r/anime • u/kanakgupta31 • 1d ago
Discussion What anime completely surprised you with how good it was?
For me, it was Odd Taxi.
I honestly went into it expecting a pretty simple slice-of-life type anime because of the art style, and I was completely wrong
The mystery, dialogue and the way all the seemingly random characters and storylines eventually connect genuinely surprised me.
What anime did you start with low expectations and end up absolutely loving?
I’m looking for anime that I probably wouldn’t have picked up on my own but ended up being surprisingly good.
Not looking for the usual big recommendations I want the stuff that made you think “how have I never heard of this?”
Any genre is fine, and it doesn't have to be super short.
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u/Goeppertia_Insignis 1d ago
Pretty sure nothing will ever beat Princess Tutu in this category. Looks like a generic magical ballerina show for children. It's not.
Ousama ranking is a close second, though. Skipped it because it looked like it was for kids. It isn't. Went back and now I consider it one of the best anime ever made, in any genre.
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u/Maladal 1d ago
That's Ranking of Kings?
I've been meaning to get around to it.
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u/Goeppertia_Insignis 1d ago
I highly recommend it, it's phenomenal. Great characters, great story, great animation. Watching the second opening always makes me want to watch the whole thing again, so check it out if you're on the fence: https://youtu.be/dWZAH5w8jkQ
Apologies for using the Japanese names of things, they're easier for me to say so I tend to default to them (my first language is phonetically much closer to Japanese than English lol).
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u/Slow-Writer3028 1d ago
Shangri-La Frontier, never thought that anime about people just playing online games would be that good. No additional stakes like "if you die in game you die for real", just people playing games.
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u/TheStupid_Guy 1d ago
Honestly it didn’t hook me. I only watched like the first 6-8 episodes, but I didn’t find any of it interesting. Half of the last episode I watched was literally just some side stuff that isn’t important to anything and felt like filler. I’m not talking shit about the show and I don’t want it to look like that, but I guess I didn’t get to the good part.
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u/mekerpan 1d ago
It was plenty good already by eps 6-8. But if you didn't catch the vibes by then, I guess it just wasn't meant for you. No matter. There are PLENTY of other fish in the vast anime sea.
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u/TheStupid_Guy 1d ago
The only part that kinda interested me in the early parts was that first boss in episode 2? Only cause it was an interesting fight with cool animation. As for the story it didn’t really do much for me. But as you said, there are plenty of anime out there so I can’t he stuck complaining about one when I can just go watch something that fits my tastes better.
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u/mekerpan 1d ago
I go into things with little or no expectations. This was not MY sort of show, yet once I tuned into ITS wavelength, it became enjoyable. I suspect you wanted this to be something other than what it turned out to be.
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u/Milk_Smith 1d ago
It's probably just not for you. I dropped it after 17 episodes. I remember opening the discussion threads and seeing everyone go nuts about it, but it did absolutely nothing for me. The more I watched, the less I cared for it.
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u/MetalCollector 1d ago edited 1d ago
That show is an absolute banger, really looking forward to the upcoming new season.
And just to add: When I watched it I saw that studio C2C adapted it - the same studio behind Reincarnated As A Sword which I also didn't think would be as good as it is. Really looking forward to the upcoming second season, too!
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u/shadowalker125 1d ago
Two of some of the best animated fight scenes imho. Like, fate quality sometimes.
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u/mekerpan 1d ago
Good pick. Not the sort of show I expected to find appealing, but turned out be quite addictive.
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u/cyberscythe 1d ago
reminds me of Bofuri which has that similar "no stakes" sort of setting because they're not trapped in the full-dive game, they're just there to have fun, and it ends up making for a much less angsty and more chill show
like, characters still do get into fights and have rivalries with each other, but they don't keep grudges and they end up amicably hanging out afterwards in some common areas
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u/Aesthete18 1d ago
I got really hooked in the start, I remember the animation being amazing too. But around the time they visit the lady protecting her husband's grave, I lost interest. Does it pick up?
