Most horrible anime you´ve ever seen

[TestAddress]

Classroom of the Elite - my god it was so fucking cringe i cant stand the protag

Welcome to the YEAR 2 ADAPTATION.

 

[darktennisball]

African Salaryman

 

[makait]

Speaking of abhorrent art styles, I'm almost finished with Paranoia Agent, and it's become a chore for me to watch. It tries to do the 'ugly character designs' thing, kind of like with Oyasumi Punpun, but all the characters (even the ones that are supposed to be attractive) end up looking like bland as fuck troglodytes.

The sound design and the manner in which episodes introduce new characters I don't care about annoy me. Basically, I'm an unhappy camper. I get what the show is going for (it's 'psychological and abstract'), but damn does it shoot itself in the foot with how unappealing it is to watch.

What do you mean Punpun had ugly character design? It was the point. You might as well say: why most characters are birds. It all ties to the themes of the manga. Characters like Aiko and Yaguchi were very attractive, because it made sense.

 

[makait]

Got the order wrong; It's bible black.

That's blasphemy. Everyone knows that BB is the greatest hentai in history.

 

[bigtiddyoneesan]

What do you mean Punpun had ugly character design? It was the point. You might as well say: why most characters are birds. It all ties to the themes of the manga. Characters like Aiko and Yaguchi were very attractive, because it made sense.

Alright, I get what you're saying about Oyasumi Punpun and its character designs. Yes, Asano Inio intentionally uses grotesque and distorted visuals to reflect the psychological states and inner turmoil of his characters. It’s meant to enhance the bleakness and existential horror that pervades the narrative, and on an intellectual level, I can respect that. The point isn't that the characters are ugly, it’s that their ugliness is a reflection of their emotional and mental degradation. In this context, Punpun’s art serves a higher purpose — to underline the themes of self-destruction, alienation, and the inability to escape one's own internal hell. And characters like Aiko and Yaguchi, being more conventionally attractive, are anomalies in the world that Asano builds, which draws attention to their tragic circumstances and emphasizes the idea that beauty can be as fleeting and ultimately just as doomed as everything else in the narrative.

However, the reason Punpun still feels like a chore to me at times is precisely because that ‘ugliness’ becomes so overwhelming that it risks overshadowing the emotional resonance. The art style, while conceptually brilliant, left me feeling detached from the story because of how hard it was to look at at times. It was uncomfortable, and I get that it was supposed to be. But the question I have to ask is: how much discomfort is too much? At what point does the art become an obstacle rather than a vehicle to convey the themes? Maybe I’m just not that into the idea of art that pushes me away in the name of abstract psychological exploration, even if I get it. It’s a fine line between pushing boundaries and alienating the audience.

Now, moving to Paranoia Agent — Satoshi Kon’s work is interesting in this regard because it shares a similar thematic ambition with Asano’s Punpun, though the approach is different. Kon, like Asano, uses surrealism and disorienting character designs to delve into the fractured psyche of his characters. But there’s something about the aesthetic in Paranoia Agent that doesn’t feel as deliberate or coherent as it does in Punpun. It’s like Kon is trying to do the same thing — create a jarring, uncomfortable atmosphere — but without the same level of thematic consistency. The characters in Paranoia Agent, even the ones who are supposed to be attractive, often end up looking more like generic, unremarkable faces, with no real distinction or depth to them. It’s almost as if the designs are deliberately ugly or unappealing, but there’s no higher artistic purpose behind it. It feels more like a lazy attempt at discomfort for the sake of discomfort, without the thoughtful narrative grounding that makes Asano’s design choices work.

In Paranoia Agent, the randomness of new characters being introduced every episode, and their immediate involvement in the bizarre, disconnected plot points, only exacerbates the feeling of disengagement. Unlike in Punpun, where the ugliness feels like an extension of the thematic exploration of human fragility, Paranoia Agent’s character design choices feel disconnected from its narrative or philosophical underpinnings. I know Kon’s goal is to reflect the fractured, often absurd nature of modern life, but in Paranoia Agent, that becomes so chaotic and abstract that it becomes more frustrating than thought-provoking.

And here’s where it ties into something deeper. Both Punpun and Paranoia Agent tap into a shared cultural moment, where the ugliness of life, the alienation, and the emotional decay are pervasive. But while Punpun uses ugliness to make us confront the inherent dissonance between our internal and external selves, and Paranoia Agent tries to tackle the breakdown of identity and reality through surrealism, they both fall into a trap — they risk turning their philosophical explorations into a never-ending cycle of discomfort. The message becomes muddled when the medium itself feels like it’s actively working against the viewer’s engagement.

