History SoBadItsGood / AnimeAndManga

* ''Manhua/SwirlFighters'': Cheap Chinese Franchise/{{Beyblade}} knockoff? Check. Piss-poor "anime"-styled animation? Check. Badly-integrated [=CGI=]? Check. A story that makes no goddamn sense? Check. Horrible English dub? Check. {{Narm}}? Double Check. The result is quite possibly ''TheRoom'' of anime.

* The 80s English dub of ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' provides a ton of nostalgia from those who listened to it when it came out, but by today's standards it's very hard to take seriously, especially with the 2001 redub, which isn't perfect, but is technically superior on pretty much every level. The 80s dub was filled with [[HamAndCheese over-the-top overacting]] from some characters (especially Tetsuo) and robotic ''under''-acting from others with laughable uses of slang like "That PEA brain!" and very poor line readings like "Fight like a MAAAAAAN!!!!" This dub also had many cases of TalkingToHimself, and the whole thing sounded like it was recorded into tin cans. The script was also very confusing (making an already-confusing movie into an outright incomprehensible one), and in one case, accidentally gave Kaneda one of Kei's lines. Almost every character's name was pronounced wrong, notoriously poor Kaneda, whose name came out sounding really close to "Canada." This was especially laughable when Tetsuo's voice actor [[ChewingTheScenery screamed that name at the top of his lungs in the most bizarre way possible]].

* The Swedish dub of ''Manga/Cyborg009'' made in the 80's (notice a theme?) deserves some accolades here. [[TalkingToHimself All the voices are done by a single, uncredited guy - all the women too, which goes over as well as you would expect]] - and there's lots of [[ObligatorySwearing inappropriate swearing that was never there in the first place]]. But what makes the dub truly interesting in its low quality is the BlindIdiotTranslation. For over a decade, rumours circulated Swedish forums that the dubbing/translation actually was made by a Danish guy, affectionally given the nickname "Karsten", judging by quirks such as Jet saying "Today me wins". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuCaNC57-Z8 In a podcast interview published in late 2018]][[note]]Interview is in (much better) Swedish and subtitles aren't available[[/note]], this rumour was ''confirmed''. The guy in question is [[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576506/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Timm Mehrens]], and explained in the interview that he was given the script in Danish and had to translate it to Swedish himself as he was dubbing it, even though he had no formal education in the language back then (having absorbed the language from relatives). The result manages to sound like a Google Translate translation made before Google Translate existed. Example:

** ''Manga/{{Karin}}'' is an infamous example, containing performances from a mix of American actors that happened to be living in Singapore (Chelsea Curto, who played Karin, is a US expat), and other "actors" that barely spoke English. It was full of weird dialogue, awkward line readings, ''lots'' of TalkingToHimself, and miscasts galore... and it's considered one of the ''better'' Odex dubs.

* Almost everything that Animax Asia touches, when they're not just plain bad (or occasionally good). Their voice casts are often made up of English-speaking expats [[IWasYoungAndNeededTheMoney wanting to earn some extra money]], as well as locals from the country where the dub is made (usually Hong Kong, Singapore, or the Phillipines) who sometimes have very thick accents. The scripts are often literally translated from Japanese, which can lead to some odd turns of phrase. There is also lots of TalkingToHimself,[[note]]To name a few, Kagome and Kikyo from ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' are voiced by the same actress, and Edward Elric and several major female characters in ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistBrotherhood'' are voiced by one woman[[/note]] justifying the need for AccentAdaptation to distinguish between character voices. For example, their dub of ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistBrotherhood'' gave Major Armstrong a Russian (maybe German) accent, and gave [[StarterVillain Father Cornello]] an unfittingly comedic [[https://twitter.com/yuiharuhara/status/1308926262942064643?s=21 Italian accent (second video in thread)]].

