2010 was a treasure trove of groundbreaking sci-fi anime that explored the technological and philosophical potential of the future. But among those triumphs were epic flops that seemed built from the ground up to fail spectacularly. These were usually the result of super-ambitious ideas, shrinking budgets, or a misunderstanding of how to construct a futuristic story. Examining the biggest blunders of the decade offers an interesting examination of how science fiction can go astray when reason is tossed aside for plot twists or subpar special effects.
Navigating these critical darlings back is a tale of lost potential and engineering disasters. From confusing time travel stories to painful visuals, these are the decade's sci-fi lows. While they may have aimed for stardom, they ended up in a black hole of critical and fan derision. This list is a reminder for any company that wants to dip their hand into the tricky waters of high-concept futurism, without a solid narrative vision.
The Best Sci-Fi Anime of All Time, Ranked
Mecha, cyberpunk, and space opera, sci-fi anime takes many forms, and the best shows in the genre represent Japanese animation at its peak.
10
Togainu no Chi (2010)
Set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia after World War III, the show involves a young man, Akira, who must compete in a street-fighting survival competition. The town is ruled by a brutal gang that involves collecting dog tags. It tries to incorporate cyberpunk themes with a dark psychological struggle for freedom in an anarchic world.
Sadly, the show suffered from an abject lack of quality control, with animation often falling to placing images on still and sometimes off-model characters. The story failed to translate well, pacing issues and an empty world. Rather than a gripping dystopian thriller, we got a visual nightmare that didn't evoke the power of the surrounding world, even though it had an interesting premise and good character design.
9
Frozen (2011)
This sci-fi/action series takes place in a world under attack by the Nova, multidimensional aliens. In an attempt to fend off the threat, young women (Pandoras) are genetically engineered to have superhuman abilities and are paired with male “freezers”. It follows the rigorous training and personalities of an exclusive military academy that trains the “last stand” of humanity.
The show is notorious for its excessive fan service and dress tearing over its interesting sci-fi premise. The plot was often secondary to awkward power struggles and mindless action sequences. Its “ecchi” sensationalism turned off audiences looking for a more mature war story, as it was more of a weird fan clip than an actual anime with a compelling story.
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8
Busou Shinki (2012)
In the future world, little robots known as Shinki are the best friend/play partner. The little robots are sentient and can be adorned with various weapons and armor for combat. The anime follows a particular set of Shinki as they go through life with their owners, participating in some techno-battles from time to time.
The premise could have been the basis for better science fiction based on toys Pokemonbut it turns out to be a lackluster set of vignettes without much of a story. The animation was slow and the “battles” were more product placement for the physical toys than dedicated anime. It lacked the kind of detail that would turn a high-tech concept into anything more than an unusual product.
7
Valvrave the Liberator (2013)
Set in a future where humans live primarily in space colonies, this mecha action series tells the story of a high school student who inadvertently pilots a sentient robotic mecha. The show seeks to explore the concepts of immortality, revolution, and war losses among vast space armies. It was originally pitched as a decently high-budget and interesting series with high-level animation and a complicated political story, but it ended up missing the mark in all aspects.
It is most notable for its “train wreck” story, which took strange twists and turns at breakneck speed. It quickly moved beyond its political roots to absurd character behavior and supernatural circumstances that didn't seem to fit into the world the show had created. Its high production values weren't helped by the fact that the script was so inconsistent, and it became a meme that made the drama more of a comedy.
6
Pupa (2014)
Pupa is a series that presents itself as sci-fi horror, or at least tries to, and follows two children who contract a virus that turns their sister into a cannibalistic zombie. Her brother can regrow limbs and allows her to eat his flesh to satisfy her hunger. It delves into themes of family sacrifice and the biological effects of a bizarre virus-induced mutation in a contemporary city.
Although the concept was very interesting, the adaptation was a notorious flop due to four-minute episodes and censorship. The story was torn apart and there was no time for characterization or any story development. No explanation was ever given in terms of the “science” behind the virus or the character's backstories, leaving the viewer with an incomprehensible, heavily censored, dull and consistently boring anime.
The 7 Best Sci-Fi Anime You've Probably Never Heard Of
These sci-fi anime play with a number of other subgenres, but for one reason or another, despite their high quality, they have faded into obscurity.
5
Comet Lucifer (2015)
One day on the planet Gift, where energy is obtained from beautiful blue crystals called Giftjium, a young boy finds a strange girl in the mines. Their meeting sets off a spectacular adventure across a technologically advanced fantasy world aided by giant robots. The show tried 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 show's biggest flaw is the story collapse, which left viewers confused. After an adorable opening, the narrative without warning got tangled up in a nonsensical “chosen one” storyline and ended with a completely undeserved finale. The characters were left inconsistent and unmotivated and the emotional punch was lost as the show failed to explain the world it was set in, leaving a visually beautiful but empty show.
4
The Big Order (2016)
This sci-fi thriller from the mind behind Future Diary is about a boy who a few years ago accidentally triggered a devastating apocalypse using his “Order” ability. He now lives in a world where many people have gained the ability to change reality through their prayers and must navigate an ever-changing political environment. It was supposed to be a cat-and-mouse action game with psychedelic powers in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
The Force quickly became a joke for its scary, edgy dialogue and a plot that made almost no sense. The protagonist's motivations were disjointed, and the show was based on shock value and illogical “rules” for her powers that changed according to the plot. It felt like 2010s “Edgelord” tropes and didn't provide the “mental torture” he was so desperate to achieve.
3
Hand Shakers (2017)
“Hand Shakers”, set in the future, humans are able to use weapons called “Nimrodes” when they hold hands and their souls merge. Couples fight in the virtual world to win the right to confront God and get their prayers answered. The show was touted for its bold, high-contrast visuals and “innovative” use of the camera to make the fights more visceral.
The end result was a visual train wreck and health hazard with dizzying camera swirls and clashing CGI that left many feeling nauseous. The plot had no substance and consisted of generic tropes, while the characters' dialogue was downright terrifying. The show's emphasis on “style” over substance made the show one of the lowest rated anime of the year and showed that more filters do not make better animation.
2
ReRideD: Derrida Who Travels Through Time (2018)
Derrida is an engineer who found a weakness in the “Autonomous Machine DZ” robots he helped develop. He is frozen in time only to wake up 10 years later in a world ruled by these out of control robots. He must “time jump” to the past to stop the robots and save his friend's daughter.
The animation was a mess with some of the worst animation cheats of the decade, with characters often off-model and wooden movements. The physics of time travel were never explained and the story seemed completely off the main focus towards the end. Rather than a heartfelt sci-fi tragedy, it turned into a boring grind of unexplained sci-fi language and animation that felt like it was from the early 90s.
1
W'z (2019)
This was a sequel to the original Hand Shakers manga and focused on a young DJ, Yukiya, who shares a similar ability to enter a parallel world when he shakes his hand. He uses his powers and music to find his way out of a world with many factions and to learn more about himself. This series sought to address the visual issues of the previous series while maintaining an “urban sci-fi” aesthetic.
Compared to the original, the cinematography and story premise were slightly better, but still a neon nightmare and too disjointed. The plot lacked even more than the first series, continuing to rely on “soulmate” tropes without contributing anything to the world's mythology. It continued to do everything wrong that the first series did, and never really introduced anything new, so it became the epitome of bad sci-fi in the late 2010s, even after two tries.
The 7 Darkest Sci-Fi Anime of All Time
Dystopian fiction is a common theme in science fiction anime. These shows have the darkest content available.