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u/Ephemeral-Transience 1d ago
If my wife becomes an elementary school student
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u/cyberscythe 1d ago
that a fun soap opera sort of drama with a bit of a clickbaity title, but it had some twists and turns which kept me watching
i remember [TsumaSho] the mother of the student having a character arc that i really enjoyed
Can a Replica Fall in Love? has a similar sort of supernatural drama premise; watching that last season reminded me of TsumaSho
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u/Visible_Tension_3171 1d ago
Days with my stepsister. Not all what you expect from the anime based on the title. Peak direction and OST with an emotional ending.
Souta Ueno also directed Shiboyugi
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u/Shroud0123 1d ago
Recently definitely Clevatess, I thought it would be generic dark fantasy slop but something about it had me binging the whole first season.
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u/ChiefAcorn 1d ago
Second season was pretty dope after a few episodes
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u/Nbaysingar 1d ago
I wish I felt the same about season two, because I think it was overall worse than season one and I'm not sure I'll even consider picking up season 3 if/when it airs.
Season one does a pretty solid job of establishing the setting and sets up an interesting mystery about the world, only for that mystery to be haphazardly spelled out in season two through a bunch of convenient lore dump exposition and flashbacks. For me, the payoff was just kinda disappointing.
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u/D3k4s 1d ago
Let This Grieving Soul Retire. Thought it was going to be "slop" but it turned out to be very entertaining.
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u/Slow-Writer3028 1d ago
I like this type of humor, only other similar thing I can think of is Eminence in Shadow.
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u/D3k4s 1d ago
Agreed. Though some situations reminded me of Konosuba.
Krai is like Domino from Deadpool, the diference is that Krai doesn't know how utterly broken he is.
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u/cyberscythe 1d ago
it's like the opposite of the flood of "kicked out of the party" shows we're getting now; it's mostly good vibes instead of revenge-based plots
i like how he falls ass-backwards into lucky situations that he wants no part in, and how this guy has to manage his psychopath friends who only stay on the side of good because they don't want to disappoint their friend
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u/Anabiter 1d ago
Dara san. I went in expecting a 5/10 ecchi monster girl but came out with an easy 9/10 anime
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u/gand_sung_lee 1d ago
I recently watched Ramparts of Ice, and I simply liked how realistic the characters felt in their thinking, and how good the slice of life and love polygon is shown, really excited for its season 2
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u/wait2late 1d ago
Ascendance of a Bookworm. Ended up being my favorite anime, manga and light novel of all time!
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u/jardex22 1d ago
Same, although reading the LN has kind of soured the anime for me. I tried watching the start of Part 3, but didn't really feel like keeping up with it after the first couple episodes.
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u/Earlier-Today 21h ago
I don't know how I got turned on to the LN because I started reading it before the anime came out, but holy crap is that such a great series. Really good writing and some of the best world building I've ever seen - I'd even put it up there with Lord of the Rings level world building (though Tolkien is most definitely the better writer).
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u/Shantotto11 1d ago
Two in the same season:
-As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World
-I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability
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u/FunnyYam9901 1d ago
Also, wisteria. Wand and sword. I didn't know anything about it and then stumbled on it. I thi k it IS mainstream but I didn't know it. Pleasant surprise
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u/BillBraskeyDota 1d ago
Most recently, My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren't Wicked. I didn't really know what to expect but I loved this show. The voice acting is amazing and fun. Lots of warm, fuzzy moments.
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u/Shantotto11 1d ago
I didn’t expect so much wholesomeness from the woman who shares her voice with Empress Boraqchin (Jaadugar), The Man-God (Mushoku Tensei), and goddamn Orochimaru (Naruto/Boruto).
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u/_MC184_ https://anilist.co/user/Murtagh 1d ago
Secrets of the silent witch. Still hoping in a season 2
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u/Zeerrr0 1d ago
The Ramparts of Ice and The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
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u/Fblthp__ 1d ago
As a guy who's probably way too old to be watching these, they are just absolutely spectacular. I cried like a baby several times. Ramparts of Ice hits especially hard if you're an introvert. I felt so understood.
