Worst 5 Anime of 2021

Worst 5 Anime of 2021

Worst of the Worst

At the end of last year, I wrote about the Top 5 Anime of 2021 (that I watched). Now it’s time to do the opposite — the worst 5 anime of 2021. And, honestly, I blocked most of the anime on this list out of my mind until I checked what I watched in 2021 and was reminded.

Before I get into my picks for the worst anime of the year, I have some honorable mentions. The fifth-place anime on this list got a 3/10 rating, but it wasn’t the only one. So, what else did I rate that low?

Well, this may surprise you, but Deep Insanity: The Lost Child didn’t make the cut. It was the worst anime of the fall season, but not one of the five worst of the year. And the other two are So I’m a Spider, So What? and Redo of Healer. I think both are bad anime. However, I didn’t hate them as much as those on this list.

#5 – Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table

Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table anime series cover art
Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table

Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table is probably going to be the most controversial entry on the list — as it should be since it’s in the fifth slot. I know a lot of people like Log Horizon, and I did too, for the first season.

But, the second season was bad and this third season was even worse. I didn’t care about the characters or plot and the season as a whole was extremely boring. Nothing about this season reminded me of what I originally liked about the series.

And I think the fall of Log Horizon is partially why I chose it to be here over the honorable mentions. Those other anime are bad. But Log Horizon was enjoyable at one point. Seeing it fall to what it is in this season was extremely depressing.

#4 – Otherside Picnic

Otherside Picnic anime series cover art
Otherside Picnic

Otherside Picnic is an anime I genuinely forgot existed before starting on this list. I remember I wasn’t originally going to watch it because I thought it sounded bad. But, I let someone convince me that it would actually be a decent show. It wasn’t.

The concept of the series is fine. It’s about girls who explore the “Otherside,” which is a mysterious world of monsters with its own rules of reality. I have no issue with that, much like I have no real issue with the basic premise of Deep Insanity.

However, the execution was very poor and even now I can’t quite remember how the series ended. I think it had one of those open endings that leave literally everything unanswered — which is to say, the bad way to handle an open ending.

#3 – The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon’s Judgement

The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon's Judgement anime series cover art
The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon’s Judgement

Do I even have to explain why The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon’s Judgement is on this list? I feel like most people know how severely the show dropped off in the later seasons. I’m not even sure what season this is, but I think it’s the fourth. It might be the fifth.

What’s surprising about Dragon’s Judgement, however, is that I actually think it was an improvement over the previous season. I gave this one a 2/10, while I gave the previous season a 1/10. Still, that’s plenty low enough to make the list of worst anime of 2021.

The good news is that I think this is the final season of the series. It ended with the possibility of a spin-off, which might happen. But since it’s a spin-off, I won’t feel obligated to watch it and therefore won’t.

#2 – Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won’t Lose

Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won't Lose anime series cover art
Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won’t Lose

There were only two anime I rated 1/10 in all of 2021, and Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won’t Lose is one of them. As with Otherside Picnic, I completely forgot this series existed. And when I was reminded of it, I was wished I could forget it again.

I really wanted to rank Osamake as the worst anime of 2021. It was definitely the hardest series for me to sit through all year; every episode infuriated me. If you genuinely like this anime, I don’t see how we could ever be friends.

There’s not really anything else to say. I might even rank this as my least favorite anime of all time. That’s how much I hate it. I can’t think of another series that was as unpleasant to watch as this one.

#1 – Ex-Arm

Ex-Arm anime series cover art
Ex-Arm

How do you beat my least favorite anime of all time on a worst anime of 2021 list? You be Ex-Arm. I don’t even hate Ex-Arm. I think it’s absolute garbage. But I don’t hate it. Still, even with my dislike of Osamake, I couldn’t justify not putting Ex-Arm in the “top” spot.

This anime was genuinely the biggest “L” of the year. Everything about it sucks. The plot sucks, the characters suck, the art sucks, the animation sucks, I don’t remember the music, but it probably sucked too.

And, to top it all off, the director of the series actually thought he was going to revolutionize the anime industry with it, despite having never worked on an anime before. Oh, and the rest of the team that made this series also had no anime experience. Classic.

Conclusion

Of course, my picks for the worst anime of 2021 are completely objective and based on fact. But, I’d still like to know what your picks for the worst anime of the year are. Are any of my choices on your list? Let me know in the comments.

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For more 2021 anime content, check out my ranking of all 54 anime I watched from 2021 on a tier list.

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