Overated/underated anime's
 

Which anime's do you think are overate/underated. I personaly think evangelion is overated it left to many question's unanswered and shinshi annoyed the crap out of me with his whining. As for underated it would have to be monster i don't hear much talk about this anime even though it's a masterpiece. It's character development is phonomenal even minor characters.

From my experience, it seems a lot of people have underrated X TV simply because the movie is so bad. X TV is a fantastic series that follows the same general pattern of X/1999, but it doesn't have the same shitty ending. Lots of character development, background, etc.

I'd venture to say that Naruto is way overrated, especially here in America. It doesn't do anything different, the animation's not bad but it isn't exceptional, and the English voices....bleh. That's gotta be the worst thing about it.

I think the most overated anime is on our minds but no one wants to say it. It starts with a D and ends with the ballZ.

One anime which I think is overated, and I know alot of you are going to hate me for this, is Berserk. I decided to check it out becuase of all the hype. So I saw the first episode and I thought "ok, this may get better. I'll keep watching."
So I kept watching the series and kept thinking that there has to be a reason that people like it so much. I actually forced myself to finish the series and by the end of it all I was left with "WTF ><"
I guess people liked all the blood, and the barbaric action, and the story I guess :/. I hated it all.

Dam how could i forget to mention dragon ball z, Also berserk overated :(. Maybe you need to read the manga, it might change your mind

Airgear is overrated, i just don't know why people love it..it's "ok" imo.

I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but Bleach started out as a promising show, built up a good pace and then became complete filler. Yet, everyone I know who watches anime thinks it's the hottest shit out there. It's OK, don't get me wrong, but it's not fucking phenomenal, especially since the day we ventured into filler hell. :/

Well, this is mostly a question of exposure and availability, isn't it? Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu was vastly overrated, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. The same can be said for Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

As for underrated shows, I believe Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water still isn't getting the attention it deserves (the stranded island episodes were lame, yes, but overall it's still better than a lot of stuff that's out right now). Gunbuster is also underrated, but it's difficult for people to watch this since it's not released on legal channels here in North America.

Well, if a show is overrated it usually implies that it doesn't deserve its popularity.

FLCL would be on the list of shows people really enjoyed but one that I personally didn't "get." It looks to me that the basic premise was to have a show that's a complete acid trip and no sense can be made from it whatsoever. I just may need someone to explain the events of that show and what elements make it so enjoyable.

Overated:
Cowboy Bebop
5 out of 26 episodes actually deal with the story and these episodes were superb. The other 21 were just filler. And I only found 3 or 4 of them entertaining, I didn't care for the rest.
Though it has one of the best soundtracks ever (not only in the anime-universe). They barely used one track twice in the entire series and almost all songs are really enjoyable. Kanno did a very good job with this.

Underated:
Street Fighter V
One of the best action animes I know but it's pretty unknown. Everybody just knows the movie but not the series. I think it is also the best videogame adoption there is. And it has one of my favorite op/ed ("Kaze Fuiteru" and "Cry").

I've yet to watch the second season, but Full Metal Panic really pissed me off and, judging from my friends' opinions about the anime, I believe it is overrated. It was just an anime that didn't click for me.

I second that. I've also not seen that much greatness in Naruto. It seems like an average anime and I'm getting tired of Toonami praising it so much. I probably wouldn't call the show overrated if Toonami didn't actually take up a whole show's block just to put on last week's rerun of Naruto.

One Piece is also what I call overrated. I never got hooked on it with all the filler. It's about the only anime that I actually won't care if I miss a few episodes (or a ton). It doesn't hold my attention that much.

One anime that i think was totally underrated and didnt get much attention was Inital D. Out of all the anime I've seen, that is my absolute favorite. because i'm an east coast guy and not a huge car nut, that was my first exposure to "drifting", not to mention mountain racing!!
The storytelling is great, the characters are fantastic, and the music isn't bad to boot. I recommend it to EEVRYONE. you don't have to be a car guy/gal to like this anime. i think it has a little of something for everyone. i still watch it including the first stage.
The only problemn i have w/it is it's inconsistant releases. the 4th stage took forever even though it was 24 episodes. (Not that i'm complaining!!). I know the 5th stage is at least 2 years away, but i'm still looking forward to it.


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Generally any anime that deservedly or for some other ungodly reason strays far past ~52 episodes (at the ass end of the 26-52 episode sweet spot) is at least a little overrated. Dragonball and it's ilk are in this camp, along with Naruto (which coincidentally has the best episodes up to episode 50), Inuyasha and plenty of others. Any anime that has to resort to more than the rare filler (due to being based on manga source material) is largely overrated.

