Oh easily Full Metal Panic, it sucked so hard the windows on my house imploded.
Humorous exaggeration aside, I didn't enjoy Bebop that much and agree that I was promised the universe for what was essentially a stylish and well characterized but far too slow experience. I also struggled with Gantz and Fairy Tale, neither hit the mark for me.
Dragonball and it's successors have never held any interest for me: poor art, overly drawn-out fights and a plot that's bonkers by anime standards doesn't sit well with moi.
Am I the only one who like Evangelion? I thought the ending was pretty good, in the sense that it was quite different, intelligent and challenging. Good use of character throughout I thought.
I'm going to White Knight for a few Jump shows but please don't take it as insults, just my two cents on some shows that aren't favoured in this discussion.
Naruto: Started out less than great in pretty much every department, and I almost gave up until The Bridge Arc. Great pacing, tension, character focusing and some nice art to boot, really great anime arc. The show as a whole has been hit and miss but Shippuden is a much better show, beautifully drawn, fantastic animation and hitting tone perfectly. The manga is reaching the endgame and has been the cat's pyjamas since the Pain Arc, much more meaty and action packed which actually starts to bring some pathos to the show. I tend to find the criticisms of the show are criticisms of the Jump form: annoying leads, too much talking during fights and bizzare characters, some can get past it, some can't, no problem.
Bleach: A slow burner that kicked in it's second arc, stylish and with a nice sense of pacing, got a little too much fan service but it deals with some interesting ideas and has some epic mythology which I can definitely sink my teeth into.
One Piece: A show with real character. Nutty as a fruit cake and with a very Japanese approach to humour that I quite enjoyed, I actually cared about the characters and while the tonal shift between comedy and crisis was awkward at first they've found the balance now. It was horrific to look at initially (eye - bleedingly poor) but the artists have grown into the show and really brought the world to life in a colourful and vibrant way. The ensemble cast works a treat and I get a much bigger lift from this show than any other.
Your feedback, as always, is welcomed...
