Some anime take themselves too seriously. For some, they focus so much on drama and emotion that they end up dropping the ball. Other times, the show takes on a bleak, somber tone and tries too hard to do it. Unfortunately, fans can tell when shows try too hard and miss the mark.
Shows are guilty of trying too hard and taking themselves too seriously when they have a plethora of disturbing characters who also take themselves too seriously, when they rely on shock value, or when they take cheap shots to the heartstrings. Even the most famous and successful anime are guilty of this from time to time.
9 Naruto: Shippūden seemed to have a serious plot until they dropped it at the end
While there was certainly a lot of humor embedded in the core of the naruto franchise, the show tapped into some heavy themes. Naruto was orphaned after the gruesome death of his parents, he was ostracized by the entire town and later became a child soldier who would undo years of corruption and dark conspiracies.
However, the show took its themes and lore about the shinobi world too seriously and in the end, they dropped the ball, changing to an ultimate villain which would have been a great conclusion for what amounted to an alien who helped create your world. What was worse is that this character came out of left field, and it felt like a way to deal with the creep of power and try to tie together the more esoteric themes of the show.
8 Tokyo Ghoul thinks he’s much more daring than he was
the characters of terror in tokyo They go through a lot of hardships, and the idea of ghouls inherently brings this series into the serious horror genre. However, as the show progresses, it becomes apparent that the show takes itself too seriously in such a way that it seems unnatural to some.
For one thing, many of the characters don’t feel like they’ve had adequate development or growth. From mindless torture to edgy costumes to the losses of humanity, this show tries to explore dark and heavy themes, but it doesn’t hit the mark for everyone, thus leaving the show feeling like it tried too hard to be. great. Even if fans liked the main series, the sequels spoiled it even more.
7 Elfen Lied tried too hard for the value of surprise
The 2005 show has been considered one of the “cutting edge” anime of its time, but perhaps not for good reasons. many criticized Elfen lied for being a show that relied on blood, violence, and cringe-worthy moments of fanservice that felt out of place. The show tried to be shocking and offending, but to many fans it just felt overkill.
This was especially apparent upon rewatching today, as the anime hadn’t held up for many viewers. As with many older anime, Elfen lied It hasn’t aged better.
6 Yu-Gi-Oh took itself so seriously for a children’s anime
Yu-Gi-Oh! was a children’s show about kids and teens using a card game to earn money, fight enemies, and gain power. The art style was characterized by rough edges, thick lines, and eccentric themes. Just based on the characters’ clothes and hair, it was obvious that this show took itself too seriously.
Additionally, the characters warped during a game and were often seen making impassioned speeches about good and evil while playing the game. On top of that, characters were trapped in cards and a billionaire kid was blackmailing, bribing and extorting other players.
5 Jojo Franchise Seriousness Against Absurdity Is The Joke
jojo’s bizarre adventure is an interesting show that even seems to be making a comment on the seriousness of the anime itself. The characters wear eccentric clothing, have strange personalities, and strike ridiculous poses. However, the nature of the show is quite serious, with gruesome deaths commonplace, terrifying Stands committing murder, and serious characters ruling the screen.
There’s the joke jojo’s bizarre adventure: the juxtaposition of the absurd and the serious. The show takes itself so seriously along with its wackiness as a way to subvert the genre.
4 The Fate series was very complicated
Many game-based anime are often guilty of taking themselves too seriously, and many of them feel that way due to the inherent difficulties in translating a game into anime. The story is often a bit confusing thanks to the introduction of so many characters due to the large number of playable characters that were in the iteration of the game.
shows like the Destination series are guilty of this. In addition, the Destination The series, in particular, tries to tackle esoteric concepts while also including big fights and serious decisions. All of this together makes the show seem like it’s trying too hard.
3 Both Light Yagami and Death Note take themselves too seriously
Death Note it was a huge hit anime for a reason. It was dark and had intense moments of suspense and mystery. Looking back, though, it’s easy to see just how obsessed and ridiculous main characters like Light Yagami and L.
One moment fans clearly remember was the famous scene where Light melodramatically pretends to eat potato chips while using the Death Note. L and Light were often guilty of using their intelligence to participate in selfish thought experiments that were supposed to be them using the power of Sherlockian deduction. Sometimes, he was too serious to the point of ridicule.
two The Dragon Ball series brings absurdity to serious fights
the Dragon Ball The franchise was one of the most successful and famous big name Shounen anime. It was an anime complete with martial arts, occult powers, and aliens. However, there were also many things that kept the Dragon Ball return franchise.
fans come Dragon Ball and its various spin-offs as taking themselves too seriously because it adhered to so many Shounen tropes, its inability to quickly tell a story (having a fight for many episodes, most of which were largely recaps of the previous one), and its power drag.
1 Sword Art Online tried to tackle heavy themes that felt out of place
sword art online It got a lot of fans when it first came out, but it didn’t keep their support for long. For many, the writing took itself too seriously while constantly dropping the ball or having pacing issues, but the reason many fans have given up seriousness is much more sinister.
The writer seems obsessed with moments of sexual assault, which happens in many different arcs and seasons. The show tries to tackle this serious issue, but sadly misses the mark and feels like a gratuitous and unnecessary reliance on violence against women for views.
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