Philosophically speaking, this might be an issue with how we interact with uncomfortable media. At a certain point, we become so overwhelmed by the grotesque or the dissonant that we forget to engage with the ideas themselves. The art itself, rather than becoming a bridge to understanding, becomes an insurmountable barrier to connection. And maybe that's the ultimate commentary — in our increasingly alienating, fragmented world, we are pushed to the point where we can no longer find beauty or meaning in anything, even if we try to understand the ugliness. It’s a bleak take, but perhaps that’s the point — that both works, in their own ways, challenge us to confront the limits of human perception and empathy. They ask: Can you understand something without truly connecting with it? Can you derive meaning from something that actively repels you?

In the end, it’s not that I completely dismiss these works or their artistic ambitions. I just feel like there’s a balance that’s been tipped too far in favor of discomfort, making the thematic elements harder to connect with. It's the struggle between form and function — when the form is too disruptive, it stops fulfilling its function of delivering the message.

 

[makait]

Alright, I get what you're saying about Oyasumi Punpun and its character designs. Yes, Asano Inio intentionally uses grotesque and distorted visuals to reflect the psychological states and inner turmoil of his characters. It’s meant to enhance the bleakness and existential horror that pervades the narrative, and on an intellectual level, I can respect that. The point isn't that the characters are ugly, it’s that their ugliness is a reflection of their emotional and mental degradation. In this context, Punpun’s art serves a higher purpose — to underline the themes of self-destruction, alienation, and the inability to escape one's own internal hell. And characters like Aiko and Yaguchi, being more conventionally attractive, are anomalies in the world that Asano builds, which draws attention to their tragic circumstances and emphasizes the idea that beauty can be as fleeting and ultimately just as doomed as everything else in the narrative.

However, the reason Punpun still feels like a chore to me at times is precisely because that ‘ugliness’ becomes so overwhelming that it risks overshadowing the emotional resonance. The art style, while conceptually brilliant, left me feeling detached from the story because of how hard it was to look at at times. It was uncomfortable, and I get that it was supposed to be. But the question I have to ask is: how much discomfort is too much? At what point does the art become an obstacle rather than a vehicle to convey the themes? Maybe I’m just not that into the idea of art that pushes me away in the name of abstract psychological exploration, even if I get it. It’s a fine line between pushing boundaries and alienating the audience.

Now, moving to Paranoia Agent — Satoshi Kon’s work is interesting in this regard because it shares a similar thematic ambition with Asano’s Punpun, though the approach is different. Kon, like Asano, uses surrealism and disorienting character designs to delve into the fractured psyche of his characters. But there’s something about the aesthetic in Paranoia Agent that doesn’t feel as deliberate or coherent as it does in Punpun. It’s like Kon is trying to do the same thing — create a jarring, uncomfortable atmosphere — but without the same level of thematic consistency. The characters in Paranoia Agent, even the ones who are supposed to be attractive, often end up looking more like generic, unremarkable faces, with no real distinction or depth to them. It’s almost as if the designs are deliberately ugly or unappealing, but there’s no higher artistic purpose behind it. It feels more like a lazy attempt at discomfort for the sake of discomfort, without the thoughtful narrative grounding that makes Asano’s design choices work.

In Paranoia Agent, the randomness of new characters being introduced every episode, and their immediate involvement in the bizarre, disconnected plot points, only exacerbates the feeling of disengagement. Unlike in Punpun, where the ugliness feels like an extension of the thematic exploration of human fragility, Paranoia Agent’s character design choices feel disconnected from its narrative or philosophical underpinnings. I know Kon’s goal is to reflect the fractured, often absurd nature of modern life, but in Paranoia Agent, that becomes so chaotic and abstract that it becomes more frustrating than thought-provoking.

And here’s where it ties into something deeper. Both Punpun and Paranoia Agent tap into a shared cultural moment, where the ugliness of life, the alienation, and the emotional decay are pervasive. But while Punpun uses ugliness to make us confront the inherent dissonance between our internal and external selves, and Paranoia Agent tries to tackle the breakdown of identity and reality through surrealism, they both fall into a trap — they risk turning their philosophical explorations into a never-ending cycle of discomfort. The message becomes muddled when the medium itself feels like it’s actively working against the viewer’s engagement.

