History AudienceAlienatingEra / AnimeAndManga

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'' is widely accepted as the franchise's lowest point. The art style drew aspersions before it even aired, but deeper problems came. Common complaints are that [[RecycledScript it rips off everything the previous Gundams had]], [[TooBleakStoppedCaring the deaths are only for shock value]], the plot is dumb and inconsistent, and its treatment of women is worse than in shows from decades before. The second arc is generally considered better, but the third arc pushes the series into rock bottom. This explains why the OVA for that series, ''Memory of Eden'', decided to focus more on the second arc, to the point that it [[DemotedToExtra demotes Kio to a background character]] by the time the 3rd Generation comes along.

** You also won't find many fans of the first two arcs of the second season of ''[[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds 5D's]]'', which is sometimes considered the weakest point of the franchise. Criticisms include either dropping plot threads from the first season or resolving them in anticlimactic ways, [[DemotedToExtra demoting prominent characters to extra]], an absurd amount of ProductPlacement, and a gargantuan block of irrelevant {{filler}} episodes at the beginning of the season. However, this was a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot, as a major character's voice actress was arrested for being part of a cult... which suddenly required the main plot arcs of the season (involving PsychicPowers and a cult) to be DistancedFromCurrentEvents, yanking the rug out from under the story.

** You also won't find many fans of the first two arcs of the second season of ''[[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds 5D's]]'', which is sometimes considered the weakest point of the franchise. Criticisms include either dropping plot threads from the first season or resolving them in anticlimactic ways, [[DemotedToExtra demoting prominent characters to extra]], an absurd amount of ProductPlacement, and a gargantuan block of irrelevant {{filler}} episodes at the beginning of the season. However, this was a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot, as a major character's voice actress was arrested for being part of a cult... which suddenly turned the main plot arcs of the season (involving PsychicPowers and a cult) TooSoon and forced heavy retooling.

** You also won't find many fans of the first two arcs of the second season of ''[[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds 5D's]]'', which is sometimes considered the weakest point of the franchise. Criticisms include either dropping plot threads from the first season or resolving them in anticlimactic ways, [[DemotedToExtra demoting prominent characters to extra]], an absurd amount of ProductPlacement, and a gargantuan block of irrelevant {{filler}} episodes at the beginning of the season.

* While ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' is still very popular in Japan and considerably well-loved in the west, each region has their own candidates for the comic's low point:

** Interestingly enough, [[ValuesDissonance each of the above parts that is loathed in one region is highly enjoyed in the other.]]

