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Anime where "It gets better" actually paid off.

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Sep 5, 5:59 PM
#1

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Jun 2017
6489
For me:

Ergo Proxy. I hated the first 10 episodes or so. But i stuck with it cause i paid a pretty penny for the dvd and by halfway it started to get better
My waifu is the most wonderful waifu. Mai Valentine.

We're freaking out that we're running out of time, but to do what? Should i stop and think of that? Is there something i could do to slow it down? Live in a day for once, instead of watch it sprinting by
Sep 5, 6:03 PM
#2
BIKINI⚔️ARMOR

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May 2019
10083
JoJo's Bizzare Adventure, it only gets better.
Sep 5, 6:04 PM
#3

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Feb 2021
4665
I think steins;gate gets boring literally after the first episode until

Only then does it get interesting.
"Nobody could laugh at someone who's trying their hardest" -Machio-

Sep 5, 6:17 PM
#4

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Sep 2018
14193
Tsuna Reborn is my top pick. It starts out a comedy that is ok, but turns into a peak battle shounen with a big solid cast.
Sep 5, 6:25 PM
#5

Online
Dec 2021
3930
If I say Clannad, then that'd require the asterisk that "It gets better... but After Story might ruin it all for you".

Of course Urusei Yatsura, as I've mentioned a ton here, is honestly pretty bad for the first 6 episodes (With a rare good moment here or there).



It gets significantly better after that. Way, way way way better. The remake doesn't have this issue at all... though it does lose some of the romance.
Sep 5, 6:48 PM
#6

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Jan 2020
864
The Dangers in My Heart: First 3 episodes were rough, but it gets a lot better after that. This is another best romcom I've watched, besides Love is War.
Sep 5, 10:15 PM
#7

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Nov 2021
2449
One piece for sure, it has its highs and lows. There are stretches where the story becomes absolutely amazing, but then there are other points where it dips in quality again and feels dragged out.

Akatsuki no Yona season 1 of the anime was just okay, it set up the characters and the world well enough, but it didn’t leave a huge impact. However, when I continued with the manga, the later arcs completely won me over
Sep 5, 10:19 PM
#8

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Jul 2021
10315
Hell Girl. It starts very formulaic before it gets awesome.
TheBlockernator said:
Ergo Proxy. I hated the first 10 episodes or so. But i stuck with it cause i paid a pretty penny for the dvd and by halfway it started to get bette

I have to strongly disagree, the beginning of that was good, and then it fell apart when they left the city, then it became really boring and quite weird.
Anti-aliasing enthusiast
Sep 5, 10:43 PM
#9

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Mar 2025
29
Dangers in my heart, first episodes were not much comedy and not much romance but it got better. Also less people talk about it, 'Love flops', it fist looked like a harem show but after 6th ep it was dark, loved it there. Similarly TBHK, it looks all funny in first season but it gets dark and serious in next seasons.
Sep 5, 11:11 PM

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Feb 2024
455
Date A Live, it was a typical harem at first with a slight twist, but it evolved into a much better story after season 2.
Sep 5, 11:12 PM

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Sep 2016
20910
SAO got much better in the 3rd season, it paid off.
Yesterday, 12:01 AM

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Aug 2021
19
Reply to Daviljoe193
If I say Clannad, then that'd require the asterisk that "It gets better... but After Story might ruin it all for you".

Of course Urusei Yatsura, as I've mentioned a ton here, is honestly pretty bad for the first 6 episodes (With a rare good moment here or there).



It gets significantly better after that. Way, way way way better. The remake doesn't have this issue at all... though it does lose some of the romance.
@Daviljoe193

Always thinking of the BBC version: “You….. got a bun in your oven.”
I’m on your crops
Yesterday, 12:10 AM

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Oct 2020
963
Gintama. Around 10-15 eps that is really where I gained the interest of the comedy arcs, as I patiently watched for the famed "serious" arcs. At the end, it paid off beautifully.


 "Hard work is worthless for those that don’t believe in themselves" - Naruto Uzumaki
Yesterday, 12:28 AM

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Feb 2014
4946
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS is extremely weird structurally, the first 3-4 episodes might cause you physical pain on how repetitive and "Nothing really happens" they are, and the show only starts getting good around episode 8 (And only REALLY good when the Numbers and Vivio appear).
Then you start having episodes where EVERYTHING happens, we're introduced to a fuckton of characters and they're all so fucking cool.

