Have you ever talked to a person who went on and on about how much they disliked anime? I have. But while I could shrug off their condescension as unreasonable, there may be something to be gained from understanding their perspective.
Some people hate anime because there are elements in anime that they consider unpalatable. They don’t like that anime is of foreign origin, they think that the art style is unsightly, and they cannot stomach the fan service. At the end of the day, it boils down to their preference.
But that’s barely scratching the surface. Read on to discover twenty different reasons why some people just hate anime.
1. Some people hate anime because of its foreign origin
The very term anime refers to Japanese animation, and some Westerners are uncomfortable with the thought of consuming media that has Oriental origins. They think that reading subtitles takes too much energy and that dubbed anime is forced and unseemly.
Anime fans will think this is a shallow reason, but there are really people who just have difficulty sitting through a movie or a show that isn’t in their native language. They think that it’s not easy to understand and follow, and that’s okay.
However, there are a select few anime haters whose reasons are based on extreme nationalism. Because of historical tensions between America and Japan, they do everything in their power to reject anything that Japan has to offer.
A short history lesson: During the World War II, Japan bombed the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. In retaliation, the US military dropped atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Japan surrendered, and American troops went on to occupy Japan for 7 years. This culminated in violent anti-USA movements in multiple cities across Japan.
2. Some people hate anime because of the fan service
I’ve got to be honest here. I’m not too fond of the fan service in anime too. But because I love and appreciate the art form itself, I can’t help but continue to watch anime even with all the unnecessary upskirts going on.
Meanwhile, some people just can’t look past all the over-sexualization in anime. I know of some anime fans who stopped watching anime because they can’t handle all the fan service going on, and I can’t say I blame them.
It can get pretty disturbing, especially when it involves underage girls and teenagers. Quite frankly, more often than not, it does involve underage girls and teenagers.
Most anime these days include fan service, even when they’re completely disconnected and unnecessary to the storyline. Still, some are much more covert and, dare I say, tasteful than others.
Consider this scene from Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai:
This is something that I would consider tastefully done. In comparison, you have the much more common fan service scenes like this one from How Not to Summon a Demon Lord:
Too many scenes like this, and I’d be nauseous too.
3. Some people hate anime because of certain relationships themes
Unfortunately, it is common to encounter anime that contain incestuous and pedophilic relationships. I, for one, have difficulty getting over these elements, and they can completely put me off a particular anime show.
For example, you have anime shows like Noragami and Inuyasha, where teenage girls are partnered with men over a hundred years old. Since these men are supernatural creatures, most give them a free pass. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that it should be counted as pedophilic when you think about it.
Another example is Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei. I think that the storyline is genius, and I love how they made science = magic. But then again, this is an anime where the main characters are in an incestuous relationship.
Some fans justify that because Miyuki has a genetically modified body, it doesn’t count. But at the end of the day, they are blood-related siblings, and some people (like me) are allowed to struggle to look past that.
As such, I can sympathize with those who hate anime because they normalize such themes.
Read our article: 10 Things Anime Fans Absolutely Hate
4. Some people hate the cliches in anime
Every entertainment medium contains cliches, but anime can take these to the extreme. For instance, in almost every anime, you have:
- A male character who is terrible at either studies or sports, but has a heart of gold
- A good-natured female character who is pure and a little dumb
- A female character who is tender-hearted and kind but chooses to put on a strong front
- A quiet and brooding male character
- A character with a dark past
- Extremely muscular characters
- A childhood friend
- The band of school friends
And then you have the classic scenes:
- The main character staring out the window in school
- The main character forgives the villain after everything
- The characters go through a test of friendship
- The beach episode
- The school festival episode
- The hot spring episode
Because of this, some people think that anime is incredibly unoriginal and repetitive. While that could not be further from the truth, you can see where they’re coming from with this argument.
5. Some people hate the art style of anime
Some people don’t like watching anime because they don’t like how it looks. Sometimes, it can be as simple as that. And while we can take offense on behalf of the animators and insist that anime art has many variations, we can’t really dictate other people’s preferences.
6. Some people hate anime because it can get tedious
The thing about watching anime is that it takes commitment. This is especially true for series that have already spanned several seasons. Hence, some people who want to start watching anime end up hating it because of how much time it consumes.