* The retirement of Creator/HayaoMiyazaki in 2013 sent Creator/StudioGhibli into an existential crisis. But, even before Miyazaki gave up film-making, the studio is considered by its hardcore fans to have entered an Audience-Alienating Era starting around 2004 when Miyazaki released ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', which did well on both sides of the Pacific but got mixed reviews. This was followed by his son Goro's ''Anime/TalesFromEarthsea'', which was critically-panned ([[CreatorBacklash especially by Ursula K. LeGuin]]) and thrown into NoExportForYou limbo in North America for several years due to rights issues. After that came Miyazaki's ''Anime/{{Ponyo|On The Cliff By The Sea}}'', which was a return to the whimsical tone of his late-80s-era movies but still disappointed hardcore fans despite doing quite well at the box office. By 2010, longtime producer Toshio Suzuki openly speculated about closing the studio, although a shutdown was at least delayed by the modest success of ''Anime/{{Arrietty}}''. In 2017 Miyazaki returned from retirement once again to direct a new film based on ''Literature/HowDoYouLive'' and the studio announced the creation of a theme park based on Ghibli's works. Whether this can truly revive the studio remains to be seen,
* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' had an audience-alienating era in the middle of the 2000s that destroyed the international popularity of the franchise and shook the foundations of it over in Japan. After the runaway success that was [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Wing]], nothing really stuck with the American audiences: [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original]] simply had terrible ratings thanks to its outdated animation, [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G]] never really became anything more than a CultClassic and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED SEED]] was such a bust that it got kicked into the small hours graveyard slot about halfway through the series. Speaking of ''SEED'', its [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny sequel]] managed to kill any traction the original had acquired, even in Japan, and for a while it seemed that the alternate universes were doomed. While [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 00]] did get pretty positive reviews, it was the last truly dedicated effort Creator/{{Sunrise}} had at making a profitable alternate universe [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury for over a decade]]. The 2010s only continued the decline in no small thanks to the ''Build'' subseries taking up a majority of the TV slots along with the resumed focus on the Universal Century in [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn OVA's]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheOrigin and]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamNarrative films]] with [[Anime/GundamReconguistaInG only]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans three]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury brand]] new series following the traditional formula made after the first Build series debuted in 2013.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'' is widely accepted as the [[Franchise/{{Gundam}} franchise's]] lowest point. The art style drew aspersions before it even aired, but deeper problems came. Common complaints are that [[RecycledScript it rips off everything the previous Gundams had]], [[TooBleakStoppedCaring the deaths are only for shock value]], the plot is dumb and inconsistent, and its treatment of women is worse than in shows from decades before. The 2nd arc is considered better, but the 3rd arc pushes the series into rock bottom. This explains why the OVA for that series, ''Memory of Eden'', decided to focus more on the second arc, to the point that it [[DemotedToExtra demotes Kio to a background character]] by the time the 3rd Generation comes along.

* Shoujo manga itself is considered to be in an AAE, with drastically-declining readership and anime adaptation numbers as female {{Otaku}} turn their attention toward {{Otome Game}}s, {{Light Novel}}s, and [[PeripheryDemographic manga meant for male audiences]]. In the year 2021, only one shoujo manga received an anime adaptation--''Manga/FruitsBasket'', one of the most famous shoujo of all time[[note]]For comparison, this is like the only shonen anime in a year being a remake of ''Manga/DragonBall''[[/note]]. Because of declining readership, manga with heavy YouGoGirl themes that would have been shoo-ins for shoujo magazines in TheNineties are now much more likely to be published in shonen or seinen magazines in an attempt to court the large female PeripheryDemographic (for examples, see ''Manga/WitchHatAtelier'' and ''Manga/AkaneBanashi'', mangas that otherwise could have been a shoujo being published as a seinen and a shounen respectively). What remains in shoujo magazines are a few {{Long Runner}}s interspersed with StrictlyFormula romances.

* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' had an audience-alienating era in the middle of the 2000s that destroyed the international popularity of the franchise and shook the foundations of it over in Japan. After the runaway success that was [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Wing]], nothing really stuck with the American audiences: [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original]] simply had terrible ratings thanks to its outdated animation, [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G]] never really became anything more than a CultClassic and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED SEED]] was such a bust that it got kicked into the small hours graveyard slot about halfway through the series. Speaking of ''SEED'', its' [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny sequel]] managed to kill any traction the original had acquired, even in Japan, and for a while it seemed that the alternate universes were doomed. While [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 00]] did get pretty positive reviews, it was the last truly dedicated effort Creator/{{Sunrise}} had at making a profitable alternate universe [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury for over a decade]]. The 2010s only continued the decline in no small thanks to the ''Build'' subseries taking up a majority of the TV slots along with the resumed focus on the Universal Century in [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn OVA's]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheOrigin and]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamNarrative films]] with [[Anime/GundamReconguistaInG only]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans three]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury brand]] new series following the traditional formula made after the first Build series debuted in 2013.

* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' had an audience-alienating era in the middle of the 2000s that destroyed the international popularity of the franchise and shook the foundations of it over in Japan. After the runaway success that was [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Wing]], nothing really stuck with the American audiences: [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original]] simply had terrible ratings thanks to its outdated animation, [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G]] never really became anything more than a CultClassic and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED SEED]] was such a bust that it got kicked into the small hours graveyard slot about halfway through the series. Speaking of ''SEED'', its' [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny sequel]] managed to kill any traction the original had acquired, even in Japan, and for a while it seemed that the alternate universes were doomed. While [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 00]] did get pretty positive reviews, it was the last truly dedicated effort Creator/{{Sunrise}} had at making a profitable alternate universe [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury for over a decade]]. The 2010s only continued the decline in no small thanks to the ''Build'' subseries taking up a majority of the TV slots along with the resumed focus on the Universal Century in [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn OVA's]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheOrigin and]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamNarrative films]] with [[Anime/GundamReconguistaInG only]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans two]] brand new series following the traditional formula made after the first Build series debuted in 2013.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAge'' is widely accepted as the [[Franchise/{{Gundam}} franchise's]] lowest point. The art style drew aspersions before it even aired, but deeper problems came. Common complaints are that [[RecycledScript it rips off everything the previous Gundams had]], [[TooBleakStoppedCaring the deaths are only for shock value]], the plot is dumb and inconsistent, and its treatment of women is worse than in shows from decades before. The 2nd arc is considered better, but the 3rd arc pushes the series into rock bottom. This explains why the OVA for that series, ''Memory of Eden'', decided to focus more on the second arc, to the point that it [[DemotedToExtra demotes Kio to a background character]] by the time the 3rd Generation comes along.

* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' had an audience-alienating era in the middle of the 2000s that destroyed the international popularity of the franchise and shook the foundations of it over in Japan. After the runaway success that was [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Wing]], nothing really stuck with the American audiences: [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original]] simply had terrible ratings thanks to its outdated animation, [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G]] never really became anything more than a CultClassic and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED SEED]] was such a bust that it got kicked into the small hours graveyard slot about halfway through the series. Speaking of ''SEED'', its' [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny sequel]] managed to kill any traction the original had acquired, even in Japan, and for a while it seemed that the alternate universes were doomed. While [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 00]] did get pretty positive reviews, it was the last truly dedicated effort Creator/{{Sunrise}} had at making a profitable alternate universe. The 2010s only continued the decline in no small thanks to the ''Build'' subseries taking up a majority of the TV slots along with the resumed focus on the Universal Century in [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn OVA's]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheOrigin and]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamNarrative films]] with [[Anime/GundamReconguistaInG only]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans two]] brand new series following the traditional formula made after the first Build series debuted in 2013.

** Retroactively, this trope applies to the early arcs covered by the ''Dragon Ball'' anime, since ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has ''far'' more exposure. While it features many of the same characters, settings and themes as ''Z'', much of the story is focused on adventure, with the outright action storylines being relegated to the Tournament Arcs. The only "''Z''-like" arc is the Piccolo Daimao Arc, but Goku is still a child at that point, enough to put off many potential viewers. Vegeta also does not appear until after these stories, who is considered the story's {{Deuteragonist}} in the eyes of many after the false starts in Tien and Piccolo. As a result, most people start with the Raditz Arc that kicks off ''Z'', but this comes at the cost of establishing character relationships (literally every character at first), as well as concepts like the Dragon Balls themselves, none of which are properly introduced in ''Z'' because the viewer is expected to know all that already.

** Many, '''many''' fans see ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' as this. After the end of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Creator/ToeiAnimation decided to bank off of ''Z''[='=]s success by creating an original sequel series. The anime attempted to [[LighterAndSofter return]] the franchise to the comedic roots of the original ''Manga/DragonBall'', but suddenly went back to ''Z''[='=]s DarkerAndEdgier tone after that didn't work. Many of ''GT''[='=]s detractors state that both the comedy and drama of the show was shoehorned in compared to the more natural flow of the original manga, and the [[CerebusRollercoaster sudden shifts in tone]] taken by ''GT'' certainly didn't help matters.
** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', a similar sequel series from the early 2010s, got off to a rough start due to the first two arcs simply being adaptations of ''Battle of Gods'' and ''Resurrection 'F''', as well as notoriously terrible animation. Once it started to branch off into original stories, it became far more favorably received as a superior sequel than ''GT'' which seems to ignore it entirely. That still depends on who exactly you ask, however, as the writing, art style and creative decisions can be contentious (such as the Super Saiyan recolours, to name but one).

