What is your 'Fall '04" season?

Most of us here have been watching this trash (anime) for longer than we can remember. I think we can all agree that its quality can... fluctuate a bit. You have good seasons, that reinforce what you like about the medium... and you have seasons that just seem to insult your patience and intelligence. The fall season of 2004; case in point. These were bad times for me. I just didn't seem to find anything genuinely interesting to watch.

I suppose I had just reached a point in my anime career where the feelings of 'sameness' and 'trying to be cool but weren't' actually meant something to me. The one show that epitomized this for me was Bakeratsu no Tenshi. It was the first time I couldn't JUST WATCH something because it was animated. I worried that I may be outgrowing one of my favorite past times, as I skipped many shows that season, plagued by a fear that it (anime) just didn't appeal to me anymore. Thankfully, other shows before and after have reignited my interest, and I'm sure not all of the line up from that season was that bad.

So that is my personal mini-darkage. Please, share with us a memorably bad season that maybe made you reconsider a new hobby? Example shows would be nice, too (if for no other reason than to start conversation).

I haven't had such a season yet. Every season I see people complain that there's nothing to watch, and every season I also watch previews without getting too excited about anything.

But then, every season passes where I tend to watch more shows than the last, and more or less enjoy them regardless. Perhaps I'm just yet to reach the boredom threshold.

Yeah, never had such a season. I've each and every time found at least a few shows very worth finishing. I'm not generally expecting any award winning writing and directing from anime so as long as a show keeps me entertained, it's good and successful.

The closest thing I can say I've experienced that's close to this situation happened to me only a short time ago, in Spring of 2010. That was when I started dropping a lot more shows. Specifically of the School Life/Harem/Romance-Comedy genre. Prior to this season, I would drop maybe one series in an entire year. This was the season that I dropped Kaichou wa Maid-sama, which I do enjoy the manga of, and the anime is a good series, I just started to lose interest. I also dropped Mayoi Neko Overrun because it was just so generic (aside from Serizawa Fumino's amazing zettai ryouiki) and Senkou no Night Raid because it was bland. I also began to get disgusted at both K-ON and Working, but stuck it out somehow. At least Working doesn't take place at a school.

I still enjoy the more serious Coming of Age/Romance series (Kimi ni Todoke, Bokura ga Ita, etc.), but I really can't stand the overwhelming majority of School Life series anymore. They're all so samey. Seasons subsequent to Spring '10, I've dropped even more shows, and picked up less and less School Life series.

- There are glut of K-ON shows out, trying to cash-in on the similar success, and most of them are average, at best.
- There's a constant stream of series similar to the Zero no Tsukaima formula, wherein at a school of all places, the hero has some special power (usually a secret until the end of the first episode!) and is surrounded by a harem of girls with similar special abilities.

Why they must to take place at a high school or equivalent is the part that bores me to death. There's always the token tsundere too. Some series break out of that particular mold (Kaze no Stigma, Kamisama Dolls) and are much better for it. That's not to say that a series like that can't be executed perfectly and be an amazing series (Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari), but the vast majority of them are trash.

Thankfully, there are a whole lot more different types of anime out there to sustain me. A lot of unique premises and experimental variations on classic genres have come out of the woodwork as well. But the generic School Life genre is dead to me. They need a decisively unique angle or I won't even consider them.


edit: Of course manga is a different story. A much lower time investment, and a hell of of a lot more sub-genres and uniqueness. Given the enormous population of series out there, I don't get sick of the school life series anywhere near as often. Mostly because they are a much lower percentage of the total.

The last...like, 5 years have been like that imo :/

This currently ending season has probably been the best in a long time, with Kaiji, Hanasaku Iroha and BakaTest

I have never considered stopping watching anime. That would give me way too much free time than I would know what to do with, and a huge chunk of my identity would be lost.

There are usually 1 or 2 shows that are worth watching for every season. Those keep you interested, while the others just keep you entertained.

I agree with Ryll on the stupid amount of harem/school shows. I still enjoy the comedy though, but only when it is pulled off well. I am a bit worried that this coming season is full of this type.