Unpopular Opinions about anime/manga -

[Coster]

A lot of anime sucks.

Miyazaki was in the right for retiring from animation. Because the rest of the anime and animation world couldn't compare to his awesomeness. He saw all the crap being made and was like, "Here, let me give you all a handicap."

Yeah, objectively speaking there's quite a lot of shit anime and manga. The things that are good are more or less few and far between, and the things that are bad are the most popular. What I feel really kills a series is the fact that, in their manga serialization, they can be so massively subjected to change. Like, Sakigake!! Otokojuku! is a really classic shonen series from the 80s, one of the better-selling Shonen Jump serializations actually, and even then its story completely fell apart by the end because the author pretty much got axed because of falling popularity. Though, to be fair, he did kill off the same main three of the cast atleast 3 times in the story, only for them to miraculously be okay by the next arc.

Dragon Ball GT had a lot of potential to surpass both the original and Z.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

I'm not that big a fan of Miyazaki's works, they just seem a tad too preachy in parts and tend to drag out for way too long. The only really good thing I can say is that they have good animation.

 

[Steamboat_Bill]

@Jewelsmakerguy: Miyazaki is actually pretty overrated.

 

[MisterMuggles]

Seriously? Sure it's overrated but it's not as bad as Howl's Moving Castle or Ponyo.

I'm being serious. I don't find Howl's Moving Castle boring and I didn't find Ponyo boring until the third viewing (and no, I don't hate Ponyo). The first time I saw Princess Mononoke, I switched off after 15 mins because I was bored. And the second time (in which I gave the film another chance and saw it the whole way through) didn't do me any favours, either.

Also, I refuse to believe that Miyazaki's current retirement is his "permanent" one on the basis he has gone in and out of retirement before.

 

[Dio Brando]

Also Miyazaki's retirement is definitely not permanent. It never is. He always finds a reason to come back

 

[Dark Mirror Hole]

I prefer anime films over anime shows.

 

[Overcast]

Seriously? Sure it's overrated but it's not as bad as Howl's Moving Castle or Ponyo.

Oh god Howl's Moving Castle. I wanted to like the movie but nothing in it made any lick of sense.

Spoiler

The scarecrow was a prince? WHAT? WHAT?!

But yeah, that's another thing. As much as I liked some of Studio Ghilbi's films, a lot of them (at least the ones I've seen) just either end abruptly or anticlimactically. The only examples I could think of where this wasn't the case was Castle in the Sky and I think My Neighbor Totoro. Although I've only seen the latter once and I barely remember how it ended.

I have yet to watch Princess Mononoke, so hopefully that's an exception too.

 

[R.A.E.L.]

I didn't think Grave of the Fireflies was as sad as a lot of people make it out to be.

 

[Ruin]

Elfin Lied has an incredibly shitty fandom but the show is solid.

 

[Coster]

The best Studio Ghibli film is The Cat Returns.

 

[John Titor]

Also Miyazaki's retirement is definitely not permanent. It never is. He always finds a reason to come back

I kind of think Miyazaki's a bit too caustic with the industry and its fans. Sure, there are a lot of bad eggs and he does make good points but I don't think I ever heard him say he likes any other work but his.

 

[Ruin]

I kind of think Miyazaki's a bit too caustic with the industry and its fans. Sure, there are a lot of bad eggs and he does make good points but I don't think I ever heard him say he likes any other work but his.

It's a fairly well known fact that Miyazaki is a huge dick. Just like Steve Jobs brilliance and being a jerk aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[Teddy]

As a whole, I don't like anime. I mean, some of the older stuff is pretty cool, But I much rather watch American cartoons (which most fans hate) when in the mood. Usually older, theatrical ones. And if I'm correct, that's what influenced anime.

I did watch Sailor Moon and DBZ and went through an anime phase when I was like 12, but that's really it. It's all the same to me, artistically, story wise, and vocally. I swear to God that every anime has a beach, hot springs, or filler episode. It's redundant and old.

