Forum - View topicUnpopular anime opinions.
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BodaciousSpacePirate
 Subscriber Posts: 3017 |
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I've amassed a whole bunch of these over the past fifteen years.
-I think that if Sasami: Magical Girls Club had come out just a few years later, it would be considered an anime classic. It was a magical girl show where almost every problem was resolved without fighting, and the Funimation dub was amazing (the five main characters were voiced by the women who voiced Index + the 4 Railgun girls). Unfortunately, it was a moe show that aired years before K-On really established an American audience for shows about cute girls with low self-esteem eating cake after school with their hopelessly-single club adviser. Anime New Network's reviewer said the first season's biggest problem was lack of "panty shots" of the fifth-grade protagonist, then turned around and called its pastoral, full-orchestra soundtrack "vulgar and unnecessary" for a magical girl series. -I've seen over 500 episodes of Gundam, plus 10 of the films. Soldiers of Sorrow is my favorite Gundam film, but if I was forced at gunpoint to rewatch any single Gundam series, I'd pick Gundam Wing without any hesitation whatsoever. (For the uninitiated, a lot of English-speaking fans believe that Gundam Wing almost ruined the franchise... mostly because it was the first Gundam show with shoujo elements). -I think that Devilman is Go Nagai's best manga, and Clover is CLAMP's best manga. -Future Diary is the most awful anime I've ever watched in its entirety. -I like Kazuo Yamazaki's film adaptation of Mamoru Nagano's Destiny Three Fates: Lachesis so much, I imported it. Twice. It's not the most coherent movie ever made, but it is a beautiful adaptation of the manga. -It's not that big a deal, but compared to most of Funimation's recent work, Cowboy Bebop's English dub is pretty bad. Go pop "Ballad of Fallen Angels" into your DVD player. It's not as good as we remember. -Okay, not to kick a yandere while she's down, but the Future Diary OVA was way worse than the show's original ending. Finally, the big one: -Madoka is a good show, and I can't think of anything about it that was particularly bad. However, I could name at least a dozen visually-distinct graphic novels from the 1980s that dealt with similar themes in similar ways, but had smarter dialogue and better pacing. I don't understand why its such a universally beloved show. |
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5120 |
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^
You're right -- that is an unpopular opinion! 
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BodaciousSpacePirate
Subscriber Posts: 3017 |
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I remember being very impressed in 2000, back when English dubs still pronounced "Gundam" as "Gun-damn", and it was perfectly normal for non-comedic characters to deliver a line like
in a super-serious tone. Anime dialogue - especially dialogue that is intended to demonstrate tension between characters - is much less hammy in contemporary English dubs. I don't have any problems with Cowboy Bebop's dub until "Ballad of Fallen Angels", when Spike encounters characters from his mysterious past. A lot happens in this episode, and the show doesn't have very much time to establish Spike's relationships with people he hasn't seen for years. Steve Blum and the other voice actors have just a few short scenes to establish the tone of these relationships: the pain, sorrow, and regret that has made Spike the man he is when we first see him in "Asteroid Blues." Meanwhile, Wendee Lee is on comic relief duty; the joke is that, like always, she's bitten off more than she can chew. In order to pull this off, her scenes need to convey the campyness of Cowboy Bebop... a show where Faye goes from working at a casino to running out of gas in her spaceship to getting held hostage by mobsters in three episodes, but you're never supposed to feel like she's in any actual danger. After all, Cowboy Bebop is a show where the female lead is constantly trying to prove she's smarter than the dog. Steve Blum and Wendee Lee are excellent in "Ballad of Fallen Angels." For the record, Beau Billingslea's Jet is also great. The problem lies with some of the other voice acting. I don't want to single anyone out, because everyone is still working in the industry, but some scenes are unintentionally funny, and some scenes are supposed to be funny but are instead played straight. The most obvious example to me is the scene where Faye is captured by the mobsters. It's supposed to be ridiculous, because in hindsight, there's no way she could have pulled her plan off. It's supposed to be funny that the boys have to come to Faye's rescue, because no matter how tough she acts, she's still essentially confined by the limitations the noir genre places on female characters. Unfortunately, there's something off about either this scene's translation or the delivery of the lines. As a result, when Faye calls the Bebop later on, asking for help, and Jet says he isn't going to save her, he doesn't seem like the grumpy but ultimately noble ex-cop we're used to, who expects people to clean up the messes they make for themselves. He seems like a dick, because Faye is in real trouble. |
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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Maybe because a lot of people don't read graphic novels and can only react to those works that are selected for an anime adaptation? Why do so many people think that watching anime by definition implies reading manga, playing eroge, or reading graphic novels? I doubt I'm the only person here who enjoys watching animated material but has little taste for the equivalent printed materials. |