* ''Anime/DennouBoukenkiWebdiver''. It's basically ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' in cyberspace and with thinly-disguised expies as the cast, though the plots are totally different. It features gems like terribly hammy acting, poor CGI with little to no movement, excessive reuse of stock footage, a BigBad sentient computer virus called "Deletloss" (and later it's revealed that it's a formless EldritchAbomination alien that took over a race of computerized PlantAliens a million years before the story, without any explanation of why it would target a "kids' playground" cyberspace), and an even more poorly written DarkerAndEdgier TrappedInAnotherWorld second season that throws many of the established plotlines of the first season [[AbortedArc out the window]] while introducing a stock shonen villain and unmemorable MonsterOfTheWeek (instead of freeing the other guardians from Deletloss's control, which already completed in the first season). Yet it was considered memorable for those who watched it, thanks to its catchy opening and ending themes and the fact that it was one of the first roles of ''Creator/TomokazuSugita'', where he voiced the Optimus Prime {{Expy}} called Gladion.

* ''LightNovel/InAnotherWorldWithMySmartphone'' has gained notoriety within the isekai community and legions of detractors, in no small part due to its [[IncorruptiblePurePureness flawless]] main protagonist, being entirely devoid of conflict, and [[ClicheStorm filled with the maximum number of cliches in the genre.]] That said, the cheap animation and simple art style of [[Anime/InAnotherWorldWithMySmartphone its anime adaptation]] has been likened to that of anime from the late 90s, giving it a charmingly retro feel in comparison to the slick vector, digital and CGI animation used in many other shows.

* ''LightNovel/NinjaSlayer''. Based on a novel written by an OccidentalOtaku couple, released on the web, and featuring cardboard-cutout animation. The saving graces are how over-the-top and [[HamAndCheese delightfully hammy]] it is.

* The weird ''LightNovel/GuinSaga'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmEESOXQJso English dub]], produced by Creator/SentaiFilmworks (not exactly known for their quality work; not surprising when you consider it is just a slice of ADV), and directed by one of the most controversial ADR directors ever, Steven Foster, is ''so'' full of this. Taking advantage of it being a ClicheStorm, the characters either [[LargeHam overreact]] or [[DullSurprise underreact]] in the non-action scenes.

* The 80s English dub of ''Anime/CastleInTheSky'' has similar problems to the one of ''Akira'' above. Lots of flat acting and choppy sounding (and poorly written) dialogue, despite making the leads sound younger and not being as loosely adapted as Disney's version was. Muska in particular sounded like he was sleepwalking through the whole movie, saddled with lines like "Now say bye bye!" (which only succeeds in killing the moment with unintentional humor) as he aims at Sheeta in the finale. It's really no wonder the late Carl Macek felt it was not up to his standards. Disney's version, despite DawsonCasting the leads and featuring a [[FillingTheSilence more chatty script]] (which was eventually toned down for a rerelease), is superior to this older dub on every level.

* Also from the AB Groupe, the French dubs of animes broadcast in the show ''Series/ClubDorothee'' in the late 1980s and early 1990s were quite infamous. When the voices didn't sound hilariously inappropriate, the original dialogues were just brushed over or outright ignored, if not censored. Notorious victims included the likes of ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', ''Manga/CityHunter'' (where the simple fact that the villains had now average French names was hilarious, plus the comically inappropriate voice of Maurice Sarfati for most of them) and ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' (the twangy voice of Éric Legrand for Vegeta particularly stood out). The [[AlternativeForeignThemeSong French opening songs]] also pack tons of NarmCharm.

* The 1980s dub of ''Anime/MacrossDoYouRememberLove'' is chock full of [[BlindIdiotTranslation shoddy translation]], strange word choices ("Major Focker", anyone?), and bizarre and/or [[DullSurprise robotic]] line delivery by a small pool of Australians and Hong Kong residents, and [[DubInducedPlotlineChange haphazardly cuts out]] large portions of the original film. On paper, it sounds like a recipe for disaster. In practice, it's downright hilarious. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtthuOBGUQY Here's some highlights]].

** The European Portuguese dub is this, with overacted and hilarious voice acting at best, making many of the serious moments end up causing involuntary laughter. Usagi (or Bunny in the dub) voice in particular is extremely raspy and feels out of place for her character, and his yelling is extremely shrill. As if that wasn't enough, Luna changed her gender to male and gave her the voice of an old man with a throat problem, while Artemis became a woman. And that's not to mention questionable translations and massive Main/DubNameChange. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TArNOp_l_c We are not kidding when we say that it looks more like a parody than a real dub.]]

