The Worst of the Worst: 5 Anime Series from 2023 That Were Considered Terrible

In the vast and vibrant world of anime, each year brings forth an eclectic mix of stories that aim to captivate audiences with their unique art styles, compelling narratives, and memorable characters. While many series rise to acclaim, capturing the hearts of fans and critics alike, there are inevitably those that falter in their execution. As we reflect on the past year, it's important to acknowledge not just the successes but also those anime that, for various reasons, missed the mark and were labeled as disappointing by viewers and reviewers.

The year 2023 was no exception, presenting a handful of series that, despite potential or hype, were considered subpar by the anime community. These series may have suffered from a range of issues including lackluster animation, underdeveloped storylines, or unengaging character arcs. In this exploration, we delve into the "Worst of the Worst," highlighting five anime from 2023 that garnered critical disapproval and why they failed to resonate with audiences.

Join us as we dissect what went wrong and discuss the aspects that contribute to an anime being deemed 'terrible' in the eyes of its viewers.

Overview of the 5 worst anime series from 2023

In 2023, there were several anime series that reviewers and fans widely agreed were quite bad. Most of these shows suffered from poorly executed stories, bland visuals, or simply failed to resonate with viewers. The five anime highlighted here represent some of the lowest-rated and most critically panned series of the year. As a disclaimer, these are merely opinions of our perspective of certain anime series that were released in the year 2023, so always take our listing and reasons with a grain of salt. So, it's best to not take the list seriously.

The Worst of the Worst: 5 Anime Series from 2023

The Dark Myth

The Dark Myth was an original anime series that attempted to tell a dark fantasy story but was plagued by pacing issues and underdeveloped characters. The premise had potential - following a young man named Yuto who obtains a mysterious power and gets caught up in a battle between gods and demons. However, the 12-episode series tried to cram in too many plot threads without properly establishing any.

Reviewers criticized the shallow characterizations, disjointed storytelling, and frequent use of info-dumps. While the animation from studio HORNETS was decent, many felt The Dark Myth failed to deliver an engaging narrative or make viewers care about its world or characters.

Garzey's Wing

This bizarre fantasy OVA from the 1990s gained infamy for its nonsensical plot, ridiculous dubbing, and strangely comedic tone. The story follows Chris, a teenager transported to the magical world of Byston Well to help fight an evil empire. However, both the writing and animation are absurdly cheap.

Unintentionally humorous lines like "smell the sea and feel the wind" and hilariously bad action sequences turned this OVA into a prime target for mockery. With a MyAnimeList score below 5 and a Metacritic rating of just 20, Garzey's Wing is considered legendary for its sheer awfulness rather than any redeeming qualities.

Psychic Wars

This violent, supernatural OVA from 1991 remains notorious for having one of the most convoluted stories in anime history. Nominally based on the writings of American psychic Edgar Cayce, Psychic Wars follows a young man who gains psychic powers after a near-death experience and becomes embroiled in secret government experiments.

Attempting to mix sci-fi, horror, psychic battles, and apocalyptic prophecies, Psychic Wars buckles under the weight of its own pretentiousness. Most viewers found the anime utterly impenetrable and lacking any relatable characters or coherent themes. It stands as a prime example of overly ambitious ideas collapsing into an incomprehensible mess.

I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years

This 2021 isekai anime had a relatively simple premise - a woman gets reincarnated into a fantasy world after dying from overwork and decides to live a relaxing life killing slimes. Unfortunately, critics felt the unambitious story failed to deliver interesting characters or meaningful conflict.

Reviews knocked the series for featuring bland slice-of-life antics interspersed with repetitive slime-battling scenes devoid of tension. Protagonist Azusa came across as a dull audience surrogate while supporting characters never received proper development. With weak world-building and a lack of narrative drive, this anime felt like a wasted opportunity.

Wonder Egg Priority

This original anime from 2021 started strongly by tackling topics like suicide, bullying, and trauma among young girls. However, a production crisis led to significant cuts in planned episodes - causing the story to end abruptly without resolving major plot threads.

Prior to the sudden final episode, Wonder Egg Priority seemed a creative take on magical girl anime. But the disjointed ending completely derailed viewers' investment and left an unsatisfying conclusion outweighing the series' initial promise. Many fans considered it one of the most disappointing anime endings in recent memory.

Conclusion

Summary of the worst anime series from 2023

2023 saw the release of several terribly-received anime series that failed to resonate with critics or fans. The Dark Myth squandered its fantasy premise with bland characters and disjointed storytelling. Garzey's Wing gained infamy for its nonsensical plot and hilariously awful dubbing. Psychic Wars collapsed under the weight of its own convoluted ideas and pretentiousness.

For the isekai series I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years, the lack of meaningful conflict or character development led to a dull viewing experience. Wonder Egg Priority showed initial promise before production troubles resulted in a contrived, unsatisfying ending. While anime saw plenty of great releases in 2023, these five shows represented some of the low points that viewers would prefer to forget.