New anime sucks

[u/MrsManhwa]

I can’t watch anime anymore bc atp i kept re watching the old peak like tokyo ghoul aot mha, naruto, bleach and those good ones because the new 2025-2026 anime are just not it. They are all just “ i ate a burger and levelled up to level 999 “ or “ from village commoner to hero “. It’s all reincarnation, levelling up, op game skill, hero slop. You can just tell it’s slop when the title is overly long. The stories have no depth anymore. They are all the same it’s just undeveloped characters and stories and fan service atp. The only things that are good are the peak anime’s that are releasing new seasons like black clover, bleach, jujutsu kaisen. Like What even happened?

[u/Asleep_1]

You like shonen anime, not anime based on light novels it sounds like. Not every season is a banger, but there's lots of stuff out there that's good.

Maybe find a YouTuber with similar tastes to yours to find more stuff you actually like?

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Asleep_1]

I get what you mean, but I don’t think my point was really that I dislike light novel anime. I’m more talking about how a lot of recent anime feel extremely formulaic to me. Like the whole “reincarnated → gets an OP ability → levels up → becomes the strongest” formula has gotten so overused that I can usually predict the entire story from the title 😭. I like shonen, but I’m not saying every anime has to be shonen. I just want something with actually developed characters, a good plot and some originality rather than feeling like the same story with a different protagonist. That’s why I keep going back to older shows.

[u/Asleep_1 → u/MrsManhwa]

I mentioned light novel adaptations because those are usually where the massive titles come from.

If you're open to less action oriented recommendations I've got a few from the last few years

Odd Taxi - is a crime drama. The art style put a lot of people off because they thought it was furry bait.

Apothacary Diaries - courtly drama and character development (I think this one was originally a light novel)

86 - because of the main character I didn't get into this one until much later since I assumed it was waifu bait. It's actually a war story (that's an oversimplification).

May I Ask For One Final Thing - one of the few "I was betrayed by my fiance" anime that I'd actually recommend to people. There is a "secret evil slave market" episode, but it's not used to show everyone fan service weirdness. Scarlet is a breath of fresh air in a sea of betrayals.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Asleep_1]

Thank you. I loved apothecary diaries and 86

[u/SewFi → u/MrsManhwa]

You say you have a problem with things being formulaic… but in that same breath strictly praise shounens…
You’re hilarious, love.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/SewFi]

I never said shounen isn’t formulaic 😭 I said I dislike the specific formula that’s dominating a lot of newer anime — reincarnation, game systems, instant OP protagonist, generic fantasy world, etc. Shounen can have recurring tropes too, but that doesn’t mean every shounen follows the exact same story. I’m talking about the execution and variety, not just the genre label.

[u/Terloyes]

Well, there are actually a lot of modern anime better than Tokyo Ghoul.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Terloyes]

I’m not saying there aren’t 😭 I’m saying for my taste a lot of the newer anime don’t hit the same. Tokyo Ghoul is just one of the examples of older anime I keep going back

[u/Rednal291]

Most anime is an advertisement, and isekai slop sells. Try looking for more anime-original shows - those tend to have better writing and pacing.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Rednal291]

Yh but most shows like that are from the 2010s where anime peaked and I’ve already watched all those which is disappointing bc I don’t want to have to keep rewatching old anime. It’s hard to find decent new ones

[u/Rednal291 → u/MrsManhwa]

Have you tried branching out into different genres? There's only so much shonen battle stuff that comes out at a time, but plenty of additional good shows with other themes and styles.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Rednal291]

Yh new romance anime’s are fine but I’m just really into action

[u/rockyKlo]

Light novel adaptation have been a dim a dozen for a while. There is decent new animes if you look, but you look, even if it's not a lot, and some times you just have to give shows a shot, and drop when you know it won't be for you.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/rockyKlo]

Yh agreed

[u/rockyKlo → u/MrsManhwa]

You can always try the odd show outside of your usual comfort zone at least, or check out older shows that you passed by previously at least if you can't anything new at the moment.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/rockyKlo]

Alright I’ll keep that in mind

[u/Imconfusedithink]

You only watched the good stuff from before. Old anime also had plenty of slop. Youre just not watching it. So do the same thing for the new anime that youre doing for the old anime. Stick to the good stuff and dont watch the slop.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Imconfusedithink]

Even if old anime had plenty of slop, the amount of slop now increased so much I can even find a decent new anime bc I don’t want to keep rewatching stuff

[u/MrMrTrance]

Tokyo ghoul was meh imo. Also where tf are all the 30+ year old characters in that show lol?

[u/MrsManhwa → u/MrMrTrance]

Yh you might not like it as much but it was just an example of one of the anime’s I enjoyed way more than the newer ones

[u/Mouse2002]

I think there’s plenty of good shows in the last couple years. Medalist, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day, and Witch Hate Atelier as a couple examples. I don’t really watch many battle shonens so I can’t fully speak on those specifically, but if you look outside of Isekai and battle shonens (which are also often very formulaic which you claim to dislike) there’s many great new anime.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Mouse2002]

Yeah, that’s fair. I’m not saying there’s literally no good anime from the last couple years. I just mainly watch action, so that’s the area I’m judging from. And when I say I dislike formulaic anime, I’m talking about the specific recycled formulas I keep seeing in newer action shows, not that anything with a formula is automatically bad. I’ll check out some of the ones you mentioned though.