I've noticed many anime that are overrated tend to fall into the Shonen category, as more adult anime tend to be at least a little original or unique in presentation and in plot.

Along the lines of underrated anime two stand out for me: Outlaw Star and Gundam 0083. Outlaw Star is a very good Shonen anime, which while not incredibly original, has very strong plot and great action. Gundam 0083 on the other hand is a complex and mature side story to the ever popular Universal Century Gundam story line. It has the atmosphere similar to that of Top Gun, but does it differently, handling the plot in the typical Gundam Style. I highly recommend any anime fan to check 0083 out just to see the awesome mecha designs.

Overrated: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Really. What the fuck... It's a good one, make no mistake, but still it's nowhere, really NOWHERE near the "OMG EVA IS DEM BEST ANIME EVAR!! And so psycholigically and deep!" most people put it.

Overrated: Noir
Friends of mine went nuts over it. I just thought it was totally dumb, boring, with totally crappy characters I didn't give a shit about...

Overrated Anime: Card Captor Sakura
(As a side note, no, I don't hate CCS. In fact, it was my favorite anime way back when, and I still watch it from time to time. So don't throw things at me, okay?)

For the sake of not being repetitive in listing already mentioned anime (Naruto, Bleach, DBZ, etc.), I'll say CCS is kinda overrated. It's another one of those "Magical Girl" anime, the main character (Sakura) is a normal school girl who suddenly receives magical powers in order to seal away some magical-previously-card-bound creatures. And other than the story, that is basically all that separates CCS from Sailor Moon. Everything else, including the weird (but adorable) costumes, the super weird attack names and chants, and the overall magicalness, is present in most (if not all) of this genre of anime.

(On the plus side, at least Sakura doesn't have to go through a sparkly costume transformation scene every single time she needs to kick Clow Card booty. <_<)

Not always true monster was 75 episode and i didn't think it was overated and for sure it didn't have any filler episodes.

At the same time, I started getting bored with it fairly quickly because it seemed to me that very little was going on. That's not necessarily a failure of the series, but I had a hard time keeping interest because it seemed to drag on. I also wasn't thrilled with the plot, so i guess that didn't help. I was expecting something a bit more along the lines of The Omen when I heard about it, so finding out that it's just a disturbed little brat was disappointing.

Underrated
---
The Law of Ueki - Understandably, it seems like another shonen anime with stereotypical characters and a small amount (regrettably the first 13 or so episodes) of filler at first glance. However, if you had the patience to get past the first several episodes, you'll find that "turning X -> Y" makes for many, many interesting combinations and tactics within battles, giving unorthodox applications and unpredictable outcomes and strategies. Definitely an underappreciated addition to the genre. It's not everyday you can see the awesomeness of turning garbage into trees.

Overrated
---
Naruto + Bleach - Probably moreso for the fact that it's appeared on TV, so it's the ONLY anime that anime noobs reference their undying love for. Filler is really pushing it now.

Actually, there were filler episodes, and they were really annoying. Like that episode where Tenma hitchicked a car with the old couple (had a son on the run or something like that). And the ones where he was just fixing people up in general and nothing of importance took place.

DBZ may seem as horrible to some folks here, but you're looking back on it with a mindset that has been built up by anime series that spanned as a result of DBZ... Lots of manga creators of popular newer series idolized Toriyama and his success. If you read the DBZ manga back when it started, you would've thought it was dynamite.

It's like a PS2 being your first system, and you try to play a Nintendo game during a bored-stretch. The graphics aren't nearly up to your standards and anything remotely original in the NES game has been rubbed raw by now due to how these things work out.

But as for newer series? Naruto fucking blows. The manga was rather nice. Then I caught up to it. And it dragged. And dragged. And dragged. It REALLY had promise, but it just never "did it" for me. Last time I read it, I found myself getting angry at the horribly done characters (as well as character designs).

HunterxHunter never impressed me (manga-wise). It dragged along and tried to ramble special powers to redundancy. The manga creator got sick and kinda backed off. I won't pick it up again.

One Piece is cute and all but I can't get back into the manga. My older brother worships the series, but it's just not my kind of thing. Too kiddified.

I downright loathe Eva. It introduced lots of folks into anime (somehow) and it is just horrible. In-depth technology splurges and all that is good, but the bottom line is that the story is too hackneyed. Folks say it is an "intellectual" anime, but that's just a bullshit way of saying it's a horrible anime that makes more sense if you watch it while high on paint fumes.

