While each decade of anime brings something to the table, each decade also has its own baggage and woes that hold it back somewhat. When anime fans rewind the clock to the 2000s, a number of problems arise, and interestingly, some of these problems carry over to the 1990s, 1980s, and even earlier. Anime fans have a lot to love about the 21st century, including the rise of the shonen “big three,” but it's not all fun and games.
By no means are 21st century anime completely ruined by these issues, and in fact, an impressive number of these anime are still 100% worth watching today. That said, new and returning fans alike should brace themselves for the baggage of these 2000s anime, both big and small. Such problems can either be flaws in the content itself or problems with the production and release of these 21st century titles.
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21st century anime is often devoted to filler content
Even a few filler episodes can slow down the pace
One of the most dreaded aspects of anime as a whole, especially from decades like the 2000s, is the issue of filler content. Whenever an anime catches up to its source material, rather than going off the air, it can indulge in fluff material to keep the anime on the air, one way or another. It works at the time, but revisiting 2000s classics means wading through non-canon material that no longer serves its purpose.
Some anime fans may enjoy filler as more of a good thing, or even as a novelty, and it's good news when it happens. Otherwise, filler content just wastes viewers' time and can confuse newcomers as to where to actually find the story. Watching filler also disrupts an anime's pacing, and when a title likes Naruto or One Piece already taking its sweet time with the story, padding is the last thing anyone needs.
2000s anime had lower production values than today's hits
Only a few 2000s anime still look good in the 2020s
This particular woe cannot be helped, and it is definitely not a reason to criticize the best anime studios working on their projects at the time. If an anime looked cheap or clumsy in its day, then of course that's a real problem, but even the best looking 21st century anime doesn't always look that good now. It's an innocent consequence of how the industry's technology continues to improve. Narutos early seasons had to go as later hits as Demon Slayer and The Suitor could run.
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Anime from the early 2000s isn't high definition, so they can look blurry to the eyes of younger anime fans who are used to today's high definition offerings. This can also hold back action in hit titles such as Whiten and D.Gray-Manalthough some 2000s anime have newer productions to fix this. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War looks incredible, and 2019 Fruit basket was a big hit. Meanwhile, some titles like 2007's excellent mecha anime Gurren Lagann still looks good on its own.
Anime series from the 21st century often have smaller, more niche fan bases
For the biggest anime of the 21st century, this question is non-existent, fortunately for fans. The shonen “big three” are hardly obscure, regardless of age, and the true legends of the time, such as e.g. Death Note and Gurren Lagannhardly needs any introduction. The real problem is when the “pretty good” anime from the 2000s has fallen out of favor, is less prominent, and has small, niche fan bases.
As a result, it's not easy for new fans to find and enjoy these out-of-the-way 2000s anime, and for established fans, it can feel bad to know that the fanbase has dwindled. Rewatching a hidden gem from the 21st century can feel downright lonely, as there are too few other fans online to chat with. Instead, the online discourse mostly addresses today's manga and anime hits, such as e.g Jujutsu Kaisen or The Suitor: Beyond Journey's End. This is a minor consequence, but it may still dampen the fun for some viewers.
The 4:3 ratio results in black bars and a cramped look
Widescreen is a boon for anime
The finest anime of the 2000s, and definitely the best anime of the 1990s as well, suffers from one major production problem: aspect ratio. At the time, anime was in a 4:3 ratio, while modern productions enjoy a 16:9 ratio. The widescreen aspect ratio is perfect for getting more material on screen, and the same goes for today's movies and live-action TV as well. Around the same time, anime jumped from fullscreen to widescreen, and the industry hasn't looked back.
Watching 21st century anime in modern times means putting up with the thick black bars on either side of the screen when a 4:3 anime plays on platforms like Crunchyroll or Netflix. It's not a dealbreaker, though it still feels clunky and even distracting at times, with so much screen space devoted to absolutely nothing. Also, the 4:3 anime just looks cramped, given how the screen feels almost like an oppressive square rather than a wide rectangle that breathes with widescreen formatting.
The fan service was even more gratuitous and clumsy back then
Fanservice will always exist, but at least it can show restraint
Some anime lack free fanservice, such as shonen titles that avoid it, while other anime use little of it, and some use a lot. That is also the question how fan service is depicted, as this industry quirk is apparently a permanent one. Anime studios will always include this controversial aspect of storytelling, so the question is how it is handled. Today's fan service is relatively tame, and in the case of My dressed up darlingit might actually mean something.
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21st century anime is more prone to the silliest and perhaps most uncomfortable types of fanservice. It was the era when many accidental fumbles and tackles happened, with physical contracts driving the fan service in many cases. It feels borderline trespassing even when the characters accidentally do this, and some viewers won't like it. Even viewers who don't mind it can find it silly, and they can see how dated it is, disturbing or not.
Most major anime from the 2000s have been spoiled for a long time
It's not easy to enjoy the biggest plot twists of the decade
One meta reason why older anime is hard to appreciate is how the big plot twists and revelations have been known for a few decades now. This is another natural consequence of a TV show or movie being so old, as almost everyone who is interested has already seen it and may have thrown some spoilers around. Everyone knows that Darth Vader is Luke's father and Snape killed Dumbledore, and almost everyone knows that Ace died in One Piece and Light Yagami fell apart in Death Notethe final.
Veteran fans of the anime may no longer be surprised or delighted by these twists, and new viewers may already know what they're in for. The more obscure 21st century anime may be safer from spoilers because online discourse about these titles is so limited, so that's a ray of light. Otherwise, revisiting 2000s classics means knowing the full story before streaming Episode 1.
