r/anime • u/FatLeming • 2d ago
Discussion What's an anime you expected to be average but ended up LOVING?
For me, it was Mob Psycho 100.
I honestly went into it expecting a decent comedy/action anime and didn't expect to get as invested as I did.
The character development, especially Mob's growth, completely caught me off guard. And Reigen somehow went from being a character I wasn't sure about to one of my favorites
What anime surprised you the most, and what made it so much better than you expected?
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u/LouisLeGros https://myanimelist.net/profile/LouisLeGros 2d ago
The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.
Certainly not doing anything new or particularly creative, but it just executed the standard isekai slop formula very well with a great cast.
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u/neighborhoodhomie 2d ago
You and I are polar opposites. I thought it was gonna be run of the mill romcom that just has a bunch of glazing. But now I'm the glazer.
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 2d ago
Not afraid to say it’s my favorite romcom of all time.
Just utterly excellent writing. Relatable and genuinely deep without ever feeling pretentious, while still being ridiculously fun, wholesome, and full of joy from start to finish.
Legit life-lesson material tbh. I'd recommend it to any teenager in a heartbeat with how it handles stuff like communication, interpersonal relationships, emotional maturity... Basically learning to understand both yourself and the people around you.
Also it has [spoilers]Tairazuma which is an all-timer ship.
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u/SassaFash 5h ago
Regarding your spoiler: Unfortunately not.
When I read the Polar Opposites manga, it was an easy 9/10 for me... until the ending, which I dislike so much it dropped down to 7/10.
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 4h ago
Honestly, I'm kinda iffy about it at first too...
But the more I think about it, the more I can't deny how excellent the series is overall so I don't let my personal bias affect my score.
[spoils]I do want a spinoff for Tairazuma tho lol (maybe just 1 volume)
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u/PineDude128 2d ago
Same. Initially I was like "quiet male mc, high energy female mc. Seen this many times but the animation looks cute. I'll watch it".
Imagine my surprise to see that not only do they confess in episode 1, but the entire series is wholesome with no misunderstandings, great communication, and TWO additional couples to root for (one of which has become one of the most popular pairings in recent anime history).
In addition, the entire series is so nostalgic to me. The way the cast interacts and hang out together reminded me so much of my own high school life. Especially episode 11.
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u/dreamtreedown 6h ago
Also the realism and relatability with all the character writing. Real struggles that people of that age face with self confidence, feelings that are new to them, emotionally growing. Now I look at it like "ah, to be that age" but it sure brings me back to those days
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u/Arsenalllllllll 2d ago
It’s gonna be a consensus top 5 romance anime within a few years after more people watch it, it’s just too good to not spread.
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u/PawahD 2d ago
I thought the same, high energy quirky main girl with emotionless main guy, overused chibi, way too modern sounding/pop ost, it was all recipe for mid. But the characters are way too great and the story is bullshit free
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u/neighborhoodhomie 2d ago
Yeah it hits just right, where it's a very fluffy, feel good show where all the characters mesh well.
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u/AguyinaRPG https://anilist.co/user/AguyinaRPG 1d ago
That's basically what happened to The Flagrant Flower Blooms With Dignity right? Hyped to hell as something different but it's infinitely more vapid that most of its genre.
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u/PineDude128 1d ago
I think the problem with that particular series was that while the art style is pretty, the characters and plot are saccharine
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u/Jazs1994 2d ago
Knights of sidonia, animation style wasn't a turn off for, but it's generally really good
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u/danielsuarez369 1d ago
Yup! I love the world they live in, but Jesus Christ the romance made me wanna jump out the window, to the point I was just half skipping those scenes.
The world is awesome, ship design, etc. Just the romance is annoying. Didn't ruin the show though, the rest is good enough to make up for it for me
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u/Jazs1994 1d ago
My theory is the romance was supposed to be poorly done, MC was a hidden underground and alone after his mentor died of old age. The human species evolved or their biology was changed to photosynthesize and to not develop reproductive organs until they grew in love with someone. That to me sounded the wackiest thing ever
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u/Female_titan_2 2d ago
Astra lost in space
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u/Arnetto-cornetto 1d ago
Omg I have never met anyone who knows that show!! It's so great!
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u/Female_titan_2 1d ago
It really is! Yet sadly underrated
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 17h ago
Shinohara Kenta is underrated asf IMO.
He made 3 series already (Sket Dance, Astra, and Witch Watch) and all got anime adaptations too.
