I believe that 20 minutes of time is valuable because I could use that time trying out any number of known amazing anime or manga I have yet to get to. Why persevere when Space Adventure Cobra is waiting right there with an arm cannon, fine wine, and sexy bodies that save the universe? Consequentially, I’m not too attached to the idea that I need to finish any particular anime. If I’m 99% sure I’m not getting anything desirable out of the remaining episodes of the show, that’s grounds for a drop. This is a post about the Spring 2013 anime which showed potential at one point, but didn’t make it past the finish line. This is not a post about first-episode drops, which I covered earlier this season, or didn’t-watch shows.

*Parantheses indicate the last full episode of the show I watched before dropping it.

Zettai Bouei Leviatan (Episode 2)

-This one was just very dull. Low production quality is one thing, but it also came into episode 2 with a very “we’re going to have an episode about this and only this” feeling; that’s another characteristic of phone-it-in anime.

Majestic Prince (Episode 2)

-The turnaround between the show’s protagonists being unlikely heroes to being totally curbstomped was far, far too quick for my tastes.

Photo Kano (Episode 4)

-This show had real potential in that it combined a director with acute visual sense with a show about a student learning about photography. Unfortunately, it ended up being more about the pantyshots and blackmail, less about capturing emotions in a still frame.

Valvrave the Liberator (Episode 4)

-For something that is clearly trying to be a gag anime, the jokes are few and far in-between. Though admittedly funny. The best way to experience this show is to read the plot summaries.

Mushibugyo (Episode 5)

-Character introduction stories were way too all-consuming a focus of the show after a promising first episode, ironically prohibiting character development.

Karneval (Episode 5)

-I probably liked this one more than most of the ones from spring I ended up dropping, and I may come back to it eventually. For now, chalk it up to a combination of lack of time and motivation to catch up after I fell behind due to a busy schedule.

Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Bride (Episode 7)

-More forced nudity and less visual creativity than the first season made this show into a chore to watch.

Dansei Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 8)

-This one owns the “instant ragequit episode of the season” title in my book. 30 seconds of breath lasted Kiri about 10 minutes while he did nothing but flail around on a rope. I haven’t seen a fight that lazily written in at least a year.

Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko (Episode 9)

-After resolving several major character arcs at once, Henneko had a choice. It could either evolve the existing, interesting characters further, or it could introduce a new character and base another story around the wish-cat mechanic. Poor decisions kill.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 10)

-Gargantia wants to be two different shows: a calming “learning to enjoy life” fantasy and a soul-rending sci-fi drama. It’s only really good at being the former type, and it opted to go the latter in a very tortured way. The big reveal in episode 10 was not impressive enough to save it from the general direction it was going.

Hataraku Maou-sama (Episode 10)

-The fried chicken arc took a while and was very dull, and it was followed by a rather weak filler episode. It wasn’t such a dip in quality that the phrase “dropped the ball” would be appropriate, but that was essentially the process at work. I can’t get excited for a finale with no momentum.

I trust my gut and feel like most of these decisions were good ones. Nevertheless, if you kept watching any of these shows, feel free to tell me how they all got better.