** Interestingly enough, each of the above parts that is loathed in one region is highly enjoyed in the other.

* The fourth season of the ''Anime/SailorMoon'' 90s anime run, ''[=SuperS=]'' is considered this to the fandom. Coming off of the DarkerAndEdgier ''S'' season (which was considered a little ''too'' dark to some parents), Toei decided to not follow the manga's ''Dream Arc'' counterpart in favor of its own storyline using the characters from the storyline. This effectively turned the entire season into a FillerArc as the Dead Moon Circus' desire to find Pegasus really meant nothing as the audience ''already knew'' Pegasus was with Chibi-Usa, thus it wasn't a matter of ''if'' they found him but ''when''... and that doesn't happen until the final seven episodes. As well, because of Chibi-Usa's greater importance to the story, she effectively became a SpotlightStealingSquad that was made worse because Chibi-Usa's character development that happened in the manga never really happened in the anime. Not helping matters were the West's view on the character due to the 90s dub.

* The retirement of Creator/HayaoMiyazaki in 2013 sent Creator/StudioGhibli into an existential crisis. But, even before Miyazaki gave up film-making, the studio is considered by its hardcore fans to have entered an Audience-Alienating Era starting around 2004 when Miyazaki released ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', which did well on both sides of the Pacific but got mixed reviews. This was followed by his son Goro's ''Anime/TalesFromEarthsea'', which was critically-panned ([[CreatorBacklash especially by Ursula K. LeGuin]]) and thrown into NoExportForYou limbo in North America for several years due to rights issues. After that came Miyazaki's ''Anime/{{Ponyo|On The Cliff By The Sea}}'', which was a return to the whimsical tone of his late-80s-era movies but still disappointed hardcore fans despite doing quite well at the box office. By 2010, longtime producer Toshio Suzuki openly speculated about closing the studio, although a shutdown was at least delayed by the modest success of ''Anime/{{Arrietty}}''. In 2017 Miyazaki returned from retirement once again to direct a new film based on ''Literature/HowDoYouLive'' and the studio announced the cretion of a theme park based on Ghibli's works. Whether this can truly revive the studio remains to be seen,

* The fourth season of the ''Anime/SailorMoon'', 90's anime run, ''[=SuperS=]'' is considered this to the fandom. Coming off of the DarkerAndEdgier ''S'' season (which was considered a little ''too'' dark to some parents), Toei decided to not follow the manga's ''Dream Arc'' counterpart in favor of its own storyline using the characters from the storyline. This effectively turned the entire season into a FillerArc as the Dead Moon Circus' desire to find Pegasus really meant nothing as the audience ''already knew'' Pegasus was with Chibi-Usa, thus it wasn't a matter of ''if'' they found him but ''when''... and that doesn't happen until the final seven episodes. As well, because of Chibi-Usa's greater importance to the story, she effectively became a SpotlightStealingSquad that was made worse because Chibi-Usa's character development that happened in the manga never really happened in the anime. Not helping matters were the West's view on the character due to the 90's dub.

* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' had an audience-alienating era in the middle of the 2000s that destroyed the international popularity of the franchise and shook the foundations of it over in Japan. After the runaway success that was [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Wing]], nothing really stuck with the American audiences: [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original]] simply had terrible ratings, [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G]] never really became anything more than a CultClassic and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED SEED]] was such a bust that it got kicked into the small hours graveyard slot about halfway through the series. Speaking of ''SEED'', its' [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny sequel]] managed to kill any traction the original had acquired, even in Japan, and for a while it seemed that the alternate universes were doomed. While [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 00]] did get pretty positive reviews, it was the last truly dedicated effort Creator/{{Sunrise}} had at making a profitable alternate universe. The 2010s only continued the decline in no small thanks to the ''Build'' subseries taking up a majority of the TV slots along with the resumed focus on the Universal Century in [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn OVA's]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheOrigin and]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamNarrative films]] with [[Anime/GundamReconguistaInG only]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans two]] brand new series following the traditional formula made after the first Build series debuted in 2013.

* The retirement of Creator/HayaoMiyazaki in 2013 sent Creator/StudioGhibli into an existential crisis. But, even before Miyazaki gave up film-making, the studio is considered by its hardcore fans to have entered an Audience-Alienating Era starting around 2004 when Miyazaki released ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', which did well on both sides of the Pacific but got mixed reviews. This was followed by his son Goro's ''Anime/TalesFromEarthsea'', which was critically-panned ([[CreatorBacklash especially by Ursula K. LeGuin]]) and thrown into NoExportForYou limbo in North America for several years due to rights issues. After that came Miyazaki's ''Anime/{{Ponyo|On The Cliff By The Sea}}'', which was a return to the whimsical tone of his late-80s-era movies but still disappointed hardcore fans despite doing quite well at the box office. By 2010, longtime producer Toshio Suzuki openly speculated about closing the studio, although a shutdown was at least delayed by the modest success of ''Anime/{{Arrietty}}''.

* Shoujo manga itself is considered to be in an AAE, with drastically-declining readership and anime adaptation numbers as female {{Otaku}} turn their attention toward {{Otome Game}}s, {{Light Novel}}s, and [[PeripheryDemographic manga meant for male audiences]]. In the year 2021, only one shoujo manga received an anime adaptation--''Manga/FruitsBasket'', one of the most famous shoujo of all time[[note]]For comparison, this is like the only shonen anime in a year being a remake of ''Manga/DragonBall''[[/note]]. Because of declining readership, manga with heavy YouGoGirl themes that would have been shoo-ins for shoujo magazines in TheNineties are now much more likely to be published in shonen or seinen magazines in an attempt to court the large female PeripheryDemographic. What remains in shoujo magazines are a few {{Long Runner}}s interspersed with StrictlyFormula romances.

** ''Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened'' is agreed to have been the start of an Audience-Alienating Era for the movies (though as with the main series, whether or not it's merely a continuation of one is up for debate). Coming after the [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel positively-received]] ''Anime/PokemonKyuremVSTheSwordOfJustice'', ''Genesect'' quickly became a divisive movie thanks to a slew of questionable story decisions, most prominently [[ReplacementScrappy the introduction of]] a brand new (yet {{suspiciously similar|Substitute}}) Mewtwo over the fan-favorite original from ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. The [[Anime/PokemonDiancieAndTheCocoonOfDestruction next]] [[Anime/PokemonHoopaAndTheClashOfAges three]] [[Anime/PokemonVolcanionAndTheMechanicalMarvel movies]], based on the main animé's concurrent ''XY'' series, received [[SoOkayItsAverage lukewarm]] (at best) reception with fans (being regarded as fairly shallow and hollow, especially ''Hoopa and the Clash of Ages''), and even in their native Japan they performed poorly in comparison to the other movies in the series. The poor reception of the ''XY'' movies may explain the movies going under a soft reboot starting with 2017's ''Pokemon - I Choose You!'' and likely why ''Sun & Moon'' didn't get its own tie-in movies.