I wrote in my review that it feels like it wants to be "the last arc of a long-running shounen", but without having all the other ones, so the result is that you have around 8 episodes of training arcs and then amazing stuff starts to happen.
Yesterday, 12:29 AM

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Feb 2014
4946
Reply to Zarutaku
SAO got much better in the 3rd season, it paid off.
@Zarutaku
Funny, I'm the guy who usually defends SAO's S1 and S2, but I find Alicization atrocious.
Might you share what you like in it?
Yesterday, 12:45 AM

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Sep 2016
20910
Reply to thewiru
@Zarutaku
Funny, I'm the guy who usually defends SAO's S1 and S2, but I find Alicization atrocious.
Might you share what you like in it?
@thewiru It feels more real, not like a game anymore.
Yesterday, 1:11 AM

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Aug 2024
524
That's usually battle shounen for me. Reborn, YYH and Bleaching get substantially better once their first bigger arcs start. Unfortunately this takes more than just a few episodes/chapters.
Yesterday, 1:27 AM

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Feb 2022
2946
Nageki no bourei ga pero~ shitai is one.
Yesterday, 2:12 AM

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Apr 2024
1336
Dungeon Meshi takes about 12 episodes to get good.
Planetes: 9 episodes.
Urusei Yatsura: ~40 episodes, but then it just keeps getting better.
Yesterday, 2:26 AM
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Apr 2023
186
I have zero examples of it in my anime experience. Of course there is some show which started at 3-4/10 and finished at 6-7/10 or started at 6-7 and finished at 9-10, but no one anime which started bad/really bad wasn't finished to be amazing to me in the end))
Yesterday, 2:39 AM
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Aug 2024
445
ONE PEAK IS GOOD FROM EPISODE 1. WAKE UP.
Yesterday, 4:10 PM

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Dec 2012
9962
Since I have no examples of series I didn't like getting good, I'll have to go with series I liked that improved:

Kiddy Grade-The main story hits around the middle of the series when


Witch Hunter Robin-Starts out as a case of the week show until
KruszerYesterday, 4:22 PM
"The name's Gambit. Remember it."
-Gambit "X-Men '97"

Yesterday, 4:22 PM

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Jul 2015
13487
Black Clover is a very good example. It had a rocky start, that shown little promise. People found Asta's constant screaming and overal voice especially annoying mostly because it was his VA's literally first role and he was still learning. Thankfully, things got better.
Yesterday, 4:30 PM
scientia exitus

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Mar 2020
6231
^ definitely Black Clover indeed. But unfortunately it kind of takes 10 or even 20 episodes before it "gets good". Let's just say though if you absolutely despise those first episodes, then probably it wouldn't have been for you at all.

But if you like didn't MIND or just thought they were MID, then I'd say definitely keep watching.

The big turn-off for a lot of people IS all of Asta's yelling. But iirc most of said yelling is in the first arcs. He tones down considerably as it goes on, and as he becomes more mature, you could say.


NYANPASU
whiskey tango foxtrot

Yesterday, 5:30 PM

Offline
Apr 2023
1546
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

I had a hard time getting into Stardust Crusaders with the new power system out of the blue, and Jotaro was a dick. I dropped it for a bit but my friends were telling me it gets better, so I listened to them. And...yeah, they were right. I am a proud JoJo fan to this day.

I'd argue One Piece as well, but that's more subjective.
If I had to choose between One Piece and a girlfriend...I think I'll go with One Piece
Yesterday, 5:41 PM

Offline
Jul 2013
302
Kingdom, and it was twofold, the first 4 episodes or so of the show actually saw me dropping the show for a while because I thought the pacing was going to suck. When I picked it back up the plot started to actually speed up which got me to watch the first season, despite the abysmal cg. Once you get to the second season though, and increasingly every season thereafter, the animation gets a huge boost, and the show quickly became a cult favorite of mine that I highly recommend.
Yesterday, 9:20 PM

Offline
Aug 2014
4266
Only two animes come to mind = School Days and Nagi No Asukara (A Lull In The Sea)



School Days basically since it was a deconstruction of the rom-com genre.

It started dull and forgettable in the first 3-to-5 episodes, and then it became something much more unique

Now, whether you like the morals of it or not is a different topic



As for Nagi No Asukara (A Lull In The Sea), the first half (the first 12-13 episodes) were just child drama and meh.

But then there was a timeskip after the events of episode 13, and it became a unique experience.




Those are honestly the only two animes that started meh nor anything special, but became something unique if you stuck around with it.
Today, 4:23 AM

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Jul 2014
7286
So glad I stuck with Jujutsu Kaisen. Wasn't all that impressed during the first couple of episodes but I was hooked by around episode 10 or so.
Take care of yourself

12 hours ago

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May 2018
12297
"Anime where "It gets better" actually paid off."

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood comes to mind.

Also Fate/Zero is example of "the retroactively made prequel is better".

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