5 fantasy anime with worse animation than The Beginning After the End (& 5 with much better animation)

With the recent premiere of Studio A-Cat's fantasy anime, The Beginning After the End, in spring 2025, fans have expressed their outrage at the quality of the animation. While the manhwa was highly liked and the anime adaptation was highly anticipated, the finished product disappointed the community immensely. The anime's poor animation quality was even claimed as a "slideshow presentation" by many.

While Studio A-Cat was heavily criticized by the fans for the poor quality of animation, this is not the first time the fandom was disappointed with a lack of polish in the finished product. Similar to The Beginning After the End, several anime have suffered criticism, while some other fantasy anime have shown an animation quality that was heavily praised and enjoyed by the fans.

Disclaimer: This article solely reflects the author's opinions.

---

Berserk, Pupa, and 3 other fantasy anime with worse animation than The Beginning After the End

1) Berserk

Berserk severely disappointed the fans by having one of the worst fantasy anime animations (Image via Gemba)

Sharing a similar story of lost potential, Berserk by Gemba probably has a worse animation quality than The Beginning After the End. While the storylines and the manga for both series were highly praised and anticipated by the fans. However, when the fantasy anime adaptation was revealed, both were heavily disappointing and left the fandom enraged for ruining the series.

Berserk's 2016 anime adaptation showed disappointing 3D CGI, stiff animations, and poor camera angle choices. Even some of the anime characters were very poorly designed and illustrated, making them appear as mannequins more than anything. While Berserk's manga is considered legendary by the fandom, the anime adaptation ruined the series.

---

2) Kemurikusa

Kemurikusa has worse animation than The Beginning After the End fantasy anime (Image via Yaoyorozu)

Released in 2019 by Yaoyorozu, Kemurikusa has one of the most rushed and unprofessional polishes as an anime adaptation, even worse than The Beginning After the End fantasy anime. The first episode of the anime showed jagged frame rates, full CGI, and a 3D feel. Moreover, the simplistic and minimally detailed background and character models did not help.

The faces of the characters from Kemurikusa barely showed any expressions, and mostly repeated the same imagery over and over. The entire animation was filled with repeats of several sequences, and while it was stylized, it gave off a very negligent and cheap vibe.

---

3) Pupa

Pupa is one of the worst animations than The Beginning After the End (Image via Studio Deen)

The 2014 anime by Studio Deen, Pupa, had some very unfinished instances in its animation throughout the series. The entire anime felt like a low-budget production with choppy animations, muddy backgrounds, and unusual color choices. Thematically, the blood and gore that was supposed to be the primary feature of the anime were all off-screen and barely shown due to censorship.

The characters were also inconsistent throughout the anime, static background shots, leaving the impression of minimal animation, and more like a presentation of several images, very similar to The Beginning After the End fantasy anime. Some of the sequences also suffered from inconsistencies with color and minimal movement from the characters and their facial expressions.

---

4) The Misfit of Demon King Academy

The Misfit of Demon King Academy had some of the worst CGI effects (Image via Silver Link.)

While the overall anime was quite decent, the Silver Link anime, The Misfit of Demon King Academy, had one of the worst 3D and CGI effects compared to several other anime. Particularly in season 2 of the anime, the CGI quality dropped and felt very cheap, giving the impression that it was done just because it needed to be done.

Other than the rushed and poorly executed CGI work, the animation had the potential to surpass The Beginning After the End's animation quality. However, Silver Link dropped the ball in season two, making the anime end up in this list.

---

5) The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar

The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar anime has one of the worst animations (Image via EMT Squared)

The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar by EMT Squared has one of the worst reputations when it comes to animation. The series is famous in the fandom for how bad an animation can be, from uninspired character designs to unnecessary visuals of informative texts. The action scenes from the anime are still images that are zoomed in and out, presented as a slide show.