Disliking anime is blasphemy to most people surprisingly. Weird.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

I kind of think Miyazaki's a bit too caustic with the industry and its fans. Sure, there are a lot of bad eggs and he does make good points but I don't think I ever heard him say he likes any other work but his.

You want to know what's funny, the guy's against technology, yet for some reason, his studio's films tend to have their paint done digitally (some of it at a company that went fully digital during the mid-1990s even).

For a technophobe, that seems a tad hypocritical, dontcha think?

Disliking anime is blasphemy to most people surprisingly. Weird.

I don't blame you, people are like that over the internet- Dislike something popular (Anime, in this case) and they'll bitch the ever-loving shit out of you. I myself, like to mix my viewing times between anime, non-Japanese animation and live action stuff.

 

[Eldritch]

Okay, so I love me some somewhat older and more artistic anime like cowboy bebop, ghost in the shell, and lain.
My friend, on the other hand, is a bit of a weeb and loves all the OMG KAWAII SODOKU SAMURAI NINJA SUSHI BANZAI! type anime. He's recommended some newer anime he thinks I would enjoy, like Psycho pass (Or as I like to call it: 1984 With Guns) but they just don't feel right, like they don't have the same "soul" of the others.

This isn't to say I always hate new anime, I thought Space Dandy and Madoka Magica were really great, but most of the more "mainstream" (To Weeaboos) anime just feels like a series of tired cliches with cookie-cutter Moe schoolgirls and comically brash young warriors.

Am I just pretentious and sentimental, or has anime lost its luster in general?

 

[Coster]

Okay, so I love me some somewhat older and more artistic anime like cowboy bebop, ghost in the shell, and lain.
My friend, on the other hand, is a bit of a weeb and loves all the OMG KAWAII SODOKU SAMURAI NINJA SUSHI BANZAI! type anime. He's recommended some newer anime he thinks I would enjoy, like Psycho pass (Or as I like to call it: 1984 With Guns) but they just don't feel right, like they don't have the same "soul" of the others.

This isn't to say I always hate new anime, I thought Space Dandy and Madoka Magica were really great, but most of the more "mainstream" (To Weeaboos) anime just feels like a series of tired cliches with cookie-cutter Moe schoolgirls and comically brash young warriors.

Am I just pretentious and sentimental, or has anime lost its luster in general?

The issue is something that Miyazaki has a point about, it's that there's a huge, profitable market for shitty anime made specifically to pander to otaku audiences now. I mean, you know, why bother with a series that you pour your sweat and blood into that might not even work when you can just shit out some moe blobs and have an entire multimedia empire on your hands?

 

[Stay safe]

I don't think Gundam Seed Destiny was that bad.

 

[Luz Noceda]

I swear to God that every anime has a beach, hot springs, or filler episode. It's redundant and old.

Stop watching Shounen and watch something decent like Monster.

 

[Sallet Lad Jim]

I know Neon Genesis Evangelion is super popular and all, but I couldn't even get through one episode of it. I'm a fan of really sort of adrenaline-pumping sorts of anime, stuff like Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill, and I dunno, it just feels really un-engaging to me. Maybe I just lack a soul.

 

[Luz Noceda]

I know Neon Genesis Evangelion is super popular and all, but I couldn't even get through one episode of it. I'm a fan of really sort of adrenaline-pumping sorts of anime, stuff like Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill, and I dunno, it just feels really un-engaging to me. Maybe I just lack a soul.

Don't go into Evangelion expecting Gurren Lagann/Kill la Kill even though they were done by gainax/ex-gainax staff studio trigger. Threat it like a arthouse film about mecha with a really limited budget at times.. Stay away from those ok to crap rebuild movies and death and rebirth though. If you find it hard to get though don't bother with stuff like Serial Experiments Lain.
If you want a show more like the two you are a fan off check out FLCL if you haven't already (I.G/Gainax),Dead Leaves (movie) and Kyousou Giga (haven't seen it yet though).