On a popular anime fan forum, A heated debate has broken out about those animes that were extremely popular in the past but that, with the passage of time, have fallen into collective oblivion. Forum participants have expressed a variety of opinions on this phenomenon, analyzing the possible reasons behind the massive loss of popularity of these works.
One of the most discussed points on the forum is the influence of the ending of the story on the long-term popularity of a series. Several users have argued that a bad ending can leave a lasting impression on viewers, leading to the series being forgotten over time, despite its initial success. Others have pointed out the importance of poor execution in the adaptation of the source material, whether manga, light novel or video game, as a determining factor in the loss of audience interest.
Furthermore, some participants have mentioned the influence of excessive commercial exploitation and market oversaturation. In an environment where new series are continually launched and related products are promoted, it is easy for previously successful works to be overshadowed by new developments. Lack of innovation and repetition of formulas have also been cited as possible reasons behind the decline in popularity of certain series.
This debate has led many fans to reflect on the long-term impact that anime have on popular culture. While it is exciting to enjoy the new trends and hits of the moment, it is also important to remember and analyze the works that once captivated audiences, even if they have fallen into oblivion.
- «Shokugeki no Soma, and this is definitely its fifth season».
- «Hataraku Maou-sama! (The Devil is a Part-Timer!) is a clear example».
- «Ergo Proxy is the most mid-2000s anime you’ve ever seen, the visual style, the themes, the Radiohead ending theme. It used to be quite popular, but is rarely mentioned nowadays».
- «Unfortunately I have to mention D-Gray Man».
- «Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu was massively popular during the 2000s and early 2010s, and now no one remembers it».
- «The Promised Neverland. The first season was everywhere, the second destroyed virtually all of its goodwill».
- «Sure, Seraph of the End».
- «Tokyo Revengers blew up during its first season, but I barely hear about it these days».
- «Hitman Reborn!».
- «Fairy Tail was actually considered a good shonen for quite a while until the power of friendship stigma hit it, but I would say that it was a popular anime to start with for a while, but nowadays people only talk about it to bring it down.».
- «Digimon. In its heyday, it was considered one of the most popular children’s anime on American television, with regular marathons and back-to-back episodes on Fox Kids, and even a theatrical film. His rivalry with Pokemon was the stuff of legends; If you were an elementary school kid in the late ’90s, you either watched Pokemon or you watched Digimon, and the biggest school discussion of the time was whether Greymon could beat Charizard (spoiler, it can). Although Digimon was never as popular as Pokemon, it was a solid second runner-up that did great business. Today, Digimon technically still exists as a franchise, but its glory days are long behind it.».
- «Maybe Darker than Black? I blame the second season».
- «Sword Art Online was ironically massive when it aired. He only lost his reputation afterwards, but during its run it was crazy how many people knew him, even outside of the anime community.».
- «I can’t emphasize what the weekly discussions were like for Aldnoah.Zero».
- «Suzumiya Haruhi, Black Butler, Slam Dunk, xxxHolic, Love Hina, Kemono Friends, Umaru-chan, Chobits, Elfen Lied, Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star, Ouran, Hamtaro… Some endure in the form of GIFs and occasional memes, and the veterans like I hold them dearly in our hearts, but compared to the period of complete saturation of each of their communities, they might as well have disappeared.».
- «To Aru Majutsu no Index. It was huge back then.».
- «Saint Seiya, GTO, FMA 03, Ranma 1/2, Lucky Star, Gunsliger Girl, Last Exile, Haruhi… I talk a lot about Versailles no Bara, but the manga was so popular that it had a live-action adaptation even before it had an anime . And the author received a medal from the French government».
- «I think Inuyasha fits that description pretty well. Do new anime fans even know it exists?».
- «Lucky Star and Suzumiya Haruhi in my opinion, and Boku no Hero Academia to a lesser extent as it’s still popular, but for a few years it was incredibly, immensely popular».
- «OMG, for an entire decade, the Chobits OP was permanently stuck in my head. Now most of today’s anime fans have never heard of it. There was also Durarara. I never hear people talk about it anymore, but my god everyone wanted to cosplay Celty in 2014».
- «Excel Saga without a doubt. I remember when people became fond of it from the Random Era of LOL and now it’s just another piece of history. I adored her for who she was.».
- «Yuri on Ice was a sensation for a minute. Now it is totally forgotten».
- «Tenchi Muyo and all its spin-offs. The series had its heyday on Toonami, as it was given prime time slot alongside Dragon Ball Z and Gundam wing. He was also on Adult Swim. But I guarantee you that very few people, if not any, are still talking about it.».
Fountain: reddit