Guu. I saw a few episodes of FINAL. Acer lectured me to give it a chance. I somehow dragged myself through half of the first season, only to gratefully delete the series when I was faced with HD space issues. Haven't looked back yet.

The Hellsing anime is something that tons of people circle-jerk over, but I don't see it as very good. It's odd, rushed, different from the manga (quite considerably), and it tries to go off and do its own thing (presumably where it caught up to the manga). Train wreck ensues.

Many more =I Anime is like American cinema -- there are some real masterpieces, but for every masterpiece, there are five mediocres and ten shitfests. And you run into folks who have a preference for one of the latter two.

I second Nadia (The Secret of Blue Water). Great stuff. Some might think it's a little too similar to Eva (I've never watched Eva, but I know that some of the concepts are similar) but then again they're both the children of Anno. The island episodes suck, yes, but the finale rocks.

I thought that was part of the manga well i guess i haven't gotten that far in the manga yet.

Really? So I've just past the peak of Naruto at Episode 52? Damn, no wonder I didn't get all the smack everybody was giving for Naruto.

id have to say chobits. Becuase i can not find one anime fan who hasent watch it and not liked it. i myself thought it was you everyday anime with robot chicks.....like a boring ghost in the shell i guess.

Overrated: Naruto.

Personally it feels to me that the author doesn't know what he wants it to be. Oh and it really does kinda jump the shark after the Chuunin exam drama llama. It doesn't really hit you in the same way as, say, the Zazuba and Haku bit did.

Underrated: Bobobo-bo Bobo-bo

This anime doesn't get enough love. Also those lousy subbers need to sub this shit and now.

Naruto is way overrated. I've tried to watch the show but good quality voice acting seems to be lacking especially in the English dubbed version. Even though I say this I'd still be willing to watch the show but the simple fact that Naruto's voice is simply too annoying and the fact that he repeats almost every episode how he will be the greatest hokage is simply unbearable. Oh and also saying believe it after everything he says isn't too inviting either. Maybe I'm too close minded but Naruto's voice actor in the English dubbing is the basis for me not liking the show very much.

You have read my mind...If no one posted it I would have. I mean if it was handled better and released uncut,it could be right up there with Excel Saga and other weird random anime like that if they'd take better care of it. I mean it alredy has a cult following....but not the fansubers, translators, Viz and Toei don't really see it...

Another underrated anime is Stellvia. You don't hear that many things about it, but I found it quite enjoyable when I rented it. Alot of my choices for overrated have alredy been said exsept for Inuyasha (i don't think) I mean it was okay, but then it got sort of redudent...

Under-rated: Gensomaden Saiyuki.

You don't hear about this much. Well, some maybe reconize the word "Saiyuki" (Koreans/Japanese), and as you know the characters/theme is ripped off from the original Chinese novel.

I dont really care what's overrated. When i see a good anime. I wont brag much about it. The same would go for any other Shounen Jump Manga/Anime since it looks like this whole thread is almost about SJ being overrated..o.o;;.

Underrated : Sci-Fi Harry (2000)

I only think of this to be underrated because it hasn't been licensed or dubbed in the US. Shinsen-Fansubs are working on the series (3 episodes are out). I just discovered this series a few days ago and I love it to death. I think with Shinsen showing some love to this sleeper hit will probably have geneon pick this up and dubbing it sometime in 2007. The story is probably what you have seen in AKIRA,Lain,Texhnolyze,paranoia agent,Death Note and BoogiePop Phantom. I like animes like this cause you dont see much of it nowadays (except for death note). Hope to see more stuff on this. The Opening is catch and addicting ;p.

Grave of the Fireflies is also extremely overrated. The story was a tragic one, but not for the reason that most people cite it for. While the war did create a situation where vagrancy and hardship became a fact of life, it didn't excuse the protagonist's behavior at all. Instead of taking on menial tasks to earn money for food, he opted instead to steal from others in order to feed himself and his sister. Given the amount of labor that was needed to rebuild postwar Japan, you'd think he'd be able to find some form of work. Instead, he makes one bad decision after another, leading to the resolution which did not end well for him or his sister.

There were so many times I wanted to give him a blow to the jaw if at the very least, to knock some sense into him. Why this movie that's pretty much a tale of stupidity gets such praise is beyond me.

Millenium Actress on the other hand needs more exposure. Now that's a stellar example of good storytelling, emotional scenes, and brilliant entwining of the past and present.

