2020 has not been an excellent year for most people, but some anime released this year have certainly been impressive. Dorohedoro, Tower of God, Haikyuu! To the top are some of the most popular shows that debuted this year and set the bar high for everyone else. Unfortunately, not every show that attracted enough fanfare through exciting promotions or name-brand recognition ended up doing well. Some of them ultimately disappointed viewers who were eagerly waiting for them in anticipation that they would be the next big thing. Today we look at some of the most disenchanting anime of 2020.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045
Ghost in the Shell has been one of the most well-known and respected anime and manga series in history. It has millions of fans worldwide, so it’s not surprising that the franchise has been a huge financial success for decades. The manga/anime plot is deep, and it can make the viewers introspect their worldview. The philosophical and moral debates aroused by the series often leads fans to different conclusions. The deeper message that the story is trying to send is quite subjective and might vary for people with different perspectives. However, this deep introspective series has remained relevant for a long time now and has made its mark on the science fiction genre.
So, when Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 was released, the fans naturally had high expectations from it; however, the series just failed to live up to them. Although some blamed the failure entirely on the decision to go for cartoonish CGI animation style instead of 2-D animation, the series also had a weak plot. Too many new concepts and ideas were introduced, which is courageous, but ultimately most fans found it disappointing. The ideas were either too different or undercooked, so the viewers who enjoyed the original series did not find what they might have been looking for.
The God of High School
Based on Korean manhwa, The God of High School was one of the most anticipated anime series of the year. While the Crunchyroll Original series was marketed quite well but unfortunately, it did not do as well as the anime streaming platform would have liked. The series is tournament-based, and it tries to pack a little too much for the viewers to digest in just 13 episodes. It introduces too many minor characters who waste time and don’t contribute much to the overall plot. It would have been better that important characters were given a chance to utilize the time, which might have positively impacted the overall experience. However, with its incredible animation and ambitious style, the series failed to impress as it tried to fit in too much in just 13 episodes.
Noblesse
Noblesse was another well-known manhwa inspired series that was highly anticipated. The Crunchyroll Original had Production IG behind it, but unfortunately, despite that, the series failed to impress. One crucial reason behind it was that most viewers were unaware of the one-episode ONA named Noblesse: Awakening, and the show made less sense for people who have not watched it. New anime fans who are not into the manhwa were not impressed by the series since it embraced cliches of old anime.
Dragon’s Dogma
Although there are several anime that have been disappointing, Dragon’s Dogma stands out as the single most disenchanting anime of the year. The show is co-produced by Sublimination along with Capcom and has drawn comparisons with Frederator’s Castlevania adaptation. Although the hype was high, when the show’s trailer was released, it turned out to be off-putting for many fans who were not impressed by the clunky CGI animation. Earlier, the fans had feared that the series might be as bad as Berserk anime (2016-17), but surprisingly Dragon’s Dogma turned out to be much worse than that.
The show tries to explore humanity’s sins in a nihilistic setting, which is eventually not compelling enough for the viewers. Moreover, the characters are not that well developed, and there seems to be a lack of emotional connection between them and the viewers. The script is also over-dramatic, and poorly implemented action sequences together make the series a huge disappointment. Dragon’s Dogma might be one of the most anticipated anime of this year, but it turned out to be underwhelming.
2020 has been an exciting year for the anime industry since it has witnessed some of the biggest shows of the coming decade. However, the ones listed above have been a massive disappointment despite having a lot of hype behind them. It seems that not all series that are marketed well have a compelling plot and character development to entertain the viewers. So, if you are thinking of watching a new series and want to avoid hyped-up shows, don’t think twice when you skip the above-listed ones; you will probably save tens of hours of your time.
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