** The most widely agreed upon audience-alienating era happened with ''Anime/LupinIIIPartIII'', which consists of the third anime series and the ''Legend Of The Gold Of Babylon'' film. Both the series and the movie had Lupin wearing a [[RealMenWearPink pink jacket]], most of the adult themes downplayed and the slapstick exaggerated (as well as [[OffModel a bizarre design for Fujiko]]). Although nowadays it is [[CanonDiscontinuity widely ignored]] by both the anime producers at Creator/TMSEntertainment and most fans in general in favor of ''Anime/LupinIIIPartII'' and the yearly specials it inspired, it did get a homage episode in ''Anime/LupinIIIPart5''.

* Many fans believed that Creator/{{CLAMP}} entered the Audience-Alienating Era when their first original anime, ''Anime/BloodC'', took off which earned a mixed reaction from viewers and poor BD sales for having a FailureHeroine, which invokes a lot of GenreBlindness, IdiotPlot and [[TooBleakStoppedCaring the needless gore and violence]]. Though many argued that the audience-alienating era started when the last chapters of ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' enter into MindScrew territory and the NoEnding of ''Manga/XxxHolic''. CLAMP is now trying to WinBackTheCrowd by continuing ''Tsubasa'' and ''[=×××HOLiC=]'' in order to fix the problem, the sales went down on its second week which indicates that CLAMP really needs to step up from their game to pass the audience-alienating era. In 2016, they finally did when they released the sequel of ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura'', ''Manga/CardCaptorSakuraClearCard'' whose anime adaptation aired in 2018.

** While the first season and a half of ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' was very well received, the rest of the series from the Synchro arc onward fell into this. Instead of addressing many of the problems the previous series suffered from, ''Arc-V'' caught itself up in them too, with the rest of the arcs having terrible pacing and a massive amount of wasted potential on account of the series' TroubledProduction. And that's not even getting into the returning {{Legacy Character}}s, many of whom were said characters InNameOnly, and the ending, which managed to sour the whole series for many fans. It got so bad that at one point, the bottom 10 anime episodes of all time on the Japanese rating website Nico Nico Douga were ''ALL'' ARC-V episodes, and has permanently tarnished the name of director Katsumi Ono.

** Some fans also consider ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure'' this (though it is slightly better regarded) due to its episodic, goofy nature (to the point that it feels more like a spoof of the genre), childish writing (with both the MythArc and character growth being non-existent), and what many see as blatant pandering to the {{Moe}} crowd. On the other hand it was allegedly very financially successful...though mostly only with otaku. It says something when its first Toys/SHFiguarts figure is the EnsembleDarkhorse otaku character (Yayoi/Cure Peace) and not the leader.

** ''Anime/HappinessChargePrecure'' looked like it would escape the Audience-Alienating Era...in its first half. The second half was struck by a RomanticPlotTumor while other plot threads from the first half were either [[AbortedArc dropped]] or [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot poorly resolved]]. It's telling that original series creator Washio Takashi returned to be the series planner for the next season, ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure''. It is also telling that this was the first series to bring in ''less'' than 10 billion yen to Bandai since ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar''.

** ''Anime/YuGiOhVRAINS'' continues the trend of divisive series. Following off the heels of the already-disliked ARC-V, VRAINS had a lot to prove from the get-go. Unfortunately, the series was seen as SoOkayItsAverage by many fans of the franchise ([[AmericansHateTingle especially in the west]]). Most of the problems revolving around both the new "Link Summoning" mechanic, which {{nerf}}ed other Extra Deck summons both in and [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh out of universe]], as well as the protagonist Yusaku Fujiki AKA: Playmaker, who some saw as having all the problems with [[Characters/YuGiOh5Ds Yusei Fudo]] taken to the nth degree with few of the positives, being a boring InvincibleHero with [[TierInducedScrappy a broken deck]] [[FlatCharacter who never really develops]] until the last few episodes of the series. Season 2 did not help matters with characters like [[IdolSinger Aoi Zaizen]] or [[ProfessionalWrestling Go Onizuka]] [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter being given the shaft]], the introduction of [[SpotlightStealingSquad Takeru Homura AKA: Soulburner]] and the villain Bohman, a FlatCharacter as bad as Yusaku who never seemed to be able to settle on a consistent backstory and clearly hadn't been planned ahead of time. While the series rebounded in its third season with a fan-favourite villain and ended up better received than its predecessor, it wasn't enough. After it ended early due to middling ratings, Nihon Ad Systems and Creator/{{Konami}} took the series away from Creator/StudioGallop and gave it to Creator/{{Bridge}} for the SoftReboot that is ''Anime/YuGiOhSEVENS''.