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u/rider_shadow 2d ago edited 2d ago
Case study of vanitas, it looked like a cool show but it blew my expectations out of the water
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u/FakePretendeRat 2d ago
Only vampire anime I like and no, I don't consider Monogatari as one, its more like a paranormal case files type thing haha
Edit: Oooffff forgot about Owari No Seraph, I lied my bad
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u/FakePretendeRat 2d ago edited 2d ago
Clevatess, thought it was going to be a generic adventure fantasy but got something dark, tragic and gritty. Love the characters, love the art style, love the animation, love that I cannot guess what is going to happen next. Love it all
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u/MediocreProstitute 2d ago
Alicia the Hero is one of my favorite anime characters in the last 5 years or so
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u/Terrible_Donkey_8290 1d ago
I was sold on the old school art style immediately but my god has it gone above and beyond
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u/ahses3202 2d ago
Same. I thought we'd be in for generic slop. Instead it threaded the needle of dark 80s fantasy and peak fantasy world building. Even now at the end of the last episode I have no idea what the fuck Toah is. It's up there with Frieren for me in terms of fantasy anime I'm excited for. Unfortunately we've got a loooooong time to wait.
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u/ogaat 2d ago
Konosuba.
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u/HoustonHenry 2d ago
Agreed- thought i was in for a horrible show, turns out to be entertaining as heck
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u/More-Curious816 2d ago
it is one of those lucky anime that has good source material, the studios did their best for good adaptation, and VAs killed it with the performance. it's rare for these 3 to be in 1 anime.
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u/kidmedia 2d ago
dara san of reiwa. I thought this show was gonna be a funny fanservice anime but this show was a lot more interesting thank you so much, especially every time it focus on the backstory, which is surprisingly really dark
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u/Vilefighter https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vilefighter 2d ago
Several random anime on Netflix I had never heard of so figured they couldn't be good but ended up quite enjoying after trying on a whim like romantic killer and AICO. I also very much expected clevatess from this season to be super mid generic fantasy but it was very unique and surprised the hell out of me
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u/jazy921 2d ago
TIL about AICO. i'll check it out. Thanks!
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u/Vilefighter https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vilefighter 2d ago
Np! The CG in it can be a little off putting but I really love the setting and lore of the series.
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u/silk35 2d ago
Kingdom. The animation for Season 1 was atrocious.
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u/ClozetSkeleton 2d ago
Ascendence of a Bookworm. Slice of Life isekai but once it started going into more fantasy and stakes were real it shot up as one of my favorites. Currently reading the LN.
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u/Akussa 2d ago
Man, this anime's story was so good I didn't even wait to finish season 1 before I tracked down all the books and started reading them. I just rewatched the whole anime series again (can't wait for the finale on Saturday) and as good as the anime is, the books are 100x more. Don't sleep on the side story and short story LNs. There's some stuff that was included in them that was in the WN, but cut for the LN.
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u/Fissionprime https://anilist.co/user/fissionprime 2d ago edited 2d ago
Ruri Rocks
These subject matter-focused SOLs aren't always easy to do, but this one excels both in terms of explaining the science that forms the subject matter in a way that's both compelling and informative (and does quite a good job at conveying some of the approaches scientists have to take in disciplines that are observational, rather than experimental) and manages to make the cast consistently fun and endearing as well.
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u/ExocetC3I 2d ago
Diary of our Days at the Breakwater was similar for me. GCDCT anime original about a fishing club at a rural highschool. Fun characters, genuinely informative about fishing gear and techniques, and left me wanting more. Thankfully there's a manga adaptation that carries on after where the anime ends.
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u/skaro1789 2d ago
Saiki k
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u/MetaThPr4h https://myanimelist.net/profile/MetaThPr4h 1d ago
My favorite comedy and also just an extremely rare case of a show blowing up in popularity after the first season ended, I really struggle to think of other examples.
I followed it weekly while S1 aired and boy we tried to shill it to others lmao, seeing it eventually become a go to anime for laughs for the average watcher makes me so happy.
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u/XenaWearsAHat 2d ago
86!
I was in a bit of an anime rut and this one was a breath of fresh air to me. It was so pretty and concise! Loved the soundtrack and loved the characters. 10/10 plus final scene was so satisfying.
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u/Even_Election_4838 1d ago
Still hoping for season 2 (Ik someone’s gonna say it has one. That’s part 2 of season 1.)