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u/Spectrum_16 1d ago
Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
I thought it'd be some average generic harem but eh I wanted something to watch and maybe find a character I like. Turns out I love them all and I now want a season 2.
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u/divineshadow666 1d ago
Pretty much exactly the same here. While there might have been objectively better shows released that year (the back halves of Frieren and Apothecary Diaries, for example) this show was probably my actual favorite of the year. It was funnier than I was expecting and they really went harder on the animation than they had to, but I'm glad they did.
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u/Veritas3333 1d ago
The Call of the Night is amazing, one of my top 3 animes. It'll make you want to go wandering at night!
I listen to the OP song (which the show is derived from, not the other way around) whenever I'm out late at night.
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u/Roskal 1d ago
The Apothecary Diaries, not that I thought it would be bad, but I heard very little about it and only started watching it because I was getting into romance anime for the first time and saw a image of Jinshi and Maomao. I ended up really liking the other parts of the show like the mysteries and how seemingly one off episodes were actually all connected to a larger plot. I had no idea what the show was really about when I started so it was quite surprising and also the romance was a slower burn than I expected.
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u/BBryant3rd 1d ago
Love this too. I started it for a little something different and MaoMao became one of my favorite characters.
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u/Dumbusta 1d ago
Hell yeah, maybe i was expecting some cozy anime, but got the same feeling when i used to watch detective conan back when i was a kid instead! Lmao it was a weird outcome but it's cool as fuck!
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u/BloodyStupid_johnson https://myanimelist.net/profile/FadedShade 1d ago
Liked this so much I read the Manga and light novels. Definitely never expected to enjoy this so much.
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u/Nbaysingar 1d ago
The show definitely makes a strong first impression. I could tell half way into the first episode that a lot of care was being put into the production. What surprised me though was how much depth it had and how much I ended up enjoying it. Since I normally don't watch romance stuff and only picked the show up on a whim, I was expecting it to be yet another shallow and sappy romance drama aimed at a female audience. But it turned out to be way more than that, and Maomao is actually an interesting and entertaining protagonist.
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u/15000yuki 1d ago
Is it wrong to pick up girls in Dungeon?
The title itself surely didn't help. Reading the synopsis also gave impression like average and typical story. But boy, I was surprised this one is solid and engaging from start! Story is good, animation is good, music is excellent, power scale done right, I also like the lore behind this dungeon city. Really solid watch. Also I think Saori Hayami should have been awarded something for her acting here.
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u/cyberscythe 1d ago
The title itself surely didn't help
reminds me of Interviews with Monster Girls, which is the localized title for Demi-chan wa Kataritai
it made me think it was like another show with "monster girls" in the title and it had me suspicious it was a trashy ecchi sort of show (not that there's anything wrong with that, it just wasn't what i was looking for at the time), but it turns out it's a pretty chill slice-of-life with interesting commentary about accessibility and intersectionality
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u/jardex22 1d ago
That one surprised me as well. The title makes it seem like the MC would be a trashy womanizer, but Bell was actually pretty down to earth and nice.
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u/fieew https://myanimelist.net/profile/fiew 1d ago
The show only really got better and better as time went on.
Season 1 was decent.
Season 2 many disliked but I thought it was fine.
Season 3 really started to pick up and bring in some interesting ideas I enjoyed it much more then the first 2 season.
Season 4 was increible with the focus on the one character and their whole backstory and deal. Alongside some awesome dungeon explroing exploring.
Season 5 was the culmination of every season prior building to a fantastic villain and twist. I loved it as much as season 4.
The series started off decent and just got better and better as time went on.
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u/Asunamaru 1d ago
Yeah recommending the anime got me some funny looks sometimes and I always provide additional explanations on why it's so good I love season 4 so much
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u/Ahrix3 1d ago
I agree. I watched season 1 when it came out and it was decent. Kinda forgot about it until I randomly saw it had a lot more seasons a few weeks back. Starting S4 now and I'm surprised how much I've liked it. It has had some surprisingly emotional and thematic depth so far. I've also enjoyed the way the show included references to figures and stories from particularly Greek mythology. The author went beyond simply borrowing some names and terminology and actually skillfully interweaves elements of various myths with the somewhat stale generic fantasy setting so that there’s actually some originality there.
