There is no such thing as dropping an anime forever. When I use the term ‘dropped’ that does not mean that’s the last I’ll see of that anime in my life. Dropping a show means that I don’t have the enthusiasm to watch this show currently and at a later date I’ll return to that anime. This later date may be the time when I’m trapped in my house my extreme snowfall with nothing other than a portable dvd player and a ‘Lucky Star’ boxset, but I will one day return and give the anime another shot. With this in mind, combined with the fact that I’m only 4 series away from ‘dropping’ 100 anime, according to my MAL account, I’ve decided that I’m going to take a look back at all those series I’ve dropped, recognise why I dropped them and evaluate when I should give them another go.
Kara no Kyoukai
Dropped After: 5 episodes
Why I dropped it: The Kara no Kyoukai movies were hugely successful in Japan and, depending on the popularity of the upcoming Broken Blade movies, might have set a trend to make anime adaptations into a series of movies. So that means popular opinion is obviously against me when I say that Kara no Kyoukai was a poorly written mess. It was as if the writers wanted to have dialogue as dull and stilted as possible and story-telling techniques that made an already confusing story practically impossible to follow. It was as if they didn’t want to actually tell a story with these movies, only referring to it grudgingly every now and then. What got me through as far as I did was the amazing animation (and I mean really fucking amazing) and the promise of an epic 5th movie. That 5th movie was no different from any of the rest. Beautifully animated but torrid writing that skirted too far away from a story for it ever to make any sense.
Rebirth Chances: Very low. If that 5th movie is honestly the best this series has to offer then, quite frankly, I’m done with this. I’ve seen most of this series and I’m just going to have to settle with the fact that I will just never really like Kara no Kyokai. It’s yet another addition to the ‘VN adaptions that I didn’t like’ heap.
Kurokami
Dropped After: 7(?) episodes
Why I dropped it: Kurokami actually had a pretty smart plot point to drive the series. Those Doppleliners were a pretty scary idea and then there was some nice action fist-fight scenes to boot. Again though, this is one of those series that has fallen into the ‘totally forgettable’ category. I have some vague memories of annoying characters and naked magical transformation sequences but nothing concrete in my mind to remind me why I didn’t like this show.
Rebirth Chances: Below Average. The reviews are pretty miserable to say the least and there doesn’t seem to be anyone out there who actually gives two shits about this show. There’s a lot of sorta-good reactions but nobody who actually thinks this is a great anime. In that sense, is there any point picking up an anime again when my final impression will be nothing more than a meh?
Kurozuka
Dropped After: 6 episodes
Why I dropped it: First things first, let me show you why I watched this show for 6 episodes.
Fucking awesome, ignoring the slightly questionable karaoke. Made by Madhouse, this was a show that was so well animated it made Death Note look like Crayon Shin-chan. However dropping Kurozuka was a bit of a defining point in my anime viewing career. If you use that silly elite pokemon master post as reference, this was the point where I decided that I turned a corner didn’t really like this deadly serious, violent and depressing stuff. I want characters I can get attached to and dialogue that flows naturally. I don’t want to watch some dude with no personality have beautifully animated swordfights. That’s just dull.
Rebirth Chances: Average. It wasn’t that bad of a show, it just wasn’t what I was looking for. I just couldn’t really care less about what happened anyone. The only positive reviews seem to come from those burned out people who only want violence and gratious sex. This came out in a season when people were going nuts over Kannagi and I’d pick Kannagi over Kurozuka any day. Damn, where is that second season of Kannagi anyway?
Le Chevalier D’Eon
Dropped After: 4 episodes
Why I dropped it: Ah, here’s another anime that’s not actually that bad, it’s just not that good. Le Chevalier D’Eon was phenomenally disjointed. A scene would last about 30 seconds before jumping to some other bunch of fancy-wigged characters and their fashionable french attire, none of which you could tell apart from one another or know what side they were on. Then there was the dialogue they actually have. One thing that really bores me in anime is the ‘bunch of girls being insufferable nice to each other’, which is why I hate yuri. It’s when Japanese courtesy is taken too far and the entire exchange is a bunch of bows and apologies. When you consider 18th century French exchanges were 10 times worse…I mean, it’s great that they kept historical accuracy but that doesn’t mean it’s interesting to watch.
