While riding on the goodwill of its predecessor, Gundam SEED Destiny falters with repetitive plots and reused animation, ultimately tainting the legacy of the original SEED for some fans.
Initially praised for its action and designs, Darling in the Franxx ultimately struggles with a muddled identity, borrowing heavily from classic mecha anime without finding its own voice.
Code Geass is an exceptional mecha story with a perfect ending, yet rewatches reveal its reliance on plot contrivances and an attempt to juggle too many ambitious ideas.
The Macross franchise is known for combining mechs and music, but Macross Delta leans too heavily into one-dimensional magical girl tropes, a departure from its groundbreaking predecessors.
Despite Gen Urobuchi's involvement, Aldnoah.Zero's promising premise and characters are wasted by narrative pivots, leaving a compelling war story unfulfilled and considered unwatchable by some.