Disappointing Anime of 2012

While there have been many very good anime series this year there have also been a number of disappointing ones, series that had a lot of potential, but for one reason or another failed to live up to it. Such series aren’t necessarily terrible, but because they suffered from numerous problems ultimately never lived up to the potential that their stories or characters had. In fact there are a few of these series that I really enjoyed watching, or at least enjoyed parts, but their flaws were too much for me to really like them as a whole. I never really ‘hated’ these series, largely because hating an anime series seems to be an exercise in futility, although there are a couple of exceptions, series that were just terrible and what little enjoyment I got from them was short lived. This is a list, but not in any real order since it seems a little silly to try and order the disappointing anime in the same way as you would order your favourite anime (and I even find that pointless).

The Illogicalzen Top Twelve Anime of 2012

It appears to be that time of the year where many bloggers begin to list their favourite anime and make lists that may differ wildly from each other while containing a few common links. I didn’t do this last year, partly because I wasn’t really as involved with anime blogging as I am now, but this year shall be different! I have to admit that I don’t really believe in lists, finding them too restrictive and forcing you into picking your favourite, but for lack of a better format, and because I am taking part in Kidd’s Ani-Bloggers Choice Awards I shall have to come up with a list and an order for my favourite anime for the year. But, even thought they will be in order, these anime are essentially equal for me since I enjoyed them for different reasons and at different times, and in all cases there were points where they didn’t quite work as well. But, before I get into the list proper there are a few honourable mentions, all series that I enjoyed but weren’t quite good enough to make onto my Top Twelve List for a variety of reasons.

Eureka Seven AO and the Curse of the Sequel

Sequels can be tricky things, and while the idea of a sequel may at first seem good; many of them inevitably turn out to be worse than the original. There are two distinct types of sequel, those that follow on from previous series and are a simple continuation of the story, and those that try to build upon what has happened in previous series and expand the themes and ideas. Of course, suggesting that there are only two types of sequel is a little flawed as there are numerous sub-divisions and subtleties with these series, although they inevitably fit into these two broader categories. Eureka Seven AO fits into the second category, with the series using existing themes from the original series but attempting to build on them and expand the universe. Considering how great the original series is this might sound great, unfortunately there is one problem with it, the series is rubbish and does absolutely nothing to the franchise other than rip apart everything that was good about the original.  

Obsession and repressed feelings in Accel World

The central relationship in Accel World is that of Haruyuki and Kuroyukihime, it is a relationship marked by repressed feelings and the power that the Brain Burst programme has over them. They are a very odd couple, one that in many respects should not exist, largely because of the pressures that each place upon the other, and themselves. Kuroyukihime is clearly in love with him, even going so far as to confess right before saving him from the crazed Araya. For his part Haruyuki loves the idea of being close to her, wanting to stick by this girl who he idolises and considers her a goddess in human form.

Hyouka and mystery as interpretation

The central premise of Hyouka is one of the numerous interpretations that a mystery can have, along with the notion that in reality whatever answer is presented will always be subjective and tied to the background of the person giving it. The mysteries presented to us in Hyouka may be considered benign or inconsequential, lacking the over-arching and often sinister nature of other mystery anime. As a series Hyouka is not concerned with solving these mysteries, but instead focuses on their presentation and the multiple interpretations that are given by the central characters. Each character brings with them a clear set of ideals and goals, ones that are encapsulated in their understand and interpretations of the mysteries that they are presented with.

Mouretsu Pirates 26 – Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho!

And thus ends Mouretsu Pirates, a series that started off slowly all those weeks ago but gradually built up into one of the best of the year with fascinating characters and an excellent story. It has been a long time since there was a space opera that had such an excellent and importantly consistent case of characters. The finale answered many questions that had been building up over the course of the series, while still keeping several important ones unanswered, possibly to allow for other series in the near future. Marika was a brilliant lead character, someone who was both brilliant while retaining a certain element of naivety and obliviousness that made her such a joy to watch. Ultimately it was a series about her discovery of what it means to be a pirate and how it has impacted on her and her friends lives.

Sankarea 12 – The ending and the beginning

Sankarea has been a fascinating series, one that has had excellent episodes and story arcs, while also unfortunately having a few places where the plot as meandered and not gone very far. As a series it has largely focussed on the private family life that Rea has tried to escape from, and how her father has attempted to control everything about her life from the moment she was born. As a story it is as much about loss as it is about discovering new things and living through new and exciting experiences. The central irony of the story is that Rea must become the most unnatural girl possible in order to live the life of a normal girl. Her family life and the constant presence of her father have shut her off from the outside world, isolating her from everything that could be considered to be normal. While the boys at Chihiro’s school may talk about her as being the perfect ‘oujo-sama’, that is little more than an a mask, something that was in part created by her everyday existence as a Sanka.

Fate/Zero – It was epic but ultimately flawed

Fate/Zero was a fascinating series, and in some respects one of the best to look at for the season, however, it is a deeply flawed series, one that was supposed to push boundaries and restart a franchise, but ultimately ended up simply continuing where Fate/Stay Night left off, only worse. In a sense Fate/Zero was a glorious train wreck, it looked spectacular while it was happening, but once it had finished and you begin to sift through the rubble and twisted metal you have to ask yourself what it was all about. It was a series that aimed high, one that had a fascinating, and potentially great concept, and yet, it ended with more of a whimper than a bang, despite the ending being on such apparently epic proportions.

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia – Parting Ways

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia has been a series about friendship and the acceptance of your own darkness. It was a series about how an innocent meeting between two different people can change the way they look at the world forever. Between them they were the light and the dark in the series, with Yuuko being used in places as a metaphor for peoples inability to truly accept their own dark sides, as if it would destroy them. Her fear of the emotions and feelings that she felt during her final moments set of a chain of events that filled Seikyou Academy with ghost stories and supernatural phenomenon. She was so afraid of her own darkness and the negative emotions that were associated with it, that Yuuko pushed it away, creating shadow Yuuko.

Mouretsu Pirates 25 – A bit like Phantom of the Opera, only with better looking masks and more pirates

One of the central questions of this series has been what it means to be a space pirate; it is a question that has come up on multiple occasions, and asked by a variety of different people. For the most part the answer has been somewhat simplistic in nature, often pertaining to possessing a Letter of Marque, and thus being part of what has become an elaborate web of official business within various solar systems. Essentially to many people the entire world of a space pirate revolves around this piece of paper, and as such they must obey its commands as if it were a sentient being. But of course this is wrong, pirates come in all shapes and sizes, and many of them are not bound by the Letter of Marque, but instead by their own rules.