Forum - View topicThe Worst Anime of Spring 2026
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Aerdra
Posts: 580 |
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I usually don't have much to say in "worst anime of" discussions, because there's so much anime each season and not enough time to watch it all, so I naturally tend to watch only what I like. Instead, I'll mention something else that bothered me this season: theme songs.
I always watch/listen to the OP/ED each week without skipping. In most seasons, even the "worst" theme songs were closer to "mediocre" than "bad", which makes this season notable for having three that I actually disliked: 3. "Tune Up" (ちゅーんあっぷ☆) - The Classroom of a Black Cat and a Witch I don't hate cute songs, but this one tried too hard to inject as much cuteness as possible that it felt more irritating than cute. The excessive cuteness doesn't really suit the show, either. 2. "Hikari" (光り) - Witch Hat Atelier 1. "Tada Utsukushii Noroi" (ただ美しい呪い) - Witch Hat Atelier Both songs were a pain to listen to. Literally, as in they hurt my ears. The singer goes off key several times in each song while simultaneously boosting the volume in those moments, resulting in lines that sound more like screeching than music. It's a shame, because while the anime itself is beautiful, the ending themes are like scars. |
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THE DOG CATCHER
Posts: 27 |
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I am shocked Liar game was not closer to number 1. That is the worst show of the season for me and maybe even the year. Its fan base is also just as agonizing when any critique is given. No one cares about the "game theory" when Nao is the main character embodying the very concept of stupid. The only reason I am still watching is to see how the plot bends over backwards to accommodate her and her deus ex machina Akiyama. On the other hand I am shocked to see agents of the 4 seasons. I have been enjoying that show a lot and all the trauma that comes with it.
Last edited by THE DOG CATCHER on Fri Jun 26, 2026 2:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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EmeraldSaucer
 Posts: 986 |
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Ghost Concert took the cake for worst of the season. As someone mentioned in another thread, there was a constant sense that there was some nonexistent supplementary material to fill you in on stuff that happens between episodes. It bordered on incomprehensible at points, not because anything about the show was overly complicated, but because the scene-to-scene structuring was unbelievably bad, like the anime equivalent of a Mad Lib throwing random words together in a random order. This wasn't helped by how laughably inept the show was at marrying its two divergent conceits of "spirit world where different organizations vie for territory, and also there are ghosts of historical and mythic figures" and "dystopian society caused by the proliferation of AI generated music". Though it's generous to call these the show's conceits, since for the former we have our heroine Seira randomly acquire ghosts in between episodes (again, because more things just sort of happen in the interstices of the show than in the actual show) and for the latter we learn basically nothing about this future world because our characters almost never actually inhabit it (Seira "dying" at the end of the first episode and so all her time spent either secluded in a temple or in the phantom zone)
The penultimate episode was perhaps the best example of the show consisting of things randomly happening. Like when a main character betrays the rest of the party for no particular reason and then dies for no particular reason a couple minutes later to basically never be mourned or mentioned again (only popping up in a hilariously jarring cameo the next episode) as the characters go on to effortlessly resolve the core conflict of the show with a minute-long musical number. And it capped off with a last episode that came off as someone realizing they never got around to fleshing out a thesis on the nature of AI and copyright for music, resulting in a desperate scramble to come up with any sort of coda (even if it meant basically shoving the ghost stuff off to the side while making its point, almost like the two halves didn't mesh whatsoever). At least the show was consistent in its incoherence, its last note being a random non-sequitur about going into cryosleep to fight more ghosts I guess Even on a technical level the show was mostly ugly, with some of the most laughably bad CG explosions and fire I've seen in a minute (that also make a cameo in the last episode). I really don't know what they hoped to accomplish here, besides waste Junpei Fujita's time, and I wasn't the least surprised to learn that direction and series composition were done by the same person who took up those roles for the atrocious Chaos;Child adaptation. Just a complete mess, and any future comparisons to Symphogear beyond Fujita working on both does a massive disservice to Symphogear by every measure Besides that, honorable mentions go to Hokuto no Ken and Pardon the Intrusion, I'm Home. For Hokuto no Ken, its primary issues haven't really changed since the first couple episodes - though it became increasingly more annoying just how much the few 2d cuts per episode were a crutch for their inability to do more elaborate CG rigging, thus raising the question why the show is even CG. So I will only say that it was very funny that they couldn't even last 2 cours before taking a break, meaning on top of everything else they stopped right as we get to Jagi, making the season wholly a collection of largely mediocre adventures that was the very beginning of the manga. As for Tadaoja, the characters grated (especially Satsuki, who never stopped coming across as creepy and if anything only got creepier), the ideas surrounding creatives and fans never seemed to go anywhere beyond the threadbare notes of the first episode, and while the technical baseline of the show already wasn't particularly good it only looked worse as time went on (exhibiting what I think are some of the worst tendencies of many contemporary anime in lines so thin and scratchy it seems like the show could fall apart at any moment) |
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Beatdigga
 Posts: 5182 Location: New York |
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If we were just judging dubs, Fist of the North Star belongs here. Not the show itself. It’s not Berserk level incompetent. The core story remains quite effective, although stopping just as it switches from the whole “Caine walking the Earth” setup to a more central story is annoying.