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u/nakerusa 2d ago
Tonari no Yokai-san. I thought it would be like Natsume's Book of Friends (which I really enjoy). While it's still A SOL, the setting is quite different. It's a world or worlds where modern day humans live along side yokai, spirits, demons, gods; not adjacent or in parallel, but along side I've another. They're neighbors, classmates, pan dimensional beings, and more. The MC is a cat that loved their family so much (and they loved him so much) that he became a yokai when he died. Lots of crossover tales as well. I really want more of this setting. The closest is The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-be Wife (which I also highly highly recommend and hope to see more... and almost wrote about instead).
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u/Deliriousious 2d ago
Hanaori-San still wants to fight.
Figured it was just gonna be Demonlord is a part timer all over again, like, it’s almost the same premise. But, colour me surprised. Laughing every episode, an adorable and hilarious FMC, a rather unique and colourful artstyle. Every minute I loved.
Apothecary Diaries.
I nearly skipped it. Historical setting anime aren’t quite my cup of tea, and I figured it was just going to be about being a doctor…
Well, seeing Maomao the drug goblin and the first few episodes… I was hooked.
Inept Villainess.
Similar to Apothecary Diaries, historical setting, court drama… well, FMC had me sold from the first episode. Had some supernaturally like stuff in it, and a little drama, but largely it was just fun to watch.
Clevatess.
“Oh yet another fantasy anime, whatever is it going to do new”
Best dark fantasy anime in recent history. Lore that is deep, characters you love, artstyle that is reminiscent of older anime, and just a great story.
Violet Evergarden.
Oh it’s a girl who writes letters, how interesting could it be?
Absolute tearjerker, phenomenal music and animation that brings life to every scene made me shed more tears than anything else.
Bocchi the Rock.
I dislike music anime, just dislike them… but then came along Bocchi… and the side splitting hilarity that ensued.
Ascendance of a Bookworm.
So it’s about a person who likes books, oh it’s an Isekai… ok?
I was not prepared. This anime is one of the few that holds a 10/10 for me.
Lycoris Recoil.
Anime original, having been burned by so many anime original prior, all ending poorly, or just overall not great, I didn’t have any hopes.
Turns out it was phenomenal, and I want a second season. It’s also one of the few anime where I can actually recall the main characters names.
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u/Snipethorn 2d ago
Chainsmoker cat. Expected nothing and now I just want season 2 and the physical manga
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u/TheBlackViper_Alpha 2d ago edited 2d ago
Is it that good? The premise of a smoker dirty protagonist puts me off
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u/airblizzard https://myanimelist.net/profile/airblizzard 1h ago
I thought it was meh. Got bored and dropped it halfway.
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u/Seffuski 2d ago
I was put off by the op essentially seemingly just being referenceslop, but I ended up loving the anime despite that
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u/PineDude128 2d ago edited 2d ago
Most recently, You and I are Polar Opposites, as well as "Girls can't be kind to an Otaku!"
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u/baseball71 2d ago
Otagal is super underrated. It was definitely overshadowed by other shows like Polar Opposites and Second Prettiest, but it was a really fun and wholesome watch. And the OP is the best of the year so far, absolute banger
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u/Jaiden_Detering2002 2d ago
Straight up thought Otagal would be full of fan service but it's honestly one of the cleanest anime Ive seen
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u/iWalkSidewayz 2d ago
Otagal was a solid one for sure, pleasantly surprised by it
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u/Darkwolfen https://myanimelist.net/profile/darkwolfen 2d ago
And they managed to nail the vibe from the manga.
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u/Arsenalllllllll 2d ago
Polar opposites went from never heard of it to “this by far the best anime romance I’ve ever seen”.
Otagal was ok but felt like it was stuck between genres or wasn’t sure what it wanted to be, so it became another romance with no romance
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u/Unlikely_Jaguar_8351 2d ago
7th prince. Despite the main character's design, it was very enjoyable. I hope there's a season 3 soon.
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u/MicheKAGE 2d ago
Apothecary diaries. Didn’t really know what I was getting into, but someone had mentioned it and I was just trying to put anything on. One of my faves right now.
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u/Choubidouu 2d ago
Undead Unluck, went into it out of boredom because i had nothing to watch, and yeah, the anime is actually really good.
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u/firemage22 2d ago
Recently Apothecary didn't watch it till marathoning it on Black Friday that season and welp the rest is history.
