Anime That Are So Bad Yet So Good
I have a confession to make — I love shit anime! Not the “shit” anime like Sword Art Online or Bleach that hipsters love to hate. No, anime that is objectively bad, but still somehow manages to be entertaining.
Don’t get me wrong, I love good stuff like Cowboy Bebop and The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, but I think all anime fans should check these series out too. Preferably with friends and drinks.
1. Mars of Destruction
A beautiful train wreck. Terrible dialog, virtual no story, bad animation, and bizarre shout outs to Evangelion. It’s objectively terrible in every way possible, but Mars of Destruction is still enjoyable to a certain segment of fans that can appreciate its vision of shit.
2. Ghost Stories
This only applies to the English dub. Ghost Stories was such a bomb in Japan, that Pierrot told ADV to do whatever it takes to sell copies. What was a painfully average horror series for teens got turned into a dark comedy with some of the best ad-libbed lines in anime history.
3. Bible Black
Believe it or not, but some hentai series was dubbed in English during the early 2000s. You can thank the anime boom for that. Honestly, skip the sex scenes (or don’t), and enjoy the cringe-worthy voice acting. Best comedy ever.
4. Blood-C
Speaking of comedies, Blood-C works way better when viewed that way. Filled with excessive melodrama, characters that are too stupid to live, and over the top violence that shatters your willing suspension of disbelief. If you love gore, you’ll like it, but it takes itself way too seriously not to be looked at as a comedy.
5. Tales of Byston Well: Garzey’s Wing
This is a 3 episode OVA series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, who created Mobile Suit Gundam. The Japanese version is painfully dull, with a minimally explained plot and boring voice work. Switch to the English dub though, and you have something that is comparable to The Room. Just check out the clip.
6. The Severing Crime Edge
This series is unique. A guy with a hair cutting fetish meets a girl with cursed hair that can’t be cut, but said guy has magic scissors that can cut her hair. But before he can cut her hair, there is a death game that must be played, and it’s really stupid in all the right ways.
7. Musashi Gundoh
No words can do this series justice, so just enjoy the clip.
8. Battle Royale High School
If you like gore, you’ll enjoy this OVA. If you like a story to make even a tiny bit of sense, you’re going to be lost in a sea of gore. Get the squad together and enjoy some drinks with this bizarro fest.
9. A.D. Police: To Protect and Serve
Love cheesy action movies, cheesy police procedural, and unintentional humor? Trust me, do not watch this like the serious sci-fi show it claims to be.
10. Angel Cop
Oh boy, the late ’80s to early ’90s were a special time for OVAs. Over the top violence, gore galore, and stupid plot that would be offensive by today’s standards. Angel Cop is fairly decent, but crosses over to narmville with the profanity filled English dub created by Manga Entertainment. It’s really a blast to watch.
11. Apocalypse Zero
This is what happens when you give your writing staff mountains of coke before a brainstorming session. It’s brash, offensive, gory, and all kinds of right.
12. Cyber City OEDO 808
Much like Angel Cop, this is an OVA series that could only have been made in the early ’90s. It’s actually fairly good, with kick-ass action and some nice animation for the time period. The unintentional humor comes from Manga Entertainment’s amazing English dub. Once again, this is a blast to watch.
13. Mad Bull 34
This completes the Manga Entertainment holy trinity. Some people will say this OVA series is terrible, but I say it’s pure awesome. It’s sleazy, filled with animation errors, and onscreen insanity (the main guy flips a tank), and has Manga Entertainment’s signature profanity-filled dub. You need this in your life.
14. Chargeman Ken!
A fascinatingly dreadful series that is notorious in Japan for its shoddy animation and bizarre pacing. It must be seen to be believed.
15 Big Green Dub of Dragon Ball Z
Look, we argue about whether the Japanese or Funimation dub is the better version of the series. But I think we can all agree that “Big Green Dub” is the best comedy version this side of Team Four Star.
16. Rio Rainbow Gate!
It’s the anime we deserve.
What is your favorite “shit” anime?
