6 Spring 2017 Anime That Were Good, But Forgettable

Introduction

It’s a sad fact of life for anime otaku. With so many new anime coming out every season, it’s pretty difficult to remember them all once it’s all over and done with (or even during, if you’re watching a lot of shows at once). Some series will stick with us for years to come, but the fact is that for the most part, a lot of anime will be forgotten - and quickly at that. While shows are entertaining enough to keep watching when they’re airing, they might not have enough wow factor to remember all that long. Maybe their stories are too similar to other series and so they blur into each other, or maybe they’re packed full of tropes. Maybe you didn’t fall in love with the characters enough to care, or the ending left you unsatisfied. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at those spring 2017 shows that were good, but at the end of the day, forgettable.



Ellyn Barnes

1. Alice to Zouroku

I feel like I’m going to get some stick for this one. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Alice to Zouroku. I loved the premise and creativity behind the Alice’s Dream powers and Sana’s world. The art was cute and Zouroku’s character was great. In fact, it’s exactly because it had such a good premise that I felt a little disappointed by it. The first few episodes hinted that the series would be dark, and the first main enemy arc was fast-paced and interesting.

However, the final arc was just dull. I didn’t care about the two new characters, and all the focus seemed to be on that one girl’s issues rather than Sana and her far-more-interesting backstory and the questions about her existence. Characters are important for me, and sadly most of the cast of Alice to Zouroku just didn’t stand out. The ending, too, was lacklustre. All in all, I enjoyed watching this anime, but it’s already pretty much been wiped from my memory.

2. Eromanga Sensei

This is one show I didn’t actually expect to enjoy all that much. After all, it’s a harem with a typical Yoshitsugu Matsuoka character at the centre. It’s also jam-packed with lolis, which I don’t really care about. I was expecting harem-style dull characters and dull humour which I wouldn’t find funny. But sometimes, or rather that one time Megumi started talking about how much girls love dicks, it caught me by pleasant surprise. I actually thought it was pretty well done.

However, that wasn’t enough to keep this anime from being totally forgettable. The characters don’t stand out enough from each other, and the series doesn’t stand out enough from other harem anime. It wasn’t that funny, the art wasn’t that cute, and nothing exciting happened. It was just another slice-of-life harem with a sister/brother complex and a whole lot of lolis. Next.

3. Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records

Okay, I wasn’t expecting to remember this one even when I started watching it. Actually, I think the only reason why I kept watching was that Glenn Radars was a bit of alright. All in all, I was expecting yet another high school fantasy action show with an OP as hell guy surrounded by not-quite-equally as OP girls. And, well, you can’t really deny that that’s exactly what Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records ended up being.

Overall, this show wasn’t difficult to watch, and it was by no means badly done. In fact, it does the job it was meant to do pretty damn well. The characters stood out from each other, even if some of them (cough, Sistine) were beyond irritating. The plot had its highs and lows like a lot of anime. But Rokudenashi just wasn’t impactful enough for me to bother to remember. Bring on the next fighting anime with super powers set in a school, make sure the main guy’s hot, and let’s do this whole thing over again.


Nagareboshi

4. Seikaisuru KADO

I love watching Seikaisuru KADO. Every single time I watch it, I feel like my brain is getting a massage when compared to everything else that I am watching. Originally I was terrified that this was going to end up like Ajin when it came to the CG, but you can tell the studio has worked very had to make sure that it has better animation. I have watched KADO consistently week after week since it started because the hook drew me in immediately. This is seinen show done very well. I think I came for the alien invasion and stayed for the art and to watch what Yaha-kui would do.

However, the characters are extremely rigid and dry. Plus the whole part about Yaha-kui becoming the villain is really killing all of the appeal that the show originally held for me. I was enjoying watching him advance human society, but now with the whole clones and the fact that not only is Koujirou running away, but fellow negotiator Saraka is an antisotropic as well, the show has gone from something right out of science fiction to, “we need to wrap this up.” I know that anime has to come to an end eventually, but this ending just feels forced. I still recommend it though and think that the show is great. I just know that in six months when we are into fall anime, I will have completely forgotten about this show.

5. Zero Kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho

Zero Kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho was something I avoided even thinking about when I first heard about it, because the internet would not shut up about Re:Zero. (Yes it was a great anime, but then again, there are plenty of good anime.) Carrying the same name was not doing it any favors but then I caught a glimpse of the PV and was on board immediately. The show too is great and while Zero, the loli who speaks like an old man, is fun, Mercenary is actually my favorite character. I think he really does balance out the rather old Zero’s way of acting and speaking quite well. The story is excellent too.

When Mahou no Sho debuted, I, and many other people online, immediately got Spice & Wolf vibes. Which, I mean is a classic and how can you call yourself an anime fan if you do not like Spice & Wolf? The problem is though, is that Spice & Wolf had two seasons and more interesting characters since there was deeper dialogue. While Mahou no Sho does have those things, it does not go as deep and again, this ending where 13 is magically now everyone’s friend is blah. It would have been way better if Zero would have had some DBZ-esque style fight where she kicks butt and then gets rid of the magic in the kingdom. If we get a second season, which would be fun (What would they do since the conflict has already basically been resolved?), then I think this anime will leave a greater impression on myself and the rest of the anime community. However, if you ask people a year from now to name shows from Spring 2017, it is going to be very hard to recall this one off the top of your head without a google search.

6. Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka? (Suka Suka)

Don’t @ me. Don’t come for me. I will fight you in the parking lot behind the dumpster. Suka Suka is good, but, and I am two episodes behind as I write this, I’m so bewildered by this anime. I get that Chtholly has some sort of soul in her body that belonged to someone else and it is important to her, and that using her powers will eventually break her mind and she will die or something like that, but there are all these plot points that the series is trying to tie together making it SO confusing.

We know that the lolis are weapons that don’t feel pain and are raised to fight the beasts. We also know that Willem has this crazy backstory that is somewhat explained. And then, of course, the current situation as well with Chtholly. But seriously, can we just get one plotline and stick to it for at least 2 episodes? I like Suka Suka and I would definitely put it in my top 10 for the season. But I really need it to get its act together and tell me what story it wants to tell me. I think that is what is really holding me back from saying that this anime is memorable. It’s too hard to remember about other plot lines when the show is changing its focus like a drag queen who does not know the lyrics to a lip sync.

Final Thoughts

This article is not to say that any of these anime were bad as we stated that this article is about anime that are good. The problem is, is that we are apt to forget them quickly because we are bombarded with new shows every season. We recommend that you watch the shows listed here. If you do think that they are memorable, then that is awesome! For us though, it is for some reason or another that while these anime are good. They will not stand the test of memory too well.


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