Drops of God is a particular letdown after the very well done (even if heavily altered) Apple TV show was so good. May I suggest watching Bottle Shock instead? You get a decent snobs vs slobs story and a memorable Alan Rickman performance as a British wine salesman. |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 5393 |
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I'd say this is accurate, and I'm someone who enjoys Slime. Even with that enjoyment, I will find my reaction to the villains scheming to be along the lines of, "Sure thing, buddy." The main amusement comes from what Rimuru does because you know he'll win, but even that gets mitigated when it ends up being that Raphael tells him the right answer. RAG season 5 was more of what it does. Some big MOMENT to pull your attention and then back to nothing happening. The story sometimes remembers that the other ladies that still show up in the credits exist, but mostly not. Though the real topper for me was the scene where they play the opening song to keep things peppy while it's nothing but two people texting each other. Snowball Earth is frustrating in that it has its moments where it really works and then kind of doesn't do much with them. I'd watch more if it happened, but won't be bothered about it if it doesn't. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 19163 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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A little surprised Agents of the Four Seasons wasn't higher on the list given how hard it got ragged on. While I did feel it landed its emotional aspects better than it's been given credit for, it has enough other flaws (especially never elaborating on the motivations of most of the terrorists) that I can't dispute its inclusion here too hard.
Also won't dispute Snowball's presence here, though I think it belongs here much more for its tedious pacing issues than for its artistic issues. Doubtful I'll continue with this one if more is made. Didn't think Slime s4 was bad enough to warrant its presence here, but I wasn't impressed with this season, either. The one I most feel doesn't belong here is Warrior Princess, a series I wound up liking quite a bit even if I did have a few issues with its premise. The other series on this list I didn't watch out but had anywhere from tepid to very bad initial impressions of them, so I'm not surprised by their inclusions. Among series that weren't included, I must agree that Ghost Concert is worthy of consideration because its plot is such a hot mess. Also The Strongest Job, a very mediocre isekai, was worthy but I'm assuming it got overlooked because no one bothered to watch it. |
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FireChick
 Subscriber Posts: 2775 Location: United States |
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Oh, thank God I'm not the only one who doesn't like the WHA ED themes! I'm not sure if the singer they got for these songs is the best, mainly because she always sounds like she's struggling to breathe than actually singing. I'm sure she's doing the best she can, but I really don't think she was the right fit for this. |
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Takkun4343
 Posts: 1761 Location: Englewood, Ohio |
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...Lauren does realize Liar Game first started publication in 2005, right? That said, I'm not surprised this show made it onto this season's "Worst of" list, nor am I surprised that Nao being a moron and Fukunaga being transfemme and gleefully antagonistic were the foremost criticisms on display. I had no issue with the latter - I'm practically desensitized to queer rep that's even transparently phobic at this point - but for as much as I understand what she does and why she does it, Nao is objectively tough to take as a protagonist, with the Downsizing Game being the absolute nadir of her naivete and gullibility in practice. That also said, I still liked Liar Game. Yuzo Sato and Madhouse continue to be a winning combination in the field of high-stakes gambling shows (and this being their second Kaitani joint after One Outs, too!), Akiyama is a great and entertaining deuteroganist that beautifully balances Nao out and I'm disappointed in Lauren for not even giving a backhanded namedrop, and the Contraband Game is proving interesting so far between its ensemble approach to the protag team (which makes Nao's stupider moments more sensibly smirk-worthy) and the mystery behind who this Yokoya fellow is and how his clairvoyant-esque deductions are so spot-on. I am looking forward to seeing what the second cour has to offer this summer, and at the same time desperately hope it's ignored in favor of other, worthier stinkers in next season's Worst-of list. Which brings me to the last show I watched this season, and the one I technically consider my weakest link: Rooster Fighter. It's by no means bad, but even compared to those two scenes from MARRIAGETOXIN I mentioned in the Best-of discussion, it was difficult to watch at times. Not so much as a result of the primarily-3DCG animation, but moreso the early-installment abrasiveness of its cast (episode 2 especially; Piyoko was the only likable one in that episode, but her super-high-pitched voice and having over half of all the dialogue in the second act ruined even that) and the later-installment tension regarding which characters, if any, would wind up killed off for real. spoiler[I'm so glad Morio survived dying twice, like Kohaku Inuyasha before him, but holy sh*t was I nervous about that possibility.] All in all, I can't see myself admitting to enjoying it more than other recent [adult swim] anime co-pros, Uzumaki and Lazarus in particular. It was one of their stronger and solider efforts, and I'm low-key hoping for a season 2, but one show's gotta take the spot of "Worst in Show", and per my arbitrary criteria sets, Rooster Fighter is it. Last edited by Takkun4343 on Fri Jun 26, 2026 5:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Nipasu
 Posts: 183 |
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My least favorite show was the Mistress Kanan one. God, I can't stand anybody in that show..