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BodaciousSpacePirate
Subscriber Posts: 3017 |
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That's true, and if you restrict your view to just animated tv shows, then Madoka offers a mixture of Lovecraftian horror, costumed super-heroics, and philosophy that is not usually found within the medium. However, a lot of people like costumed superhero stories, regardless of medium. They don't care whether the story is presented in an American comic book, a Hollywood blockbuster, or a Japanese television show. I know a lot of people like this personally, because I have a lot of nerdy friends. I also know a lot of people who like philosophical stories, because I have a Masters in philosophy, and I know a lot of people who like Lovecraftian horror stories, because once again, I have a lot of nerdy friends. When those people ask me: "What kind of television show is Madoka?", I usually tell them that it is a philosophical superhero story from Japan that is set in a Lovecraftian world. Assuming they don't shake their head and walk away, they usually ask me: "Well, that sounds like something I'd like, but I'm not a huge anime guy/gal/person. Do you think I should watch it?" I usually end up telling them, "probably not, watch ____ instead." I think that if you're the sort of person who is interested in superheros, or Lovecraftian horror, or philosophy, or even a mixture of the three, there are many other, better options. I think that if you've consumed a lot of superhero/Lovecraftian/philosophical media but are apathetic about anime, then you won't find Madoka particularly exceptional. I think that Madoka's biggest appeal is that it is an anime, and anime has never really done the specific combination of things that Madoka tries to do as well as Madoka... but - and this is just my own unpopular opinion - I don't think that makes Madoka one of the best anime ever made. |
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louis6578
 Posts: 1861 |
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I'd have to agree. The OVA basically "rewards" the two MCs for all their "hard work" despite how terrible and evil they truly are.
Erm... maybe it's best that we just accept this as a very subjective opinion. I rewatch Ballad of Fallen Angels almost all the time and find that it's even better upon rewatch. Plus the dub surpasses a lot of Funimation's current dubs and Bang Zoom's recent stuff as well. Let's just accept that this is a place for unpopular opinions and be done with it. |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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^ I haven't seen the OVA. (I don't think Funimation got it when they licensed the show.) You wanna know the worst part? That was how the manga ended. I'm just gonna take the TV ending, where Yuki gets to be alone FOREVER! MUAHAHAHA!
Seriously though, I can never hate Future Diary. It's just so stupid and over-the-top insane that I can only look back with happy thoughts. Also, it had a kick-ass opening theme song, so it wasn't all that awful an experience. This anime actually introduced me to Yousei Teikoku. Love them! To bring up the issue of the Cowboy Bebop dub, I thought it was great! It's definitely one of those things that deserves a lot of respect, since this dub proved that anime could sound good in English during a time when decent dubs were a minority. You don't have to enjoy it, but it's still important for how it impacted English dubs in anime. Also, Yoko Kanno said that she liked Steve Blum's Spike more than Koichi Yamadera's. Just a fun fact. |
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louis6578
Posts: 1861 |
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I know that was how the manga ended. Believe it or not, I was one of those impatient guys who couldn't wait for the next episode and winded up reading the manga of Future Diary instead. I can never hate Future Diary either, but you know what I can hate? I know plenty of fans who view it as genuinely compelling, thought-provoking, psychological analysis of every character. It angers me that some of my IRL friends view it as such. Back on topic, I have another one. Bubblegum Crisis has one of the best English Dubs of the pre-2000s. It's surprisingly good for its time, and I'd say it gets a B- by today's standards. |
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guildmaster
 Posts: 355 Location: Hot & Humid FL |
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I don't hate Mushishi, but I'm not overly partial to it either. It's not not episodic nature of the series, but rather the animation style that doesn't catch on with me. It is similar to Eden of the East, which again is so-so AFAIAC. On the positive, side of things, I will state that it is one of only two anime series (the other being R.O.D) that has an opening soundtrack that I like. Just about every other anime series that I have ever watched has not only a poor soundtrack, but an extremely annoying one at that. The same goes for ending soundtracks, most are abhorrent, and are nothing more than noise pollution, but a very few are good. But that's another unpopular opinion. Ok the only decent ones (endings) I have come across are Spice and Wolf (OK), School Rumble (catchy, even my wife likes it), and Burst Angel (very nice). |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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^ Care to elaborate on WHY most anime openings and ending theme songs bother you? All of your complaints are some variation on the word "annoying", but you don't even care to go in depth. That's the problem with most of the posts on this web. I don't care if you like or dislike something, but if you don't back yourself up or explain yourself in a rational manner, then I'm not going to take you seriously until you do.
