The 2010s were a treasure trove of groundbreaking sci-fi anime that explored the technological and philosophical potential of the future. But amidst these triumphs, there were epic flops that seemed to be built from the ground up to flop spectacularly. These were usually the result of super-ambitious ideas, dwindling budgets, or a lack of understanding of how to construct a futuristic narrative. Exploring the decade’s biggest missteps offers an interesting exploration of how science fiction can go astray when reason is thrown aside for plot twists or inferior special effects.
Navigating these critical darlings backwards is a story of lost potential and technical disasters. Ranging from confusing time-travel storylines to painful visuals, these are the nadir of science fiction in the decade. While they may have had their sights set on the stars, they ended up in a black hole of critical and fan derision. This list is a reminder for any company looking to dip their hand into the complex waters of high-concept futurism, without a solid narrative vision.
The Best Sci-Fi Anime Ever, Ranked
Mecha, cyberpunk, and space operas, science-fiction anime come in many shapes, and the genre’s best shows represent Japanese animation at its peak.
10
Togainu no Chi (2010)
This show is set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia after the third world war, and involves a young man, Akira, who must compete in a survival street-fighting competition. The city is ruled by a brutal gang, which involves gathering dog tags. It seeks to incorporate cyberpunk themes with a dark psychological fight for freedom in an anarchic world.
Sadly, the show suffered from an abominable lack of quality control, with animation that often fell into placing images on a still and sometimes off-model characters. The story failed to translate well, with pacing issues and an empty world. Rather than a gripping dystopian thriller, we were treated to a visual nightmare that did not evoke the potency of the world around it even though it had an interesting premise and good character design.
9
Freezing (2011)
This sci-fi/action series is set in a world under attack by Nova, multidimensional aliens. In an attempt to repel the threat, young women (Pandoras) are genetically engineered to have superhuman powers and are paired with male “freezers”. It follows the rigorous training and personalities of an exclusive military academy that trains humanity’s “last stand”.
The show is notorious for its excessive fan service and ripping of clothes above its intriguing science-fiction premise. The storyline often came secondary to cringe-inducingly awkward power struggles and mindless action sequences. Its “ecchi” sensationalism turned off audiences seeking a more mature war story, with it being more weird fan service clips than an actual anime with a compelling story.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
8
Busou Shinki (2012)
In a future world, tiny robots known as Shinki are the best friend/playmate to own. The tiny robots are sentient and can be adorned with different weaponry and armor for battling. The anime follows a particular set of Shinki as they go about their lives with their owners, and take part in some techno-battles from time to time.
The premise could have been the basis for a better toy-based sci-fi Pokémon, but it turned out to be a lackluster set of vignettes without much of a story. The animation was sluggish, and the “battles” were more of a product placement for the physical toys than a dedicated anime. It lacked the kind of detail to flesh out the high-tech concept into anything more than a gimmicky product pitch.
7
Valvrave the Liberator (2013)
This mecha action series is set in a future where humans primarily live in space colonies, and tells the story of a high school student who inadvertently pilots a sentient robotic mecha. The show tries to explore concepts of immortality, revolution, and the toll of war between huge space armies. It was originally pitched as a decently high-budget and interesting series with high-level animation and a complicated political storyline, but ultimately missed the mark on every aspect.
It’s most notable for its “train wreck” storyline, which introduced outlandish twists at a breakneck speed. It swiftly moved past its political roots to absurd character behaviors and supernatural circumstances that didn’t seem to fit the world that was created for the show. Its high production values didn’t help the fact that the script was so inconsistent, and became a meme, making the drama more of a comedy.
6
Pupa (2014)
Pupa is a series that presents itself as a science-fiction horror or at least tries to, and follows two children who become infected with a virus that turns their sister into a cannibalistic zombie. Her brother can regrow limbs, and allows her to eat his flesh to satiate her hunger. It delves into themes of family sacrifice and the biological effects of a bizarre virally-induced mutation in a contemporary city.