* ''Anime/TenchiInTokyo'' is this to the ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' franchise as a whole. It's seen as having an interesting concept where Tenchi leaves the girls behind to live his own life seemingly without an UnwantedHarem but the execution itself led to a very cold reception, particularly with the lower quality animation, a really divisive new love interest in Sakuya, DenserAndWackier humor that may not appeal to everyone and feels borderline childish most of the time, and the perception that the writers really failed to distinguish Tenchi from his usual HaremAnime hero mold and give the character a more refreshing, unique spin towards the end of the show.

** ''Anime/TransformersArmada'' was ''very'' rushed, with many bouts of OffModel on par with those seen in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers Generation 1]]'', an English dub with clunky dialogue, incorrect names and [[FillingTheSilence originally silent moments filled with inane chatter and stock phrases]], and a slow beginning with many repetitive episodic adventures [[GrowingTheBeard before the plot really kicks off]]. But the reason why ''Armada'' isn't considered the worst ''Transformers'' series ever is because ''Anime/TransformersEnergon'' took that spot with little competition. All the problems with ''Armada'' were amplified, with the plot starting off good, before repeating itself halfway in and the final few episodes being entirely unrelated, character arcs largely being quietly dropped or else ended in a way that doesn't actually resolve them, the setting not giving the cast any real ''need'' to transform, and the CG models [[DullSurprise lacking emotion]] (to the point where sometimes they're hand-drawn ''just because it looks more impressive''). The dub is even worse - unfinished animation is used, mistranslations are plentiful, and an important episode that develops two characters is dropped and replaced with a non-canon Japanese special. [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Energon_%28cartoon%29 Just read what]] Wiki/TFWikiDotNet has to say about it.

** ''Anime/YuGiOhVRAINS'' continues the trend of divisive series. Following off the heels of the already-disliked ARC-V, VRAINS had a lot to prove from the get-go. Unfortunately, the series was seen as SoOkayItsAverage by many fans of the franchise ([[AmericansHateTingle especially in the west]]). Most of the problems revolving around both the new "Link Summoning" mechanic, which {{nerf}}ed other Extra Deck summons both in and [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh out of universe]], as well as the protagonist Yusaku Fujiki AKA: Playmaker, who some saw as having all the problems with [[Characters/YuGiOh5Ds Yusei Fudo]] with few of the positives, being a boring InvincibleHero with [[TierInducedScrappy a broken deck]] [[FlatCharacter who never really develops]] until the last few episodes of the series. Season 2 did not help matters with characters like [[IdolSinger Aoi Zaizen]] or [[ProfessionalWrestling Go Onizuka]] [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter being given the shaft]], the introduction of [[SpotlightStealingSquad Takeru Homura AKA: Soulburner]] and the villain Bohman, a FlatCharacter as bad as Yusaku who never seemed to be able to settle on a consistent backstory and clearly hadn't been planned ahead of time. While the series rebounded in its third season with a fan-favourite villain and ended up better received than its predecessor, it wasn't enough. After it ended early due to middling ratings, Nihon Ad Systems and Creator/{{Konami}} took the series away from Creator/StudioGallop and gave it to Creator/{{Bridge}} for the SoftReboot that is ''Anime/YuGiOhSEVENS''.