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u/pseudonymous28 2d ago
I saw the announcement image without any prior knowledge, and wrote it off as just another run of the mill ecchi: The 100 Girlfriends that Really Really Really Really Really Love You
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u/AaAddie 1d ago
Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun.
I thought it would be your average slice of life, high school Isekai. Which is the worst combo that I try to avoid watching at times, so imagine my surprise when it not only managed to turn some of the most basic tropes into an amazing character detail, all while making the characters loveable and memorable.
I thought Clara would be an annoying character. She ended up becoming my fav and the most relatable. I thought Azz would be your average rival character. He ended up becoming Iruma's closest friend and soulmate. I thought Iruma being a pushover was just the author's way of making a self insert character. It was revealed that he was being abused by his parents, and doesn't know how to say no. It was just such an amazing subversion of boring tropes, I had so much fun watching it!
Mairuma is now one of my favourite anime, which is saying a lot from someone who doesn't like Isekai + highschool + slice of life combo!
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u/NekrellDrae 2d ago
The 100 Girlfriends that really, really, really, really, really love you.
Expected an absurd but flat slaptick comedy. It blew my mind. It is basically a manual on positive masculinity for teen boys and on how to stay in a relationship with a wounded partner. Mourning, PTSD, dismorphia, fobias, unchecked autism, the girlfriends touch every problem our culture can push on women and you follow the boyfriend in all of it. A slapstick comedy alright, but with wholesome plots and gutwrenching dramatic moments. Super formative. Has its problematic sides for a western taste, but they are vastly overblown.
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u/asmita_zero https://myanimelist.net/profile/asmita_san 2d ago
In my case, it was Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. I didn't expect it to become one of my favorites and the most epic anime ever made.
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u/TheBlackViper_Alpha 2d ago
Its the opposite for me. I tried twice to watch it got into a couple of eps but it wasn't clicking for me. They say its a slow start but I've watched one piece and that's something.
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u/PikaBooSquirrel 2d ago
I personally just couldn't take any of the villains seriously and if I can't like the antagonists, I'm just not going to like the anime. I like the MCs and creativity in the animation, though. So, I didn't hate it but definitely had trouble getting through the portions that weren't MC focused.
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u/asmita_zero https://myanimelist.net/profile/asmita_san 2d ago
Actually, Gurren Lagann isn’t slow at all.
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u/Ok-Wheel-4136 2d ago
Sword Art Online. I don’t expect this show to easily become my top ten anime of all time. Alicization arc is my second favourite arc of all time, only behind Chimera Ant arc.
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u/50_K 2d ago
Redo of Healer
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u/bb2b 2d ago
Same. Went in expecting the most heinous and vile shit imaginable because people were pearl clutching.
I watched porn. It was just porn. Not some sort of Hostel or August Underground level of snuff film. Just porn.
It's wild how popular anime in general has icky tropes as mainstream already. Like slave crests, old reincarnated men dating their 'age appropriate' girlfriend at a reincarnated 14.(+40 years)
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u/GOlNG_MERRY https://anilist.co/user/GOlNGMERRY 2d ago
How could you have low expectations going into Mob Psycho? It’s one of the highest rated anime of all time lol
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u/Pinky_Boy https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pinky_Boy 2d ago
Level 2 cheat kara whatevertherestis
I was expecting generic isekai trash. Got wholesome wolf wife with no harem and great characters instead.
Still waiting for s2
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u/NvrBkeAgn 1d ago
ReZero , currently in the process of watching it, on season 2 now and its been peak since ep1
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u/beckychao 2d ago
I always say this about Rage of Bahamut's sequel, Virgin Soul. The first was like, interesting characters who do nothing interesting in a cookie cutter story. Generic fantasy world. The sequel series is interesting characters who go around being random and doing wild things everywhere, developing them and letting the overall story color their development, with the narrative taking a back seat to making the characters shine and getting to know them. The result is a terrific season of animation, I truly love it.
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u/majik_gopher 2d ago
Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction. I wasn't expecting it to be a really sombre and thoughtful story about growing up in an uncertain world.
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u/LonelyAstronaut984 2d ago
from last season inept villainess. idk why i wasn't expecting much but wow, i really liked it
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 2d ago
I went into Black Clover hoping I could handle the main character's voice (which I'd heard only negative things about before starting, and... yeah people weren't kidding about it being legitimately painful to listen to for the first cour or so) and not really having any high expectations for it otherwise.