Rebirth Chances: Average. I just remember being thoroughly underwhelmed by the whole experience, even if the plot was taking off when I dropped it. However there are quite a lot of connoisseurs of anime who go nuts over this. But again, this is similar to Kurozuka. If I can’t bring myself to care about any of the characters, especially when most of their dialogue consists of niceties, then it’s hard for me to summon any enthusiasm for the series overall.
Lucky Star
Dropped After: 1 episode
Why I dropped it: …this is going to require a post of its own…
::Edit:: Whoops, almost forgot the poll
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26 Comments
Wouldn’t really bother finishing the last 2 movies of Kara no Kyoukai if you hardly liked the rest. Unless of course you just wanna finish it to say you watched it.
Kurokami will be meh. I personally found it meh and always hoped it would get really awesome but that never came.
I really enjoyed Kurozuka but I wouldn’t consider myself one of those that lust for violence and sex. I just actually enjoyed the story even if it was a tad hard to follow, especially at the end.
Haven’t seen Le Chevalier D’Eon myself but I’ve heard good things about it.
LOL @ dropping lucky star at ep 1 XD Most people hated that first episode where I found that episode to be the best of the series. Nothing else in Lucky star really is like that first episode so I suppose if you NEED to watch a show that everyone seems to love, you could pick it back up again and maybe just skip that first ep this time around
I love how easily people drop things under “VN-adaptation” box. No, Kara no Kyokai is not a Visnov, even if it is the original Nasu-work. It’s 100% light novel to start, once again streaming off Nasu’s specialty in exploring underlying themes. Frankly I found a lot of the conversations beautifully meaningful once you get past its cryptic approach. Course, combination of cryptic and “subtle” means the audience has to do most of the searching rather than being fed the details.
Lol dropped Lucky Star. There’s only two good reasons for this: either (1) it’s not the way your sense of humor skews, in which case we can’t do anything or (2) you need more otaku knowledge and thus need to return to this later.
Haha, Lucky Star isn’t even a choice in the poll.
Can’t really offer any comments on the others. Watch first bit of the first Kara no Kyoukai but was bored to death with it and stopped watching. I’m with you 100% about the dialogue, and the scene-setting was dull as hell.
I tried to watch Le Chevalier D’Eon and dropped it after the first episode. I just was not impressed. My sister reassures me the manga is better.
Heh, Lucky Star isn’t in the poll. And I was going to choose that to be a jerk. I actually like Lucky Star, but I don’t see you liking it.
I loved the Kara no Kyoukai movies — although that may be because I had read a few of the light novels the series is based on beforehand. I found the dialogue and plot to be very well crafted — subtle and requiring thought, but nicely done. Animation was just spectacular. However if you didnt like the 1st 5 you won’t like the remaining 2.
Kurokami.…..oh where to start!? I stuck this out to the end in the vain hope that it would get better — it didnt. Complete waste of a pretty interesting concept and solid production values — the pacing was shambolic and the characters ‘meh’.
Kurozuka — I liked this a lot despite how shallow it is. The characters don’t really get a lot of development — its more action eyecandy than anything else.
Le Chevalier D’Eon — haven’t seen it, but plan to at some stage.
Lucky Star — I forced myself to watch it, just to say I had. Its got some fun moments and Konata is awesome, but overall its just bland moe-moe meh-ness.
I think that I’m the only person who generally liked Kurokami.
I had some of the same issues with the Kara no Kyoukai flicks as you did, but I guess I had a bit more patience with them, too, haha. The sixth one is just ass, though. Terrible movie.
Le Chevalier D’Eon is one of those classic “OK to solid first half, fantastic second half” series. I like it a lot. That’s my vote for what you should watch.
Kurozuka is an OK but ultimately frustrating series. Cool fight scenes, and I thought Kuromitsu was interesting, but that’s about it.
Kurokami sucks. In fact, that whole winter season last year blew pretty hard.
Kara no Kyoukai — I’m overall down on the series but I’m quite taken with the 5th film. It is the best of the lot and I contend that it can be appreciated as a stand alone. 6 and 7 certainly aren’t going to change your opinion anyway.
