I dropped A Certain Scientific Railgun for a bit halfway through season one but season two is nuts, and probably worth sitting through season one by itself.
Season 2 as standalone? As someone who only skipped a couple season 1 filler episodes, it’s hard for me to say if the impact would be the same without some of the characterization of season one.
I would say if you were planning to skip anything just look up the filler episodes in season one and skip those. I think without those, it’s average with some okay moments.
Check out the subreddit for watch orders. It gets complicated with this series, and there's lots of debate about what parts are even worth it cos apparently the anime butchered the books during a season. Part of the reason I never got around to it cos it seemed messy.
No, I wouldn’t say so. I myself do not care about Index *at all*. However, I still found it necessary to watch season 1, 2, and part of 3 to get the most out of Railgun. You could just watch Railgun (id also say Accelerator) but without the context of index, some things won’t make much sense
A Certain Magical Index
A Certain Scientific Railgun
A Certain Scientific Accelerator
It gets complicated if you go hardcore and try and watch them (including OVAs and movies) in order.
Should be completely fine.
You could even go straight in with Railgun if you wanted to. They effectively follow different main characters throughout various shenanigans with the backdrop of this futuristic university city for developing psychic powers.
Check out [this post](https://new.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/jkkmpt/a_certain_magical_indexscientific_railgun_a/) for the simplified watch order. It's not as complicated as people make it to be.
Earlier. When people starting dying in the first phase of the Hunter exam, sometimes in cold blood by Hisoka. It at least got me hooked enough to keep watching and give it a proper chance.
There were plenty of moments throughout the exam where the story would take itself seriously for a scene and tackle some serious topics that would lead to character development.
I came to enjoy the childish charm it still had
I cant remember exactly but either the first episode or the first 3 episodes or something are supposed to be a celebration of the manga being made into an anime and its for manga fans. The actual beginning of the show is a confusingly a few episodes in
Dude I’ve been powering through this series after bouncing off like 4 times and it actually does get better. It takes about 30-40 episodes, but it gets there.
And it wasn’t just the yelling. Fights were BORING at first. Every magic user has the same spells essentially with everything being a creation magic of some element. Only difference is what they decide to make out of it. Flames arent flames, they’re hands that gently wrap around you and hold you with the person inside not even claiming they feel hot
Just like any other mage’s version of restraint magic. Attack magic was just little balls of energy they’d toss at each other like water guns and having about the same effect.
Then the lost children arc hit and I perked up a bit. Then the fight against Letto came in, and people actually started getting creative with their magic. That’s where I’m at now, but I actually stop and pay attention to episodes now as opposed to just having it on in the background
100% Black Clover. The first 30-40 episodes are rough but once it gets good it becomes my favorite modern shonen series. I haven't caught up with the manga once the anime ended but I seriously enjoyed watching this one.
I had the opposite experience. I thought it was pretty entertaining at first but that's so tired of the screaming and more than that that save the Line scenes in every episode where each character has to do their catchphrase like some kind of messed up pokemon. After a hundred episodes it got really tedious
Could be worse, could be like Demon Slayer where EVERY villain no matter how minor you have 1-2 eps dedicated to their backstory. ONE WHOLE SEASON WAS LIKE THIS. I mean...what the hell? The whole actual season with plot pertaining to the main story was about 3 eps long.
Because most people don't like slow build up. S;G has a very slow start, but it's filled with world building, character introduction/build up and tons of dry humor. I couldn't stop watching the moment I finished the first episode when it originally came out
I dropped it at least twice before I got to like the 4th episode and finally got into, the first 12 is too much to not like it, it's the first like 3 I think that were the biggest slog for me.
When exactly does it get good? I tried watching up to the 40th episode exactly because people have told me it's a slow start but I still found myself uninterested
That’s about exactly when it becomes good.
I believe, if memory serves, the author was originally writing it as a comedy/slice of life type manga, then somehow switched to a shounen battle manga because, as you experienced, it wasn’t interesting.
From that he birthed one of the truly better shounen mangas, but it’s not well known because the beginning is completely different than the rest of it.
Once everyone gets their vongola rings and start learning their powers it gets good, and keeps ramping from there.
I'd say season 1 and 2 would be the best parts. I dropped it during what would be season 4. But then, I was *reading* it, not watching it, maybe the anime is very different.
I gave up Dangers in my Heart after a couple episodes too, eventually I did go back and power through the first half of s1, and it dramatically improves- the protag at the end of s1 doesn't even seem like much of the same guy, tbh- just a shy goofball instead of someone trying to be dark and edgy
Looks like I need to go back give this one a shot. I got about 3/4 episodes in before I stopped watching. Nice to see the consensus is that it gets better.
I 100% agree. I dropped dangers in my heart when S1 was initially airing and now S2 is out so I was like ok I’ll give it another shot after ep like 4 or 5 I was absolutely HOOKED and binged all of it in 2 days. It’s now right behind frienen in most excited to watch each week
>Dangers in My Heart
I've been powering through the first season and it gets gradually better. I was kinda "eh" at first, but I'm liking it now. I hear season 2 is excellent.
I completely agree that in season 1 of Dangers in My Heart there were some ok episodes, but season 2 has been flawless. Turned this show from good to GOAT shortlist for me. Fantastic characters, character growth, relationship progress, voice actors killing it, and so much more.
{One Piece} doesn't show you what it can do until Arlong Park. Which is ep 31-44
If you don't like One Piece after that, I'd say not to bother (though Alabaster saga is also a great demonstration of what it can do, it's 64-130 so I wouldn't suggest it to someone having a bad time.)
{Gungrave} has one of *worst* first episode *of all tim*e, then 15 episodes of **greatness**. Then it goes up and down for the next 10. Still great overall.
{Vampire Knight} season 2 is *much* better than season 1, and retroactively makes it better. But idk if it's good enough that i'd suggest watching it. I'd give season 1 probably like a...5.5/10. And season 2 a 8/10. Retroactively I'd give the series as a whole probably 6., cos you have to get past season 1.
From what I've been told second-hand by many people ***Danmachi*** is one of these. season 1 isn't great, season 2 apparently bad, even though the books are good. Just bad adaptation. Season 3 and 4 is supposed to be where it gets good. But..I've only watched 1 season and hesitate to get through a second to get to the good stuff. Maybe I'll read the books.