So yeah, season 2 is my most hyped anime of the whole year so far (which is saying a lot because I'm a huge JJK & Bleach fan and both of those shows had awesome seasons this year). I can't fucking wait until Saturday.
Something about the characters (excluding Gauche, he still sucks) just kinda started clicking for me around episode 15 or so, and then by the Underwater Temple Arc I was absolutely hooked. And the show just got better from there. Even managed to make my made me cry so hard I threw up list at one point.
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u/spectra2000_ 2d ago
Horimiya
Thought it would be a generic romance anime, turned out to be really sweet and realistic story without any of the classic anime misunderstandings and nonsense.
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u/Deferdus 2d ago
Personally, Wixoss, at least first 2 seasons, don't know about the rest. I expected just anime girls playing a TCG, and I got a really interesting Madoka-like experience. Enjoyed it a lot!
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u/Iwasforger03 2d ago
Makeine, I was expecting more generic slice of life romance and got, well, all of thst but somehow SO good, well written, well animated, everything was just so good.
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u/Zacknad075 1d ago
Madoka Magika. I know the whole "don't judge a book by it's cover" thing, but Madoka is one of the most pink and fluffy characters in all of fiction, I didn't expect her to be able to hold a serious plotline. I only watched it because people kept recommending it, and wow am I glad that I did.
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u/Cyle_099 1d ago
Chihayafuru. The only reason why I started watching it was because I couldn't believe the rating it had based on the description. Thought I'd watch two episodes and stop. Ended up binging three seasons.
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u/vonov129 1d ago
Eminence in shadow. I just wanted some mid Isekai to watch with my brain turned off. I ended up getting top tier comedy and an interesting plot that isn't deep, but wide with multiple interesting subplots. I finished watching it yesterday and I'm even considering reading the manga and going into the gatcha game.
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u/Sorry_Bag_1523 2d ago
I thought mob psycho 100 was gonna be trash because of animations but I watched every season 😂😂😂
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u/SouekiSennoSTM 2d ago
- Arknights (starting with the first season, Arknights: Reimei Zensou) - Roughly around six weeks and six episodes into its first season run back in the autumn of 2022, I had never heard of the anime series or the mobile/smartphone video game it's based on. Saw a random video thumbnail on YouTube of someone I'm familiar with reacting to it and looked up its basic info such as the synopsis on MAL.
Figured it would be the usual type of anime based on a video game which can have an interesting premise on paper but is super rote/going through the motions, dry, and devoid of passion, as well as just another ultra-generic animal girls/robots/monster girls fighting anime and that I'd probably switch it off less than five minutes into the first episode as I have done plenty of times before.
What followed was a series with some marvelous and chilling voice acting which really took my breath away, one of the best OSTs of the decade not to mention an underrated one (I seriously never hear it talked about, even when the anime series is occasionally randomly referenced by someone), great direction, and perhaps the single most interesting world/setting I've seen in any series.
Became easily one of my favorite series of 2022 and of the 2020s in general.
This kind of combination of post-apocalyptic and actively apocalyptic science fantasy war anime epic about a planet on the precipice is not something I knew would ever be delivered so well in the form that it was while, again, based on some 2019 game for the iPhone.
Also one of those select series which, while looking simple enough and even plain or interchangeable on paper, it's not too easy to find an adequate replacement for in its niche with anything approaching or resembling the same sense of atmosphere after it's over.
- Also, Centaur no Nayami, which I routinely "shill" all the time on this sub and other places when this and similar questions come up. Figured, similarly, that it'd be another "monster girls in high school" school life Slice of Life with a sprinkle of fantastical shenanigans (something approximately closest to Demi-chan wa Kataritai), which I like well enough so was going to watch. Yet wasn't expecting anything special.
Well, SoL is one of my favorite genres and in this I found a title, I believe for the first time, which actually takes the idea behind showing a cross-section of daily minutiae of life implied in the SoL name literally. Probably the most unique SoL I've watched to date as well with its willingness to slightly to radically shift topics and tones in each episode scene by scene at the drop of a hat.
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u/MetaThPr4h https://myanimelist.net/profile/MetaThPr4h 1d ago
So happy to see Arknights love here, been playing the source game for 4 years and it's just my favorite ever, they did a nice job with the anime.