Philosophically speaking, this might be an issue with how we interact with uncomfortable media. At a certain point, we become so overwhelmed by the grotesque or the dissonant that we forget to engage with the ideas themselves. The art itself, rather than becoming a bridge to understanding, becomes an insurmountable barrier to connection. And maybe that's the ultimate commentary — in our increasingly alienating, fragmented world, we are pushed to the point where we can no longer find beauty or meaning in anything, even if we try to understand the ugliness. It’s a bleak take, but perhaps that’s the point — that both works, in their own ways, challenge us to confront the limits of human perception and empathy. They ask: Can you understand something without truly connecting with it? Can you derive meaning from something that actively repels you?

In the end, it’s not that I completely dismiss these works or their artistic ambitions. I just feel like there’s a balance that’s been tipped too far in favor of discomfort, making the thematic elements harder to connect with. It's the struggle between form and function — when the form is too disruptive, it stops fulfilling its function of delivering the message.

I don't know about you, but I'm a very beauty-driven individual. I stopped playing videogames a decade ago when developers started making them, intentionally less attractive, if not damn ugly - especially women. There were some people who criticized my approach, deeming it as shallow. So I kinda agree on the importance of beauty in attracting your readers. And the dangers of ugliness that may drain and repulse them.

Nonetheless, ugliness, at least in these 2 works, never made me quit. Yes, I was sometimes uncomfortable, but the thematic relevance made it easier for me. I can give you some examples. Earlier, when Punpun was in primary school, there were a lot of panels with the kids having their nose running. At first I was disgusted, but suddenly I remembered the sight of my little brother running towards me with the same nose that I found endearing at the time. And that made think more positively on that. Another example, in volume 2, where Punpun was confronted with a very harsh reality, his bird-like figure transformed into one of the most chilling panels I've seen in manga. It was as if he was on the verge of being eviscerated in order to disappear from the face of the earth.

I think that we often over-dramatize stories in fiction and we tend to make them very safe. And some times to the detriment of the story. Heroes are all beautiful and perfect, mothers are all caring and thoughtful, kids are all innocent and lovely... I know where that comes from - the hero and mother architype existed before mankind - and I'm not asking to abandon those architypes. However, from times to time a story that delves into the worst and ugliest parts of Man are always welcomed. Be it with the interior ugliness that gets reflected on the outside, the perverted sexuality, revenge and so on. Because you know what, the narrative tool used in the manga - ugly mind makes an ugly face - is real. You can tell, for example, if someone is an addict just by looking at him. And that what Asano implemented.

There's another meta element in that decision. We tend to avoid discomfort in our lives. And by that we lose a lot of opportunities for growth and being a better person. Nothing worthwhile in life comes easy. To Asano's credit there were some characters, even in the early volumes, that get more attractive as they become more healthy individuals. And that was a reward both for the character in question and me as a reader.

I can say that I really enjoy my wholesome slice of life stories and the one-dimensional erotic manga. But from time to time affronting some discomfort is healthy. It could be just me, but my favorite stories were always the kind that solicited backlash from a lot of people. From EVA - my best anime ever - and Elfen Lied to Lain, Perfect Blue and Berserk. I even liked Mushokou Tensei before all the abusive censorship in later seasons. All of them share some kinda of uncomfortable element. Be it with a character being a childish bitch, exaggerated violence and sexual tendencies or total symbolic and abstract "snooze fest".

PS. It's kinda puzzling to me that someone can believe in the notion of "conventional attractiveness" when in the same time being bothered by the "non-conventional". I don't believe in that. For me beauty is natural and objective. Yes some men may prefer skinny women and others may prefer bigger builds. However, most of those preferences tend to favor the objective metrics that increases the likelihoods of bearing/rearing children. Ask 100 men whether Angelina Julie is attractive or not. And 95 of them would say yes.

 

[undeed]

Yes, Asano Inio intentionally uses grotesque and distorted visuals to reflect the psychological states and inner turmoil of his characters. It’s meant to enhance the bleakness and existential horror that pervades the narrative, and on an intellectual level, I can respect that. The point isn't that the characters are ugly, it’s that their ugliness is a reflection of their emotional and mental degradation.

I disagree. I think you're over analyzing things too much. Sometimes it's not that deep.
I read a lot of Asano Inio's manga, and it has always been his artstyle.
That's why although I recognize that the stories are good, and I try to be as unbiased as I can, I can only give his works at most a 7 or 8 simply because I quite dislike his art.

