Anime from 2020s that looked good at first but were truly disappointing

In the modern era of media, anime titles from the 2020s are some of the best in the game with big names like Jujutsu Kaisen, Moriarity the Patriot, and Tonikawa having their start in this decade.

But where there are roses, there are thorns. These thorns are the anime series that looked amazing at first, like roses, but as soon as they were touched, they stung. Such anime series seem good from their first impressions, trailers, and sometimes even their first couple of episodes, but something about them makes them disappointing later on.

In this article, 10 such anime from the 2020s are compiled that had a lot of fans excited through their first impressions but then disappointed soon after they started indulging in them.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author. Individual opinions may vary.

C Danshi, Listeners, and 8 other anime from 2020s that looked good at first but were disappointing

1) In/Spectre (Winter 2020)

Kurou as seen in the anime (Image via Brain's Base)

A mystery-supernatural anime that had its fans through its interesting plotline and female protagonist at the start, Kyokou Suiri was one of the anime from the 2020s that later became just your usual supernatural anime that had an ending with lacked any excitement.

The anime takes place in a supernatural world where the peace between the world of the living and the dead is disturbed by an immortal being. The female protagonist Kotoko, as the God of Wisdom, tries to solve such issues but gets entangled in some she can hardly avoid.

2) Sing 'Yesterday' to Me (Spring 2020)

Haru as seen in the anime (Image via Doga Koba)

An anime that had one of the strongest first episodes fans had seen in a while, Yesterday no Utatte is one of the biggest disappointments as its plot vanishes suddenly after the fourth episode. The biggest shame about it is that a fan immerses in its plotline only to get disappointed after investing some time.

The anime's story centers on Rikou, the male protagonist, who works at a convenience store, and Haru, one of the female protagonists, who lives alone, as both of them are stuck in their pasts and try to find comfort in each other's company,

3) Listeners (Spring 2020)

Myuu as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

An anime that takes place in a world where music no longer exists: Listeners is an anime from the 2020s that was animated by one of the biggest animation studios, MAPPA. With the tag 'MAPPA' on it, people had high expectations from this original anime series.

Unfortunately, from the very first episode, this anime was a disappointment with having non-intriguing protagonists, no focus on the plotline, and a key emphasis on world-building, even though fans could hardly keep up with the jumbled-up premise.

4) Gibiate (Summer 2020)

Kanzaki as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Elle & l-a-unch・BOX)

One of the biggest disappointments of this decade, Gibiate, is an anime that takes place in the future where the virus 'Gibia' is killing humanity. To cope with this, a ninja and a swordsman from the Edo Period are brought to the future and are supported by two other powerful fighters and a medical team to fight this virus.

Besides having an intriguing plotline, the series combined a great panel of staff, and had a decent promotion online, only to anger fans with the first episode. This anime combined low-standard CGI with a slow-paced storyline, becoming one of the most hated anime series of all time.

5) The Day I Became A God (Fall 2020)

Youta (left) and Hina (right) (Image via P.A. Works)

Coming from the same writer as the drama-romance anime series Clannad, Jun Maeda, Kamisama ni Natta Hi was tagged by the fans for other ones to keep their eyes on. For the first couple of episodes, the series did exceptionally well until eventually falling to the bottom.

Jun Maeda also has a similar experience with Charlotte, so The Day I Become God was going to be like Clannad or Charlotte and unfortunately, it was the latter.

The plotline of this anime falls after a couple of episodes, with the majority focus being on the music, which is also one of the major parts of Jun Maeda's anime. The story is centered on Hina, a self-proclaimed God, who enters the life of Youta as he experiences miracles, but there is more to them than what meets the eye.

6) Ex-Arm (Winter 2021)

Akira as seen in the anime (Image via Visual Flight)

Arguably, the biggest disappointment of this decade, Ex-Arm was the first animation project of Studio Flight that has yet to release another anime after this blunder. Fans, expecting good from a new animation studio and staff, gave it a chance only to declare it a disappointment after its first episode.

Centered on Akira, who wakes up after a coma and is assigned to destroy Ex-Arm, a weapon of mass destruction, before it gets into the wrong hands. This anime had it all, slow-pacing, amateurish writing, and a low-standard CGI animation style, making it one of the most disappointing anime from the 2020s.

7) Farewell, My Dear Cramer (Spring 2021)

Nozomi as seen in the anime (Image via LIDENFILMS)

Coming from the same author as Your Lie In April, Sayonara Watashi no Cramer had high expectations to follow as soon as its adaptation was announced. Unfortunately, this anime was regarded as a disappointment by its demographic audience, the sports anime fans.

This anime follows the story of girls trying to achieve as football players and breaking the norm that only boys can play the game. There were no problems with its pacing, as its source material is also moderately paced: the real problem emerged from its animation on the field, where each character looked like a running video game player, which didn't satisfy fans.

8) Platinum End (Fall 2021)

Mirai as seen in the anime (Image via Signal.MD)

Another series that had to meet expectations because of its well-known author, Platinum End, is a series from the same author as one of the most popular anime of all time, Death Note. The premise of this anime is centered on 13 individuals who strive to become God with one angel as the companion of each one of the thirteen.

The series partially messed up with the animation with had some problems with the CGI part, but the part where it messed up majorly was the storyline which fell apart after the fall of its first antagonist, Metropoliman.

9) Housing Complex C (Fall 2022)

Kimi as seen in the anime (Image via Akatsuki)

An anime that fans hoped could break the stereotype of "horror cannot be animated," C Danchi is an anime that had supporting characters who played no part, and a broken plotline, even though it had only 4 episodes.

This anime is centered on Kimi living in a housing complex by the seaside town of Kurosaki, where every bad thing seems to follow her. Could she be cursed, or is there more to this than what meets the eye?

10) *Buteraba -**The Story of a Man Who Turned into a Pig* (Fall 2023)

Jess as seen in the anime (Image via Project no. 9)

Where every season receives 5 to 6 isekai-themed anime series, Butareba is an anime series with a somewhat unique storyline that kept falling off after every episode by mixing different genres and poorly presenting everything.

The story is centered on a protagonist who gets reincarnated into another world as a pig, hence the name of the anime, and accompanies an enslaved girl to escape her cruel life.

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Edited by Pradyot Hegde