Grave of the Fireflies is entirely based on a true story. I believe that it's the writer who was the little boy.


Lots of labor doesn't mean large availability of food and such. There was only so much food/money to give out. Also, a child couldn't do anywhere near a full grown man's share of labor.

Underrated: I rarely ever hear anyone talk about Mushishi or Noein.

-Every episode of Mushishi is something different. It really gets into the lives of the various characters and makes the viewer care about them. Not to mention incredible music and a unique premise.

-Noein is underrated for similar reasons. I think a lot of people were turned off by Noein's animation style, but that style fits into the mood and action of the series perfectly.

Overrated: Ghost in the Shell(the movie, SAC, and 2nd GIG)

-Incredible animation and very good music production aren't everything. Having an understandable storyline that doesn't need a dictionary is just as important. While the actual plot of the show is quite good I'm lost as to why the characters are so underdeveloped. Even so I still consider the television series a favorite, but it's not one of the best anime ever.

Overrated/Underrated: Neon Genesis Evangelion

-While the show is massively popular and one of the most successful anime shows on DVD it generally gets a bad rap by the "hardcore anime fans." It seems those who first watched it near it's initial release time are fans; while those who saw it after the fanfare dislike it. Personally, I find it to be a great anime with a thought provoking storyline and deep characters. At the same time I do not think that it deserves to be held up on a pedastal as the greatest ever. Nothing is the greatest ever in any form of entertainment. If the viewer related to the characters and appreciated the complex and at times unneeded philisophical refrences then they most likely love Eva. If they didn't they think it's garbage.

Underrated : Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
Almost unknown, this OVA series is one of the best ever made to date. The original character design, the wise scenario, and the last fight VS one of the best villain ever created, everything is so damn gorgeous.

Underrated: I'd say Hanbun no Tuski ga Noboru Sora along with Shinigami no Ballad. Those two held great stories, though it seems to be mistaken for a drama(techincally it is..).

Overrated: Naruto, nuff' said. I did like bleach for a bit, until it went mainstream..

Midori No Hibi isn't getting enough love. It has a wierd premise but the show is funny and not what I was expecting. Definitly worth checking out.
I also feel that Noein isn't getting much recognition. It was awsome and a bit confusing. The animation in the fukuro fight was like something totally different, like it was ripped out streight from a manga.
I honestly don't know if noein has a manga but I wouldn't compare it if it did since this is "Overated/underated ANIME's"
Comparing an anime to its manga counter part is not fair I think since manga's are usually better. Like GTO, great series, awsome manga.
Anime is just suppose to be enjoyed as a different view anyway.

The only prob i had with grave of the fireflyes is that i think he should have sucked it up and live with his aunt for the time been.

Well, the kids' father is in the IJN; presumably the boy was instilled with a proud military tradition since his birth. He was too proud to just suck it up and live under his relatives. It's tragic because he really doesn't know any better.

Overrated:
Neon Genesis isn't exactly a sacred cow anymore, so instead I'll say Rurouni Kenshin. Ultimately what gets it for me is the whole pacifist protagonist angle. It advocates non-lethal force without caring to mention that Kenshin is a demigod, and that if anybody else tried it, they'd be six feet under. The end result is that Kenshin is always having to protect his worthless toadies, and yet nobody gets the idea that his philosophy is entirely unrealistic.

Underrated:
Konjiki no Gash Bell. Yes, I understand it was made for kids, but it's just a fun show with good humor. It's hard to find any of that nowadays.

I'm surprised not a one of you has mentioned Yakitate!! Japan yet. There's a series that has an off-the-wall sense of humor and is a complete delight to watch.

Yeah... it's about baking bread. So the fuck what? It's fucking awesome!

Another highly underrated show was Turn A Gundam. Despite being a fan of Gundam, that doesn't stop me from understanding that practically every Gundam tv show is atrociously average. Turn A, however, bucked the trend in the best ways possible. Post-Apocalypse, low-tech vs. high-tech, and a protagonist who actually had a good reason to not want to kill anybody.

Perhaps most curious of all, was that not every survivor had a happy ending.