I can name about fifty anime openings I've enjoyed and twenty ending credit songs I liked. I've only ever found myself skipping a few when watching. (The dub opening of Ouran was ruined by having a bad singer, and the Trigun ending theme was unbearable. Bleh.) |
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guildmaster
Posts: 355 Location: Hot & Humid FL |
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It's primarily the music genre that puts me off. I cannot stand j-pop, k-pop, etc and whiny anime voices. I cannot tolerate rap and most country music either, and what currently passes off as music on American top 40-pop outlets is almost as bad. It's not even the language, because Burst Angel and School Rumble's ending songs are in Japanese and they are both pleasant to listen to. By the way, the opening songs of both of those are as bad as the the endings are good. I know these are all initially written for Japanese audiences, and that's why most are in Japanese and are j-pop, (and most dubs of opening and ending sings are equally bad and use the same "music") but that does not mean I have to like them. It's been two years since I saw Trigun, so I might have to watch an episode of that to refresh my memory, but at best its probably tolerable, or forgettable. It's a good thing the DVD / BRD player has the >>| button. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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^
I've heard plenty of J-pop and J-rock songs that are actually good in their own right. Sounds like you just blindly hate those genres rather than giving them a chance. And heck, there are so many great anime openings and closings that aren't J-pop or J-rock that it should be easy to find songs you like. You know, you really come across as an old fogey, and I just cannot take you seriously. I recommend that you listen to Hope Chapman's The Set List column to hear some good OPs and EDs. |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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I'm with dtm42 on this one. You just sound like an old man who yells at kids to get off his lawn, then mutters about how everything was just so much better back in the old days. And for the record, from what little I saw of School Rumble (because my commitment skills are non-existent) I liked BOTH songs. The first opening I felt was more big-band like than J-poppy. Which reminds me...I really have to try and see that one all the way through this summer...
Ah? An unpopular opinion? Well... ...I don't like Taiga Fujimura from the first Fate stay Night anime. I don't hate her, but I really dislike her. She's not funny, she serves no purpose story-wise, and she's just really grating on my nerves. There's almost nothing to like about her! It's worse because Julie Ann Taylor plays her in the dub, and she's a really good actress! It's just that her character is comic relief that isn't funny. Granted, she's not as annoying as Lilie from Princess Tutu (God, I hate Lilie), but I still don't like Fujimura. -_-' |
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justsomeaccount
 Posts: 471 |
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^ To be honest, I don't think that's an unpopular opinion at all, I don't know anybody who likes Taiga (me neither), actually I think it's a more unpopular opinion to hate Lillie from Princess Tutu (who I like and found funny)
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18179 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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^
Agreed with justsomeaccount on both points. Normally characters like Lillie do irritate me, but she didn't. And in terms of unpopular anime opinions (at least by the standards of this site): Yurikuma Arashi is so enamored with symbolism that it makes itself inscrutable to anyone who isn't similarly enamored. It also an intellectual exercise rather than an actual work of entertainment. |
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