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MFrontier
Posts: 20109 |
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These articles always kind of interest me if only because they come off a little more like the authors' personal least favorite show of the season than shows that were actually, objectively, the worst compared to others.
In regards to the shows on here (that I watched): Rent a Girlfriend Season 5 - Yeah, honestly I can see why people started falling off the series when this arc was adapted. It was the biggest indication that none of Kazuya's character development ever mattered, the story was never really going anywhere, and the characters are frustrating with very little in the way of meaningful payoff. I would actually praise Mami, horrible as she is, because she's at least actively doing something to further the plot and her accusations towards Chizuru aren't entirely off-base. But the real Best Girl is Mini. Still, this will probably be the last season of the show I ever watch. Liar Game - Honestly I feel like this is a show that you kind of need to keep watching over time as the games get more complicated and we actually get to see Nao grow as a protagonist. The visuals aren't really anything to write home about but this is also more of a show that hinges on the mind games than anything else. Also Nao's outfit game is incredibly on-point. That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4 - I mean, the show has had a problem with antagonists turning out to be nothingburgers since the second half of season 2 with Clayman. It's always struggled with injecting serious stakes into the plot and with what the protagonists contend with. Even Hinata was basically no real challenge for Rimuru in the end. But there was more going on around Maribel and it was ultimately more to service Yuuki as an antagonist that I didn't really care that much. Snowball Earth - I'm probably biased as a fan of the manga but I don't think the 2D/CG mix was all that bad. Definitely not high-quality or seamless but it at least captures the characters, their emotions, and the actions well enough. I know Tetsuo isn't going to be anyone's favorite protagonist and Sagami kind of dominated the second half, but I think there's still a solid story there. Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring - I won't deny that the plot lays it on thick with trauma after trauma after flashback after flashback and the main conflicts and twists can come off incredibly contrived. But at the heart of it I think the emotions and characters ring through and there is an engrossing story beneath everything else, and I've become fond of the cast. So I think it did something right. The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King - I'm not doing to deny the implication of the "domesticated" lady knights who have married into Veor's people, but I feel like Serafina herself and how active she is in the action and how accepted that is stands out in regards to that issue. Not to mention when Wysteresia shows up. Otherwise I think it was a fun show with solid world building and romance. |
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fathomlessblue
 Posts: 423 Location: Manchester, UK |
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I'm genuinely surprised Warrior Princess made it on to this list, let alone so high up.