Moreover, the fight scenes are so poorly executed that entire sequences feel low-budget and rushed, with zero creative thought behind them. To add to the list, the characters often seem to glitch out of their linework, even in close-up shots, very frequently throughout the anime. While The Beginning After the End fantasy anime still has good imagery, The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar is far worse.

---

Demon Slayer, Mushoku Tensai, and 3 others with much better animation than The Beginning After the End

1) Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer has one of the best animations, mar better than The Beginning After the End (Image via Ufotable)

One of Ufotable's biggest creations, Demon Slayer, is one of the fan favorites when it comes to animation. While the storyline is one of the best, the quality of animation is on point and far better than other fantasy anime like The Beginning After the End. The backgrounds are impeccable and convey the thoughtfulness and creativity that went behind them.

In terms of character, Demon Slayer has some of the most well-designed characters in the anime universe. Every visual aspect of the anime has a beautiful flow to it, from the display of Breathing Forms in fights to even casual, candid shots of the characters interacting with each other.

---

2) Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan has one of the most beautiful animations (Image via Mappa)

In terms of beautifully executed animations, Attack on Titan holds a place of high regard. Initially produced by Wit Studio, then taken over by Mappa, the anime became an instant fan favorite for how well the scenes were illustrated and how well the scenes flowed between each other.

With intriguing fight scenes and beautifully executed backgrounds, Attack on Titan is far above the league of other fantasy anime like The Beginning After the End, in terms of animation quality. The differences in quality can be seen, given that Attack on Titan was an actual attempt at an animation, while the same cannot be said about the latter.

---

3) Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Mushoku Tensei is one of the best animated Isekai anime out there (Image via Studio Bind)

Covering the genres of isekai and fantasy anime, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation has emerged as one of the biggest masterpieces in terms of both storyline and animation. While belonging to the same genres, Mushoku Tensei is way above the animation quality of The Beginning After the End, which has even adapted a lot of scenes from the former, as verified by many

Mushoku Tensei has immaculate backgrounds and very fluid animations, which are both pleasurable to the eyes and intriguing due to the polished end product. While The Beginning After the End is basically a slideshow of the manhwa panels with very few animations, Mushoku Tensei provides the perfect representation of a finished and well-executed animation.

---

4) Solo Leveling

Solo Leveling is undoubtedly the best representation of a polished animation (Image via A-1 Pictures)

In terms of the best representation of modern animation quality, A-1 Pictures' creation, Solo Leveling, is the best example. The animation quality does not even come close to what Studio A-Cat did with the fantasy anime, The Beginning After the End. From intriguing fight sequences to engaging backgrounds, Solo Leveling is a modern time animation masterpiece.

Even the side characters of the anime have been animated with precision and show the potential of A-1 Pictures in terms of creativity and diligence. Apart from the storyline already being a fan favorite, the adaptation also reflects the studio's thoroughness in maintaining the quality.

---

5) Wistoria: Wand and Sword

Wistoria is one of the best animation creations from 2024 (Image via Actas and Bandai Namco Pictures)

In 2024, Actas and Bandai Namco Pictures jointly released the animation masterpiece, Wistoria: Wand and Sword. The fantasy anime has one of the best animation sequences in terms of both action sequences and casual candid scenes, far above the likes of The Beginning After the End.

Every scene from Wistoria is a well-polished animation with great flow, respecting the storyline and reflecting the perfect anime adaptation. The backgrounds from the anime were also carefully catered towards, providing a pleasurable and satisfying experience to the viewers and fandom of the Wistoria anime.

---

In Conclusion

The success of an anime adaptation depends on the studio, and particularly how much they are invested in the project. While big names like A-1 Pictures and Ufotable have been successful in creating some of the best fantasy anime titles, studios like Studio A-Cat show their lack of expertise and diligence towards making a successful adaptation, such as the fantasy anime, The Beginning After the End.

As aforementioned, the manhwa, despite being a fan favourite, received a heavy negative spotlight based on its anime adaptation counterpart. While no redeeming qualities could be found in the anime, the fandom hopes that their favourite fantasy anime series will not become a completely lost cause.

---