Most highly overrated show of the season is Rozen Maiden. I hate you, Styphon, for this. Friends not anymore. >=/

I tried getting into Rozen Maiden, and I hafta agree with Brady. I didn't see the "awesomeness" of the show to be honest =(

Hm. Might try Turn A Gundam. Sound promising. Been wanting to try Yakitate!! Japan for some time too =d

Overrated:
*sigh* I think I'm with everyone when they say Naruto. Talk to me again once we're out of filler hell and I might, MIGHT, change my mind. Some of the fillers are kinda funny, but most of them just annoy the hell out of me (mostly the ones that don't involve Rock Lee kicking ass). Yet, I still find myself watching the anime, hoping that just one day it'll get back on track to the main story. Then there are people who just enjoy all of the fillers. One thing about the dub...I think I could actually stomach it if they did the following:

1. Get a different voice for Naruto.
2. Don't edit it...that means, if a girl gets punched in the mouth by another girl and blood is supposed to come out, leave it in there.
3. Cussing.
4. For the love of God, kill the "Believe it!"

Underrated:
Sonic X. You should've seen that coming. Now before you say anything, I'm not talking about the "4Kids edited the hell out of" version. I'm talking about the Japanese original uncut version for all 3 seasons. Apparently, people have some issues with there being focus on the "human" interaction with this anime. I really don't have a problem with it at all. Sonic and the gang still get plenty of air time each episode.

I actually like Naruto (moreso the manga), but then again, I understand it's a kid's show, so I don't expect it to be Absolutely Awesome™! I find it better to tune out other's obsessive praise over series before I get to judge it for myself, less disappointing that way. XD

I'm also easily amused.

I find Evangelion to be overrated for the sole reason of the series boxset saying it was the best anime series evah or whatever. Nothing is perfect, so that really just pissed me off. XD I've never really seen the series, so I can't really make a judgement on the story itself.

Underrated... hmm... I'm gonna choose Magic Users Club, because that's one of my absolutely favorites and I never hear anyone mention it. It's a cute series that mixes a bit of magic, sci-fi and everyday life. Plus it's one of my favorite dubs. Hee.

Sounds entirely unremarkable.

Personally I think a LOT of anime sounds entirely unremarkable. It's all in the application.

I've always felt that Juuni Kokki (Twelve Kingdoms) was underrated. There were several anime fans I knew who had at least heard of the series, but very few people actually saw it. I was introduced to it after reading a thread from a forum I checked one day, and I was pleased with Juuni Kokki since Fushigi Yuugi (an anime similar to it) left something to be desired.

I totally agree. The first few episodes might get on your nerves but the rest is all good. as for Fushigi Yuugi i have never heard of it.

An anime I think it's overrated is Tsukihime. I though the show was Ok and that's all, nothing superb about it. I think there's nothing we haven't seen before about the story or the characters. Maybe I think so because I heard so much about it and when I watched I had so much expectations of it and I ended up not liking it that much.

Absolutely agree about Juuni Kokki. I enjoyed the beggining and every subsequent part. Amazing tale.

However, the most underrated anime over here in America is by far Hokuto No Ken(Fist of the North Star). Just about every martial arts-based anime/manga is somehow descended from Hokuto No Ken, even if it's just a little. Of course, Hokuto No Ken owes something to Mad Max. Great story, great characters, gand by far the most grotesque and interesting fights ever. There's also a prequel manga called Fist of the Blue Sky.

Amen. The recent OVA of Shin Hokuto no Ken was pretty badass to see a more updated version of Kenshiro. Now we're blessed with a new movie every year til 2009 I believe.

Another underated is gotta be crest of the stars and series. The story may be boring for some but the character development was great as long as the music

Overrated? Bleach, Naruto, DBZ, yadda yadda. To me, if a series spans more than a typical season - 24 to 26 episodes - without making much actual progression (insert Soul Society/random ____ Country filler/'Are they still on Namek?' lines here) then it's probably filler. And filler doesn't taste good when you've had the real stuff (content).

Underrated...well, I'm an old-school guy. The first thing that comes to mind is Maison Ikkoku. It's a college-type romance, sure, but it's not lovey-dovey to the point where you wonder why they haven't just hooked up yet. It's got some length to it - if I'm correct, I have at least episodes in the 90s on CDs - but it's not filler-crazy, either.

There have been enough posts about the overrated anime (*ahem* Naruto), so let's talk about the good anime that just doesn't have enough publicity:

Mahoraba. I have met few people who have watched this series, although it is one of the best anime I have ever seen. However, many may disagree with me, since that is just my opinion.

I think Gantz is overrated or at least highly exaggerated. I think Infinite Ryvius is underrated, but maybe it's too obscure. The same can be said about Gungrave, although people know the game.