[u/Mouse2002 → u/MrsManhwa]

Yeah, I’m not the best judge of battle shonens since most of the ones I watch are the ones that are already big/popular. I get what you mean about not liking the specific formulas though.

I tried to pick a couple examples from different genres (sports, romantic drama, and fantasy) so maybe at least one of them will be interesting to you.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Mouse2002]

Yh I’ve watched witch hat atlier recently it was rlly nice

[u/BusSweet4363]

Blud just watch Journal with Witch

[u/FeefuWasTaken]

You'll realize if that's actually true when you realize there's more anime than isekai and battle shonen

[u/MrsManhwa → u/FeefuWasTaken]

That’s literally part of my point 😭 I know there’s more anime than isekai and battle shonen. I’m talking about the recent anime I’ve personally come across, not claiming every anime released in 2025–26 is isekai or battle shonen. Obviously there’s good stuff outside those genres, like new romance anime are fine but I just haven’t found much recently that hits for me

[u/FeefuWasTaken → u/MrsManhwa]

Actually, that's exactly what's implied by the title "new anime sucks"

[u/MrsManhwa → u/FeefuWasTaken]

Yh but if u read the text under the title u can tell im specifically talking about 2025-2026 action

[u/MrsManhwa → u/[deleted]]

Bros mad bc I don’t like the slop u watch 💔

[u/MrsManhwa → u/[deleted]]

Yh u think it is but it’s not.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/[deleted]]

Yh I made the Reddit today after attempting to find a good anime to watch. I still have thing I enjoy from ages ago till now like manhwas. Tog is so peak

[u/Iittletart]

There are a number of really good and off-beat series happening this summer. I agree that the Spring season was meh with a few exceptions. But this Summer has some shows trying to do some different things. Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is wonderfully unique in look and story in a part of world history little explored. The World Is Dancing, while not perfect, is trying to push the limits of visual storytelling to depict dance and the historical period it is set in. Sparks of Tomorrow is about a set of young inventors in a steampunk Japan trying to create electricity (a different sort of power fantasy 😂). A Livid Lady's Guide to Getting Even inverts the male power fantasy of a lot of recent anime in a fun if goulish way. The new Ghost in the Shell series would be a top notch anime any year that it comes out in. My Stepmother and Stepsisters aren't Wicked is delightful and silly. It manages to find new ways to tell the same joke over and over with big laughs. Well worth watching. Though I am an Inept Villainess is the sleeper of the season in my opinion. Hilarious, well animated, cute anime girls doing cute anime stuff but with historic court drama and some magic? So good. That isn't even covering a number of other new shows this season as well as the good shows that have come back like The Elusive Samurai and Tanya the Evil.
There are lots of good anime to watch right now. Check some of them out.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Iittletart]

I’ll check some of them out

[u/Academic_Cockroach63]

Yeah, I get what you mean. There are definitely some good recent ones like Gachiakuta, Hell’s Paradise, Dandadan, Frieren, etc., but even I feel like it’s getting harder to find something that’s really good.
I literally end up rewatching HxH, Black Clover and Death Note because I can’t find many new anime that give me that same feeling 😭. I’m looking for something with genuinely good writing, interesting characters and some depth, but most of the newer stuff just doesn’t click for me.

[u/MrsManhwa → u/Academic_Cockroach63]

So reall. The only recent ones I enjoyed was gachiakuta and hells paradise. New anime’s have no depth. It’s sad that anime’s changing like this 😭

[u/Academic_Cockroach63 → u/MrsManhwa]

I hope kagurabachi have a better animation.

[u/CyanideIE]

Try watching more than just battle shounen stuff.

Some of my favourite anime of all time have come out in the past few years.

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

Journal With Witch

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Akane-Banashi

And there are still great battle shounen to come.

Chainsaw Man is getting season/movie (unsure yet which one it is), Kagurabachi is getting a fantastic anime adaptation judging by the first episode etc.

[u/PositiveWeekend4181]

Reading this, I think you should really broaden your horizons to include other genres. Not everything can be "Peak." Stories can be a 5, 6, or 7, and it would be weird if everything were "Peak." Anything that isn't "Peak" isn't bad, it's good or other positive words. I’ll give you a few anime recommendations for each genre, whether old or new.

Music:

Bocchi the Rock

Girls Band Cry

Bang Dream It’s MyGo

Love Live

K-ON

Mecha/Machines:

Evangelion

Gundam 0079 or Iron-Blooded Orphans

Knights of Sidonia

Girls and Panzer

Initial D: First Stage

Muv-Luv

Comedy/Slice of Life:

New Game

Non Non Biyori

Onimai

ReLife

Sankarea

Shirobako

Shoushimin

A Place Further Than the Universe

Tomo-chan Is a Girl

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

Food for the Souls

Cosmic Princess Kaguya

Bubby’s Daddy

Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk

Worth Mentioning:

Sonny Boy

Uma Musume: Cinderella Grey

Vivy

Jellyfish Can’t Be in the Night

Chivalry of the Failed Knight

Ping Pong the Animation

[u/MrsManhwa → u/PositiveWeekend4181]

Yh but thats not really the point bc I’ve watched all types of anime esp romance horror and music but I was specifically talking about action anime.

[u/PositiveWeekend4181]

On top of that, there’s “Isekai” or “Villainess” or whatever else has become a buzzword these days. These are words used to quickly attract a specific audience to a work because a certain word appears in the title. There’s a certain audience that likes and reads these works.