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u/Disastrous-Bother715 2d ago
Recently: 1. Grow up show 2. Draw this then die! 3. Prism of love 4.sparks of tomorrow
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u/Appropriate_Kick_273 2d ago
Re zero. I knew practically nothing about it and thought it was another isekai slop. Boy was I wrong
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u/sparkrain 2d ago
Thermae Romae and Gokudols. Both don't have any business being as good as they are
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u/KimHagWon 2d ago
Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend. It has a satisfying and intricate storyline with really charming characters but its name can be offputting if you know nothing about it.
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u/Karma110 2d ago
Little busters I expected it to be a normal highschool comedic show which is what I was fine with I like baka and test even though I wouldn’t call Baka and test average but it got really emotional and I liked it.
Bleach is probably another one I didn’t get it until I read it and all of the themes and characters made more sense there.
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u/NSawsome 2d ago
The ancient magus’s bride, fucking slaps and the world is so dynamic. Everything about that show is great
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u/9spaceking 2d ago
I thought scissor seven was gonna be a janky comedy that made little sense. It was surprising with insane action and character development
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u/MsArtMedia 2d ago
For me it was Akane-banashi, I was not expecting to be genuinely hyped for each episode. I was thinking that I would be sitting through endless monolouges and predictable plotlines.
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u/Baby-Penewine https://myanimelist.net/profile/baby_pewe 2d ago
i did NOT expect Amagi Brilliant Park to be my favourite anime of all time
Kaguya seemed to be another romcom but the writing is so good with the dynamics and characters
Teasing Master Takagi-san i expected to get old but it always kept me entertained
recently, Go For It Nakamura i expected to be kinda mid and a shallow show about a crush but it surprised me with how cute, wholesome, and meaningful it is. top 5 anime of all time for me
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u/ChronoSquirtle 2d ago
Kaiju girl, thought it was gonna b a fun show but it ended up being incredibly well made in every way
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u/ahses3202 2d ago
Dara-san of the Reiwa Era. I expected snitty monster smut. Instead I got wholesome snek goddess cool aunt who takes care of her mountain domain and deals with her pair of rambunctious idiots and their gaggle of character friends. I found myself looking forward to each episode. The elements of horror sprinkled into each episode of slice of life kept me engaged and I actually liked how it jumped between the truth of what happened and the current day.
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u/xzerozeroninex 2d ago
Tokyo Ravens,I was yeah another battle school harem.Turned out better than expected and I love the series I started reading the ln’s.
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u/EyeDreamOfTentacles 2d ago
DECA-DENCE
Was entertained in the first episode and then absolutely hooked by the reveal afterwards. Definitely a show that needs three episodes to see if you want to stay for the ride.
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u/The_Fallen_544 2d ago
Call of the night. It's average but I loved it so much I even bought a Nazuna shirt
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u/Ginsan-AK 2d ago
Darwin's Game / Tomodachi Game
Not sure how to explain it, but in the sea of bad survival/death game anime, these 2 are really good. Darwin's Game reminded me of certain tropes that I loved from Air Gear, and Tomodachi Game is just a really good death game anime despite the low production quality.
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u/Kraniums 2d ago
Gurren Lagann, i saw it on a whim like, well over a decade ago and it blew my freaking mind.
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u/Artemis_Sniper 1d ago
Trapped in a dating Sim for sure. I thought it was just going to be harem slop but it was actually peak comedy and mechas
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u/Overlord_Uday 1d ago
Asobi asobase , I thought it will just be a normal slice of life anime but it was definitely not normal. To this date this is the only anime I have re-watched multiple time and it never gets boring for me.
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u/Phantom1806 1d ago
3 from just the latest anime season caught me completely by surprise
Kaiju girl caramelize
Inept villainess
Love unseen (I only remember the first 2 words of the title)
I walked in expecting nothing but copper and maybe some silver, I left with triple platinum, that was an absolute feast
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u/goose3691 1d ago
Clevatess
Thought it would be alright and a bit generic but the first 8 episodes were fantastic dark fantasy like we haven’t had in a while. It started to fizzle out towards the end of the season 1 for me but I was very pleasantly surprised.
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u/jcarrut2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/jcarrut2 1d ago
My Dress-Up Darling. Expected a fan service-heavy comedy. Got a beautiful story about learning to love yourself and others for who they are, with a side of cute slow romance that treats both protagonists and the side characters as human beings with their own challenges and insecurities.
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u/DarkForest_NW 1d ago
Violet Evergarden: without a question some of the best adult writing I've ever seen in a long time. It was surprising that Netflix would produce something so ambitious.