* ''Dennou Boukenki Webdiver''. It's basically ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' in cyberspace and with thinly-disguised expies as the cast, though the plots are totally different. It features gems like terribly hammy acting, poor CGI with little to no movement, excessive reuse of stock footage, a BigBad sentient computer virus called "Deletloss" (and later it's revealed that it's a formless EldritchAbomination alien that took over a race of computerized PlantAliens a million years before the story, without any explanation of why it would target a "kids' playground" cyberspace), and an even more poorly written DarkerAndEdgier TrappedInAnotherWorld second season that throws many of the established plotlines of the first season [[AbortedArc out the window]] while introducing a stock shonen villain and unmemorable MonsterOfTheWeek (instead of freeing the other guardians from Deletloss's control, which already completed in the first season). Yet it was considered memorable for those who watched it, thanks to its catchy opening and ending themes and the fact that it was one of the first roles of ''Creator/TomokazuSugita'', where he voiced the Optimus Prime {{Expy}} called Gladion.

* The ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' offshoot ''Doozy Bots'' would more than likely have been SoBadItsGood had it aired. [[http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e8um1N78AhY See the promo video here.]]

* ''Manhua/SwirlFighters'': Cheap Chinese Anime/{{Beyblade}} knockoff? Check. Piss-poor "anime"-styled animation? Check. Badly-integrated [=CGI=]? Check. A story that makes no goddamn sense? Check. Horrible English dub? Check. {{Narm}}? Double Check. The result is quite possibly ''TheRoom'' of anime.

* The sexual content in the ''Manga/{{Zeorymer}}'' manga is so [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment random]] and [[CoitusEnsues clumsy]] that one can't help but laugh. Notable examples include the title robot's IUD power source, the [[AnIcePerson icicle rape]] scene, and an abrupt shot of female lead Miku's elderly adopted father giving her oral sex. To make things even funnier, despite Miku having a teenage body while clothed, she often [[OffModel suddenly has a little girl's body]] while nude.

* The European Spanish opening of the original ''Manga/DragonBall'' can be seen as an example of this. The performer really has a great voice, but the lyrics are full of rather off-kilter phrases and inconsistent timing. Oh, and how not to forget the mythical [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtD_xGvkWLk&t=56s "LA BOLA DE DRÁGON SERA AL FIN NUESTRAAAAAAAAAAA"]].[[note]] "THE DRAGON BALL WILL FINALLY BE OUUUUUUUUUUURS".[[/note]]

* The original [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mrZkb_vs2U Spanish opening]] of ''Manga/SaintSeiya''. [[AccentUponTheWrongSyllable The lyrics are mangled]] so it can fit with the music. But it's just part of the childhood of so many people that no one cares.

* The European Spanish opening of the original ''Manga/DragonBall'' can be seen as an example of this. The performer really has a great voice, but the lyrics are full of rather off-kilter phrases and inconsistent timing. Oh, and how not to forget the mythical [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtD_xGvkWLk&t=56s "LA BOLA DE DRÁGON SERA AL FIN SERA NUESTRAAAAAAAAAAA"]].[[note]] "THE DRAGON BALL WILL FINALLY BE OUUUUUUUUUUURS".[[/note]]

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLTlH7KB0Xk opening theme]] to the [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids]] English dub of ''Manga/OnePiece''. "Yo ho ho, he took a bite of Gum Gum!"

Also, the voice actors no longer made much attempt to hide their Canadian accents, so we're cursed with lots of "soarry"s "a-boat"s, and "Sailor Scoat"s. The written dialogue wasn't much better, as the scripts were extremely rushed and inconsistent with attack names changing ''by the episode'', along with really laughable lines that included awkward (and outdated) slang and dialogue completely out-of-character ("You're the BOMB Serena!" "He's so PHAT!" "WICKED cool!"). Of course, Sailors Uranus and Neptune became "[[KissingCousins cousins]]" to [[HideYourLesbians hide their lesbianism]]. A website called "Sailor Moon Uncensored" had a field day mocking this dub, and has never been well-received or remembered by any part of the Sailor Moon fandom other than to mock it. At least, [[VindicatedByHistory that was the case]] for a good while, until the more professionally done Viz Media re-dub of the series was released, [[SoOkayItsAverage which created its own]] [[SoBadItWasBetter can of worms]].

