10 most disliked anime adaptations, ranked

Most disliked anime adaptations often spark passionate discussions among fans, all adaptations manage to strike the right chord with fans, and some find themselves on the receiving end of widespread criticism.

From omitted story arcs to underdeveloped characters, we unravel the reasons behind these adaptations' fall from grace and examine how they failed to capture the essence of their manga originals. Here is a list of the ten most disliked anime adaptions exploring why they failed to resonate with audiences and how they differ from their manga originals.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion and is ranked in descending order.

Grantz, Berserk (2016), Seven Deadly Sins, and others are among the most disliked anime adaptations

10) Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online (Image via A-1 Pictures)

Sword Art Online started as an intriguing series that took the viewers into a life-death game where players died both virtually and in reality when they died in the game.

The series was off to a good start, especially with the acclaimed Aincrad arc, but other arcs in the series received flak for the slow pacing, overpowered protagonists, and extremely undeveloped side characters. Later arcs like ALO failed to depict an efficient conflict and were accused of over-emphasizing the harem-genre aspect.

Although Sword Art Online has been successful, many viewers think that at its core it failed to meet the expectations of fans, thus the show had a rather rocky reception, making it one of the most disliked anime for some of them. Although the series seemed to be successful, many critics regard it as an example of how the franchise could have been ruined and was inconsistent at best.

9) Bokurano

Bokurano by Mohiro Kitoh is a story about a group of children who take up the responsibility of piloting a giant robot to defend Earth but face a grim future. However, it became apparent when watching the anime that numerous aspects of the plot had been toned down or even changed completely in terms of the narrative, lessening the drastic nature of the original story.

Shifts in the character arcs and compass shifts in the setting removed the personal impact and the ethical spectrum that the manga offered. Many viewers who enjoyed the show because of its dark and violently depressive theme were rather let down by the anime adaptation that toned it down, making it among the most disliked anime.

8) Tokyo Ghoul √A

Tokyo Ghoul √A was expected to be the sequel that would go down the same path as the first one, expanding the grim and intricate universe of the author Sui Ishida. Instead, it decided to deviate greatly from the manga and create plotlines exclusive to the anime that only generated confusion and annoyance among the target audience.

Sadly, the anime failed to deliver new dynamics of the plot and the characters that are seen in the manga; the storyline became messy and unfulfilling, which made it one of the most disliked anime. The main aspects of the manga have been changed or removed; some viewers of the anime were left dissatisfied with a weak adaptation and lack of deep coverage of the work, which makes it one of the most disliked anime.

7) Berserk (2016)

Berserk -2016 ( Image via GEMBA, Millepensee, Liden Films)

Berserk by Kentaro Miura is loved for the plot, which reveals layers in itself, and characters with complex histories and full-bodied images. While the 2016 anime adaptation steered away from the source material, becoming far more light-hearted and having many comedic moments it was criticized for having CGI animation, which failed to match the grimy, dark style of the manga making it one of the most disliked anime.

While previous adaptations of the source material were seen as fairly accurate adaptations, this adaptation is closer to being a prolonged synopsis leaving out major plot points and character developments. For the most part, fans got particularly annoyed with the show’s failure to capture the essence of the manga, all due to the painful animation and simplistic action scenes that downplayed the manga’s intense emotionality.

6) The Flowers of Evil

Shuzo Oshimi's The Flowers of Evil can be defined as a psychological drama that raises the curtain on people’s evil inclinations and appetites hidden deep down inside themselves. The anime adaptation decided to make roto-scoping, which entails drawing over filmed footage, and it led to a jarring look that turned plenty of people off.

However, despite the manga’s ability to convey the essence of the setting and the events, the anime, becoming too slow and experimental, could not provide the same appeal. The complexities of the character portrayals and the exploration of the psyche of the manga’s characters were not well executed and underwent criticisms and dissatisfaction from the intended audience making it one of the most disliked anime.

5) Seven Deadly Sins

Seven Deadly Sins (Image via Deen Studio)

Seven Deadly Sins quickly received a warm welcome with colorful graphics and easy-on-the-eyes protagonists. Nonetheless, newer seasons, particularly the third season, were not as smoothly animated as the first two seasons because a new studio had been selected. Among the main problems found in the series include poorly animated fighting scenes, irregular character appearances, and plot development.

The anime was an injustice to the manga particularly the scenes of battles and the development of character complexity. In the manga, the narrative experienced similar transformations and saw considerable dissatisfaction among the fans of the work of Nakaba Suzuki as the author, making it one of the most disliked anime adaptions.

4) Deadman Wonderland

Deadman Wonderland (Image via Image via Manglobe)

Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou made Deadman Wonderland a great start by displaying the grim atmosphere the manga is famous for. But one notable problem was the anime adaptation – it was rather slow-paced and tended to tell only half of the story. The series was canceled halfway through its run, after only 12 episodes aired, and many storylines remained open, while some characters remained rather shallow and under-searched.

Some of the skills and mobilities in the manga were considerably reduced or excluded, which denied the fans a more profound interpretation of the anime. That means where there would have been a season-ending the show, the audiences felt short-changed. All these made it one of the most disliked anime.

3) Gantz

Gantz from the onset had all the attributes of an engaging anime with a visceral and bloody storyline based on a manga by Hiroya Oku. However, the anime function does not reflect the compelling storyline and blooming of the characters seen in the manga.

Certain aspects of the plot and character developments were changed or excluded, and the show ended with a few anime-only scenes that were not properly developed and gave audiences more of a feel of a last episode than a series finale. Viewers were most dissatisfied with the anime‘s lack of insight into the profound philosophical issues and ethical issues of the manga, which were reduced to nothing, making it one of the most disliked anime.

2) Rosario + Vampire

Despite the interesting concept of “supernatural schoolgirl romance” and endearing characters, Rosario + Vampire could have been a good anime. Regrettably, the anime was filled with too many elements of fanservice than the progression of the actual story, and a lot more different than the manga piece of work of Akihisa Ikeda.

While the manga went for darker subjects and more complex plots, the anime tried to go for more light and hilarity with a side order of excess harem comedy. Because of this shift toward evolving the series, major characters and important story arcs received inadequate development, which made fans disappointed because of the unfaithfulness of the anime adaptation and making it one of the most disliked anime.

1) The Promised Neverland season 2

The Promised Neverland Season 2 (Image via Clover Works)

The original series was a psychological thriller with twists and the first season of The Promised Neverland proved to be an almost perfect adaptation of Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu manga. But season 2 was a reversal of the previous one, which accelerated the most important storylines and omitted some characters and events, making it one of the most disliked anime adaptions.

The anime left out many story arcs, for example, the Goldy Pond arc, which was very important for both establishing characters and the setting. This led to inconsistency in the narration, cramming, and incomplete storytelling. The hasty conclusion was rather anticlimax compared to the well-thought-out plot in the manga, leading the viewers to be disillusioned by the anime.

To conclude

While some adaptations retain the feel of the manga they are based on, others fail to present what made the manga so popular in the first place, making them one of the most disliked anime adaptations. The ten most disliked anime adaptations mentioned in this article are examples of the message, to convey the message about the preservation of the essence of a story and avoiding watering down its core aspects.

So in light of the fans’ demands for that good manga adaptation, one can only sit and wish that future animations will try to avoid the sins of the past – to try to respect the manga on which they were based, and at the same time, to try and use everything the anime format has to offer, which the previous instances failed to do.

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