Anime That Were 'Disappointing' To Watch Them Again

Anime lovers on Reddit find themselves immersed in a lively debate about the evolution of their tastes and perceptions in relation to the series they once loved. The question that triggered this discussion was direct and profound: "What's an anime you loved but were disappointed to watch again?"

Forum users expressed a variety of opinions and personal experiences on this sensitive but relevant topic. Many shared stories of anime that captivated them a decade ago, but upon revisiting them years later, they found that their appreciation for them had diminished significantly. Personal evolution, growth, and exposure to new series and genres were cited as key factors influencing this transformation of opinion.

Some participants highlighted how their perception of certain plots, characters, or themes changed over time, affecting their overall enjoyment of the series. Others pointed out flaws in the narrative, animation, or character development that they hadn't noticed in their first few viewings, contributing to their disappointment at rewatching the anime.

However, the debate was not limited to just negative reviews. Many users shared how, despite being disappointed to rewatch certain anime, they still retained a special affection for them due to nostalgia or memories associated with their first viewing. This aspect raised the broader question of whether it is possible to separate critical appraisal from emotional connection to a beloved series.

"The original Naruto series, especially the combat between Naruto and Sasuke. A big fight ruined by a cascade of Itachi flashbacks."
"Tokyo Ghoul, without a doubt."
"Well, I'm going to feel old now and say 'Love Hina.' I thought this was the pinnacle of comedy when it first came out."
"Oh yes, Love Hina was one of my favorites back in the day. I'm in my 30s now and I tried to see her again recently and I couldn't stand her."
"Elfen Lied. For some reason that anime aged horribly, but the manga is still pretty solid."
"I tried to see Elfen Lied for the first time as an adult. I can't do it, too much cringe. It definitely had its time, but now it's not."
"The Seven Deadly Sins. The first time I liked it so much that I watched it again later, and then the annoying pig, Meliodas abusing Elizabeth, and the absurdly inconsistent scale of powers made me dislike it at all. He went from a 9 to a 6 on the rep."
"I've been avoiding rewatching Golden Time and AIR for this very reason."
"Like an alternate take. I tried to rewatch Golden Time and couldn't keep going when the Banri ghost started appearing. I really liked the first half, but I found the pre-amnesia Banri irritating."
"Soul Eater after I've read the manga."
"For me, it was Sailor Moon. As a child I was obsessed with this series. Beautiful and powerful girls? It was the best way to keep quiet as a child while glued to the TV screen. However, I rewatched Sailor Moon when the '90s version came back on TV and it wasn't the same. Too many bouts of filler and bad pacing. But it's still a very nice series. I still love its aesthetics. But I think that's life, our tastes can change."
"Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, I saw it for the first time when I was 12 years old and recently decided to watch it again and realized how cringe it is, but the manga is definitely better than the anime."
"Rosario x Vampire and Given, I was 13 when I saw them for the first time and I didn't understand half of what was going on. I saw them again and they really made me cry from the embarrassment of others."
"Death Note/Code Geass. I thought it was so cool when I first saw it when I was a teenager. Seeing him as a grown ass adult is literally just fuel for the edgy guy who thinks 'I'm so much smarter than everyone I know.'"
"Lovely Complex was one of my TOP 10 when I was a teenager, but then I watched it again and couldn't take even a full episode."
"Death Note. I still enjoyed it, but it wasn't as cunning or smart as I had thought when I saw it as a teenager. I also realized how ridiculous the cat-and-mouse game was and how cartoonish the anime was."
"For me, Gundam Wing. When it first came out and aired on TV, it was epic. Great battles, great story, amazing characters. Awesome mecha fights. A few years ago I had time off from work and spent the whole series. That rhythm. Horrible. So slow. And the characters aren't as cool as they used to be."
"Toradora. I really liked it when I started watching anime. But after trying to rewatch it, Taiga is so annoying and abusive to the male lead, I know it's a trope, but I've really come to hate the overly violent and unfair tsundere. There are some exceptions, though."
"Honestly, HUNTER x HUNTER was a tough rewatch for me, even though I loved it when I first saw it."
"Blue Exorcist, I thought about rewatching the third season because of the long interval between the seasons, but I couldn't finish it, I found it quite boring, so I'll skip the new season, I think I remember it's much better than it actually is."
"Code Geass. I couldn't recreate my excitement from the first time I saw it and realized that most of the characters are immature and messy for no real reason."
"One Punch Man. When it first aired, I participated in the promotion cycle with everybody, but when I watched it again much later, I found it very... normal. Good, but nothing outstanding."
"I watched a lot of short anime growing up when I went to watch them again I had to stop because of all the underwear shots and the bullying, as an adult now I can't watch this kind of anime anymore, but when I was younger I guess I just ignored it."
"One Piece, just such a bad pace made me re-read the manga instead of re-watching it again."
"Nisekoi: False Love, unfortunately."