Are you talking about the Gantz anime or manga? If it's the anime then I don't know how you can say it's overrated when so many of the manga fans bash it to death. I actually liked the anime and found it very engaging. Only real negative were the final few episodes which just seemed super rushed.

I was talking about the Anime. The reason why I think it's overrated/exaggerated is because I've come across a lot of people on forums and boards talking about it like it was amazing. I just don't see the greatness in it as so many others do. The concept is cool. It's this 'game' after you die where you must collect 100 points in order to return to the real world. But, it just really doesn't go anywhere beyond that. All I see are a bunch of characters dying and not much progress as far as surviving goes. It just gets boring, because it's just more of the same old thing IMO.

Overrated: Naruto and Bleach, their are good, but i feel that the two series got something that "i already saw in other series"

Underrated: Monster, its a absolutely masterpiece, i cant understand why is so underground

I think gundam is a bit overrated, I really couldnt understand why people fuss all about it, maybe it's only me who dont enjoy mecha-themed anime other than macross though.

Dragon ball and naruto are obviously overrated. Dragon Ball manga is quite good, but the anime is just too much and the dragon ball GT is not even supervised by Toriyama. And about naruto... sorry to say, everytime I read the new volume of the manga, I lost in confusion about who is who and what is the main plot in the manga.

Jing, King of Bandit (Yuichi Kumakura) is very underrated. This is probably the best surrealistic manga you could find out there. Jing consists of two part, the first part spawned of 7 volumes which character design is similar with Toriyama's. The 2nd part, the Bottle, consists of (so far) 8 volumes and each volume is just very amazing, I praise the mangaka to think something very original and surrealistic. I have all the manga, and either the story is too hard or the manga translation at my country is bad. I feel the conversation in the manga is quite bizarre and not really flowing. :(

But the worst of all, people underrate Fujisaki Ryu's works (Hoshin Engi, Waq-Waq). I find it's a bit sad since his works are truly refreshing and out of main stream (He is hated by fans for killing a lot of characters in the manga). I enjoy every drop of Fujisaki's works, I hope he will be more popular in the future.

Other underrated mangas: anything done by Urasawa, probably because his genre mainly seinen. 20th Century Boys, Pluto, and Monster are even better than Da Vinci Code.

I totally, totally agree with you, eriol, on both Jing and Houshin Engi. It kinda pisses me off that HE gets published in the Japanese Shonen Jump, but never got translated over here, even though they did do the anime.

The manga's sweet though -- I got a chance to read a scanslation.

I've never read the Jing manga, but the anime is superb. Great voice acting, hilarious characters, and a cool story to boot. Only thing that botherd me about the anime was the utter lack of a true introduction and true conclusion. The anime is basically the middle 13 episodes. :D

I wonder if you can really call stuff like Naruto or DBZ overrated (all the time). Sure, there are hordes of narutards and bleachtards and ssj4gogetatrunks, but there are also (seemingly) equal amounts of anti-fans. It may just be that the anti-fans are more vocal in their opinions, but I just really don't see much unadulterated praise for these series.

Then, I'll praise them for giving me and incredible childhood full of thought. DB, DBZ, YYH, and RK filled my mind with wonderous thoughts and kept me anticipating the next episode on Toonami. At the time, I loved all of these shows and thought nothing could be better. I'm older, wiser, more intellectually independant now and can't watch shows like this anymore; Naruto, and Bleach are just boring, repetitative, and filler controlled. But, for the kids these shows are great.

At least in America, I think Legend of the Galactic Heroes is supremely underrated. I am consistently surprised to meet people who haven't heard of it, even though it was a pretty big deal in Japan (to my knowledge, it hasn't been officially localized, which is probably a large contributing factor). To anyone who hasn't seen it: I know the name sounds cheesy, but Legend is one of the most sophisticated and spectacular things I've ever seen, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Like many others, I am also quite partial to Monster, and I find it strange that a show with such intelligent writing and excellent production values manages to elude the mainstream. It seems to be picking up popularity as of late, though, and I suspect it won't remain strictly "underground" forever.

Undoubtedly, I think that Evangelion is the most overrated anime. The creators of the show itself acknowledge that all the religious "imagery" and literary references that were squeezed into its production were done so arbitrarily and for no reason other than to make the show seem cool. Really, the show is a great big bowl of bullshit--nothing about it is intended to actually mean anything. It's a dysfunctional exercise in postmodern deconstruction, and its supposed depth is simply pretense inflated to bursting point.