 

[Manko-sensei]

Reading answers about not anime titles only makes me want to add something so... the worst anime titles are deleted from my memory due selective memory, so for me the most horrible thing would have to do with the viewers so... I'll go with Madoka.

 

[makait]

Reading answers about not anime titles only makes me want to add something so... the worst anime titles are deleted from my memory due selective memory, so for me the most horrible thing would have to do with the viewers so... I'll go with Madoka.

A manga forum isn't the best place to ask anime question. Any conversation will naturally derail to the manga counterpart. Because most manga readers, at least in the west and I'm one of them, are people who weren't satisfied with some anime adaptation of a series they liked - be it for censorship, a lack of new season, cut content and more - and know they are fully immersed in this medium.

As an anime watcher for most of my life, I only started reading manga a year ago, I don't see the appeal of most anime series and movies, especially for a seinen fan. It's over the time where we were getting faithful seinen adaptations, like Akira and GitS, or great movie originals like Perfect Blue and Kite.

Please tell me that you're not talking about Madoka Magika.

 

[Manko-sensei]

A manga forum isn't the best place to ask anime question. Any conversation will naturally derail to the manga counterpart. Because most manga readers, at least in the west and I'm one of them, are people who weren't satisfied with some anime adaptation of a series they liked - be it for censorship, a lack of new season, cut content and more - and know they are fully immersed in this medium.

As an anime watcher for most of my life, I only started reading manga a year ago, I don't see the appeal of most anime series and movies, especially for a seinen fan. It's over the time where we were getting faithful seinen adaptations, like Akira and GitS, or great movie originals like Perfect Blue and Kite.

Please tell me that you're not talking about Madoka Magika.

I was precisely referring to that Madoka, of course I've seen worse series which I could only stand for a few seconds but I have more aversion to overwhelming pretentious series than plainly bad series. I've said that for mahou shoujo as I could have said Eva for mecha or AoT for shonen, but I don't care at all about those two other genres for instance.

 

[makait]

I was precisely referring to that Madoka, of course I've seen worse series which I could only stand for a few seconds but I have more aversion to overwhelming presumptuous series than plainly bad series. I've said that for mahou shoujo as I could have said Eva for mecha or AoT for shonen, but I don't care at all about those two other genres for instance.

I think you mean "pretentious", not "presumptuous." I know, that's presumptuous of me, I'm sorry.

Not gonna lie, I feel as if you are intentionally targeting me. As I really liked Madoka Magika and EVA is my best anime ever.
Not everyone will get EVA - you'll either find it the best thing to have ever happened to anime, or a total hatred for its sophisticated and unconventional narrative - and that's the charm. Not everything has to follow a recipe in order to appeal to the masses.

It's interesting that you are targeting series that subverted their genre and paved the way for new stories to be told.

 

[Manko-sensei]

I think you mean "pretentious", not "presumptuous." I know, that's presumptuous of me, I'm sorry.

Not gonna lie, I feel as if you are intentionally targeting me. As I really liked Madoka Magika and EVA is my best anime ever.
Not everyone will get EVA - you'll either find it the best thing to have ever happened to anime, or a total hatred for its sophisticated and unconventional narrative - and that's the charm. Not everything has to follow a recipe in order to appeal to the masses.

It's interesting that you are targeting series that subverted their genre and paved the way for new stories to be told.

Yes, I meant pretentious, I don't know why I switched that word. Oh, I just wanted to poke a reaction on @BakedBanana (which I got), there are more regulars that would disagree with me of course. Rather than subverted, I'd say they perverted the genre and caused a slump and/or a vicious circle. But again, it's because they annoyed me for a long time instead of being completely erased from my memory.

 

[BakedBanana]

Yes, I meant pretentious, I don't know why I switched that word. Oh, I just wanted to poke a reaction on @BakedBanana (which I got), there are more regulars that would disagree with me of course. Rather than subverted, I'd say they perverted the genre and caused a slump and/or a vicious circle. But again, it's because they annoyed me for a long time instead of being completely erased from my memory.

I can understand why you think that in a way, still one of my favorite magical girl anime right beside Nanoha though.

---

And also so I don't get yelled at for being off-topic:

Most horrible anime you´ve ever seen

..Hamatora sequel, Re:␣Hamatora, enough said.

 

[Painasbread]

When it's unbearable to watch, I just don't bother. That's probably why I stopped watching anime after I grew up.

A manga forum isn't the best place to ask anime question. Any conversation will naturally derail to the manga counterpart. Because most manga readers, at least in the west and I'm one of them, are people who weren't satisfied with some anime adaptation of a series they liked - be it for censorship, a lack of new season, cut content and more - and know they are fully immersed in this medium.

