Good anime with bad start

There is actually a lot of examples of this:

Pet doesn't get good until the second half, but it gets REALLY good in the second half.

I think jujutsu kaisen has a terrible pilot, it's probably my least favourite episode in the entire show. It's so clearly just trying to sell you on the premise. It puts the idea of the story, before the structure of it.

Undead unlock, is pretty similar in that regard, but for this one the problem goes past episode 1. it actually doesn't go away, the show just slowly carves an identity out of it, and starts to make it a strength instead by the end.

Hell's paradise's biggest selling point, which is the island, doesn't show up until episode 3, making the first 2 episodes, the worst ones in the series



If I was to ever jump off a cliff, this wouldn't be the main reason for it. but it would be in the short list of reasons for not understanding or losing hope for the rest of humanity.

Perhaps you should try a different cliff?

@SimplyBrazen Maybe I'm dumb but I have been looking at this for 2 minutes, and I literally can't tell what this means in this context.

I can't even tell if it's an insult, a joke, or what.

Good thing with bad start does not exist, every single good anime and TV show started very well, they might get better later, but they were good in the beginning.

@Phosphophyllita

There are 3 possible explanations for why you think this:

1. you have not seen Bojack Horseman

2. You have poor taste and don't think Bojack Horseman is good

3. You are way too generous and think the first episode of Bojack Horseman is good

For me Kaguya-Sama's premise of "Love is War" between the 2 main characters was so unbearable at the start to the point where I was considering to drop it within the first few episodes. It felt like they were gaslighting themselves into liking each other, and somehow fully confident that the other person was into them. Since it was such a popular and highly rated romcom, I decided to commit to half a season at least. Especially because I wanted to branch out to other genres like romance at the time.

I'm glad I stuck with it because it only got better from that point onwards, and by the end of the first season I started finding the main couple's interactions enjoyable as well. It gradually went from a 3/10 to a 8/10 within the first season, and the 3rd season was a 9/10 for me.

@Oioioioi1234

"It felt like they were gaslighting themselves into liking each other, and somehow fully confident that the other person was into them."
That's exactly what they were doing. isnt that the whole premise of the show?

I wouldn't say completely sucked, cuz if they did i would've dropped them lol

But first eps that didn't look so promising but ended up leading to 10/10 anime

- Hunter x Hunter (1999)
- Shiki
- Orange
- Oshi no Ko
- Souso no Frieren

Natsu no Arashi!'s first episode is nonsensical and the story doesn't start till episode 2, plus, it spoils some of the stuff you should have known later. Chronologically it is the last episode of the season.

Yuri Kuma Arashi's first episode is way too random and throws you in the story without any explanaition till freaking episode 4.

Suzumiya Haruhi's first (broadcast) episode also makes no sense without the context, which chronologically would be episode 25.

Higurashi's first episode, while it makes sense it's by far the blandest one.

All of them I have rated 8 or higher.

I only tried this show in the first place because I was told it has a better start than 2011. But I actually like episode 1 of HxH 2011...