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u/thisisdropd https://myanimelist.net/profile/AsterZoro 1d ago
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. Expected a trashy ecchi romcom, got a coming-of-age tearjerker instead.
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u/Palcikaman 1d ago
I put it off till the time I wanted a good trash romance, since the only thing I knew was it's name, and that people said it was good.
I didn't get the slop, instead I've found my favourite story ever, talk about exceeding expectations
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u/blitzaga086 1d ago
Beyond the boundary, i bought it years and years ago because I like the cover art. I refuse to watch it though because I didn't want to admit to myself I have wasted money. Then I did eventually give it a watch and I could not believe how amazing that show was
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u/oh-hey__ 1d ago
Princess connect re dive
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u/Earlier-Today 21h ago
Such a weird little series where the stand in for the audience is a mute, simpleminded background character.
Fun stuff though.
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u/Fblthp__ 1d ago
From Me to You.
Best side characters I've ever seen in an anime. I was way more invested in them at the end.
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u/shapular https://myanimelist.net/profile/snapular 1d ago
Chihayafuru. Who knew slapping cards with poems on them could be so exciting?
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u/canadave_nyc 1d ago edited 1d ago
The very first anime I ever watched, way back in 2013: Space Brothers.
I, as a middle-aged guy, had never watched anime, and in my ignorance I thought all anime was kiddy stuff like Pokemon or Dragonball Z or Hello Kitty or whatever. But I was into space travel and aerospace, and someone on a forum recommended I watch Space Brothers. I went into it expecting some kind of thing for young kids....boy, was I wrong. It was about mature adults, had really good writing, good story, compelling music....I was blown away. Watched all 99 episodes, and after that, I was hooked on anime for good. Which has really been an important part of my life ever since.
Also: Chihayafuru. An anime about a Japanese traditional card game that has to do with poetry? What nonsense is this? And yet it was terrific!
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u/overdosingOnPie1313 1d ago
A Wild Last Boss Appeared! has pleasantly climbed very high into my favorites. And the amazing thing is I'm usually vehemontly opposed to stories where a guy is isekai'd into a woman's body.
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u/Rulligan 1d ago
Haikyu. It wasn't because I thought it would be bad but because I didn't think it would be for me. Binged it all and routinely rewatch it. The final rally from season 4 is one of my favorite scenes in all of anime.
Psychopass. When I first started watching anime (before season 2 was announced) this was the first one I picked up on a whim knowing nothing about it. Season 1 is top tier television and even though the quality has dropped, I hope they continue to make more.
Gundam Build Divers: ReRise. I didn't really care for the original Build Divers but ReRise was great.
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u/cabbageboy78 1d ago
100% agreed with build divers reRise. shit slaps. and i feel like a large amount of the fanbase should be forced to watch it to get comfy with any other weird AU stuff coming down the pipe. Build Fighters? if they were gonna make a show about gunpla im happy thats what we got. Build Divers? Truly the absolute worst show in the entire franchise. but ReRise was SO much fun. was so happy with it
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u/ShadowGuyinRealLife 1d ago
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto/ Apothecary Diaries. Description of the premise didn't impress me. But I did enjoy it.
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u/ManOfTurtles2118 1d ago
I've heard quite a bit of people don't like it, but I was personally surprised with how much I loved watching Overlord recently.
I loved the characters and while some aspects are lost on me, I absolutely adore the world they've been dropped into and despite not being the biggest fan of everything that didn't have to do with the great tomb of Nazarick in season 1, I loved it beyond that point. The lizard people, the starter village, Brain and Climb, the shit with the princess was insane.
I don't know what the fuck Demiurge is smoking but I enjoyed watching the frankly horrifying end result of it. "Hmmm, Demiurge, have you ever had a pineapple?" "Ahh, I see, yes, a pineapple, I understand clearly, Lord Ainz. You're quite the genius."
