Does Hype Ruin Anime? Here Is What You Need To Know

Anime’s increase in popularity has led to many good things.
Some of these include:

• More streaming services by the way here are the best places to watch anime legally in 2020,
• More anime coming out every year,
• More mainstream acceptance of anime,
• An ever-growing anime YouTube and Blogging Community and social media groups

But not to sound too negative but this increase in popularity has also led to a rise in crazy fanbases. The ones that annoy me the most are the kind that overhypes their anime as the best anime out there.

So does this hype ruin an anime and how do we as an anime community deal with these issues.

It’s no understatement that these two series are very popular and adored by most anime fans.

As a result of the constant hype behind this show, many anime fans have pushed back and started to despise the series.

I remember when this happened back in 2012 with Sword Art Online. It was the same situation where there was so much hype and praise that it created a serious blowback.

By the way, SAO is still hurt by that blowback to this day. Despite that, it still persists as one the most popular anime out there.

This is just one example of how hype can ruin an anime.

What Causes Hype to Ruin Anime

But the question is why did the hype ruin this anime or others in the past?

It seems to come from two things.

1. Anime that disappointed fans because it did not meet the expectations created by all the praise it received.
2. People who never watched these shows but are so annoyed with “ridiculous” praise that they just hate the series

The first item is pretty self-explanatory, people went in expected the next Code Geass and got Guilty Crown instead. But the second item needs more explanation because on the surface it just seems like jealous baseless hate.

By the way Code Geass happens to be one of my Top Anime here is the rest of the list.

When it comes down to it the fanbases of the most popular anime take it too far. For example, many people were declaring Demon Slayer to be the greatest Shonen of all time and now part of the new big three. It was constantly winning polls and getting nominated for awards.

So, the natural push back was not just by negative people but also by fans annoyed by the ridiculous amount of praise that the series was getting when it was not deserved.

This same phenomenon is happening with My Hero Academia but in a different way. Here the overwhelming presence the show has in the anime community is starting to get on everyone’s nerves.

Its everywhere and much like sand you have to get used it.

How do Fans Push Back Against the Hype?

Fans will watch anime like My Hero Academia with the intention to hate it.

There are even worse fans who will just hate the series regardless of actually watching an anime.

I ashamed to have been a part of that group in my life.

This behavior is sad because you should decide to watch an anime if you want to and not let outside ideas control your decisions.

Also, fans should give every anime a chance before going along with the negative or the positive narratives. The pendulum swings both ways with the large fanbases painting the anime as the greatest while the counter group will do the opposite.

Your job is to navigate the two to find a happy medium.

This obviously easier said than done.

Additional Types of Hype that I Have Seen

Before discussing the solution, I want to address the other types of hypes that can occur alongside the large fanbase issue.

One that always gets me is the idea that because a creator made one great anime if I see another with their name on it, I am going to watch it simply because of who the director/ author is.

Akira is one of my favorite anime films of all time and the director went to make Steamboy which I watched just because of who the director was.

Here is a list of all of my favorite anime films

Steamboy was not the worse film but it did not live up to the heights of Akira and in its defense what film could?

You also get the best friend hype which is when a friend recommends an anime and hypes it up as an amazing show just to get you to watch it.

I have been on both ends of this one.

Thankfully my friends are very reliable with no bad experience from their recommendations but I know that is not always the case.

How Do I Prevent Hype from Ruining My Anime Watching Experience?

So, what’s the solution to a problem that only looks to get worse before it gets better?

Well, I can only speak from my experience and share what I do.

You should probably know that I watch a lot of anime and usually popular titles. I often find there through recommendations from friends or online sources to find these animes to watch.

My approach when starting a new anime is to go in the blind that way no series can really be a disappointment.

In some cases, like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood I could not go in blind and was completely aware of how amazing that anime is. So, if this happens, I will lower my expectations which lowers the possible disappointment.

This might seem weird but you should have a reason for why you choosing to watch the given anime.

For example, if I want to see people beat the hell out of each other, I watch Dragon Ball Z. Now if I went into Dragon Ball Z expecting a Death Note like a story.

I would have considered DBZ to be a disappointment and labeled it overrated.

Something else to consider is where you get your recommendations from. I try to only watch shows that come from good friends or influencers I trust.

Can Your Trust Anime Recommendations From People Online?

The internet is a tricky place so it’s hard to trust people’s opinions about a given anime (this blog included).

This is because everyone who states an opinion has some agenda good or bad.

I will give you an example on Myanimelist if you search for anime similar to Death Note, Monster pops up. While the stories have similar elements, they are very different anime.

I actually went into Monster with an idea that had many elements of Death Note. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised by the obvious differences.

But the point is always having an open mind and think for yourself with anyone’s anime recommendations whether it’s people online or your friends.

The last piece of advice relates to something I said earlier which is to lower your expectations about how good something is.

Just to clarify there is nothing wrong with having excitement for something.

But it’s important to remember that nothing is perfect and even the best things in life have flaws.

When you approach things with this mentality you are going to have an overall happier experience, especially with anime.

In my experience, because I tend to assume that anime will be worse than what people say, most of the time it ends being better.

Hype ruining anime or other mediums is not going anywhere. In this climate where more people have access to more anime, this problem is only going to get worse.

But you don’t have to be a part of the problem.

If you love a popular series that has tons of hype ignore the haters. I still love FMAB even though it seems like it to cannot escape the hate train.

For those who cannot stand a particular anime, at least watch it before passing judgment.

For Further Reading and Ideas:

Reddit Anime Post OVERHYPING. does it ruin the show for you.

Nostalgia Critics Take on Hype Killing Films

Bob Samurai Can Hype Ruin The Anime Experience