A very underated anime is called Yamato Takeru, it was on a channel called TVB about 10 years ago. Its fantastic if your into mecha and robots.

heres a clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trypG8RwvKY

P.S. Dam youtube removed all the episodes the other day.

Pretty much EVERYTHING Hayato Miyazaki has done since Kiki's Delivery Service.

... is overrated? Underrated?

What?

Howl's Moving Castle was the shit though.

I've found that stuff becomes overrated the second they start selling its merchandise at Hot Topic. Incidentally, Death Note is one of my favorite animes. It's just starting to cross into overrated territory, though. Rather than jump on the DBZ/Bleach/Naruto/EVA bandwagon, I'm also gonna go with Akira. I will acknowledge that the movie is a classic, and I own it myself, but it's certainly not the ULTIMATE anime.

For underrated stuff, I almost never hear about Gungrave. Shitty as the game is, the anime has one of the best stories I've seen. They took characters that had little to no background in the game and fleshed them out so well you actually gave a shit about the guy who turns into a motorcycle with fists. (Glad they changed that for the show.) Grave vs Bunji stands as one of my all-time favorite anime fights for this very reason.

Of course, overrated.

I really don't understand why, the more his anime gets boring, the more it fares well. Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke attracted a vast number of viewers (and now Ponyo is outpacing all of them), while Nausicaä and Laputa not.

As John Lassenter once said regarding Miyazaki, he enjoys having alot of quiet moments for his films. Whereas American animated movies tend to have more action going on in just about every shot. It was an amusing interview cause Lassenter goes saying this is how directors in US movies do "Oh jeez, quick keep the action going, they're reaching for their pop corn , we gotta stop them! Keep the entertainment and energy high! But no, Miyazaki san celebrates the quiet moments in film."

I never felt any of his movies was boring, and I've been watching them since I was like, 3 years old. Maybe it's just not your cup of tea, but that doesn't make it less beautiful and enchanting.

My overated animes is the same old DBZ, Naruto and Bleach crowd, but I also think alot of good or decent anime ends up getting more hyped or bad exposure then it needs. Haruhi Suzumiya, I loved it, the concept was kinda new and interesting, but goddamit, try explaining to someone who hasn't actually SEEN the show about how it goes into philosophy, bit of religion or psychology in certain parts of the show, when they would go to anime sites and see Haruhi and the girls dressed in Bunny Suits and various lolita or Eroge outfits.

Death Note was great as well, but now we can probably get all these hot topic shirts and everyone who hasn't seen the show will assume L is some emo punk, when he's just a mad genius who probably never slept, hence the eyelids.

Miyazaki films have a charm about them that isn't emulated anywhere else :[ Boring to some, beautiful works of art to others. Kairi pretty much nailed it with "beautiful" and "enchanting". Almost all of his anime are in alternate worlds, and they all feel incredibly alive. Plus, I love how he abhors CG usage and insists on hand-drawn technology 99% of the time.

Mushishi is much the same; many folks hate it because, well, it isn't an exciting anime to most. Still, every episode feels like a work of art. I absolutely love it.

Regarding the CG, Miyazaki does occasionally use it, sometimes for things that would have killed the animators hands, (like Prince Ashitaka's curse arm), but sometimes he uses it for shots that don't really need it. There was a CG background shot used, a panning shot, when Howl and Sophie were walking together after they first met. Or the shot of the flower patch where Chihiro and Haku walk through to see her parents in the pig farm. Personally I find those shots interesting, and shows that his use of CG is either something that's too hard to animate by hand, or to do panning shots that live action do easily, whereas animation is much harder, which I can respect.

And I personally think that alot of people respond more to action oriented shows, that's why Naruto etc are popular, but when it just comes down to an action show, and people seem to have this misconception that anime has to be supernatural or action or some insane punk sci fi show, and anything that's quieter is "boring anime".

What they don't realise anime is not a genre, its a medium. Technically any type of show can be animated, and alot of shows in anime can be shot live action, especially the ones that are down to earth and have no supernatural or sci fi elements. You can't just see a few "top ten animes" like Bebop or Ghose in a Shell and assume that anime is always gonna be stylish and unique with alot of hot action. It's like saying you expect most movies to look and feel the same as Spider Man or Lord of the Rings all the time.

If people don't like Miyazaki, then its just their taste in films. Not all anime is required to have insane action.

Personally I think it's because to Westerners, Anime is "niche and different", and never been seen before, whereas everytime I hear about some morons going on how DBZ is cool, I just wanna scoff and tell them the show is so old is like enjoying 80's music and saying it's the hottest thing ever. To most Asians, anime is a medium that has been with us before I was born. My own mother saw anime when she was young. It's not something niche or different unless a particular anime tries something that hasn't been done before.