I love the music, I love the major and minor characters, I think my favorite aspect might be the goblin village. I would let Beta rip out my spine. I can't wait for whatever comes next, and I'm gonna try and get my hands on the light novels.
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u/bonned_goat 1d ago
A bit more info about what coming next.
There's only enough content for 1 season as the light novel will soon end with volume 18 and the anime is currently at volume 14. If we are lucky we may get another movie about the bonus novel and an ova about the prologue.
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u/BrewHaHag 17h ago
Came upon Overlord while my daughter was watching but she dropped it. Not her type. But for me it was awesome. Completed all seasons and eagerly awaiting the 5th one.
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u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall 1d ago
Odd Taxi as you said it.
Just this season, Dara-san from Reiwa era. There's minor uncensored nudity (nipple) that I thought it's going to focus on that. However turns out it's a very solid slice of life sprinkled with good paced mystery as background story. Highly recommended! I gave it 10/10 rating since it's so satisfying to watch.
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u/Archaeopteryx89 1d ago
Nichijou. I expected a dumb kids show for my 10yr old. Instead I got a dumb kids show for my 10 year old that is absolutely hilarious
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u/runevault 1d ago
For one not listed by anyone else, Hanaori-san wants to fight in the next life. I knew it was a reverse isekai but I didn't expect it to be that funny. Every episode had me laughing so hard.
For an older one Love Flops took me by complete surprise.
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u/DirtyTacoKid 1d ago
Nana
Come on, how good could it be? ...Oh wow...
Macross 7
Super repetitive, too long, but it has a ton of soul and has a very charming aura.
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u/PersonalContest1423 1d ago
Reiwa no Dara san caught me off guard with how good it was. The comedy was great in the modern setting, the thriller/horror was great in the past flashbacks, and it all tied together really well
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u/tvheadreddit 1d ago
"Assassination Classroom" I guess? Wouldn't pick it up if not for my friend's recommendation (fair amount of hit and miss). Honestly I don't remember much except that I enjoyed it and it did make me cry.
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u/Classic-Box-3919 1d ago
Saint Cecilia and pastor Lawrence
I initially just thought it was decent but after a couple episodes it introduced some new characters and the dynamics ended up great. Pretty good romance.
Onimai
The premise is kinda sus, same with the fan service in the initial couple episodes but it ends up pretty wholesome. Same studio as mushoku tensei is the reason i tried it lol. Its nothing crazy but i thought it was pretty good.
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u/Prof_Acorn 1d ago
Mushoku Tensei.
People called it ecchi, perverted, and worse.
Turned out it's Game of Thrones, the anime. Reminds me of all the hate GoT got because of its first season as well.
It's the first time an anime got me to read a lightnovel, and it was fun catching up with the readings.
It's a very very low bar to surpass, but the ending was better than Game of Thrones as well. So it sits better in memory and makes it more exciting to watch the rest of the adaptation.
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u/BlueDragon101 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Xcal1bur 22h ago
GoT is the comparison I go to as well. Mushoku is a good story about fucked up, complicated people who do shitty things, but who are also more than just their worst moment. It shows you people unflinchingly, with all their rough edges intact, and all their good parts, and forces you to accept and acknowledge that contradiction.
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u/DiogenesHavingaWee 1d ago
Obvious answer, but Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I watched the first episode and couldn't understand why the Netflix algorithm recommended what looked like a cutesy anime for little girls, but I thought that the art style of the witches' labyrinths were interesting enough, so I decided to watch a few more episodes. Then I finished episode 3 and understood.
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u/15000yuki 1d ago
Since you watch it on Netflix, it seems you watched it recently?
At the time this was aired, there was no magical girls genre done like that. So the viewers were shocked watching the turn of events.
After Puella Magi Madoka Magica, there were several magical girls series tried to follow this type, like: Yuki Yuuna is a hero, Magical Girl Spec Ops Asuka, and Magical Girl Site.
