Anime News Network has published its “Worst Anime of Summer 2026” roundup, and this one is less about cheap dunking and more about a few painful missed chances. The piece highlights several shows that, according to ANN’s writers, had interesting ideas or respected source material behind them — but stumbled hard in execution.
The first major target is Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky, a college romance about Kakeru and his blind classmate Koharu. ANN notes that the show initially had some sincerity, especially in treating Koharu as a person with her own life instead of just an inspirational device. But the review argues that the story takes a sharp turn once Koharu’s illness and memory loss enter the plot.
The criticism is blunt: the anime frames Kakeru’s repeated refusal to respect Koharu’s boundaries as romantic persistence. ANN describes the direction as creepy rather than touching, especially when the story keeps piling on dramatic twists around Koharu’s suffering. The bigger issue, according to the writer, is that Koharu’s pain starts feeling like fuel for Kakeru’s emotional journey.
Another entry focuses on a GoHands-produced isekai adaptation featuring Elmyas and Ruche. The source text does not name the anime title, but it clearly identifies the studio’s familiar visual style as part of the problem: spinning camera work, awkward compositing, heavy filters, and over-detailed animation choices. Surprisingly, ANN argues the visuals are not even the biggest issue here.
Instead, the complaint is pacing. The review says episodes contain very little story movement, leaning heavily on flashbacks, reused shots, and repeated scenes. ANN does acknowledge there may be a decent light adventure underneath: Elmyas is described as fairly likable, and Ruche gets some confidence-building rather than existing purely as harem bait. But the adaptation is described as too slow to recommend when so many other isekai exist.
The biggest surprise may be Sparks of Tomorrow, because it comes from Kyoto Animation. ANN praises the show’s visuals and its alternate-1907 Japan setting, where society still runs on steam power instead of an electricity-driven revolution. That concept sounds properly juicy, and KyoAni’s track record naturally raises expectations.
But ANN’s issue is that the show allegedly does little with that promise. The article criticises the characters as static and repetitive, with protagonist Kihachi Sakamoto mostly reacting instead of driving the story. It also calls out antagonist Yosuke Mizoe as irritating and uncharismatic. One episode, “The Sound of Innovation,” gets singled out positively for a wild heavy metal invention sequence, but ANN says the rest of the series never reaches that level.
Then there is Red River, adapted from Chie Shinohara’s late-1990s shoujo manga. ANN’s frustration here is very specific: the anime apparently follows the manga’s events, but weakens heroine Yuri so much that the emotional and character-development payoff suffers. The source manga is described as strong historical fiction about a modern Japanese teen pulled into the Hittite Empire, gradually growing into a major figure within that world.
The anime version, according to ANN, makes Yuri far less convincing. The review says she spends early episodes panicking or making poor decisions, then suddenly becomes competent without enough buildup. For a story that depends on Yuri’s growth, that is a huge problem.
Analysis for Malaysia/SEA readers: this matters because seasonal anime time is limited, bro. If you are choosing what to follow weekly, ANN’s roundup is useful not just as a “these are bad” list, but as a warning about specific failure modes: romance that ignores consent, adaptations that waste beloved heroines, gorgeous productions with weak writing, and isekai that stretch too little story across too much runtime. That does not mean Malaysian or SEA fans must agree with every take — taste is taste — but it helps set expectations before you commit hours to a series.
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