LogFAQs > #966946243

1/10: TERRIBLE TIER

260. ID-0
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33797/ID-0
Spring 2017 (12 episodes)
My Score: 1/10, MAL Score: 6.54/10
Best Character: Mikuri Maya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzfVwKcDduA

Premise: In a future where people can transfer their consciousness into robot bodies, space miners are swept up in an adventure that reawakens the memories of an amnesiac crewmember.

The Good: The animation is CGI, and it isnt great. The same studio went on to use this style in later BanG Dream seasons, though, and it looks much better there. If ID-0 was a necessary sacrifice for them to hone their craft, I suppose thats good. The nicest thing I can say about the animation in ID-0 itself is that the colors are nice and vibrant.

The Bad: Im usually a fan of amnesia plotlines. I like seeing a characters core personality without memories obscuring it. Nature vs nurture, basically. In ID-0, though, the only reason he has amnesia is so that he doesnt know the entire plot right away. Otherwise, who he was in the past and who he is now might as well be unrelated characters. The main story was also nonsense. At one point they were being chased by a moon, like its literally following them between star systems. That sounds almost absurd enough to be fun. Sadly, ID-0 isnt competent enough to elicit positive emotions, so it just feels random. Even the robot fight scenes were a slog due to the ugly animation not working for it at all.

Overall: I wont lie, Ive mostly forgotten the finer details of ID-0. In a way, though, thats kind of a final insult. I vividly recall why I hate everything else I ranked low. I put this in last place right after finishing it and then promptly forgot about it. ID-0 couldnt even manage to be memorably terrible. I do remember that morbid curiosity was the only reason I kept watching.

259. Maria the Virgin Witch
https://myanimelist.net/anime/26441/Junketsu_no_Maria
Winter 2015 (12 episodes)
My Score: 1/10, MAL Score: 7.13
Best Character: Maria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p3dgoNtstU

Premise: Set during the Hundred Years War, a witch named Maria uses magic to prevent further conflict. This attracts the ire of both the heavens and various sides who want the war to continue.

The Good: The title is okay, I guess. Maria the Virgin Witch, that sounded like a fun anime.

The Bad: Maria the Virgin Witch is not fun. Almost every character is a terrible person. Its hard to empathize with the central theme that war is bad when I want everyone on both sides to die horribly. However, the worst part about this anime is the fact that Maria will lose her magic if she loses her virginity, and her enemies know it. They dont care about consent, either. You see where this is going. Its bad enough when anime uses sexual assault for cheap shock value. In Maria the Virgin Witch, it becomes the primary goal of the bad guys. There were scenes in this anime that made me feel awful for watching them. It also tied all of Marias strength to the question of her purity, which really bugged me. Women shouldnt be defined by whether theyve had sex. I know this is how it was in the past, and this is set in the past, but still. I didnt like it.

Overall: Maria the Virgin Witch has nothing redeeming it. Even the historical aspect is tacked on. It doesnt follow actual battles or feature real people from that era. Its just a bunch of stuff that happens to push painfully basic morals, which are undermined by how terrible everyone is.

258. My Little Monster
https://myanimelist.net/anime/14227/Tonari_no_Kaibutsu-kun
Fall 2012 (13 episodes)
My Score: 1/10, MAL Score: 7.49/10
Best Character: Natsume Asako

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-JVtVl_u7Q

Premise: Mizutani Shizuku only cares about grades, which has left her isolated. Then she meets Yoshida Haru, a quirky troublemaker who quickly confesses romantic feelings for her.

The Good: I liked Natsume. She was a good friend to Shizuku. It was annoying how the creepy boys wouldnt leave her alone, but thats not Natsumes fault. She hated it too, after all.

The Bad: Shizuku only cares about grades and is an exceedingly boring character. However, the real problem with My Little Monster is Haru. The story really wanted me to see him as troubled but cute. I could only see him as someone who needed to get professional help, ideally while staying as far away from Shizuku as possible. One of their early interactions is Haru threatening to rape her, I mean come on. Hes physically abusive, to the point where him hurting her became a running gag. To be fair, it was usually accidental while hes attacking another guy for daring to stand next to her, but that isnt okay either. Controlling like that is emotional abuse. Haru tries to isolate Shizuku. At one point he starts following her around growling like a rabid dog at anyone who comes near her. The story tries to frame all of this as parts of a quirky personality. Haru has a pet rooster too, isnt that zany? I just dont think anything can justify him fantasizing about tearing Shizukus limbs off so that she would never be able to leave him.

Overall: I loathe the message in My Little Monster that girls should give violent weirdos a shot because maybe theres a cute boy somewhere underneath all that danger. Frequent goofy moments and the occasional attempt at being heartfelt never offset my profound discomfort.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
257: This anime couldnt find any hard evidence to support the hypothesis that it should rank higher.
256: This anime is getting banished straight to hell.