Although the concept was very interesting, the adaptation was a notorious flop because of its four-minute episodes and censorship. The story was torn to shreds, and there was no time for characterization or any story development. No explanation was ever given as to the “science” behind the virus nor the character’s backstories, leaving the viewer with an incomprehensible, heavily censored, boring and continually dull anime.
7 Best Sci-Fi Anime You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
These Sci-Fi anime play with a range of other subgenres, but for one reason or another, they have faded into obscurity despite their high quality.
5
Comet Lucifer (2015)
One day, on the planet Gift, where energy is sourced from beautiful blue crystals called Giftjium, a young boy finds a strange girl in the mines. Their meeting sets off a grand adventure across a technologically advanced, fantasy world, aided by giant robots. The show sought to be a “boy meets girl” action-adventure with a mix of traditional robot battles, rich world-building, and a mystery to solve.
Arguably the series’ biggest flaw is the narrative breakdown that left viewers confused. After an adorable opening, the narrative became entangled in a nonsensical “chosen one” storyline with no warning and ended in an utterly unearned finale. The characters remained inconsistent and unmotivated, and the emotional punch was lost as the show failed to explain the world in which it was set, leaving a visually beautiful but hollow show.
4
Big Order (2016)
From the mind behind Future Diary, this science-fiction thriller is about a boy who accidentally triggered a devastating apocalypse some years ago using his “Order” ability. He’s now living in a world where many people have obtained reality-altering powers based on their prayers, and must navigate through an ever-shifting political environment. It was set to be an action-packed cat-and-mouse game of psychedelic powers in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Power quickly became a joke for its cringeworthy, edgy dialogue and plot that made little to no sense. The main character’s motivations were unaligned, and the show was based on shock value and illogical “rules” for its powers that shifted according to the plot. It seemed to be a send-up of 2010s “edgelord” tropes, and it didn’t provide the “mental torture” it so desperately strived to achieve.
3
Hand Shakers (2017)
Set in the future, “Hand Shakers” are people able to use weapons called “Nimrodes” when they hold hands and their souls merge. Couples combat in a virtual world to gain the right to confront God and have their prayers answered. The show was promoted for its distinctive, high-contrast visuals and “innovative” use of a camera that was meant to make the fights more visceral.
The end result was a visual train wreck and health hazard with dizzying camera whirls and clashing CGI that left many feeling nauseous. The storyline had no substance and consisted of generic tropes, while the characters’ dialogue was downright cringeworthy. The show’s emphasis on “style” over substance made the show become one of the worst-rated anime of the year, and showed that more filters don’t make better animation.
2
ReRideD: Derrida, who travels through Time (2018)
Derrida is an engineer who has found a weakness in the “Autonomous Machine DZ” robots he has helped develop. He is frozen in time, to awaken 10 years later in a world dominated by these out-of-control robots. He must “time leap” to the past to stop the robots and save his friend’s daughter.
The animation was a mess with some of the decade’s worst animation cheats, with characters often not in model and wooden movements. The physics of time travel were never explained, and the story seemed to be completely out of the main focus towards the end. Rather than a heartfelt sci-fi tragedy, it turned into a tedious grind of unexplained sci-fi language and animation that felt like it was from the early 1990s.
1
W’z (2019)
This was a sequel to the original manga Hand Shakers, and focused on a young DJ, Yukiya, who shares similar powers to enter a parallel world when he shakes hands. He uses his powers and music to find a way out of a world with many factions, and to learn more about himself. This series tried to resolve the visual problems of the previous series, while keeping the “urban sci-fi” aesthetic.
Compared to the original, the cinematography and story premise were marginally better, but still a neon nightmare and much too disjointed. The plot was even more lacking than the first series, continuing to rely on “soul-mate” tropes without contributing anything to the world’s mythology. It continued to do everything wrong the first series did and never actually introduced anything new either, thus becoming the epitome of bad sci-fi in the late 2010s, even after two attempts.
7 Darkest Sci-Fi Anime Of All Time
Dystopian fictions are a common theme in science fiction anime. These shows have the darkest content available.