While this is a valid point, one can argue in turn that long-running television series like the Simpsons, Friends, and Big Bang Theory can take up just as much time.
Fun fact: the longest running anime is Sazae-san. It has been in production since 1969, and it has over 2,500 episodes to its name. It’s not popular in other countries because it’s deemed simplistic and boring, but Japanese viewers think of it as a classic.
7. Some people hate the storylines used in anime
One of the things I love about anime is that while they all have the typical cliches and stereotypes, many still have unique storylines. In contrast, some people hate anime because they think the storylines are too unique, making them difficult to follow.
Just take a look at this video on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure:
It can be a lot, can’t it?
8. Some people hate the characters in anime
We’ve already mentioned that some people hate anime because of the stereotypical character. That’s not what we’re talking about here. This time, we’re talking about how some people hate the characters themselves.
These people argue that the main characters are too perfect, eccentric, idealized, and completely unrelatable. They don’t act and think like how normal people would. This puts off viewers who are looking for something to connect to.
While some fans justify that this is because they are powerful characters, one can counter that Western superheroes still act and are treated like normal people when it comes down to it. The general public can still question their morals, their arrogance is called out, and their character is developed throughout.
Meanwhile, I have heard of people completely hating on characters like Saitama from One Punch Man and Goku from Dragon Ball because regardless of how questionable their character and morals are, they are, for some reason, still regarded as ultimate heroes.
9. Some people hate anime because it violates the golden rule in visual storytelling
Have you ever heard of the saying, “action speaks louder than words?” A variation of this is used by people involved in the visual art industry; that is, “show, don’t tell.”
You can see this at play in this scene from Hunter x Hunter:
But if you’ve watched anime before, you would know that the characters love narrating what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. While one can chalk this up to cultural factors, some people who are particular about storytelling devices are immediately turned off by this element in anime.
10. Some people hate anime because of the fans
As an anime fan, the thought that some people are repelled by anime fans can be off-putting. Yet, I can sympathize with them at the same time because some anime fans can genuinely be over the top. For them, everything in life revolves around anime, and that can be dangerous.
These people are called unwanted otakus. They are otherwise known as weeaboo, a derogatory term for anime fans who have already become delusional and detached from reality. They get married to anime characters, wear their cosplay costumes every day, and walk around hugging anime figures.
While there are undoubtedly psychological reasons for this, I can’t exactly fault others for being uncomfortable with unwanted otakus — especially when they won’t stop talking about and pushing anime in social situations that don’t call for it.
A little side note: When the Japan volleyball team joined the ranks during the 2020 Olympics, anime fans around the world were commenting about how it’s Haikyuu! happening in real life. Some volleyball fans were then disgruntled, as they believed that the team deserved attention for who they are and how well they did, apart from anime parallelisms.
11. Some people hate the way characters speak in anime
Japan has a penchant for cute things. Because of this, many female characters in anime are made to have high-pitched voices. Some people find this attractive, while others find it annoying.
12. Some people hate anime because of the stigma
Although times have changed and the stigma surrounding anime has been milder as of late, there are still people who decidedly stick to their misconceptions and pre-conceived notions. They continue to think that anime is for geeks, nerds, and perverts, so they refuse to be associated with such a medium.
13. Some people hate needing to look for decent anime
The anime industry is very saturated, and hunting for a great anime that fits your preferences can sometimes feel like looking for a needle in a haystack.
For instance, I created this table to show the things I personally look for and avoid in an anime:
| Things I look for in an anime | Things I avoid in an anime |
| Adventure Romance Slice-of-Life Fantasy Sci-Fi Healthy relationships Completed series Hand-drawn images Character development |
Fan service Harems Ecchi / Hentai Incest Pedophilic relationships Pure CGI Too many fillers Romanticized abuse Ongoing series |
If I strictly adhere to this list, I probably wouldn’t be able to watch a single anime. However, because I was already drawn into the world of anime, I can make some adjustments and compromises here and there.
Meanwhile, those who have yet to try anime will likely try to stick to their own table of preferences, as they consider it a part of their screening process. And the longer they look, the more they realize how difficult it is to find an anime that adheres to their taste.