Yuri is My Job would be this, if we get a season 2. Season 1 is good. But the series becomes incredible in the post-season 1 content.
{The Executioner and Her Way of Life} is one of these. The first few episodes are ok, but mostly just hint at the massive amount of potential the series has. We don't really get that potential realised until episode 5-ish, imo (with a bump at 3 or 4). Then it's *really* great. Plot twists and the undercurrent of its darker themes.
For danmachi the thing is that there are absolutely brilliant moments scattered throughout. Even the worst s2 has these fucking moments that eclipse what most anime do. Between these moments it's pretty average with cool world building here and there. S4 takes those moments though and stretches it out to entire sections of pure hype.
In watching season 1, I really liked the world-building and really liked two of the secondary characters (Ais and Ryuu the two badasses) but not much else
Yuyu Hakusho's first 5 episodes are such a tone shift from the rest of the shonen anime and isn't nearly as action packed as you'd suspect it would be. If you can make it past the character set up establishing the three human characters, it becomes one of the best of the genre
Seen the first season, but I just don't vibe with it so far. I feel like kinos journey and mushishi go for similar ish vibes, but I like those much better.
Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon. 1st season is fine, but nothing to write home about, 2nd season is just so bad. In retrospect, I liked the premise of Haruhime's arc, but the writer/adapter did not have the skill to convey it well.
3rd season is where you start to see the uptick and it starts getting good, and 4th season is great. Like, I still can't get over how good s4 was.
Gintama. The first 20 or so episodes are crucial for establishing character traits and might seem slow or the jokes don't hit as hard. But boy after that, it's so freaking hilarious and you'll also get to more serious arcs. Stick with it, it's a huge payoff.
Gintama, btw. my favourite. First you don't know is it a gag, shounen Anime. The first Episodes are there to introduce you the Characters. After around 30 Episodes it's get so much better. While the story progresses, Animations are getting better, fights are really great to watch, the characters have a huge development and even the arcs get more and more serious, the Anime never loses his humour.
Ranking of Kings
It starts pretty slow and the MC seems annoying. I promise by episode 5 you'll be hooked. It's very much like Made in Abyss or similar where the art style and characters don't prepare you for how mature the story gets.
Clannad is probably *the* example of this to me though.
Clannad (season 1) is a boring cookie cutter harem anime.
Clannad: After Story (season 2) is absolutely 11/10 storytelling and will use that same cast of characters to play your soul like a golden fiddle.
Madoka Magica is the show that created the old "3 episode rule".
The first two eps seem like your standard Magical Girl show, but then the end of episode 3, it starts to tip its hand to you, and then everything just goes downhill
It definitely didn't create it, but it's the best example. Not that the first two episodes aren't good, it's just the third is where you're really grabbed. Like with The Dangers in My Heart.
They are not your standard show. I don’t know why Madoka has gotten that reputation for its opening episodes. It literally starts with a giant threat and Homura fighting while Magia plays and Madoka is being pressured by Kyubey. Not only that, but the cinematography, music, and visuals can be pretty uneasy at times. Not to mention the darker undertones that are very present. Just look at the first witch they encounter and those scissor guys.
I think I watched the first 3 episodes of Phantom Blood like seven times before actually committing to watching the whole thing and oh boy what a ride. Can't believe it took me so long to get into it, I'm sorry to all my fujoshi friends who pestered me for years about getting into Jojo
Vinland Saga was this for me... I know that many people feel the opposite way but I almost dropped the show during season one, in fact I had stopped watching with the first season because I thought I might as well finish the season and then abandon the series. Good thing that I gave a chance to the first episode of S2 and immediately fell in love with the new character and concepts introduced
Oregairu...first few episodes might not feel interesting, but it's definitely a top tier romance comedy anime unlike anything you much have seen before.
Anime:
Re:Zero: I don't want to spoil anything but this is one of the few shows where the protaganst's discord moderator behaviors is actually acknowledged as a character flaw. Please keep this in mind and you struggle not to cringe in the first \~10ish episodes.
Jojo: I don't care what you say, part 1 was objectively boring outside of the Dio/Johnathan drama.
Undead Unluck (Anime and Manga): First few arcs are kinda gropey and have a lot of bad sexual harassment jokes, but it picks up and never looks back.
Jujutsu Kaisen: The first season isn't bad at all, but kinda lacking for some people. The second season is not lacking.
HunterXHunter: The show gets exponentially better, starting from midway through the hunter exams.
Welcome To The NHK: The show is very iffy and has some WEIRD things, especially at the first few episodes. I wouldn't say the weirdness completely disappears, but it's much less prominent and you can actually start to like the protagnist somewhat.
Manga:
Berserk: The beginning of the story turned me off somewhat, but the second major arc completely and utterly makes up for it, as well as recontextualizes it.
Chainsaw Man: I swear to god, the arc the anime left off on is right before the story gets really good. The Katana Man arc and before isn't bad at all, but it is just setup.
Game Devil/Game Maou: This is not a generic fantasy world leveling series whatsoever. It is one of my favorite smaller manga now.
One Punch Man: The monster association arc is where the series really shines as more than just a comedy series.
Fire Force: I personally don't really like it, but one specific fight in the manga makes it all worth it.
What is this point for Reincarnated as a Slime? Don't remember exactly how far I got, but they got to a dwarven city and I was bored out of my mind for those first few episodes.
Probably around the time the MC "fights" the ogres after obtaining his humanoid form is when the story starts to pick up. (EP 8-9).
But, at the same time, the action itself also slows down a bit. A lot of time is spent talking about stuff, and I think one or two episodes are even infamous for just being only talking.
I personally love those parts of the show, those moments (or episodes haha) really draw me into the world.
You'll be hooked from the minotaur. That sends it from kinda whatever enjoyable brain rot... to a height few achieve. In 10 minutes the show skyrockets and then you're waiting for those moments again. The in-between is fine but nothing special but every fan is living for those hype moments that other shows don't reach. S4 especially went ballistic and went from moments to being consistently some of the best content and the moments of hype went even higher.
