If there’s one thing this blogging journey has taught me, is that I’m weirder than I thought. I’m definitely not the “average” MAL user. Not only am I a completely different demographic in almost every respect, but I find the ratings baffling. I don’t often agree with them, even though they’re normalized over thousands of viewers, but I also am too close to them to be an outlier or contrarian.
Often when I see someone begin an anime discussion with: ” unpopular opinion” or “controversial take”, they go on to say something that sounds like a really obvious statement of fact to me. Inversely, I have chats with anime lovers where they seem to take all these notions for granted and I’m left wondering which one of us is insane… (It’s usually both…)
In all my time on WordPress, I’ve met a lot of lovely people who I’ve shared some interests with but so far I don’t really know anyone who I can say has similar tastes to mine. We share a couple of titles in common but that’s about it. Boy, this has been a long walk to get to nowhere in particular. If you got weird tastes and everyone is constantly questioning them, I sympathize!
This means that like me, you’ve probably gathered a collection of shows you love while most people were significantly less impressed.
By the way, you are seeing this post as it unfolds. As I write this, I have not yet gone to see which of my favorite animes are maligned by the masses, so we are going to discover them together. There may be some swearing and unladylike bitterness. Should be fun! (I guess pretty boy shows galore – general viewers hate pretty boy shows)
In no particular order:
***I’m using AniList scores for this.
5 .World Conquest Zvezda Plot
I recently discovered and delighted in this little show, and was flabbergasted by how unpopular it was. Not only did no one watch it, but those that did were not exactly smitten. I scored this at what I thought was a conservative 8.7, although on pure personal enjoyment it would have been higher yet the average AniList score is a pitiful 6.8. I still can’t understand this….
4. Black Butler II
Ok so this one comes as no surprise. I think I’m the only person I know that loved the second season of Black Butler. Come at me! I’ve heard them all. This said the average score for this is 6.7 (only 1% lower than Zvezda) which is rather surprising considering the unbridled hate the mere mention of this show elicits in people.
Again, I love Black Butler II. I’m not ashamed…much…
3. Humanity Has Declined
Humanity has declined was one of my favourite shows that I watched last year. I went on and on about it and I still love it. I can see the problems with certain plot elements and like any highly stylized and allegorical work, enjoyment is highly subjective. However, to me, it was close to perfect. Admittedly, a lot of people enjoyed this, at least when compared to the two previous shows. Still, it stands at a modest 7.7. A noticeable gap when compared to my own experience.
This made the list because one of my close friends, who I generally have very similar tastes with, dropped this after the first episode saying it was unbearable… It made me sad. I pretended it didn’t though.
2. Anime-Gataris
I dunno guys. To me this show was a harmless tongue in cheek take on your standard school slice of life/cute girl anime. It was rather hit or miss but it did hit on several occasions which is more than I can say for a lot of similar series. But man do that masses disagree.
At an average 6.2 score, it’s the lowest rated show on this list. (Scores sort of average out with so many users, but anything below 6.5 should be considered physically painful to watch!) I mean I can see where this show failed, I just can’t see why it failed harder than so many others I consider barely watchable.
Honorable mentions
91 Days
A lot of people did in fact enjoy this show but the more general reception was mixed. I adored the slow burn, classic crime drama feel of the series. The production was uneven but did wonders with a restrained budget and the execution stayed true to itself to the very last seconds. It remains a very unique anime experience and for that alone, it deserves better than the mediocre 7.5 rating is has. In my opinion
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
My recent post on the subject enlightened my to just how mixed the reception of this anime was. Although I understand why some people enjoyed it less, I’m still surprised. Especially considering that a lot of the complaints can be applied to some classically beloved series. It currently stands at 7.1 tying it with A Sister’s All you Need and the very controversial Darling and the Franxx. Why did I choose those particular shows for comparison? I have no idea…
1. Yuru Yuri
Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Well I didn’t…. The hecks guys… Yuru Yuri is my favourite cgdct show. I really loved it a lot and would watch another season anytime. Like right now! When I look at my list, I see that cute girl shows seem to average out a bit higher than most other shows I watch so I figured I would be one with the people for once… (Lots of people love Steins Gate like I do…)
Nope: 7.4. Sure it’s not *bad* but it’s hardly great. And this show is great. You should watch it. Then rate it real high to even out the curb!
Wait, why is there not a single cute boy show on this list? I smell shenanigans.
I’m sure we’ve all been there. Going about our lives believing in the absolute truth that our favorite show is universally beloved and then grim reality sets in. It’s ok. You can tell me all about it. I won’t laugh at you.