I agree with what makait said here. I'm personally more immersed in manga than in anime, so I don't have any names to give, unfortunately.

I've seen some bad anime, but I've never gotten past the first episode in that case, so it's not really fitting for me to say they were horrible.

 

[Angry_Panda]

Not everyone will get EVA - you'll either find it the best thing to have ever happened to anime, or a total hatred for its sophisticated and unconventional narrative - and that's the charm. Not everything has to follow a recipe in order to appeal to the masses.

Or option 3 - having a mental breakdown and not actually finishing the last episode and a half tanks the entire series. Sorry, but my dislike of Eva has nothing to do with the narrative or the MC, and everything to do with how Gainax absolutely shit the bed at the end. It's not conceptual or format defying or anything visionary, it's a colossal failure on the part of the production studio. Anno bit off more than he could chew and choked on it.

 

[makait]

it's because they annoyed me for a long time instead of being completely erased from my memory.

That's when you know something is worthwhile. You can't just erase it from memory. And people will keep debating its themes for decades to come.

Once again, love it or hate it, no one can deny how monumental EVA was on the medium of anime. There are less than half a dozen of such anime that had comparable impact. Be it with the introduction of psychological themes and abstraction, redefinition of what a mecha anime and a protagonist can be, the popularization of tsunderes and kuuderes - for better or worst, ground-breaking cinematography lead by Anno that emphasized character inner and outer conflict - be it with the extreme close-ups, long awkward and silent scenes, distorted perspectives and more. Add to that the introduction of the most iconic opening in the history of animation - I bet more people know about Cruel Angel than the Japanese anthem.

As I said, the more you talk and discuss something, the more you're contributing/emphasizing its impact and significance.

I couldn't care less about Demon Slayer or JJK, but I can't ignore their impact on anime and especially manga, at least for know. I don't think that most of these shounen will have a lasting impact, just like with fairy tail.

 

[makait]

Or option 3 - having a mental breakdown and not actually finishing the last episode and a half tanks the entire series. Sorry, but my dislike of Eva has nothing to do with the narrative or the MC, and everything to do with how Gainax absolutely shit the bed at the end. It's not conceptual or format defying or anything visionary, it's a colossal failure on the part of the production studio. Anno bit off more than he could chew and choked on it.

I don't know about that. Have you heard about the Gainax ending?
Seriously, I don't see a problem with the ending. And honestly I refuse to watch anything EVA after the first movie. The story ended there for me. As all the other stuff was a reaction to some viewers demands and not the will of the creators.
EVA + End of EVA resonated with me to such an extreme degree that no other book or movie did. And that might be because I was, and still, very drawn to philosophies and artistic movements of existentialism, Jungian architypes and religious thoughts and symbolism.

The only anime ending I can say that Gainax did fumble is Kare Kano. And that because the mangaka was tired of Anno's interventions and alterations. There's also the artistic restrictions and censorship pressure that was exerted on him from TV channels. To be honest, it is Anno that made this anime what it was. The source material wasn't that good or memorable.

I can talk for hours about EVA, Anno, Satoshi Kon and Gainax/TRIGGER.

 

[Manko-sensei]

That's when you know something is worthwhile. You can't just erase it from memory. And people will keep debating its themes for decades to come.

That reasoning only leads to accepting as masterpieces controversial titles and the masters in that sense are hentai ones: Oni Chichi, Shoujo Ramune, Boku no Pico OVAs, etc. (those are truly memorable).
For EVA, I think I need to repost the image:

Spoiler: Emotional damage

 

[makait]

That reasoning only leads to accepting as masterpieces controversial titles and the masters in that sense are hentai ones: Oni Chichi, Shoujo Ramune, Boku no Pico OVAs, etc. (those are truly memorable).
For EVA, I think I need to repost the image:

This conversation has become tiring.
I'll end with an advice: Forget about EVA. For some reason, you're deeply damaged by it. Instead focus this energy in reading/watching/discussing something you like. This hatred will only consume your heart and make you, and the people around you like me now, more miserable.

 

[OldVice]

The anime adaptation for Boku dake ga Inai Machi was really terrible.

Death Note translated horribly into an anime.

The Devil Survivor anime wasn't very good at all.

Outbreak Company definitely didn't age well.

I'll have to go through my DVDs and Blurays for even more, because I can't believe I actually spent money on some of this crap.