Le Chevalier D’Eon — I’m actually going to review this soon, but to address your initial grievances, the royal court exchanges are just to set up the intrigue and plot (and I wasn’t bothered by it anyway; maybe you just got some bad subs? I watched dubbed DVD). It swiftly moves into supernatural action-adventure territory a la Da Vinci Code, and I appreciate it as such. Considering how rare western historical fiction is in anime, a well made one like this is quite the gem.
Lucky Star — I could see if you were indifferent to the art-style or flat-lined on the humor, but you’re incredible distaste for it borders on absurd irrationality. Surely not as bad as you’re imagining it was.
Lucky Star hit a nerve that goes far beyond distaste for moe. It’s too long so it’s getting a post to itself and besides, it’s something I’ve been wanting to write about for a long time now. So I’ll be ignoring all Lucky Star comments until I make that post
@chii
As you can probably tell from these posts, I’m not a completist so finishing something just to say I have doesn’t fall under my repotoire of reasons to watch something
@Aorii
I didn’t know it was a light novel. It did feel a hell of a lot different to any other VN adaptations and that was something I was meant to mention but, as usual, totally forgot. However nonsensically cryptic stuff isn’t what I enjoy. You have to recognise there is a viewer and not do your own thing, which is why I could never get into Serial Experiments Lain
@ExecutiveOtaku
Actually some of the settings were quite cool in KnK. I dunno why but I kinda liked the scenes in Shiki’s bedroom.
@Janette
There’s a manga? I didn’t know that…
@Caraniel
Kurozuka is phenomenal eye-candy and that is soley what got me through that far. I kept waiting for the plot to get interesting but it never really did
@Glo
Generally liked, by your standerds, is a pretty average grade
@Shinmaru
Patience is not something I’m particularly good at…
That winter season had Hetalia, for which I will be eternally grateful, and Ride Back which…well, should have been a lot better except it’s ending was one of the biggest load of crap ever. Still, twas a good series overall
@kadian1364
Yeah the 5th could work as a standalone. You lack the Shiki development but most of that should come out through the movie anyway.
Le Chevalier is winning the poll and with no.2 being Kara no Kyoukai, which I have very little interest in touching again, that looks like it’s gonna win this time round
And yes, absurd irrationality comes into anything we strongly dislike. The more you hate something, the more reasons you find to hate it.
hey! winter 2009 wasn’t that bad! the best anime of 2009 came out then Kemono no Souja Erin
(according to me of course XD)
Lucky Star episode 1 is one of the worst episodes of anime ever made. That said, Lucky Star is one of the best series ever made. If I had been as cynical and criticizing as I am today when I watched Lucky Star, I would’ve dropped it and bashed the series as a really terrible show. Thankfully, I was naive and stupid and got past the first episode (tl;dr watch the rest!)
Seconded on KnK. Though I thought the fifth movie was okay (maybe because I was tired from four hours of shit movies beforehand)
Kurozuka is all about the style and a whole lot less about the plot. If you can try not to take it too seriously it can be a lot of fun. The episode where he hallucinates some old man who wants him to throw away his colostomy bag was just so bizarre I was absolutely enraptured by that sequence.
I have Lucky Star on my own drop/to watch list. I haven’t gotten past episode 6.
If you don’t like Kara no Kyoukai after 5 movies, you won’t like it ever. I liked it, but I agree 100% that the dialogue sucked.
The only other show on the list I watched is Lucky Star, which sucked. To be fair, the first episode is one of the more boring episodes, but not by much. Take the first episode, cut out the chocolate coronet scene, and add six or so minor characters that aren’t any more or less interesting than the original four. That’s as good as Lucky Star gets. Steer clear if you have no interest in moe.
I found Kara no Kyoukai a real mess. Like everyone has said, cuz of the dialogue. I don’t really care for ghostories too. The occult weirds me out. Lucky Star was indeed horrible. Even after the first episode… I would have probably bashed it for about 1000 words.
Le Chevalier d’Eon was one of the anime that I watched during my most impressionable stage as I was just starting to get deeper into anime. It has a rough start, but the plot does kick in somewhere in there. It really varies — for me it was the Russia arc, but it could be sooner/later.
