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I can't accept the fact that I don't like this anime. Is it a generational thing?

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10 hours ago
#1

Offline
Feb 2014
5603
Watched this in 2018, always heard praises of it, and there were some episodes I remember liking ("Pierrot le Fou" comes to mind), but overall I...couldn't like it.
I felt that the anime couldn't make me care about the cast, like there was supposed to be prequel OVAs responsible for that that I just didn't watch, I felt that Ed and Ein were non-characters for most of the show, I disliked how you could shuffle most of the episodes around and it would make no difference, and I didn't feel much in terms of character progression throughout the show.
The "Feng Shui" episode (The one I consider the worst) is pretty much the poster child of all my issues with the show, but there's also things such as me not understanding the flashback sequences very much, not being able to care about the last arc and feeling that the anime lacked an epilogue.

And... well, I just cannot accept it.
I just cannot accept that everyone else likes this, but I don't.
I just cannot accept that I can't even fathom what people see in it.
Do people who like it do so because they had a pleasant experience watching it on Toonami back in the day and I'm simply being unable to relate since I wasn't part of that generation?
Should I try watching it again with certain things in mind?
9 hours ago
#2
Offline
May 2025
42
chill dude, at the end of the day it's an anime and it's completely alright to have different opinions or not liking something the majority likes. don't force yourself to watch it again
9 hours ago
#3
Offline
Jan 2019
21
Sometimes a show just isn't for you and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure there are lots of other anime you'd rate highly that most people wouldn't and vice versa. If you gave it a fair chance and genuinely just didn't vibe with it then it's chill. I can think of lots of super popular shows that I myself am super lukewarm on or just straight up don't like.

I for the record fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to Cowboy Bebop. I do not think it is even close to one of the greatest anime of all time. Probably wouldn't even fall in my top 25 anime but I do still enjoy it. Solid 7/10 for me personally.
9 hours ago
#4

Offline
Apr 2023
1854
An anime can’t be everyone’s cup of tea. You’re not alone, I’m sure there’s others who share the same opinions as you.

Nothing wrong with disliking Cowboy Bebop.
If I had to choose between One Piece and a girlfriend...I think I'll go with One Piece
8 hours ago
#5
Offline
Jan 2020
1013
I've watched it twice, once in the original Japanese version and once with an English dub. I believe the dubbing also makes a difference in someone's experience watching Cowboy Bebop. I also never identified with the characters; for the most part, the series is very episodic and really similar to the style of Samurai Champloo, which, by the way, is one of my favorite anime, while Cowboy Bebop isn't.

Anyway, I understand what you mean, since my favorite anime are all considered unpopular, while I really don't like many famous anime like some Isekai, Romance, and various Shounen, so that's completely normal. I recommend you only appreciate what makes you create a special bond on a deeper level than forcing yourself to like something just because it's popular and everyone speaks well of it.

I came back here just to edit and say that I also don't like Kimetsu no Yaiba (the story and characters), but I love the art style and animation style, that in itself says a lot...
ReMightyRon8 hours ago
8 hours ago
#6

Online
Sep 2016
23034
It's great, but slightly overpraised.
*kappa*
8 hours ago
#7

Offline
Oct 2013
10205
Well, I guess you should try to accept it somehow. It's okay to both like and dislike things, no matter if they are popular and highly praised, or the opposite. Perhaps Cowboy Bebop is just not your cup of tea when it comes to anime. It holds up well by today's standards, but I can imagine someone who is not fond of episodic anime series having a hard time watching this show. I'm not a fan of episodic anime and, to be frank, there was a time I kinda dropped this series several years ago and returned to it after a longer while. Simply because I was tired of the episodic formula and the soundtrack (I'm not a fan of jazz that is featured the most in this series), so I preferred to return to it once I was in the mood, instead of forcing myself to continue watching it. I liked the main cast, the general vibe, the space stuff, the art style, and the animation quality, but if you are BOTH not a fan of episodic anime and not impressed in any way by other things that are objectively well done in Cowboy Bebop, or, dunno, you don't feel nostalgic about it or nostalgic enough to overlook the stuff you're not a fan of, then there's no need to force yourself to watch it.

thewiru said:
Should I try watching it again with certain things in mind?
Nope. If it ain't fun, then it ain't fun. If you want to have fun while watching anime, then it's better not to waste time on series that are absolutely not entertaining to watch.

