearance, the series addresses some fairly serious issues and has a solid
00:58story that took some risks.
01:00Its narrative structure, which features multiple generations, is quite unique as well.
01:06Gundam Age helped introduce a new generation to the franchise, and more Gundam fans is
01:11always a good thing.
01:13Besides, it gave us some of the coolest designs in recent years.
01:23Number 9, The Way of the House Husband
01:32Although fans of this gag comedy series about a yakuza-turned-stay-at-home husband were
01:36hyped for its anime adaptation at first, their excitement turned sour when they saw the animation
01:42style or lack thereof.
01:51Like some other gag manga adaptations, The Way of the House Husband features minimal
01:56animation, instead featuring more still frames than moving pictures.
02:01While many blamed the animation studio for this decision, it was in fact down to the
02:06producer.
02:07Personally, we still enjoy the comedic moments, and the lack of motion only highlights the
02:12voice acting, which is quite excellent.
02:14Besides, anyone hoping for more motion from the characters can always check out the live
02:19action version.
02:28Number 8, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's
02:39We'll admit the concept of this Yu-Gi-Oh series is objectively ridiculous.
02:43However, there's more to 5D's than just being a show about card games on motorcycles.
02:49Although some people never gave it a chance because of its silly setup, 5D's is actually
02:54one of the better Yu-Gi-Oh series.
02:56It has solid plot and character development, a downright unbeatable protagonist, and a
03:02more mature tone, at least compared to some of the others in the franchise.
03:15We're not saying it's a masterpiece, but for what it is, it's much better than it
03:19has any right to be.
03:31Number 7, Fate Stay Night
03:40The Fate franchise has a reputation for impeccable animation and great faithfulness to its source
03:45material.
03:46Now, but before Ufotable and their unlimited budget works, Fate fans had a bone to pick
03:53with Studio Deen's adaptation of the original visual novel.
03:56The original Fate Stay Night adaptation has been criticised for everything from its animation
04:02to mixing and matching story elements from the game's diverging storylines.
04:06Is it as good as it could be?
04:08No.
04:09Would we like another adaptation of the Saber route?
04:12Absolutely.
04:18But as an introduction to Fate, it still works fine, and taken on its own merits.
04:23And not as an adaptation, there are definitely worse anime out there.
04:33Number 6, Legend of the Galactic Heroes Denia Teza
04:41Based on the military space opera books, Legend of the Galactic Heroes Denia Teza is an adaptation
04:48that has drawn many comparisons to the original series of OVAs released in the 1980s and 90s.
04:55Although fans of the older anime have dismissed Denia Teza as being inferior, we'd still
05:00argue that it's still a pretty good adaptation, just in a different way.
05:09It may not delve as deeply as the OVAs, but that also makes it more digestible for casual
05:14audiences, and therefore easier to get into for new fans.
05:19Plus, it has all the same epic showdowns between Reinhard and Yang, but with modern animation.
05:29Number 5, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out
05:41Fans' anime about teasing girls tend to get a lot of backlash, just ask Nagatoro.
05:46But while that heroine's teasing got mistaken for bullying, the reaction to Uzaki-chan was
05:52more skin deep.
05:54The titular character's design had some Twitter users up in arms.
05:57How dare this series creator design a petite college girl with a large chest?
06:03One expects realistic proportions from animated characters.
06:14Those who aren't out to body shame the character design discovered that Uzaki-chan Wants to
06:19Hang Out is just a wholesome and adorable romantic comedy.
06:23Although, if anything, the controversy only made the show more popular.
06:28So while it doesn't deserve the hate, it might not have heard the show.
06:37Number 4, Fairy Tail
06:46Of the big shounen anime, Fairy Tail gets some of the most hate.
06:51Whether you think it's because the art style is too much like One Piece, there's too
06:55much fan service, or the power of friendship prevails too often, Fairy Tail is a frequent
07:01target of criticism.
07:03But on the other hand, Fairy Tail is popular for good reason.
07:06The fights are exciting and fast paced.
07:09The cast is more of an ensemble than most shounen series, with more characters getting
07:13a chance to shine.
07:17Yes, there's a lot of fan service, but at least it's equal opportunity.
07:26Plus, the soundtrack is awesome, and sure, friendship conquers all, but come on, it's
07:40shounen.
07:41Number 3, Rent-A-Girlfriend
07:54Harem rom-coms tend to be pretty divisive, and Rent-A-Girlfriend is among the most reviled
08:00in recent years.
08:02While the concept of renting a girlfriend is uncomfortable to some viewers, it's the
08:06protagonist's personality and the story's general lack of progression that seem to get
08:11most viewers up in arms.
08:13Still, the flawed characters and college setting do make for a nice change of pace from all
08:18the high school anime rom-coms, with characters who can do no wrong.
08:29We're not saying it's the best thing ever, but there is a certain amount of bandwagoning
08:33to Rent-A-Girlfriend's heat train.
08:35Plus, I love Mami, I'm sorry, okay?
08:43Number 2, Black Clover
08:52Another unfairly maligned shounen series, Black Clover is not as bad as its haters would
08:57have you believe.
08:58Admittedly, the protagonist, Asta, doesn't make the best first impression, with his frequent
09:04yelling.
09:05Asta will admit that it's a bit of a cookie-cutter shounen series, at least at first.
09:21As the series goes on, it just gets better, as does the animation.
09:25It's also delivered some of the greatest fights in anime in recent years.
09:30Yes, the series may be conventional shounen, but it takes all those tried-and-true tropes
09:35and introduces them in an entertaining package for modern audiences.
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10:00Number 1 – Sword Art Online
10:10Despite its impact on the isekai and video game anime genres, dunking on SAO is practically
10:16an intentional pastime these days.
10:18Whether anime fans are lamenting its bland, overpowered protagonist, the repetitive story
10:23beats or some of its more infamously uncomfortable moments, Sword Art Online has been picked
10:29apart in the years since it began.
10:37Yet it became so famous for good reasons too.
10:40The fights are awesome and brilliantly animated.
10:43The video game world-building is intriguing.
10:46The romance, while not the best, did get people shipping.
10:49Plus, alicization is genuinely fantastic.
10:53For better or worse, SAO changed the anime landscape going forward.
10:58You just kinda gotta ignore the haters.
11:07Is there an anime everyone hates that you love?
11:10Let us know in those comments below.