But that is not to say that the Japanese are immune to the whole preferring action over art, apparently Ponyo was reported to have "reported empty seats at "Ponyo" screenings in Tokyo and elsewhere -- a sharp contrast from previous Miyazaki pics that drew long lines and packed theaters from day one."

Possible reason? The new Pokemon movie was out on the same weekend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponyo_o...Sea#Theatrical

It's a sad day when kids rather see more generic Pokemon crap, a show that is NEVER GONNA END, over something beautiful like Ponyo.

Could you explain what's so great about the Gantz anime? I don't mean that to sound accusing, but I've just never understood it. I remember watching the first 13 episodes with my brother and it was laughably bad in almost every way possible. The dialogue was ridiculous (ie the girl asking to stay at the main character's apartment by asking if they allowed pets) and there were so many pointlessly long pauses that the action wasn't engaging at all.

Yet despite Gantz being one of the worst series I've ever seen, most people seem to tout it as being incredible and edgey.

:mad: WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS, MADAM.

Yeah, I know Miyazaki uses CG at times, but it's rather begrudgingly. He uses it to make some incredibly hard things easier.

As for overrated, I'll jump on the Naruto/Bleach train.

Underrated on the other hand, I still hold Piano as one of my favorite animes, and I don't think I've ever discussed that anime with someone else :\

Anyone saw it?

Oh woops. I didn't check the posting dates beyond the July 11th one, and didn't realize that had revived the thread after 2 years. Guess I won't be getting an answer on Gantz. :tpg:

I've always thought that Escaflowne was a pretty overrated anime as well. Sure the mechs and airships are spiffy, but the plot has way too many ridiculous twists. They may have been cool in practice, but the idea of "enhanced luck soldiers" remains one of the silliest weapons I've ever heard of. Then of course there was the ending that made no sense at all and was essentially sad for the sake of being sad, and rendered half the show pointless. I didn't hate the series, but it certainly doesn't deserve all the praise it receives.

I know some of you won't like this but Full Metal Alchemist was unbelievably overhyped. I'm not saying it was bad but I just don't see on what level people consider it to be one of the greatest anime of all time?

The people I was refering to were people who thingk DBZ is like, something TOTALLY new and awesome. Makes me wanna bang my head against the table when I hear that. If someone likes 80's music but aknowledge it was made in the 80's go ahead, but it bugs me when someome sees something that's old and they think its completely new and different. I mean, I heard of DBZ when I was 6 or 7, and I played an old SNES DBZ fighting game at my cousin's place when I was that age too. To hear as a teenager people yapping on about DBZ like its the latest thing ever made me cringe. (Currently 22 years old.)

I agree completely! I had to force myself to finish the last half of finish this series just to see why everyone was saying it was so good. I would have only given it about a 7/10 at the most.

Several recent anime that I believe are overrated are:

• Kaiba
• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
• Hachimitsu to Clover

I really couldn't get interested in any of these, but many people seem to be giving them 9s and 10s...

Yeah, as insertnamehere said, the first eps get on your nerves to the point that I almost delete it, but then the emo drama ended and that's where you start liking it :P

The overrated (just cause MMOs can't run out of Narutos, Trunks, etc.)
Bleach, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto.

Though I like DBZ and Naruto.

Well , I have just watched like 5 eps of Naruto . And I don't know why you complain about the voices they are good...
wait, oh yeah, I watch Naruto (and DBZ and most anime) in spanish (Mexico not Spain) so the voices are really well done, even Ash's (from Pokemon) voice is great. Pokerap in spanish :D

Oh and they are de-censored too :P

I won't mention which anime are overrated in my opinion since all of them has already been mentioned more or less.

Underrated. Surprisingly there are a lot of these and I wonder why they haven't got the attention they deserve (but then if they do get it does that mean they'll be overrated too?)

Anyway, "Bokura no" is definitely one. I think it got washed away by more popular 2007 titles. Even if I prefer the manga's order of pilots over the anime, it was still an engaging story. The anime was able to capture the overall mood of the story so it's still nice.

"Noein" is another one that comes to mind. Past the weird art, the story is great.

Overrated: Trigun, Escaflowne, Serial Experiments Lain, Samurai X, Princess Mononoke

(Theres one more on the tip of my tounge but I just can't remember the damn thing's name)