Also, the voice actors no longer made much attempt to hide their Canadian accents, so we're cursed with lots of "soarry"s "a-boat"s, and "Sailor Scoat"s. The written dialogue wasn't much better, as the scripts were extremely rushed and inconsistent with attack names changing ''by the episode'', along with really laughable lines that included awkward (and outdated) slang and dialogue completely out-of-character ("You're the BOMB Serena!" "He's so PHAT!" "WICKED cool!"). Of course, Sailors Uranus and Neptune became "[[KissingCousins cousins]]" to [[HideYourLesbians hide their lesbianism]]. A website called "Sailor Moon Uncensored" had a field day mocking this dub, and has never been well-received or remembered by any part of the Sailor Moon fandom other than to mock it.

-->''"[[NoPronunciationGuide Kakyoin!]] [[AccidentalInnuendo (uhh, unh) IT GOT KAKYOIN! UNNGH! AGH! KAKYOIN!]] IT GOT HIS EYES!"''

* ''Dennou Boukenki Webdiver''. It's basically ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' in cyberspace and with thinly-disguised expies as the cast, though the plot are totally different. It features gems like terribly hammy acting, poor CGI with little to no movement, excessive reuse of stock footage, a BigBad sentient computer virus called "Deletloss" (and later it's revealed that it's a formless EldritchAbomination alien that took over a race of computerized PlantAliens a million years before the story, without any explanation of why it would target a "kids' playground" cyberspace), and an even more poorly written DarkerAndEdgier TrappedInAnotherWorld second season that throws many of the established plotlines of the first season [[AbortedArc out the window]] while introducing a stock shonen villain and unmemorable MonsterOfTheWeek (instead of freeing the other guardians from Deletloss's control, which already completed in the first season). Yet it was considered memorable for those who watched it, thanks to its catchy opening and ending themes and the fact that it was one of the first roles of ''Creator/TomokazuSugita'', where he voiced the Optimus Prime {{Expy}} called Gladion.

* ''Anime/DragonautTheResonance'' was often affectionately dubbed the feel-good comedy of the year thanks to it's bizarre writing, copious amounts of {{Narm}}, and blatant IdiotPlot held together by a metric ton of {{Fanservice}}. You know you're in for something good when the show begins a tragic, horrifying space shuttle accident... followed by the main character ''launching'' out of the falling debris towards the ground like missile with a [[DullSurprise blank, nonchalant expression]].

* ''[[Series/TsuburayaDinosaurTrilogy Dinosaur War Izenborg]]'', a mix of anime and {{Tokusatsu}} from the late 70's. First, the villain is a talking T-Rex, which tries to take over the [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse world]]. Add to that the [[OffModel no budget animation]], laughably bad live SFX, backgrounds made from photographs that never match the perspective the characters are drawn and [[IdiotPlot ridiculous storylines]] with cringe inducing dialogue. To top it off, each MonsterOfTheWeek will meet a gruesome end, usually getting some limbs hacked off by the eponymous {{mecha}}'s saw blades. In short, it's hilarious!

* TheAnimeOfTheGame ''VideoGame/VoltageFighterGowcaizer'' is overall pretty bad, having an almost incomprehensible plot, downright weird character designs, and with the most bizarre {{Gainaxing}} ever. There are only two things that make it worth watching (if you don't count the loads of {{fanservice}}); the well animated fight scenes, and the hilariously stupid English dub.