"Fushigi Yugi. I loved it when I was 15, but as an adult... Too many attempts at sexual harassment for a shoujo series. I mean, it gets to the point of being silly. Watase also has a fetish for killing off all of his characters in every damn thing he writes."
"Madoka Magica. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad show by any means. But at this point, I feel like I like the idea of the show more than the show itself. There's nothing like seeing it for the first time, blindly. However, the second viewing... As the series itself is quite dark and depressing, going to very dark places, the second time around I found it really difficult to watch. Without any of the surprises/rewards that the first viewing gives you, when you don't expect any of the twists or the sudden change in tone to the 3 episodes... I didn't even finish it."
"Fullmetal Alchemist. I loved both of them when I watched them as weekly premiere episodes. I tried to rewatch Brotherhood a couple of months ago and couldn't get past the second episode. I got so tired of Edward after the umpteenth time that he would get angry because someone told him he was small or thought Al was the big brother."
"No Game No Life: When I was 15 years old, I was the pinnacle of anime. I tried to watch it again two years ago and I couldn't get past the third episode."
"Mirai Nikki is an impossible show to watch again."
"No Game No Life. I still like it, but there's too much fanservice and often underage characters. I'd love a second season and I hope it's not that bad. Log Horizon. It's a lot more trite than I remembered, which may be because I watched it when I was younger and didn't know the anime. Before I saw it again, I also highly recommended it to my brother. Both have scenes that still impact me when I watch them again. Honestly, I'm more motivated to read the source material than I do to finish any of my revisions."
"Sword Art Online. I saw him as a teenager when he came out. It was literally the first anime I ever watched in my life and I thought it was the hottest shit since sliced bread. All the other TV shows and movies I watched before couldn't even be compared, save for a few cartoons. Now... Well, I'm a long way from the target audience, so I can understand why, but... Now it's boring. Cringe even. I can't get past Episode 2 without feeling like I'm dying."
"Hellsing Ultimate".
"Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid really went from a 10 to ~6.5 on the repeat for me."
"Fairy Tail. And I don't know why. It was nice and entertaining to watch, but now it's a bit disappointing. And I hated Death Note then because it was too complicated for me and I didn't understand the hype. But now it's exactly what I'm looking for in anime."
"Bunny Girl Senpai. I was really sick of the melodrama of this series the moment I saw the third movie in theaters. There are a couple of good arcs, but the rest of the series is pretty average and a lot of the characters are forgettable."
"Soul Eater. I remember thinking it was the best anime ever... Then I watched it again in 2021 and I was like Yoooo, there are so many glitches and fanservice."
"Gundam Seed, I loved it when I saw it for the first time at 13, but when I saw it again years later it didn't feel the same, although at least I came to appreciate Mu and Murrue more the second time around."
"Neon Genesis Evangelion".
"Saint Seiya. In high school I had my Gemini model armor and all, and I still remember certain moments that I associate with "archetypal" ideas (Aquarius in his role as teacher of his student's student). But man, that's buried in a bunch of bullshit."
"Orphen" I thought Orphen was the coolest character ever created, and that the story was a gem, he suffered so much and he was a brave badly wounded hero.... I saw the remake and it wasn't too bad, but it wasn't the best anime ever made."
"For me, it's Konosuba. I remember finding it a funny anime and quite fun to watch when I was 16-17 years old. But, my God, it's unbearable. The characters (mostly) are so annoying, the humor is boring, and the story is just meh. But animation has aged well."
"The first few seasons of Konosuba were the most fun I ever watched in my life, when I was 12 or 13 years old. The movie was meh, and the Megumin spin-off had its moments, but it was also meh in general. I think fans refuse to accept that Konosuba's comedy stops being funny as you get older, and a lot of them 'refuse to grow up.'"
"Bunny Girl Senpai, I saw her again recently and she didn't live up to the pedestal I had placed her on in my mind."
"Sincerely, Toradora. I remember that I really liked it and also that it had a huge cult following, but when I saw it again it just didn't have that impact."
"Terror in Resonance: When I first saw it, I was blown away, I was excited, and I thought this anime was very underrated. A few years later, I watched it again and realized it's a bit stupid and nonsensical. I still love the beginning, but man, they've messed up something that could have turned out great."
"Shakugan no Shana. I enjoyed it when I was in middle school, but oh my gosh, I barely remember anything and it was because it was incredibly generic."
"Shaman King. I used to watch it as a child and when I proposed it to my husband to watch together, we both thought it was silly and boring, so maybe it's more appropriate for boys."
"Cardcaptor Sakura. When I saw her again when I was 20 years old, I was a bit upset about the teacher-student relationship (Terada sensei and Rika). He's in 4th grade, dammit."
"The Irregular at Magic High School, I'm not sure how I finished it the first time, I'm sure I was bored at the time. I mean, I was okay with the story line (I guess,) but the fucking weird ass bro/sister was not at all. I'm not sure what some of these writers are going through to be honest, but that trope has to die quickly!"