1. No Coherent Plot

Every story needs to have a coherent plot to be interesting, otherwise it’s just a bunch of random events that don’t lead up to anything. Ever heard of the anime Akikan? It’s about a boy that drinks a pop can which then turns into a girl. I have no clue where you can go with that, and from what I’ve heard, the writers didn’t have a clue either.

2. Sex Sells

That’s probably what the producers of anime like Princess Lover were thinking when they were coming up with the storyboard. Really now, a single average guy surrounded by beautiful 2D girls that somehow always end up flashing their panties may have worked for the first few anime of this type (ie: Love Hina), but people aren’t going to watch the same thing over and over. It’s only a matter of time before you’ve seen a guy “accidentally” walk in on a girl changing before you can predict when it’s going to happen.

Then again, there are anime that have been really successful despite having no plot or having lots of pretty girls as its main selling point. One just has to take a look at K-ON to see how something with absolutely no story could gather so many fans. If you are looking for something with a good plot, then I would have to point you towards older titles like Evangelion or Nadesico. Otherwise, it looks like anime fans will have to settle for “cute” or “sexy” for now.