Was it a seasonal highlight: no; but I did find in it a quite relaxing and charming attempt at making something sweet out of a tired out pulp concept. As a post-work comedown experience, I appreciated quite a bit, which given how little tolerance I have for generic anime fantasy templates, says a bit. I'd never sing its praises to the heavens but it deserves better recognition that its placement here, even if the cg dragon battles suck. I dropped Agents of Spring after 6-7 episodes, but honestly the unearned melodrama was so overblown that the entire show devolved into half-lidded mush for me. As such it left so little impression on me that I largely forgot that I'd watched it. At least it reminded me that I had the same experience with Violet Evergarden after the halfway point, & that at least had far better directing & somewhat better writing. Worst show of the season that I kept up for too long was Snowball Earth. Yeah, the cg wasn't great, while the central villain turned out to be a colossal waste of time, but the thing that really drove me crazy was that it felt like 4-5 episodes worth of story dragged across an entire cour. Outside that first episode the show moves like a 00's shounen series. I'd finish every episode digesting how little had actually happened, and realizing that they could have easily condensed it with the previous one and have time to spare. You can make dumb camp into an enjoyable experience with a brisk enough pace (I mean, Code Geass, right?), but stretching things out like this only exposed how poorly-conceived most much of the show and cast was to the point it became torturous to sit through. If you want a somewhat recent mecha series that doesn't take itself too seriously, is utterly absurd, but always has boundless energy & a sense it actually enjoys what it's doing, try Back Arrow. |
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v1cious
 Posts: 6284 Location: Houston, TX |
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I agree. It's interesting that nothing this season was outright bad (minus FOTNS), just kind of mediocre. |
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killjoy_the
 Posts: 2568 |
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Until you mentioned it I had forgotten I watched this then dropped it. But I forgot I dropped Ace of Diamond and Love Game as well. Off these, I think Ace of Diamond was actually the one I disliked the most - the recycled animation for pitches and the voices were grating on me. I'm glad I read the manga instead, since I don't think it's a bad story at all Love Game was bad but also it was predictably bad. The first episode is pretty much how every other episode I watched also goes, so it's really on me rather than the show itself. It's a bit too ugly for its own good, and if it wasn't I think this could actually be a bit popular, though ultimately how repetitive it is probably is the biggest detriment Kanan is weird that there were a couple of actually funny moments in my opinion but it was a bit too often sleazy in an unfunny and unsexy way. When it was trying to do one or the other it generally did it decently enough, but ecchi comedies often screw it all up when mixing things |
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TJ_Kat
Posts: 897 Location: Saskatoon, Canada |
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Honestly, I thought the whole season was pretty mediocre. No big lows, but no real highs either. Some stuff was better than others, some stuff was worse, but nothing really stood out or became appointment viewing for me. |
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Philmister978
Posts: 536 |
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Pretty much my thoughts. I stuck with a few shows until the end, but most of them I didn't bother with. Really, I only paid attention to Botan Kamiina, Kirio Fanclub and the still ongoing Digimon Beatbreak despite its massive pacing and powerscaling issues. But that doesn't mean I don't have comments on some of these shows: Fist of the North Star The only thing really holding it back is the CGI. Though this isn't a franchise that has ever had good animation outside of the 1986 movie. Maybe some pacing issues, but that was also a problem with even the original Toei efforts. Probably should be thankful I only ever saw the sub though. Agents of the Four Seasons: I have been following this one somewhat, and even when taking the original source material into play. Everyone, both heroes and villains alike, make some pretty dumb decisions for the sake of moving the plot along. main villain Misuzu is only alive because we need conflict even though that attack on her base years ago should have killed her too. For that matter, why even need maidens when they're so easily disposable? Snowball Earth: What killed this for me was the pacing more than the CGI. I wasn't too big of the original Manga's pacing, but the anime didn't do much better in that regard. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4: You would figure that for someone who could control literally anyone, that Mariabell wouldn't try doing so with Rimiru at some point, even if as a last ditch effort to try and take control of Tempest. Would have made her a little more credible of a threat. As for shows not on the list: Killed Again, Mr. Detective: The whole thing is a mess. We're introduced to characters who motives are muddied at best and never explained at worst, the lead, Sakuya, keeps getting separated from Lilithea for extremely arbitrary reasons to the point where I have to wonder "why not target Lilithea?" And the pacing is all over the place to the point where I'm wondering if the original light novels are this bad, or if it's just an anime problem. Because a lot of issues in most adaptations usually tend to come from the original source material. But for something that doesn't have that benefit of doubt. Ghost Concert: The hell was going on with everyone involved while making this show? The visuals are cheap, which is only worsened by the even cheaper CGI. The plot makes absolutely no sense and has no resolution to really speak of (or at least one I noticed). And the whole premise breaks my mind with how it can't keep itself consistent. Oh, we have to stop an AI music program, but then spirits are somehow involved with keeping it alive. Oh, but then the main character gets kidnapped solely to be the bride of another spirit who wants to take over three worlds for seemingly no reason but for his own benefit. But then he's defeated and we get another villain affiliated with the AI who is destroyed pretty easily, while one of the protags gets brainwashed into a cult and ends up dying because she regained her sanity at the last minute. And the AI that's been hyped up to be the evil force that needs to be stopped? "I don't want to do this anymore, father". I'm barely able to comprehend anything that I'm writing, that aught to tell you how much sense I'm trying to make of the plot. I didn't even know there was an episode after that, and that only makes things worse. |
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