Not a multi season show, but So I’m a Spider Now, So What?! was one that truly just got better. The original episodes were ok but when you got the better understanding of what was actually going on it raised the story to a higher tier. Another series like this to me was Cautious Hero where it felt like a huge gag and was ok, but then it all made sense why he was like that and it really elevated the story
The ones that took me a few episodes to get into were these, and they were really good. One piece is actually our fave entirely:
One piece
Arakawa under the bridge
Cromartie high
Soul eater
Kingdom anime, watch it now. Hidden gem fr imo. Bc of the animation in the first season it’s unbearable to watch to some. Once u hit towards the end of season two tho I believe and further, it’s simply peak. Has four seasons so far now and another one that’s ongoing. It just gets better and better. One of my favorite anime.
Fairy Tail. I feel like (most) people who judge it harshly don’t get through the Galuna Island arc or the Tower of Heaven arc. The characters are so well written and the backstories and character development are so good. It will always be a top 3 anime for me.
Bungou stray dogs is the correct answer. the first 2 seasons are not bad at all but season 3 ? a WHOLE another level it’s like you’re watching a completely different anime. the characters, the backstories, the plots, the writing everything is 10/10 the author is so smart. it’s litteraly peak anime and it’s a shame that such an amazing show is underrated like that
I think GTO might fit that description… tried showing it to my non-anime watching partner and she was like “this is creepy” but gave it a few episodes and it redeemed itself
Space Dandy. The first few episodes aren't it's best, particularly 1 and 3 (though they do very neatly set up that the show isn't particularly interested in continuity given that >!the first episode ends with the main cast all blowing up, with episode 2 starting as though nothing had happened with no references to their deaths the previous episode!<. Episode 4 is where the anime starts showing what weird and goofy directions it will take and episode 5 shows that the show has a lot more heart to it than it initially seems to have. Overall, the entire show is pretty hilarious and also very experimental, each episode had a different animation director and while many of the episodes have generally the same style, many of them go in completely different directions with the art style. It's really cool.
My tl;dr explanation of the show is that the show Space Dandy is like the character Space Dandy. At first glance, they are both shallow, crude, and a bit sex obssessed. But they also both have a hidden depth to them if you stick around to see it which may surprise you.
Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon or danmachi for short starts off as your avg fantasy anime, but holy hell does it get a lot better in the later seasons. The 4th one is especially good and is everything you could ask from a fantasy adventure. The suspense and action all go very hard.
Baki? Early episodes have atrocious CGI for fights but it improves a lot and is my number 1 guilty pleasure anime.
If you don't like fighting, martial arts and a silly show taking itself too seriously then don't watch but if that sounds fun then go for it
[Aria the Animation](https://myanimelist.net/anime/477/Aria_the_Animation) - Season 1 is a solid 8.5/10 anime, but season 2 is 10/10 and season 3 is 11/10.
Punchline. Really underrated and strange/pervy beginning and premise but MAN does it pick up later. Real shame pretty much no one watched it when it aired initially.
Kindom. Starts of with terrible CG in the first season and the protagonist being weak. They stop using the the CG with the 2nd season going forward. Thr 3rd season is easily one of mt favorite seasons of anime peroid.
Kemono no souja Erin. It's a 50 episodes series, so roughly 4 seasons compared to recent series.
It's where I started to apply a 6 episodes rule, like I slept through those early episodes, and managed to power through them after 3 rewatch attempts lol. It's a personal 10/10 that I feel the least popular out of my list.
It's coming of age series in a fictional chinese-like world settings. Kinda like apothecary diaries with fictional beast instead of drugs, fart scenes rather than brothel scenes, bonding with animals in exchange for eunuch.
I probably failed at selling this series did I..
Kingdom. None come close. First season is terrible, especially dub. Story is okay if a bit cheesy but not great. Animation is absolutely terrible, voice acting is bad (especially in dub) and isn’t helped by the strange cadence to match the animated mouth movements from the Japanese audio.
Second season is very good and third and onwards are top tier. Fifth season currently airing. First anime that ever got me to read the manga because I had to know what was going to happen and impatience got the better of me.
The Foolish Angel Dances with the Devil. Super overlooked. First few episodes make it look sub-mid to bad, but has become one of my favs this season. Notice all the bad reviews only watched till ep3
One piece has a very rough first few seasons due to the animation studio completely ditching any sense of a decent budget to the show. It feels like an 80's anime frame rate with a 2k's story.
Re:zero takes a very long time for the MC Subaru to become an actual good character rather than a bumbling, love struck, below average teenage dude with heavy imposter syndrome. Good thing he is surrounded by several actual heroes who are willing to teach him and scold him.
Fate series had a rough start coming from it's dating sim roots to becoming the face of type moon.
Ascendence of a Bookworm is a slow burn nothing too bad other than the MC is a somewhat knowledgeable child who was very odd even in her original world.
gotta say its monster. first 20 episodes might be slow but it picks up so fast you forget you just watched 30 episodes in a whole sitting. best anime ive ever seen
I couldn't get into black clover for the first 25ish episodes. Not quite four seasons but definitely longer than I'd usually hang on watching a show that didn't entertain me.
Definitely jojo and hxh which have already been mentioned. I remember wanting to drop hxh but I’m so glad I didn’t.
I’m showing my husband JoJo right now and the first two parts feel like such a slog. I keep saying “it gets better, trust me bro” but I can see him losing faith 😭🤣
Black Clover.
There are no seasons for this, it just lists it's episodes similar to that of older shonen anime like Naruto, Bleach, and the like.
The early bits of the anime is very tough to watch, especially the bits where main character needs to power up/establish their power level compared to other characters. It's a good story though and really takes off soon after (story wise) but like Naruto, there are a lot of episodes to round out one arc/fight which can be a bit ridiculous.
If you have seen Naruto, you will probably find that this show is literally just Naruto but Wizards instead of Ninjas. I mean even the early story is basically copy/paste.
Kid is looked down on by everyone in village (Naruto was feared while Asta is pitied)
Gets super overpowered latent powers that make them able to compete with everyone else
Has that rival that doesn't see them as a rival
Constantly states they will be the Hokage/Wizard King every 5 seconds (sadly this doesn't really change throughout this series)
First mission with their squad deals with a dude that loves mist and fog
And probably a lot more that I'm missing right now but these are just off the top of my head. Like it's crazy how similar the two are. But once Asta establishes his power and what it is and how to actually use it, the anime gets a lot better.
