History YMMV / LittleBusters

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: One of the main reasons the anime is so hated is because Creator/JCStaff, who never worked on anything by Key before, was put in charge of the adaptation instead of Creator/KyotoAnimation, who did the anime adaptations for VisualNovel/{{AIR}}, VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}, and VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}.

** Mio Nishizono [[CastsNoShadow not having a shadow]] becomes downright hilarious after you've seen [[WebAnimation/CivilProtectio Mike and Dave]] dealing with that shadowless guy.

* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/KeyVisualArts fandom long awaited an anime adaptation of ''Little Busters!'', but expected that it would be from Creator/KyotoAnimation. It wasn't... but they ''did'' do [[Anime/{{Free}} another]] HoYay-laden sports anime with a {{tsundere}}, socially awkward childhood friend named Rin, a weird kid named Haruka with a DarkAndTroubledPast, a side character obsessed with muscles, more {{fanservice}} than the creators were known for in the past, AnimalMotifs for everyone, and a target audience other than the young boys sports anime are usually aimed at.

** Although Kyousuke is a major character, he ended up being far more popular than was expected by the creators or even his own [[Creators/HikaruMidorikawa seiyuu]] by winning the overall Key Character Popularity Poll in 2020, an impressive feat considering his status as a male character in an ImprobablyFemaleCast focused on the {{Bishojo}} genre.

* NightmareFuel: Kurugaya in the entire last third of the first episode of the Refrain anime.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Haruka's route ended with the moral that no one was at fault for [[spoiler:the terrible upbringing she and her sister had, meaning both the sisters or their parents]]. This completely ignores her [[spoiler:abusive extended family]], who are not addressed. [[spoiler:Kanata's]] route is a rehash of Haruka's from the other side and clarifies that yes, [[spoiler:they'll all be going to jail for child abuse]]. It's even indicated obliquely that this epilogue, at least, is [[spoiler:in the real world]].

* CriticalResearchFailure: The whole plot about Miyuki quitting archery because of the loss of an eye because pretty laughable when you realize that archery is perfectly possible with one eye and that a [[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/archery/9428260/London-2012-Olympics-legally-blind-South-Korean-archer-Im-Dong-Hyun-eyes-gold-medal-at-the-Games.html legally blind Korean archer is considered one of the best archers in the world]]. Might be a deeply Japanese thing though, because at least two other anime had a character quit the sport for similar reasons like a scarred shoulder.

* TastesLikeDiabetes: In-universe, what Kurugaya felt after that battle between her and Komari. Out-of-universe, half the haremettes.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Kanata gets this from fans for her behavior in Haruka's route. Alongside the disciplinary committee, she starts a WitchHunt and accuses Haruka of breaking the rules even without having any proof that she did anything. [[spoiler:She also disguised herself as Haruka and tried to use it to manipulate Riki into giving up the search into who between her and Haruka is Shou's daughter. Her disguise can even lead to Riki [[YourCheatingHeart unknowingly kissing Kanata]] while disguised as Haruka in one of the route's bad ends]]. While the climax of Haruka's route and her own route reveal she was acting CruelToBeKind, Haruka's narration in the bad end where [[spoiler:Riki cheats on her]] implies [[spoiler:she was DrivenToSuicide since Riki couldn't tell the two of them apart]], which only happened as a result of Kanata's actions.

** Riki. Some like him because he's a refreshing change of pace from the JerkWithAHeartOfGold protagonists so common in [[Creator/KeyVisualArts Key's]] other works and think his CharacterDevelopment is subtle and well-written enough to prove that the NiceGuy harem lead [[TropesAreNotBad isn't automatically a bad thing]]. Others consider him a VanillaProtagonist in comparison to Key's other protagonists and claim he's a step backwards for the company given their reputation for averting the trope in their other works. They also don't like how meek and passive he is at the start, and think his CharacterDevelopment comes too late to matter.

** Saya's route has become for several reasons. Some fans like Saya as a character and are interested in how the story expands on the nature of the [[spoiler:artifical world]]. On the other hand, there are those who don't like how everyone except her and Riki was DemotedToExtra or ignored, as it makes it seem like [[SatelliteLoveInterest Saya's characterization revolves around her relationship with Riki]] when he's the only one she interacts with. The anime [=OVAs=] further split the base, as she had four episodes dedicated to her route, which is as many as Sasami and Kanata had combined. Some people think it was necessary to give her four episodes due to how different the plot of her route is compared to the other eight routes. However, others point out that the adaptations for Sasami and Kanata's routes seem so rushed by comparison, and accuse the anime staff of [[CreatorsPet favoritism towards Saya]].

** The anime adaptation. Some people consider it to be a good adaptation that gets unjustly hated by fans who [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks wanted Kyoto Animation to do the anime, and didn't give it a fair shot when JC Staff was announced to be in charge]]. Others think Little Busters! depends too much on the visual novel format, and because of that, an anime with a linear story format, no matter what studio was in charge, wouldn't be able to properly convey the plot and CharacterDevelopment the same way the visual novel did.

* ValuesDissonance: Haruka's route focuses heavily on the Japanese idea that [[TurnOutLikeHisFather a criminal parent would have a criminal child]], whereas western nations ideally view each person individually. A criminal parent might be a matter of embarrassment or shame, but nowhere near the level of ostracisation Haruka faced.
** Kud's admiration for her mother can across as fairly bizarre outside of Japan. Chernushka's dedication and work ethic over her personal life is a very noble act in Japanese society, but western ones would find her extreme ParentalAbandonment as horribly misguided at best and flat-out ParentalNeglect at worst.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: One of the main reasons the anime is so hated is because Creator/JCStaff, who never worked on anything by Key before, was put in charge of the adaptation instead of Creator/KyotoAnimation, who did the anime adaptations for VisualNovel/{{AIR}}, VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}, and VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}.

* {{Moe}}: All the girls. Kudryavka gets a special mention.

* TearJerker:
** [[spoiler:(Refrain route: Little Busters episode)]]
** [[spoiler: Saya's true ending. She is forced to leave the dream world by killing her "avatar", and although the ending scene is pretty ambiguous as to her soul's new whereabouts, she can never be with Riki or the Little Busters for real.]] [[IJustWantToHaveFriends She just wanted to have friends]], dammit!
** [[spoiler: Another one for Saya in the LB!EX anime - when her 'real world' self Aya is caught in the landslide, all you can hear for a moment is the heavy rainfall. Then, [[AdultFear you can hear her dad screaming her name over and over again, trying to find her]]. Aya, of course, is alone under the rubble, unable to respond.]]
** One especially for the anime: in its version of Kurugaya's route, instead of having Riki be the sole target, the bullies use StockShoujoBullyingTactics on Kud and Komari to punish them for being Kurugaya's friends. The one reacting the most while the victims are trying to pretend it doesn't bother them and the others are either fretting or seething in the corner? ''Haruka,'' who looks like she's about to eviscerate someone. Her route had been adapted two story arcs ago in the previous season, and while she reconciled with the bully who was ruining her life, she's still ''been there,'' and Kurugaya's tormentors don't have Kanata's [[BreakHerHeartToSaveHer excuse]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Haruka's route ended with the moral that no one was at fault for the terrible upbringing she and her sister had, meaning both the sisters or their parents. This completely ignores the abusive extended family, who are not addressed. Kanata's route is a rehash of Haruka's from the other side and clarifies that yes, they'll all be going to jail for child abuse. It's even indicated obliquely that this epilogue, at least, is in the real world.

* TheScrappy: Futaki is hated by certain audiences because of her behavior towards Haruka in the latter's route.