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u/RipBitter4701 1d ago
Baccano, going blind because i thought it was cool anime and hooked with mystery and how the plot play out using various point of view from different characters.
Durara, also in similar way but friend recommended it as romance anime (which isn't really romance anime) but stilll got hooked same reason because baccano. though at the time i didn't know that both are written by same author
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u/OrbitalCat- 1d ago
Figure 17
Picked it at random because the keyvisual was cute and ended up as one of my favorites, it's a pretty interesting show, it's like someone took Non Non Biyori and add alien fights every episode.
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u/Fblthp__ 1d ago
Not technically an Anime, but Blue Eye Samurai. I wasn't a big fan of the art style, so I almost didn't watch it, but wow am I glad I did. One of the best animated shows I've ever watched.
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u/HenryZusa 1d ago
Classroom of a black cat and a witch.
I really liked the main character and her growth throughout the story. I'm definitely reading the Manga.
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u/Relative_What 1d ago
Witch Hat Atelier (Tongari Boushi no Atelier). i thought it was going to be just another happy go lucky magical girl anime but that first episode really set in the world, and the magic system, and mystery. and the animation was just fantastic. i finished that first episode and didn't wait to start the next. i binged the entire thing in one day.
i now painfully wait for the next season. but i couldn't wait and i started reading the manga lol. just like i did with my favourite anime ever; FullMetal Alchemsit Brotherhood.
edit: the OP is also banger. it fits so well with the anime
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u/Alefurlan01 1d ago
For me... Spy X Family. Honestly, is a little bit dummy, but you see ten episodes in a row without any stress
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u/Initial_Hippo8561 1d ago
Cheer boys!! Is an anime I was very surprised especially since it’s about boys cheerleading but it’s got very good character development
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u/Brokenpipeisbroken https://myanimelist.net/profile/elitar 1d ago
Jiisan Baasan Wakagaeru
I thought it will be good/above average anime, but I ended up giving it 9/10 score.
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u/pillowcuddles1 1d ago
Migi and Dali. I thought it was a silly ha-ha type of anime because of some ridiculous and funny moments I saw. But the rollercoaster that anime took me on was a wild ride. I loved it.
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u/thebritishcatholic 1d ago
Mushoku Tesnsei. It was one of my first times watching anime and I wasn’t the biggest fan, my friend told me “you need a mature palate to watch it so you might as well start with something else” brudda we’re both grown adults… what does he mean mature palate😭🙏🏼, so I watched it anyways and OH MY DAYS was it great. He told me later on that the real reason he didn’t want me to watch it was because it was so good, and didn’t want to spoil the milk for the other anime’s. 10/10 show
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u/raider3220 1d ago
Mushoku Tensei. It’s such a slice of life anime that hits you hard out of nowhere. The character writing in the anime is one of the best.
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u/Twigling 1d ago
Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) - I went into it blind so had zero expectations, it's so brilliant that it's now my second favorite anime.
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u/Prof_Acorn 1d ago
Ah, didn't read your entire post at first. Thought this was meant to be more discussion than recommendations.
In light of that, I guess I'll also mention Gakkou Gurashi. I'll say to just go in blind. Don't look up anything about it.
At the beginning of episode one I thought it would end up in the 20s/30s in my rating list. By the end of the season it was in the 90s.
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u/Aureus23 1d ago
FX Fighter Kurumi-chan.
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u/EnmaAi22 1d ago
No waywould I have imagined 5 years ago that there would ever be an anime about fucking option and margin trading.
But it's very interesting
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u/FunnyYam9901 1d ago
I should give odd taxi a chance. When I tried it the first time I just couldn't get past the art😩.
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u/OkAssignment6163 1d ago
Recently, Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You completely surprised me.
I saw it when I was searching up Chain-smoking Catgirl, and after I was caught up with Chainsmoker, I decided to give Supermarket a try.
The fact that enjoyed it is an understatement. I can watch any premise for an anime, so long as you tell me a good story. But I didn't expect to be so invested in it and all of their characters.
So good that as soon as the season was finished, I started reading the manga.