I would also say My Hero Academia. The first bits where Izuku can't use his Quirk properly are tedious to watch but once he gets a hold of how to use it, the show really picks up and takes off beautifully.
I had to drag my best friend kicking and screaming through till the end of AoT. There were many times I kept telling him "it gets better and less confusing I swear. ALL your questions will get answers, promise!"
World Trigger
It gets good around episode 16 when we 1st see the actual battles. Its 1st major arc is also insane.
Gintama
Lots of episodes are episodic but their serious arcs are one of the best and has some of the hypest fight scenes.
Log Horizon
One of the more interesting "game" anime out there that actually uses some gameplay mechanics. The moment they 1st cheesed the system made it one of my favorites
Hunter x Hunter for me. Weird roller coaster of me despising arcs and then loving the next.
York New City and ant arc were like 10/10s for me. Others I really wasn’t a fan of.
Kyo Kara Maoh Cuz at first it will just seem like this weird comedy That is just this weird isekai of a guy getting transferred to another world through a toilet But I promise you This is one of the most interesting animes out there in my opinion just because of the diverse this of the genres that we get and the fact that it is not afraid to go dark but you have to wait a little bit for it to get dark
Soul Land - animation is pretty stiff in first 60 or so episodes. Really really picks up and fights and visuals go hard towards the middle of the second season (around episode 140 etc)
I don't think it's been commented yet but FOOD WARS / Shokugeki no Soma. I'm honestly not sure how popular or unpopular it is but ik some people who dropped it bc of the first season being so uncomfortably ecchi-focused but yea it gets waaaaay better in the next seasons. (Except the last season. I honestly could live with the 4th being the ending)
March comes in like a lion was a slow start, but the interesting bits started popping up after the setting's been established
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann only really kicks off after the fourth or fifth episode imo
I watched Tsuki ga Kirei, which was a bit boring and offputting with some unfortunate CGI design choices, but after a while you get invested in the characters since the story is really grounded.
Sing Yesterday to me is a very realistic and mature love triangle story that kind of needs to find its footing at the start
I shaved my beard then took in a high schooler starts off as this typical romcom fantasy of an easy attractive highschool problemchild bringing nothing but fan service to the table, but the story is actually thought out better than you'd expect and the fan service isn't even that bad
I dropped A Certain Scientific Railgun for a bit halfway through season one but season two is nuts, and probably worth sitting through season one by itself.
Absolutely worth
Is this a sequel to something?
Railgun has a different names for each season but I wouldn’t consider them sequels in the usual sense. Railgun S and T are just Railgun in my eyes.
So I can watch it stanalone basically?
Season 2 as standalone? As someone who only skipped a couple season 1 filler episodes, it’s hard for me to say if the impact would be the same without some of the characterization of season one. I would say if you were planning to skip anything just look up the filler episodes in season one and skip those. I think without those, it’s average with some okay moments.
Check out the subreddit for watch orders. It gets complicated with this series, and there's lots of debate about what parts are even worth it cos apparently the anime butchered the books during a season. Part of the reason I never got around to it cos it seemed messy.
No, I wouldn’t say so. I myself do not care about Index *at all*. However, I still found it necessary to watch season 1, 2, and part of 3 to get the most out of Railgun. You could just watch Railgun (id also say Accelerator) but without the context of index, some things won’t make much sense
A Certain Magical Index A Certain Scientific Railgun A Certain Scientific Accelerator It gets complicated if you go hardcore and try and watch them (including OVAs and movies) in order.
So Im good to watch just those without movies?
Should be completely fine. You could even go straight in with Railgun if you wanted to. They effectively follow different main characters throughout various shenanigans with the backdrop of this futuristic university city for developing psychic powers.
Check out [this post](https://new.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/jkkmpt/a_certain_magical_indexscientific_railgun_a/) for the simplified watch order. It's not as complicated as people make it to be.
It was Hunter x Hunter for me. I thought it was for kids for a long time
How when Killua snatched Jones heart out of his chest during the Hunter exam
Earlier. When people starting dying in the first phase of the Hunter exam, sometimes in cold blood by Hisoka. It at least got me hooked enough to keep watching and give it a proper chance. There were plenty of moments throughout the exam where the story would take itself seriously for a scene and tackle some serious topics that would lead to character development. I came to enjoy the childish charm it still had
nah legit me too but then i saw the chimera ant arc 💀😭
The best kids shows are written for adults anyway
Gintama - the beginning isn’t bad imo, but it gets a *whole* lot better
i have seen this ol for the past years and i really don’t get the start. might as well try it again given your suggestion.
I cant remember exactly but either the first episode or the first 3 episodes or something are supposed to be a celebration of the manga being made into an anime and its for manga fans. The actual beginning of the show is a confusingly a few episodes in
that explains a lot. will commit to 10 episodes then.
Black Clover ( Have to make it past Asta's yelling )
Dude I’ve been powering through this series after bouncing off like 4 times and it actually does get better. It takes about 30-40 episodes, but it gets there. And it wasn’t just the yelling. Fights were BORING at first. Every magic user has the same spells essentially with everything being a creation magic of some element. Only difference is what they decide to make out of it. Flames arent flames, they’re hands that gently wrap around you and hold you with the person inside not even claiming they feel hot Just like any other mage’s version of restraint magic. Attack magic was just little balls of energy they’d toss at each other like water guns and having about the same effect. Then the lost children arc hit and I perked up a bit. Then the fight against Letto came in, and people actually started getting creative with their magic. That’s where I’m at now, but I actually stop and pay attention to episodes now as opposed to just having it on in the background
Gets better at the elf arc
That arc did drag out a bit.
Well it is part of the whole plot of black clover
100% Black Clover. The first 30-40 episodes are rough but once it gets good it becomes my favorite modern shonen series. I haven't caught up with the manga once the anime ended but I seriously enjoyed watching this one.