** The most widely agreed upon audience-alienating era happened with ''Anime/LupinIIIPartIII'', which consists of the third anime series and the ''Legend Of The Gold Of Babylon'' film. Both the series and the movie had Lupin wearing a [[RealMenWearPink pink jacket]], most of the adult themes downplayed and the slapstick brought UpToEleven (as well as [[OffModel a bizarre design for Fujiko]]). Although nowadays it is [[CanonDiscontinuity widely ignored]] by both the anime producers at Creator/TMSEntertainment and most fans in general in favor of ''Anime/LupinIIIPartII'' and the yearly specials it inspired, it did get a homage episode in ''Anime/LupinIIIPart5''.

** While the first season and a half of ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' was very well received, the rest of the series from the Synchro arc onward fell into this. Instead of addressing many of the problems the previous series suffered from, ''Arc-V'' caught itself up in them too, with the rest of the arcs having terrible pacing and a massive amount of wasted potential on account of the series' TroubledProduction. And that's not even getting into the returning {{Legacy Character}}s, many of whom were said characters InNameOnly, and the ending, which managed to sour the whole series for many fans. It got so bad that at one point, the bottom 10 anime episodes of all time on the Japanese rating website Nico Nico Douga were ''[[UpToEleven ALL]]'' ARC-V episodes, and has permanently tarnished the name of director Katsumi Ono.
** ''Anime/YuGiOhVRAINS'' continues the trend of divisive series. Following off the heels of the already-disliked ARC-V, VRAINS had a lot to prove from the get-go. Unfortunately, the series was seen as SoOkayItsAverage by many fans of the franchise ([[AmericansHateTingle especially in the west]]). Most of the problems revolving around both the new "Link Summoning" mechanic, which {{nerf}}ed other Extra Deck summons both in and [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh out of universe]], as well as the protagonist Yusaku Fujiki AKA: Playmaker, who some saw as having all the problems with [[Characters/YuGiOh5Ds Yusei Fudo]] taken UpToEleven with few of the positives, being a boring InvincibleHero with [[TierInducedScrappy a broken deck]] [[FlatCharacter who never really develops]] until the last few episodes of the series. Season 2 did not help matters with characters like [[IdolSinger Aoi Zaizen]] or [[ProfessionalWrestling Go Onizuka]] [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter being given the shaft]], the introduction of [[SpotlightStealingSquad Takeru Homura AKA: Soulburner]] and the villain Bohman, a FlatCharacter as bad as Yusaku who never seemed to be able to settle on a consistent backstory and clearly hadn't been planned ahead of time. While the series rebounded in its third season with a fan-favourite villain and ended up better received than its predecessor, it wasn't enough. After it ended early due to middling ratings, Nihon Ad Systems and Creator/{{Konami}} took the series away from Creator/StudioGallop and gave it to Creator/{{Bridge}} for the SoftReboot that is ''Anime/YuGiOhSEVENS''.

** ''Anime/TransformersArmada'' was ''very'' rushed, with many bouts of OffModel on par with those seen in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers Generation 1]]'', an English dub with clunky dialogue, incorrect names and [[FillingTheSilence originally silent moments filled with inane chatter and stock phrases]], and a slow beginning with many repetitive episodic adventures [[GrowingTheBeard before the plot really kicks off]]. But the reason why ''Armada'' isn't considered the worst ''Transformers'' series ever is because ''Anime/TransformersEnergon'' took that spot with little competition. All the problems with ''Armada'' were [[UpToEleven amplified]], with the plot starting off good, before repeating itself halfway in and the final few episodes being entirely unrelated, character arcs largely being quietly dropped or else ended in a way that doesn't actually resolve them, the setting not giving the cast any real ''need'' to transform, and the CG models [[DullSurprise lacking emotion]] (to the point where sometimes they're hand-drawn ''just because it looks more impressive''). The dub is even worse - unfinished animation is used, mistranslations are plentiful, and an important episode that develops two characters is dropped and replaced with a non-canon Japanese special. [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Energon_%28cartoon%29 Just read what]] Wiki/TFWikiDotNet has to say about it.