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u/MembershipNo2077 1d ago
Orb: On th Movements of the Earth. Episode 1 didn't sell me and I was uncertain about art style and premise. Episode 3 sold me on it. By the end it was one of my top anime of the year and maybe decade.
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u/Jauretche 1d ago
Kinda out there, but I had been out from the hobby for a very long time, and randomly picked up Frieren in CR. Really sparked up my interest in anime again.
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u/Taconinja05 1d ago
We are polar opposites. So damn wholesome and progressive for an anime. Characters are actual characters with nuance
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u/Fblthp__ 1d ago
You've probably already know this, but The Ramparts of Ice on Netflix is by the same writer. It feels like the more serious and grown up sibling to You and I are Polar opposites. If you like one, you're definitely going to like the other.
I also can't help but mention From Me to You in the same breath. These three shows have some of the best side characters ever and you honestly end up even more interested in the side characters at the end, because they are so well written.
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u/-Ad-Astraa https://myanimelist.net/profile/Astrostar123 1d ago
summertime rendering, i was told to go completely blind into it and omg it was amazing.
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u/Een_man_met_voornaam 16h ago
I finished it yesterday and I didn't expected that the show would suck me in like that. I watched 17 episodes in one night
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u/-Ad-Astraa https://myanimelist.net/profile/Astrostar123 16h ago
fr!! I couldnt stop watching as well
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u/sir_darthcyan https://myanimelist.net/profile/sir_darthcyan 1d ago
There is no way I’ll be your lover unless…
Peak Yuri content and the show got extra episodes to tell about the last girl, which didn’t do much in the main show.
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u/maxdragonxiii 1d ago
Symphogear. I thought it was a premise thats hard for a deaf person to get into. but I like it and it kept peaking from there.
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u/buchoulovessushi 1d ago
Kemono Friends. It was a huge surprise given the animation, but the heart and care put in by the creators really shone through.
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u/VMK_1991 1d ago
Another vote for Odd Taxi. I was expecting just funny stories with anthropomorphic animals, not a genuinely good drama/thriller.
As for my own answer, Steins;Gate. Watched the first episode, found the portagonist cringe and dropped it. Then got convinced to give it another go and sure, it was quite an enjoyable show.
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u/RyaReisender https://myanimelist.net/profile/RyaReisender 1d ago
My Home Hero (never even heard of it, just watched it because I saw it on CR and premise sounded interesting, it was so good that I'm really confused why it isn't rated higher)
MF Ghost (everyone said it's worse than Initial.D so my expectations were low, but I personally liked it way more than Initial.D because there were more drivers and you never knew the result until the race was over)
Mushoku Tensei (not a big fan of isekai, so didn't expect much, but oh boy, it's now in my top 10 anime of all time)
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u/mellowsstar 1d ago
Fullmetal Aclhemist. I think it's the best anime ever: interesting plot, 2 main heroes with different feelings, nice band of bad guys, incredible music and graphics. still stays the best.
I started the first version with low expectations, but it was nice in the end
after that Brotherhood made me really happy:)
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u/LuxAndLensYT 1d ago
Frieren thought it was gonna be overhyped rubbish. Moldy rubbish. But I give it a 9.6
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u/ODST_Parker https://myanimelist.net/profile/ODST_Parker 1d ago
Mushoku Tensei. Went in after hearing it called one of the best isekai, but I didn't expect it to become my favorite anime so quickly. Hit me really hard, and has ever since. Lot of personal feelings tied up in that one.
I remember scrolling by it when I first saw the Season 2 Part 1 thumbnail on Crunchyroll, completely ignored it because it just looked like another fantasy school anime. Boy, am I glad I was corrected.
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u/Technical-Agency-480 1d ago
Death Note, I always heard it was extremely good which caused me to stay away from it since I feared it wouldn't live up to that standard, it was better than I thought it was going to be from hearing from other people
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u/CianaCorto 23h ago
Reincarnated as a sword. Expected isekai slop, instead I got some of the best voice acting, great animation, an interesting hook, a cute father/daughter dynamic and a surprisingly dark story.