But if you really, really want to watch it and enjoy it, then perhaps look for a list of the most liked episodes that aren't tied directly to the main storyline (which was done in an underwhelming way, in my opinion), and leave the bad ones to watch last. The episode you mentioned earlier is one of those episodes that I often see people praising, while the one you did not like is one of those that many people also disliked, lol. It's inevitable for an episodic series to have both better and worse eps. It's normal.
8 hours ago
#8
Offline
Nov 2018
1828
Not everyone is going to like everything that everyone else likes. If you don't like it then that's fine. I mean a lot of people liked Frieren but it wasn't for me and I'm fine with that.
7 hours ago
#9
Offline
Mar 2025
2
i’m not sure if it’s a generation thing as i enjoyed cowboy bebop and i wasn’t around when it first released but you shouldn’t feel like you should like it just because it’s popular or gets praised.There is probably series you really enjoy and others don’t the main thing is that you gave it a chance and didn’t enjoy it which is going to happened too everyone at some point
7 hours ago

Offline
Jan 2010
48
I agree. I like the anime, but it is completely overrated. I did a recent rewatch and was blown away with how little I remembered about it and how much I decided to finish this, but couldn't finish Space Dandy.

I think nostalgia plays a big role in why it's liked overall. It was great at the time because we had less to compare it to then.
7 hours ago

Offline
Apr 2020
4002
Nah, it's a taste thing.
It also is a "Everybody likes this, but I wanna be different so I can talk about myself again" - Thing^^

I think it's very hard for you to just watch something, without letting us know your unique take on things.


You want us to discuss whether or not you should watch it again xD
It's so pompous and pretentious.
Merve2Love7 hours ago
7 hours ago
Offline
Sep 2018
51
don't worry it's just an anime I didn't like it too...
6 hours ago
Offline
May 2024
24
Everyone's tastes are a little different. It's fine to not like something popular. I have a friend who doesn't like the Godfather, and I have another friend who doesn't like any of the Star Wars movies. It's okay not to like something popular or even critically acclaimed.
6 hours ago
Offline
Sep 2024
127
As I've watch a wider variety of anime over the past couple years I've gone back to ones I didn't like that much and appreciated them more. And I've liked a bunch I thought I'd not enjoy.

But there are some I just can't get into. Two examples, Berserk and One Piece. I forced myself to watch almost 400 episodes of One Piece and found myself on my phone not paying attention during a ton of the OP episodes. 75% filler in every episode. Just enough plot so you can't skip any.

I might give Berserk another shot soon here though. My DLd list on my PC is down to 76, so probably around New Year or February.

Anyone looking at my list, I'm pretty liberal with my rating and sometimes forget to change it and just hit Completed and move on. So, take those with a grain of salt.
6 hours ago
Online
May 2022
1226
I can understand the feeling of wanting to like something but somehow you just can't. Maybe its because you don't like feeling left out, maybe its something else.
But like other people said, sometimes something just doesn't click with you.
6 hours ago
Offline
Jan 2021
61
In the end you don't need to like something a lot people like. Don't force yourself. Its completely alright to not like it. everyone has their own taste and I don't mostly believe it is a generational thing.
5 hours ago

Offline
Jul 2014
9
You like what you like.
5 hours ago

Offline
Jan 2016
120
I think you don't understand nothing, even more judging your scores, It's not a "generational" thing.
4 hours ago
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May 2024
75
I don’t not like it I just think it’s really overrated
3 hours ago
Offline
May 2023
85
Sometimes a show doesn’t land for somebody and that’s ok. Doesn’t mean the show is trash or you have trash taste, it’s just not what you were looking for.

I guess if you wanted to give it another shot, I’d consider watching the show at a slower pace, if you binged it the first time. I find that episodic anime land better for me with more time to breathe between episodes. Doing 1-2 a day or even once a week like how it was originally aired instead of in 8-10 episode bursts where episodic stories start to feel formulaic
3 hours ago

Offline
Jul 2022
236
i like it because the dialogues are well-written, the action choreography are still top tier even in todays standard, the soundtrack's freaking awesome and i love the aesthetic/vibe of it.

honestly i still think spike is one of the coolest and sexiest protag in anime, so yeah that's my reason why i think cowboy bebop is really good if it help.
"Do you wanna turn the world upside down with me?" - Gol D. Roger

