Random Great Anime That Had Terrible Second Seasons (13 items)

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  (#13) Date A Live

  • Literary Series

  The first season of Date a Live may seem like a silly harem show, but it actually has some pretty decent characterization. The protagonist, Shido Itsuka, is constantly spouting witty banter as he works to seal away sexy "spirits." It's not exactly thought-provoking, but it takes the harem genre into rarely explored territory. Unfortunately, most of the charm is noticeably absent from Season 2. All character development grinds to a halt, the fun quips are gone, and the whole show becomes dull and joyless. 
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  (#7) Rurouni Kenshin

  • Comic Book Series

  The second season of Rurouni Kenshin is actually pretty good, but it starts to come apart at the seams during Season 3. Instead of furthering the plot, the creators stopped adapting material from the manga, and decided instead to feature a long, confusing string of filler episodes. For fans who were actually invested in the storyline, this came as an unwelcome surprise. 
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  (#8) The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

  • TV Program

  The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is routinely praised, and for good reason. If Haruhi ever gets bored, she can destroy the planet, which is an excellent way to generate tension, and the animation is top-notch. It's an overall excellent show, except for the "Endless Eight" incident, which was the subject of serious controversy for anime fans. 

  The "Endless Eight" are a series of eight episodes in the second season that all tell the exact same story. It starts with a Groundhog Day style plot where Kyon is forced to relive the same day 15,000 times until he can break the repetitive cycle. For some reason, the creators decided it would be a good idea to subject viewers to a similar experience. The episodes do have slight differences, which might intrigue extremely dedicated fans, but for your average viewer, the whole saga feels like a disappointing waste of time. 
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  (#10) Moyashimon

  The original Moyashimon has its flaws, but it's still an overall charming comedy about life at an agricultural college. The quirky cast of characters definitely carry the show, and it's easy to grow attached to them long before Season 1 wraps up. In the sequel series, many of those characters are ignored in favor of new ones.

  Sometimes, the introduction of new characters can add life to a series, but in this case, their backstories are far too dramatic. Most of the time, the newbies detract from the bouncy, light-hearted tone that made Moyashimon work in the first place. 
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  (#11) Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!

  • TV Program

  In Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, a young boy named Yuuta is embarrassed by his eccentric behavior in middle school, and wants a fresh start. He ends up embroiled in the life of Rikka, a girl who believes she is a vessel for something called a "Wicked Eye," and who calls him the "Dark Flame Master."

  While the first season does a great job bringing this concept to life, Season 2 spends most of its time focusing on random slice-of-life nonsense that leads nowhere. When Rikka decides to secretly move in with her grandparents, it feels like a cheap way to drum up angst. Rikka's decision effectively destroys the support network she's been building since the beginning of the series, and she fails to provide a compelling reason to justify her actions.
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  (#4) Darker than Black

  • TV Program

  The second season of Darker Than Black isn't a hit with fans. Instead of answering some of the major questions posed by the first season, Season 2 goes off in a completely different direction. New characters dominate the screen, and most of the old favorites are either dead or nonexistent. Besides that, the first season paints Hei as a total badass, while the second season reduces him to an alcoholic who abuses his children. Not exactly a fitting end for a fan-favorite. 

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