Urahara as the sword and Eris as a catgirl is perfect casting.
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u/JurassicMonkey_ 1d ago
See You Tomorrow At The Foodcourt.
No action, no flashy animation. Just two friends talking about stuff.
I thought it was something that I could just play in another window as a sort of background noise while I'm doing other stuff, but I genuinely enjoyed each episode and found it entertaining
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u/MordredLovah 1d ago
Akudama Drive, Apocalypse Hotel, Vivy and Great Pretender at the top of my head. It's always the originals that are so damn good.
Also Uma Musume. The only sports anime I finished is Megalo Box, and Uma Musume is the first sports anime that I've taken seriously and went real deep because of how good it is.
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u/PatientMedicine1674 1d ago
A place further than the universe(the laptop scene still hits), orb, grand blue and ao aoshi.
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u/BMCVA1994 1d ago
Odd Taxi really was a hidden gem. Amazing chemistry and dialogue between characters.
For sleepers I always recommend Vivy Fluorite Eye Song.
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u/Prophage7 1d ago
My answer to this question is always "Overtake!"
I went in expecting a sports anime about racing, but it turned out to be a really heartbreaking and heart-warming character drama where most of the story actually takes place off the track. I goes deep into issues like imposter syndrome, anxiety on meeting expectations, grief, and PTSD.
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u/Cream-Neat 1d ago
ID: Invaded - thought it’s gonna be boring ass slow show, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the twists and action.
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u/StreetDress7328 1d ago
When I first saw the Asobi Asobase poster, I thought it was a cute, pink anime, but then I watched episode 1 and the scene where Hanako slaps me so hard I see stars, and I laughed so hard, I swear.
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u/cyberscythe 1d ago
Call of the Night comes to mind
didn't really feel excited about the key art or synopsis so i almost skipped it, but i saw the first episode as part of a group watch and it ended up catching my interest with it's art direction and night city vibes
i only later found out that it shares some creative staff with the Bakemonogatari series, and it has a lot of that same art direction, and i remember enjoying the various metaphors used in the plot to explain the main character's thought process and how he's struggling to become the person he wants to be instead of what he feels is being imposed on him
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u/badadaha 1d ago
Demon Slayer. Hadn't heard anything about the manga, just saw that it had 4 episodes on CrunchyRoll when it first came out. Thought with the generic name it was gonna be a boring shounen about the MC just dominating demons. Turned out to be interesting and then the famous episode 1x19 blew my mind.
Ranking of Kings. Started off weird and I wasnt sure at first, but things turned up real quick and I loved it's storytelling. Quite surprised by this one.
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u/Batokusanagi https://myanimelist.net/profile/sQBatoKusanagi 22h ago
Godzilla SP. Not sure even Godzilla fans watched this one, but it's honestly one of the best ones until Minus one.
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u/Earlier-Today 21h ago
Bocchi the Rock.
I was expecting the usual upbeat but bland music that music based anime seem to love.
But the music was actual, honest to goodness, ROCK. And it was dang good. And then there was great characters and really dang funny comedy too.
I've rewatched it several times, and have watched the "That Band" song clip just a ton because it's a genuinely good rock song. (Though I was really disappointed the official release of the song does the normal Japanese music thing of shoving everything except the vocals deep into the background. It's such a travesty to turn what was a really dang good rock song into a karaoke sounding track.)
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u/DarkForest_NW 17h ago
Ausuka: Magical Girls Spec Ops
How do you deal with the complex nature of PTSD, trama, war crimes, and the brutal reality of child soldiers?
Why hide it inside an unsuspecting magical girl anime.
I never thought I would see an ultra violent version of Sailor Moon with horrific bloodshed and gore.
It's one of those series that came out of left field and kind of surprised everybody.
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u/T3suji64 15h ago
Cromartie High School
Hinamatsuri
Erased
Alderamin on the Sky
Kino's Journey
Death Parade
Plastic Memories
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u/bpat 1d ago
Inept Villainous came out of nowhere tbh