3 hours ago
Offline
Mar 2021
875
bro you are watching 90s show in 2025 what else will happens plus this is a slice of type genre.
i agree it's hard to binge watch it but the series and animation is goated (shinchiro watanabe is famous for this)
Anime Rules the world
3 hours ago
Offline
Dec 2022
12
thewiru said:
Watched this in 2018, always heard praises of it, and there were some episodes I remember liking ("Pierrot le Fou" comes to mind), but overall I...couldn't like it.
I felt that the anime couldn't make me care about the cast, like there was supposed to be prequel OVAs responsible for that that I just didn't watch, I felt that Ed and Ein were non-characters for most of the show, I disliked how you could shuffle most of the episodes around and it would make no difference, and I didn't feel much in terms of character progression throughout the show.
The "Feng Shui" episode (The one I consider the worst) is pretty much the poster child of all my issues with the show, but there's also things such as me not understanding the flashback sequences very much, not being able to care about the last arc and feeling that the anime lacked an epilogue.

And... well, I just cannot accept it.
I just cannot accept that everyone else likes this, but I don't.
I just cannot accept that I can't even fathom what people see in it.
Do people who like it do so because they had a pleasant experience watching it on Toonami back in the day and I'm simply being unable to relate since I wasn't part of that generation?
Should I try watching it again with certain things in mind?

I also agree with you I watched the series one year ago and I think it's overrated the same thing happened to me with the breaking bad series I watched it after all the fame I heard about it and after finishing it I couldn't like it
2 hours ago
Offline
May 2025
34
I'm also with you on that one, this is on of the few popular anime that didn't hit for me
2 hours ago

Offline
Nov 2014
89
its fine to dislike an anime or manga everyone else likes, its not for everyone.

now, have I gone back to some stuff I disliked earlier in life, now I'm older and liked some of that stuff I previously didn't, course I have.

it doesn't always work for everyone
2 hours ago
Offline
Aug 2021
113
Same never got into it, watched it and it was meh...

Also, it is just an anime, move on dude
2 hours ago
Offline
Apr 2012
1
It's ok, there is nothing wrong with that.


See you space cowboy...
1 hour ago

Offline
Apr 2021
38
thewiru said:
Watched this in 2018, always heard praises of it, and there were some episodes I remember liking ("Pierrot le Fou" comes to mind), but overall I...couldn't like it.
I felt that the anime couldn't make me care about the cast, like there was supposed to be prequel OVAs responsible for that that I just didn't watch, I felt that Ed and Ein were non-characters for most of the show, I disliked how you could shuffle most of the episodes around and it would make no difference, and I didn't feel much in terms of character progression throughout the show.
The "Feng Shui" episode (The one I consider the worst) is pretty much the poster child of all my issues with the show, but there's also things such as me not understanding the flashback sequences very much, not being able to care about the last arc and feeling that the anime lacked an epilogue.

And... well, I just cannot accept it.
I just cannot accept that everyone else likes this, but I don't.
I just cannot accept that I can't even fathom what people see in it.
Do people who like it do so because they had a pleasant experience watching it on Toonami back in the day and I'm simply being unable to relate since I wasn't part of that generation?
Should I try watching it again with certain things in mind?

I get that, there some anime that seem to be universally liked while I, on the other hand dislike or do not hold to the same standard or pedestal. I'll say this, some anime are usually held at such high regard or praised for everything because it's a Nostalgic Anime. Not saying it's the same with Cowboy Bepbop, but for me it's Vash The Stampede. Not that I didn't like it, no, opposite to it, I liked it quite a lot, but the pedestal that it's placed on is too high even if it's one of one. But at the end of the day, not all anime is for others as demonstrated by factions divided between liking One Piece and it's nuanced plot, or hating it for it's pacing, over sexualisation of female characters or other problems. They are overt, sure, but the problems and the good stuff is what makes it what it is.
42 minutes ago

Offline
Feb 2020
227
a good critic isn't someone who agrees eith something, but someone who can, in depth, argue as to why they did or did not like something. You're fine for not liking Cowboy Bebop but I think you should interogate more deeply why it doesn't work for you.
25 minutes ago
Offline
Oct 2024
21
Different strokes for different folks. I found Steins Gate to be a chore to finish but it’s top 5 on the rankings. I couldn’t tell you why, it just never clicked with me. Some shows are like that.

If you do try it again, i recommend the English dub and maybe only a couple episodes at a time.
20 minutes ago
Offline
Feb 2014
74
The entire anime is the epilogue of the character’s lives. There’s not supposed to be character development. Everything in their past has led them to this and who they are here in the anime. This isn’t a Shonen.

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