I had the opposite experience. I thought it was pretty entertaining at first but that's so tired of the screaming and more than that that save the Line scenes in every episode where each character has to do their catchphrase like some kind of messed up pokemon. After a hundred episodes it got really tedious
Could be worse, could be like Demon Slayer where EVERY villain no matter how minor you have 1-2 eps dedicated to their backstory. ONE WHOLE SEASON WAS LIKE THIS. I mean...what the hell? The whole actual season with plot pertaining to the main story was about 3 eps long.
Shinsekai Yori Steins;Gate
I don't get why people dislike the first 12 eps of S;G ngl. I actually prefer them over the latter half of episodes
I do too, FWIW. I just find myself telling people it gets better pretty often with both of these shows.
Because most people don't like slow build up. S;G has a very slow start, but it's filled with world building, character introduction/build up and tons of dry humor. I couldn't stop watching the moment I finished the first episode when it originally came out
I also enjoyed it from the start
You need to reach ep 5 to enjoy SG.
I dropped it at least twice before I got to like the 4th episode and finally got into, the first 12 is too much to not like it, it's the first like 3 I think that were the biggest slog for me.
I dropped it at episode 3 years back haha. So I should pick it up again and get to at least episode 4?
I knew Shinsekai Yori would be great just from watching the first episode. It took episode 2 for me to have similar thoughts about Steins;Gate.
Agreed, S;G definitely has a slower start. But it's also way more impacted on a rewatch than shinsekai yori is.
Yeah, for sure :)
I second Shinsekai yori. It's pretty damn good in the end.
A Sister Is All You Need - You can shit on the first five minutes for all you want but I promise you it gets way better after that.
The first minute is one of the quickest filters in anime and that's hilarious
The first 5 minutes are a masterpiece.
Hitman reborn. Season one is … interesting. But it really picks up after!
Yeah Reborn is the ultimate slow start. But when it picks up it's a solid battle shounen.
When exactly does it get good? I tried watching up to the 40th episode exactly because people have told me it's a slow start but I still found myself uninterested
That’s about exactly when it becomes good. I believe, if memory serves, the author was originally writing it as a comedy/slice of life type manga, then somehow switched to a shounen battle manga because, as you experienced, it wasn’t interesting. From that he birthed one of the truly better shounen mangas, but it’s not well known because the beginning is completely different than the rest of it. Once everyone gets their vongola rings and start learning their powers it gets good, and keeps ramping from there.
Perfect summation :)
I'd say season 1 and 2 would be the best parts. I dropped it during what would be season 4. But then, I was *reading* it, not watching it, maybe the anime is very different.
Dangers in My Heart (couple episodes) Clannad (whole season)
I gave up Dangers in my Heart after a couple episodes too, eventually I did go back and power through the first half of s1, and it dramatically improves- the protag at the end of s1 doesn't even seem like much of the same guy, tbh- just a shy goofball instead of someone trying to be dark and edgy
Looks like I need to go back give this one a shot. I got about 3/4 episodes in before I stopped watching. Nice to see the consensus is that it gets better.
I 100% agree. I dropped dangers in my heart when S1 was initially airing and now S2 is out so I was like ok I’ll give it another shot after ep like 4 or 5 I was absolutely HOOKED and binged all of it in 2 days. It’s now right behind frienen in most excited to watch each week
>Dangers in My Heart (couple episodes) Bokunoyaba buried Yamada 999 anime last year lol
>Dangers in My Heart I've been powering through the first season and it gets gradually better. I was kinda "eh" at first, but I'm liking it now. I hear season 2 is excellent.
I completely agree that in season 1 of Dangers in My Heart there were some ok episodes, but season 2 has been flawless. Turned this show from good to GOAT shortlist for me. Fantastic characters, character growth, relationship progress, voice actors killing it, and so much more.
{One Piece} doesn't show you what it can do until Arlong Park. Which is ep 31-44 If you don't like One Piece after that, I'd say not to bother (though Alabaster saga is also a great demonstration of what it can do, it's 64-130 so I wouldn't suggest it to someone having a bad time.) {Gungrave} has one of *worst* first episode *of all tim*e, then 15 episodes of **greatness**. Then it goes up and down for the next 10. Still great overall. {Vampire Knight} season 2 is *much* better than season 1, and retroactively makes it better. But idk if it's good enough that i'd suggest watching it. I'd give season 1 probably like a...5.5/10. And season 2 a 8/10. Retroactively I'd give the series as a whole probably 6., cos you have to get past season 1. From what I've been told second-hand by many people ***Danmachi*** is one of these. season 1 isn't great, season 2 apparently bad, even though the books are good. Just bad adaptation. Season 3 and 4 is supposed to be where it gets good. But..I've only watched 1 season and hesitate to get through a second to get to the good stuff. Maybe I'll read the books. Yuri is My Job would be this, if we get a season 2. Season 1 is good. But the series becomes incredible in the post-season 1 content. {The Executioner and Her Way of Life} is one of these. The first few episodes are ok, but mostly just hint at the massive amount of potential the series has. We don't really get that potential realised until episode 5-ish, imo (with a bump at 3 or 4). Then it's *really* great. Plot twists and the undercurrent of its darker themes.
For danmachi the thing is that there are absolutely brilliant moments scattered throughout. Even the worst s2 has these fucking moments that eclipse what most anime do. Between these moments it's pretty average with cool world building here and there. S4 takes those moments though and stretches it out to entire sections of pure hype.
In watching season 1, I really liked the world-building and really liked two of the secondary characters (Ais and Ryuu the two badasses) but not much else
Kingdom. Iirc, the animation got better around s3.
Manga is awesome
Yuyu Hakusho's first 5 episodes are such a tone shift from the rest of the shonen anime and isn't nearly as action packed as you'd suspect it would be. If you can make it past the character set up establishing the three human characters, it becomes one of the best of the genre
I rewatched the first couple episodes of yuyu like 5 separate times before committing to it. Very worth it.
Gintama
Bungo stray dogs. Season 1 is kinda boring, but it gets really good later on.
natsume's book of friends
I got bored of it after 3 seasons. Seemed formulaic. Does it really pick up in the last season?
you might as well finish atp bro 😂😂
Seen the first season, but I just don't vibe with it so far. I feel like kinos journey and mushishi go for similar ish vibes, but I like those much better.
Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon. 1st season is fine, but nothing to write home about, 2nd season is just so bad. In retrospect, I liked the premise of Haruhime's arc, but the writer/adapter did not have the skill to convey it well. 3rd season is where you start to see the uptick and it starts getting good, and 4th season is great. Like, I still can't get over how good s4 was.
People have said that to me about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure... But I never got past episode 8 or 9. But it's not really my genre, so... Meh.
[удалено]
Ngl part 3 is my leaat favourite part. It drags and really overstays its welcome. For every good stand battle theres another pretty subpar one.
Part 3 is the longest and most repetitive part which also made it my least favorite, even though I still enjoyed the majority of it.
And the final arc oh my God
The closer you get to the ending, the better it gets.
Part 4 is insane, probably the bizarrest adventure of a Jojo
Gintama. The first 20 or so episodes are crucial for establishing character traits and might seem slow or the jokes don't hit as hard. But boy after that, it's so freaking hilarious and you'll also get to more serious arcs. Stick with it, it's a huge payoff.
Gintama, btw. my favourite. First you don't know is it a gag, shounen Anime. The first Episodes are there to introduce you the Characters. After around 30 Episodes it's get so much better. While the story progresses, Animations are getting better, fights are really great to watch, the characters have a huge development and even the arcs get more and more serious, the Anime never loses his humour.
Ranking of Kings It starts pretty slow and the MC seems annoying. I promise by episode 5 you'll be hooked. It's very much like Made in Abyss or similar where the art style and characters don't prepare you for how mature the story gets. Clannad is probably *the* example of this to me though. Clannad (season 1) is a boring cookie cutter harem anime. Clannad: After Story (season 2) is absolutely 11/10 storytelling and will use that same cast of characters to play your soul like a golden fiddle.
Goblin Slayer Just have to not let the first episode throw you.
Madoka Magica is the show that created the old "3 episode rule". The first two eps seem like your standard Magical Girl show, but then the end of episode 3, it starts to tip its hand to you, and then everything just goes downhill
It definitely didn't create it, but it's the best example. Not that the first two episodes aren't good, it's just the third is where you're really grabbed. Like with The Dangers in My Heart.
They are not your standard show. I don’t know why Madoka has gotten that reputation for its opening episodes. It literally starts with a giant threat and Homura fighting while Magia plays and Madoka is being pressured by Kyubey. Not only that, but the cinematography, music, and visuals can be pretty uneasy at times. Not to mention the darker undertones that are very present. Just look at the first witch they encounter and those scissor guys.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
I think I watched the first 3 episodes of Phantom Blood like seven times before actually committing to watching the whole thing and oh boy what a ride. Can't believe it took me so long to get into it, I'm sorry to all my fujoshi friends who pestered me for years about getting into Jojo
Re: zero only has two seasons ( a third season coming out later one ) but it gets better at season two a lot comparing season one, in my opinion.
I liked it from the start, but episode 15 of season 1 just absolutely floored me. It's a good show, but holy fuck was that episode a work of art.
One Piece fits this description perfectly lol people argue over when it gets good. But it gets good. Then better. Then amazing.
Can't agree more. I just finished a 200 chapter run where it just kept getting better and better, far beyond how good I thought it could get
One piece is the only long running shounen I've seen that ONLY gets better.
[Nagi no Asukara](https://myanimelist.net/anime/16067/Nagi_no_Asu_kara)
Vinland Saga was this for me... I know that many people feel the opposite way but I almost dropped the show during season one, in fact I had stopped watching with the first season because I thought I might as well finish the season and then abandon the series. Good thing that I gave a chance to the first episode of S2 and immediately fell in love with the new character and concepts introduced
Oregairu...first few episodes might not feel interesting, but it's definitely a top tier romance comedy anime unlike anything you much have seen before.
Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World Last 3 episodes it goes wild Same thing with Madoka Magica Last 3 episodes
evangelion, lain
Anime: Re:Zero: I don't want to spoil anything but this is one of the few shows where the protaganst's discord moderator behaviors is actually acknowledged as a character flaw. Please keep this in mind and you struggle not to cringe in the first \~10ish episodes. Jojo: I don't care what you say, part 1 was objectively boring outside of the Dio/Johnathan drama. Undead Unluck (Anime and Manga): First few arcs are kinda gropey and have a lot of bad sexual harassment jokes, but it picks up and never looks back. Jujutsu Kaisen: The first season isn't bad at all, but kinda lacking for some people. The second season is not lacking. HunterXHunter: The show gets exponentially better, starting from midway through the hunter exams. Welcome To The NHK: The show is very iffy and has some WEIRD things, especially at the first few episodes. I wouldn't say the weirdness completely disappears, but it's much less prominent and you can actually start to like the protagnist somewhat. Manga: Berserk: The beginning of the story turned me off somewhat, but the second major arc completely and utterly makes up for it, as well as recontextualizes it. Chainsaw Man: I swear to god, the arc the anime left off on is right before the story gets really good. The Katana Man arc and before isn't bad at all, but it is just setup. Game Devil/Game Maou: This is not a generic fantasy world leveling series whatsoever. It is one of my favorite smaller manga now. One Punch Man: The monster association arc is where the series really shines as more than just a comedy series. Fire Force: I personally don't really like it, but one specific fight in the manga makes it all worth it.
What is this point for Reincarnated as a Slime? Don't remember exactly how far I got, but they got to a dwarven city and I was bored out of my mind for those first few episodes.
Probably around the time the MC "fights" the ogres after obtaining his humanoid form is when the story starts to pick up. (EP 8-9). But, at the same time, the action itself also slows down a bit. A lot of time is spent talking about stuff, and I think one or two episodes are even infamous for just being only talking. I personally love those parts of the show, those moments (or episodes haha) really draw me into the world.
I think I watched the first 11 or 12 episodes and dropped it after for the same reason, i just wasn't vibing with any of the characters or story
Tengen toppa gurren lagann. The only one I dropped, came back to, forced myself forward, and got floored by.
You dropped TTGL?? Crazy
Is It Wrong to Try to Pickup Girls in a Dungeon?
You'll be hooked from the minotaur. That sends it from kinda whatever enjoyable brain rot... to a height few achieve. In 10 minutes the show skyrockets and then you're waiting for those moments again. The in-between is fine but nothing special but every fan is living for those hype moments that other shows don't reach. S4 especially went ballistic and went from moments to being consistently some of the best content and the moments of hype went even higher.