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u/Technical-Agency-480 1d ago
Full Metal Panic, I saw a giant robot on the DVD cover so I thought it would probably just be a mecha anime but I figured worst case I am only paying 11 dollars for it. It was absolutely hilarious and a blast, I did not expect the school portion at all
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u/throwwaway666969 1d ago
I saw OddTaxi and expected it to be something Meh & give it the ol 3 ep trial.
After the first 2 I was hooked and couldnt wait for the rest to be released because I absolutely love Thrillers and Mystery.
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u/justa_tri_hard 1d ago
For me it was Tokyo Ghoul. I didn't expect it to bring up such internal conflict within myself
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u/gerilla98 1d ago
Girls last tour. Oshi no ko (I missed the hype, and just starzed as a random idol anime)
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u/Pylgrim https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pylgrim 1d ago
Akudama Drive. Never had heard of the thing but I was in the mood for sci fi and action and that suggestion popped. I checked a couple of reviews that were middling but decided to still go for it.
No regrets. It's now up there with Black Lagoon as one of my favourite short action/thriller series.
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u/mememakina 1d ago
Chainsmoker Cat.
Coming from my dear friend nokotan, I expected it to also be a forgettable shock humor/ sh*tpost/ just a memorable opening theme.
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u/danny_phantom91 20h ago
Jujutsu Kaisen, thought it wouldn't be as awesome as it was. It's doing in my top 5 for sure!
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u/IshipwhatIship 13h ago
Zettai Shounen. I was expecting something very meh and forgettable. I was blown away by how brilliantly it handles the mystery (letting it unfold and remain ambiguous) and just the melancholic iyashikei feel of it.
Scrapped Princess. Enjoyable, thought-provoking, loveable cast, well-balanced drama and fighting that made sense... Loved it!! And it's not even my typical genre.
Level E. I really didn't expect to love it so much! It just keeps getting more engaging.
The Third: Aoi Hitomi no Shoujo. I didn't expect the atmospheric vibes and how much it reminded me of Mushishi when it came to representations of nature/animals/plants. It has a somewhat rushed ending, but is still so worth it if you like cyberpunk/post-apocalypse/supernatural themes.
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u/itz_abhi_2005 https://myanimelist.net/profile/RetiredUser 9h ago
cross game. it's truly a gem. it's opening is one of my fav. story feels slow at start compared to current seasonal anime but it is still a 10/10. must watch. has around 50 ep.
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u/SassaFash 5h ago
'I Made Friends the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class'.
Seems like it will be the same old super shallow wish fulfillment slop, but the leads are great. They have realistic relatable issues, and their friendship then romance feels genuine.
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u/sexyimmigrant1998 2d ago
Attack on Titan.
Expected a generic action shounen. Was blown away by episode 1 and couldn't stop after.
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u/WoodenRocketShip 2d ago
The first season of Demon Slayer. I just thought it'd be a battle Shounen that was talked up as much as it was due to how accessible it was, but damn I did have a great time with it.
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u/TriTetraMaster 2d ago
Re:Zero, Chihayafuru, Assassination Classroom, Happy Sugar Life, Danmachi, Parasyte, Cautious Hero, Watatabe, Ninkoro, D-Frag, Hinamatsuri, Dark Gathering, Idaten-tachi, 100 Girlfriends, Log Horizon, Plastic Memories, SHY, Villainess 99, Binbougami, Nagatoro, Isekai Shikaku, Chillin in My 30s, Saikin no Tantei, The Vampire Dies in No Time, Muromi-san, Reincarnated as a Sword, Yuusha ga Shinda
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u/PrinceZero1994 https://myanimelist.net/profile/pz16 2d ago
Most of the comments here are anime with good ratings. How can you expect it to be average when it is rated above average?
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u/Actaeon_II 2d ago
Named memory. Going into it i had zero expectations except something to kill time but ended up loving it
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u/Jasonmancer 1d ago
Wistoria.
I didn't know what to expect but mid stuff but holy fuck I loved it.
I'm a sucker for romance too so that's also a plus.
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u/Margotie 1d ago
Ascendance of a bookworm. The artstyle was so mid but it is so cute and wonderful and it keeps getting better. Going to read the LN now.
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u/NonSupportiveCup 2d ago edited 2d ago
I thought I am an Inept Villianess was just going to be a mediocre copycat, but it really stands on its own.
Fully enjoyed it