While I love anime and have been a fan for 38 years, there are certainly some things I don’t like. Fighting anime where they take eight episodes to resolve a conflict. Series that are so laden with classic tropes you can guess what types of characters (red-haired main character with a fiery spirit, her blue-haired childhood friend, blonde-haired rich girl who’s driven around by a chauffeur) will appear before they show up in the episode. When you can tell the exact point at which a series had its budget cut, usually after episode 5.
But rather than just talk about my own short list of pet peeves about anime, I decided to ask J-List’s Facebook and Twitter followers what things anime fans hate or weren’t happy with so I could list the major points here. So let’s see what things anime fans hate the most…
Too much fanservice/harem/moeblobs.
Yes, anime has changed a bit over the last decade and a half, with the popularity of certain kinds of stories, including moe (super cute girls designed to make male viewers feel love and protectiveness) as well as varying amount of sexy fanservice. On the other hand, we do tend to “see” more of these aspects of anime (if we’re sensitive to them) than are actually present, due to the effects of confirmation bias, for the same reason one might say “anime today is all about centaur girls” if you follow my recent Twitter posts. There are something like 60 anime series airing just this season, many of which feature no moe or fanservice at all, so you should be able to find a show without the features you don’t like.
Lack of a second season. Or, second seasons made when they shouldn’t be.
Everyone hates it when a great series like The Devil is a Part Timer or HOTD fails to get the second season they deserved. And yet, there are cases when season one was a perfectly balanced thing of beauty, only to be disrupted by a “cash grab” season season.
Dumb main characters who are surrounded by girls who love him, but he’s too dense to realize it.
Yes, this is one of the things anime fans hate. Also the “main character designed to be annoying on purpose so everyone will like the side characters more.”
Censorship to force fans to buy the Blu-rays. High cost of Blu-rays. Frustrations with streaming sites.
I’d file all of these under “bad business models anime studios can’t easily get away from.” The primary way anime studios make money in Japan is to sell Blu-rays to the loyal domestic fans that form the backbone of the industry, on whose backs we all perch. While some shows like Osomatsu-san or Kemono Friends sell tens of thousands of discs netting millions of dollars, other quality shows like Scum’s Wish sell poorly, resulting in a loss for the studio. One way to raise Blu-ray sales is to censor broadcast episodes to get fans to buy the uncensored Blu-rays. American companies like Netflix and Amazon Prime are becoming increasingly important, providing funding in exchange for exclusive streaming rights.
(The best way for you to help the anime industry is, import Blu-rays if there are shows you specifically want to support, and consider getting a streaming account to Netflix/Amazon Strike/Crunchyroll, if available in your country.)
Elitist fans who insist their opinions are the only valid ones.
Yes, it’s easy to find yourself organizing with others around a certain viewpoint, and pushing back against different groups. Anime should never be taken so seriously. If you encounter a fan who doesn’t know about anime as you, help him learn by recommending shows to watch rather than mocking his Naruto headband.
Waifuwars. Shipwars. Sub vs Dub wars.
Sometimes debates about which waifu is “best grill” or which girl will claim Kou’s heart can become quite negative. Fans should be respectful of each other’s views and make sure to have fun in any debate. “Purists” who prefer subtitles should likewise understand that many fans enjoy dubbed anime for various reasons.
Anyone who thinks because something isn’t to their taste, no one should enjoy it.
Definitely my #1 pet peeve. Anime isn’t really a single fandom, but a “big tent” that contains a lot of smaller fandom groups, who connect and have fun with each other. Having that much diversity and choice is what makes anime such an enjoyable thing to be a part of. Whenever I encounter a group that’s sometimes criticized by other fans — Bronies, Furries and kigurumi enthusiasts come to mind — I make sure to give them respect for their passion.
People who ask “what anime?” on social media even when it’s right there in the post.
Want to talk about more things anime fans hate? Visit us on Facebook or Twitter!
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