Hence, they conclude that anime must be trash, as they cannot find anything remotely decent according to their standards.
14. Some people hate that anime can be racist
One thing to remember about Japan is that it is located in East Asia, where fair skin is considered desirable. Because of this, anime can tend to portray black characters in a manner that many would find offensive and insensitive, especially in this day and age.
Some of the worse depictions can be seen in Jinx of Pokemon and Mr. Popo from Dragon Ball Z, but these are relatively older anime. A recent case that we can consider is that of Sister Krone from The Promised Neverland.
Just take a look at this image to understand what I’m talking about:
The Promised Neverland was released in 2019, so the fact that Sister Krone was drawn as a caricature of negative racial stereotypes has been considered by many as disappointing and problematic.
15. Some people hate the addictive factor of anime
I have personally encountered anime fans who stopped watching anime because it became unhealthy for them. They got so addicted to the shows that they started to retreat into fantasy worlds. They ended up failing some classes, losing friends, and becoming isolated.
Likewise, there are people who hate anime because it can be incredibly addictive. From their perspective, this contributes to the number of youth who are Not engaged in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET). While this can happen through any medium, it seems to be much more pervasive among anime fans.
It is very likely that the people who cite this as a reason why they hate anime have been burned before. Maybe they had a sibling or a friend who ended up flunking in school because they became addicted to anime. Accordingly, this would taint their perception of the entire anime industry.
16. Some people think that anime is for kids so they hate it
Some people think that anime is all fan service, while others believe that it’s all for kids. This range seems quite wide, but this is because these notions encompass the extremes of the industry. The latter idea can be attributed to the fact that anime, as the name itself implies, is an animated medium.
In the West, animated shows are cartoons, which are then associated with children’s channels such as Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network. Accordingly, the general public would think of shows like Doraemon and Pokemon when you speak of anime.
Because of this, the idea that adults are watching anime is branded childish and cringe-worthy for some people.
17. Some people hate the fillers in anime
I want to argue that every story has fillers, but I also have to admit that they can become much more pronounced in anime.
For example, Trigun has 26 episodes, and 17 of these are fillers. That’s a whopping 65% of the anime. Meanwhile, Naruto has a long filler arc that spanned 83 episodes. That means that viewers were subjected to 83 filler episodes in a row.
We all have different opinions and biases, and there isn’t always rhyme nor reason to it. The same is true with people who hate anime. Some people hate anime just because they do. And while we may not like the idea, for as long as they’re not actively bashing anime, we can leave them to their devices.
Fun fact: With 440 fillers out of 1,014 episodes, Detective Conan (Case Closed) has the most number of fillers in anime history.
While I think these anime are still worth watching, I can see why others would hate wasting hours watching episodes of no significance to the plot.
18. Some people hate the misogyny in anime
There is a significant difference in how men and women are portrayed in anime. For the most part, women are used as the butt of the joke, and this is usually done with sexual undertones and insinuations. This is because much of anime has been directed with the male gaze.
Harems are a good example of this, as you have a plethora of ladies throwing themselves at a man who does not always have the most desirable traits. While the same can be said for reverse-harems, those are less common in comparison.
There are also anime like Katekyo Hitman Reborn, where female characters are useful at no point in time. The anime explicitly perpetuates the notion that women should not participate in fights, and every time they do, they just end up causing trouble and making a mess of things.
Whenever this happens, they end up going back to what they usually do: cooking, cleaning, and other house chores.
19. Some people hate anime because it romanticizes abuse
It is very, very rare to encounter an anime character who actually knows how to establish personal boundaries. For the most part, consent has no meaning, and abusive relationships (physical, verbal, or otherwise) are normalized among the main cast.
Just take a look at this montage of Taiga beating up Ryuji in different ways:
“But it’s okay because they’re cute, right?” Uhm, no.
It is then understandable that people who have personal experience with abusive relationships end up hating anime. Not only does it remind them of their trauma; it also normalizes the abuse and employs it for comedic effect.
20. Some people hate anime just because they do
We all have different opinions and biases, and there isn’t always rhyme nor reason to it. The same is true with people who hate anime. Some people hate anime just because they do.
And while we may not like the idea, for as long as they’re not actively bashing anime, we can leave them to their devices.