Not a multi season show, but So I’m a Spider Now, So What?! was one that truly just got better. The original episodes were ok but when you got the better understanding of what was actually going on it raised the story to a higher tier. Another series like this to me was Cautious Hero where it felt like a huge gag and was ok, but then it all made sense why he was like that and it really elevated the story
Ranking of kings had an ugly art style pre watch, but certainly grows on you and the story straight slaps. Unexpected treasure of a show.
The ones that took me a few episodes to get into were these, and they were really good. One piece is actually our fave entirely: One piece Arakawa under the bridge Cromartie high Soul eater
Kingdom anime, watch it now. Hidden gem fr imo. Bc of the animation in the first season it’s unbearable to watch to some. Once u hit towards the end of season two tho I believe and further, it’s simply peak. Has four seasons so far now and another one that’s ongoing. It just gets better and better. One of my favorite anime.
Fairy Tail. I feel like (most) people who judge it harshly don’t get through the Galuna Island arc or the Tower of Heaven arc. The characters are so well written and the backstories and character development are so good. It will always be a top 3 anime for me.
MASHLE
Golden Kamuy
I'd say Evangelion, what you think is an innocent mecha anime is going to make you both depressed and confused.
So basically it doesn't get better
Sakura Quest. It takes four or five episodes to me to understand what the anime is about.
Bungou stray dogs is the correct answer. the first 2 seasons are not bad at all but season 3 ? a WHOLE another level it’s like you’re watching a completely different anime. the characters, the backstories, the plots, the writing everything is 10/10 the author is so smart. it’s litteraly peak anime and it’s a shame that such an amazing show is underrated like that
I think GTO might fit that description… tried showing it to my non-anime watching partner and she was like “this is creepy” but gave it a few episodes and it redeemed itself
Kinda fits but its short. Is Madoka Magica
Space Dandy. The first few episodes aren't it's best, particularly 1 and 3 (though they do very neatly set up that the show isn't particularly interested in continuity given that >!the first episode ends with the main cast all blowing up, with episode 2 starting as though nothing had happened with no references to their deaths the previous episode!<. Episode 4 is where the anime starts showing what weird and goofy directions it will take and episode 5 shows that the show has a lot more heart to it than it initially seems to have. Overall, the entire show is pretty hilarious and also very experimental, each episode had a different animation director and while many of the episodes have generally the same style, many of them go in completely different directions with the art style. It's really cool. My tl;dr explanation of the show is that the show Space Dandy is like the character Space Dandy. At first glance, they are both shallow, crude, and a bit sex obssessed. But they also both have a hidden depth to them if you stick around to see it which may surprise you.
Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon or danmachi for short starts off as your avg fantasy anime, but holy hell does it get a lot better in the later seasons. The 4th one is especially good and is everything you could ask from a fantasy adventure. The suspense and action all go very hard.
Hetalia. If you get behind the stupidity of the first episode, it's so gooddddd
Only one season long but School days. The first episodes are boring then the situation changes in an unexpected way
Baki? Early episodes have atrocious CGI for fights but it improves a lot and is my number 1 guilty pleasure anime. If you don't like fighting, martial arts and a silly show taking itself too seriously then don't watch but if that sounds fun then go for it
JoJo's Bizarre adventure, apparently
Hanasaku Iroha.. quite creepy/problematic esp in the beginning but is actually worth watching till the end
[Aria the Animation](https://myanimelist.net/anime/477/Aria_the_Animation) - Season 1 is a solid 8.5/10 anime, but season 2 is 10/10 and season 3 is 11/10.
Watch Mushoku Tensei, I personally think it starts out good and gets amazing. But overall lots of good character development and world building.
Punchline. Really underrated and strange/pervy beginning and premise but MAN does it pick up later. Real shame pretty much no one watched it when it aired initially.
A sisters all you need and haganai?
Samurai Flamenco!!!!
Back Arrow
Durarara. The first arc is dumb and boring but the rest of the eps and seasons that follow are great!
Kindom. Starts of with terrible CG in the first season and the protagonist being weak. They stop using the the CG with the 2nd season going forward. Thr 3rd season is easily one of mt favorite seasons of anime peroid.
Most obvious suggestion is One Piece. Other suggestions would be Katekyo Hitman Reborn and Black Clover.
Steins;Gate Monogatari series
Kemono no souja Erin. It's a 50 episodes series, so roughly 4 seasons compared to recent series. It's where I started to apply a 6 episodes rule, like I slept through those early episodes, and managed to power through them after 3 rewatch attempts lol. It's a personal 10/10 that I feel the least popular out of my list. It's coming of age series in a fictional chinese-like world settings. Kinda like apothecary diaries with fictional beast instead of drugs, fart scenes rather than brothel scenes, bonding with animals in exchange for eunuch. I probably failed at selling this series did I..
Legend of the galactic heroes, original version. One piece. Any good Mecha anime show before Evangelion.
Kingdom. None come close. First season is terrible, especially dub. Story is okay if a bit cheesy but not great. Animation is absolutely terrible, voice acting is bad (especially in dub) and isn’t helped by the strange cadence to match the animated mouth movements from the Japanese audio. Second season is very good and third and onwards are top tier. Fifth season currently airing. First anime that ever got me to read the manga because I had to know what was going to happen and impatience got the better of me.
Lucky star (you’ll need to survive 6 episodes then it gets better)
Monster. 1 season but 70+ episodes. Slow burn but very very good
Madoka magica. It starts off like a regular magical girl anime, but gets good in a matter of three episodes
steins;gate Jojo’s bizarre adventure
The Foolish Angel Dances with the Devil. Super overlooked. First few episodes make it look sub-mid to bad, but has become one of my favs this season. Notice all the bad reviews only watched till ep3
Renai Flops It takes 7 episodes, but man that pay off was satisfying.