All in all, it had enough historical references to please my inner history nerd and enough action (especially towards the end) to please my more violent side. It also helps that I tend to like political intrigue as well.
It’s different for me in the case of Le Chavelier D’Eon. I was extremely excited in the early part of the show. Everything seemed so intriguing and I was sure that it was building up for a great finale. That’s why I watched it all the way through and was disappointed.
@chii: lol I forgot Erin started that season. Then Erin was the one really bright spot that season.
The only one I got through was Chevalier. It was alright, the others lost me by the halfway point. Lucky Star is the one I can’t really be sure about, because my friends marathoned it with me as a spot-the-reference drinking game. Details are sketchy, but I believe we stopped watching halfway through and won a dog sled race instead.
@chii @Shinmaru
Erin slipped totally off my radar for some reason. I’m guessing there must have been no subbers when it started or something
@fangzhao
I’ve heard that about Lucky Star before. I have seen a few clips of what came next though and, along with reviews, they confirm my deepest darkest fears of that series
@Taka
Style Kurozuka certainly had, but that was it and it wasn’t enough to keep my interest in the series. I would never bash Kurozuka the way I do with many of these dropped anime, just look at it with a harsh critical eye
@Baka-Raptor
Again, it’s not the moe that turned me off Lucky Star. It goes right back to the shows whole premise…eh, this post is going to be difficult to write when I finally get around to it
@Poro
Interesting to finally find some alternate opinions to Kara no Kyoukai here. It’s interesting with many of these shows I’ve dropped, there are a bunch of other people out there who also didn’t like the show
@miken-chan
Yeah Chevalier is winning the poll so I’m gonna have to pick that one up, although I need to get around to starting Kobato again. I’ve been putting it off to watch Big Windup before its new season begins
@Canne
Chevalier seems to split opinion as to what are the good points to it. That’s one thing I’ve enjoyed about these posts; seeing different opinions to shows that often people won’t discuss the negative side of
@Hogart
Ah, I was watching Lucky Star the wrong way all along!
Erin was subbed sort of slowly, but it was never Mouryou no Hako levels of slow. Static-Subs was the main group working on it the whole time, and of course the whole series is on Crunchyroll now as well.
I am a real big fan of Le Chevalier D’eon. You have to be fan of period pieces, political intrigue, old fashioned espionage, moral ambiguity and dark stories to truly enjoy it. The zombies (gargoyles!) are just a bonus. The main cast all start off with their own clear moral compass and find it severely challenged or destroyed over the course of the show. I had a lot of trouble with the ending and I had to watch the show twice before I fully understood why the show ended the way it did and why characters made the choices they did.
Trust me, I know what you’re saying. Back when I watched Lucky Star, I had no idea what moe was. It neither pleased nor offended me; I was simply oblivious to it. From this moe-neutral viewpoint, I saw nothing likable about the show other than the opening sequence, the karaoke ending sequences, certain aspects of the animation, and to some degree the relatability of the “otaku” characters. Everything else ranged from weak to downright terrible. The original humor is pathetic. The parody and reference-based humor isn’t clever or well-delivered. The characters are stock and one-dimensional. It isn’t slice-of-life (I wrote a huge post about this). Long story short, Lucky Star isn’t a good show that moe ruins; it’s a bad show whose only redeeming feature is moe.
…yeah, I think I’ll also be saving it for your next post. I could go on about this for days.
To throw a little more out about Kurozuka. you do sort of get an answer to all the questions. The ending is a pretty big what the fuck though.
BUT
More importantly, the OP is a collab between Hiroshi Kyono of Mad Capsule Markets and Ryo Kawakita of Maximum the Hormone. Which explains the awesomeness. <3 MtH
There’s a manga for a lot of things. What’s more surprisingly is that it was actually licensed and released over here.
@Scamp a lot of people are afraid of it because of the 50 episode length
there were subbers all the way through just a little slow in the middle
I guess it’s up to the person. I used to surf through the internet trying to get people’s opinions about which anime is better and it got me no where. I’d get some say this type of anime is good, but I’d drop it pretty early. Some would say it sucks, but was actually good to me. There’s just certain elements people prefer on an anime than others. For me kurokami was awesome. Just my opinion.