* Most of the music for the ''Creator/SabanEntertainment'' produced English dub of ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' is surprisingly good for a CutAndPasteTranslation, but [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L6gaeJkLNWE the opening theme]] is a major exception. The lyrics are repetitive ([[MemeticMutation DIGIMON: DIGITAL MONSTERS, DIGIMON ARE THE CHAMPIONS!]]), it has a weird, hard to place sound, and it doesn't fit the tone of the either the [[Anime/DigimonAdventure Adventure]] [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 series]] or [[Anime/DigimonTamers Tamers]] (especially given the [[GagDub added humor]] in the dub). However, it has a certain level of awesomeness that makes it hard not to like, and it's clear that composer Paul Gordon actually put some effort into it.

* The 1980s dub of ''Anime/MacrossDoYouRememberLove'' is chock full of [[BlindIdiotTranslation shoddy translation]], strange word choices ("Major Focker", anyone?), and bizarre and/or [[DullSurprise robotic]] line delivery by a small pool of Australians and Hong Kong residents, and [[CutAndPasteTranslation haphazardly cuts out]] large portions of the original film. On paper, it sounds like a recipe for disaster. In practice, it's downright hilarious. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtthuOBGUQY Here's some highlights]].

** From Malaysia, we also have the rare [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wG84efH4sw "Speedy" dub]], named after the company that produced it. Not only is the voice acting ''extremely'' corny, but the translations, sourced from the Cantonese dub, are incredibly ludicrous, with lines such as "Like human beings dislike the sound of rubbing glass probably the soundwave of the whistle, which a human being blows might echo suddenly irritating the ears of the Namek people, their nerves can't endure any of the pain."[[note]]Often misheard as "Black human beings dislike the sound of rubbing glass probably the soundwave of the whistle, which a human being blows might echoessummly irritating the ears of the Namek people, the nerve cut any other phase."[[/note]] And almost all of them (including the aforementioned one) are delivered [[MotorMouth like the voice actors were high on caffeine]], with accents so thick that the dialogue is almost incomprehensible at times. As an added bonus, the music distorts from time to time because of the dub's incredibly poor audio transferring methods, giving the impression that the soundtrack itself pretty much gave up on this dub. On paper, it sounds horrible. When you listen to it, however, it's one gigantic riot-fest. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0AzeAIb7ws Here are]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksg6KOlt0bk a few]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upy2SEnP9MU samples]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo37377GB5M for your]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nSr4HSqrj8 viewing pleasure.]]

** Many of these odd translations are the result of these dubs being sourced from the French dub. Not only is the French dub considered this in its own right, but the Polish "dub" adds another layer to this by consisting of a Polish VoiceoverTranslation read over the French audio, with the voiceover taking the French script's inconsistencies and odd terminology UpToEleven.

* ''Anime/CrossAnge'' [[UpToEleven takes this by a country mile]]. The show has a lot of over-the-top humor and scenes and keeps on getting more insane as time goes on with a lot of the common cliches of anime but goes batshit-insane with them with constant amounts of fanservice in every episode. It also has the attitude of [[PrecisionFStrike fuck you]] in how it tells a story about controversial topics. The post-credit ending also ends up [[SelfParody parodying itself]] making jokes about running content in the show. It's compared to watching a trainwreck in how it's awful to watch but so stupid you can't help but love it.

* That said, not all of Macek's dubs turned out well. ''Anime/VampireHunterD'' was one of his weakest ones, with a lot of soundtrack tinkering, miscast voices (particularly D and especially Dan), acting ranging from monotone to uneven to laughable. Matters were not helped by a cheesy sounding script and fake Transylvanian accents. Sentai's newer version dials all that back and offers generally better performances (although ironically, fans of the Streamline version are now suddenly saying the new dub is bad… despite the fact that the Streamline dub was given similarly bad reviews by the anime community at the time of its release!)

* The 1980s dub of ''Anime/MacrossDoYouRememberLove'' is chock full of [[BlindIdiotTranslation shoddy translation]], strange word choices ("Major Focker", anyone?), and bizarre and/or [[DullSurprise robotic]] line delivery by a small pool of Australians and Hong Kong residents, and [[CutAndPasteTranslation haphazardly cuts out]] large portions of the original film. On paper, it sounds like a recipe for disaster. In practice, it's downright hilarious. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtthuOBGUQY Here's some highlights]].