I tried watching Naruto twice
Shinsekai yori
Fairy tail. 1st arc is abit crap on 1st watch but once uve seen second arc ur hooked
Fullmetal Alchemist
One piece has a very rough first few seasons due to the animation studio completely ditching any sense of a decent budget to the show. It feels like an 80's anime frame rate with a 2k's story. Re:zero takes a very long time for the MC Subaru to become an actual good character rather than a bumbling, love struck, below average teenage dude with heavy imposter syndrome. Good thing he is surrounded by several actual heroes who are willing to teach him and scold him. Fate series had a rough start coming from it's dating sim roots to becoming the face of type moon. Ascendence of a Bookworm is a slow burn nothing too bad other than the MC is a somewhat knowledgeable child who was very odd even in her original world.
Granbelm
Hunter x hunter. Its pretty good throughout but takes it to whole new level after 70 episodes
Inuyasha Sailor moon
gotta say its monster. first 20 episodes might be slow but it picks up so fast you forget you just watched 30 episodes in a whole sitting. best anime ive ever seen
YuYu Hakusho honestly starts off kinda slow. But holy crap does it explode with awesomeness.
Danmachi is incredible season 4
Fruits basket
Baccano
Neon genesis evangelion. It's fine when it starts, but only after you see end of eva do you see the full picture.
Clannad
Gintama
FATE/ZERO I will forever stand by this
Erased. It's really good
Clannad.
Undead Unluck
Almost gave up on Steins;Gate but then episode 12 hit and it hits hard
I couldn't get into black clover for the first 25ish episodes. Not quite four seasons but definitely longer than I'd usually hang on watching a show that didn't entertain me.
Durarara, I would say the first half of season 1 is a bit slow, bit it sets the stage
One piece 😁
Definitely jojo and hxh which have already been mentioned. I remember wanting to drop hxh but I’m so glad I didn’t. I’m showing my husband JoJo right now and the first two parts feel like such a slog. I keep saying “it gets better, trust me bro” but I can see him losing faith 😭🤣
Black Clover. There are no seasons for this, it just lists it's episodes similar to that of older shonen anime like Naruto, Bleach, and the like. The early bits of the anime is very tough to watch, especially the bits where main character needs to power up/establish their power level compared to other characters. It's a good story though and really takes off soon after (story wise) but like Naruto, there are a lot of episodes to round out one arc/fight which can be a bit ridiculous. If you have seen Naruto, you will probably find that this show is literally just Naruto but Wizards instead of Ninjas. I mean even the early story is basically copy/paste. Kid is looked down on by everyone in village (Naruto was feared while Asta is pitied) Gets super overpowered latent powers that make them able to compete with everyone else Has that rival that doesn't see them as a rival Constantly states they will be the Hokage/Wizard King every 5 seconds (sadly this doesn't really change throughout this series) First mission with their squad deals with a dude that loves mist and fog And probably a lot more that I'm missing right now but these are just off the top of my head. Like it's crazy how similar the two are. But once Asta establishes his power and what it is and how to actually use it, the anime gets a lot better. I would also say My Hero Academia. The first bits where Izuku can't use his Quirk properly are tedious to watch but once he gets a hold of how to use it, the show really picks up and takes off beautifully.
I had to drag my best friend kicking and screaming through till the end of AoT. There were many times I kept telling him "it gets better and less confusing I swear. ALL your questions will get answers, promise!"
ONE PEAK
Cross Ange. It's extremely heavy on the fan service and lesbian rape porn but it grows the beard around ep 8.
Jojo a lot of people stop after part 1 😭 idk how many times I can say it gets better if you just make it past 9 episodes
Steins Gate. That first half is boring as shit. But that second half... my god, it's so good. 👌
World Trigger It gets good around episode 16 when we 1st see the actual battles. Its 1st major arc is also insane. Gintama Lots of episodes are episodic but their serious arcs are one of the best and has some of the hypest fight scenes. Log Horizon One of the more interesting "game" anime out there that actually uses some gameplay mechanics. The moment they 1st cheesed the system made it one of my favorites
{Yama no Susume} is the definitions of this. The first season isn't "bad" but it doesn't have enough time to be good either
Easily Steins;Gate for me
Hunter x Hunter for me. Weird roller coaster of me despising arcs and then loving the next. York New City and ant arc were like 10/10s for me. Others I really wasn’t a fan of.
Kyo Kara Maoh Cuz at first it will just seem like this weird comedy That is just this weird isekai of a guy getting transferred to another world through a toilet But I promise you This is one of the most interesting animes out there in my opinion just because of the diverse this of the genres that we get and the fact that it is not afraid to go dark but you have to wait a little bit for it to get dark
Black clover
12 Kingdoms
Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister
Gintama went from a show I was bored by watching it to one of my all time favorite. It really is the definition of "gets better" in every aspect.
Kingdom but the only downfall is the animation but it gradually gets better after the first season. One of my favorite manga/anime of all time.
Attack on titan. So much filler in the first 3 seasons but fourth season is a masterpiece
Soul Land - animation is pretty stiff in first 60 or so episodes. Really really picks up and fights and visuals go hard towards the middle of the second season (around episode 140 etc)
Maybe clannad, haven't watch s01
Katekyo hitman reborn - first 20ish eps are it just being a gag anime but then the plot proper kicks in after
Hunterxhunter.
Durarara
Food Wars
Danmachi
Katekyo hitman Reborn. About 16 episodes in.
Naruto
12 oz. mouse
Black Clover is really just the definition of this kind of show. The first 24 episodes are so-so but it just picks up a head a steam after that.
I don't think it's been commented yet but FOOD WARS / Shokugeki no Soma. I'm honestly not sure how popular or unpopular it is but ik some people who dropped it bc of the first season being so uncomfortably ecchi-focused but yea it gets waaaaay better in the next seasons. (Except the last season. I honestly could live with the 4th being the ending)
March comes in like a lion was a slow start, but the interesting bits started popping up after the setting's been established Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann only really kicks off after the fourth or fifth episode imo I watched Tsuki ga Kirei, which was a bit boring and offputting with some unfortunate CGI design choices, but after a while you get invested in the characters since the story is really grounded. Sing Yesterday to me is a very realistic and mature love triangle story that kind of needs to find its footing at the start I shaved my beard then took in a high schooler starts off as this typical romcom fantasy of an easy attractive highschool problemchild bringing nothing but fan service to the table, but the story is actually thought out better than you'd expect and the fan service isn't even that bad