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Anime that could've been one of your favorites

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Oct 28, 8:23 PM
#1
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Feb 2022
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What are some titles you would consider almost made it to your favorites list, but were held back to certain flaws. For me, it would be Mushoku Tensei without a doubt. Had all the makings for a great fantasy show that I would adore, but the creepy pdf protagonist ruins every scene he is in. What are yours?
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Oct 28, 8:27 PM
#2
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Oct 2019
1975
Monster
Apothecary diaries
Frieren
Just to name them just because I rate them high and highly enjoy them and recommend them doesn't mean that they speak to me on the fundamental level which is for what I keep my favorite for.
Oct 28, 9:51 PM
#3

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Mar 2021
478
Naruto almost had everything to be my favorite series of all time, but it didn't really realize its full potential. Still loved it tho
DOSS300Oct 29, 6:14 PM
Oct 28, 10:18 PM
#4

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Dec 2021
2604
Touch... mostly because it was one of my favorites, until it wasn't. Still feel gross for removing it, just to make space for something else.



I love being a free-tier user, and having to play "musical chairs, but one of the chairs is secretly an electric chair" with my faves all the time.
Daviljoe193Oct 28, 10:54 PM
'Say the line, Bart' meme, but with Suiseiseki saying 'NTHE''Here it comes' meme, but with a tornado containing 'Near Term Human Extinction'
Oct 28, 10:19 PM
#5
Tomato

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Feb 2020
97568
Pretty much every anime that I have rated a 9/10.
Oct 28, 10:31 PM
#6

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May 2018
887
Cowboy Bebop... I love it. I really do. Including the ending. But I just thought if it was twice as long and included more character depth (backstory + development) it would have been a proper 10/10.
can't yuck my yum




Oct 28, 10:32 PM
#7

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Jun 2016
2996
Agent AIka - It should have been longer and more fleshed-out. Najica Blitz Tactics takes places in the same universe and got it perfect.
Aishite Knight/Rock n Roll Kids - I remember really wanting to rate this a 10, but for some reason I couldn't and it was so long ago that I forgot why. I'll probably give it a rewatch at some point.
Mitsudomoe - I thought about it, but Kodomo no Jikan was much better.
Mirai Nikki/Future Diary - I found one of Yukiteru's friends really annoying.
Seven Deadly Sins - The first season was actually really good, but after that it gradually went downhill and became shit when they introduced the "power level" garbage.
A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun - Again, first seasons were really good but each season after got progressively worse (Espeically with Magical Index. Scientific Railgun's later seasons, while not as good as the first, were still decent).
Oct 28, 10:52 PM
#8

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Jan 2021
226
half of the anime i have rated an 8. they dont necessarily have any flaws; they just didnt resonate with me as deeply as some others. i mean, i still havent even managed to complete my favourite list.

Migi... Handle the defence.
Oct 28, 10:54 PM
#9
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Feb 2022
197
Reply to Notoshin
half of the anime i have rated an 8. they dont necessarily have any flaws; they just didnt resonate with me as deeply as some others. i mean, i still havent even managed to complete my favourite list.
@Notoshin Interesting. Well would you say an anime that is flawed, but resonated with you deeply is more likely to end up on your favorites list then?
Oct 28, 11:13 PM

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Jul 2023
352
Reply to ShuisBased2
@Notoshin Interesting. Well would you say an anime that is flawed, but resonated with you deeply is more likely to end up on your favorites list then?
I know it wasn't my question, but Evangelion is just like that for me. It has its flaws but its themes and atmosphere sucked me in, as well as the characters. It got an 8 from me but I still put it in my favorites
Oct 28, 11:23 PM

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Jan 2021
226
Reply to ShuisBased2
@Notoshin Interesting. Well would you say an anime that is flawed, but resonated with you deeply is more likely to end up on your favorites list then?
@ShuisBased2 hmm

i guess so. themes, characters and emotional impact can often overshadow any flaws an anime might have. i mean almost every anime has its imperfections, whether theyre minor or significant. so its the personal connection that matters in the end

hopefully i answered the question properly lmao i should be sleeping rn

Migi... Handle the defence.
Oct 28, 11:38 PM
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Jun 2024
2417
The Daughter of twenty faces I love this anime the only flaw is that I wish that Chiko would continue as a thief to find Twenty faces than go back to Japan and what happen there.
MyCandies:
Oct 28, 11:45 PM

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Nov 2021
2089
https://myanimelist.net/anime/7588/Saraiya_Goyou?q=House%20of%20the%20five%20leaves&cat=anime

I disliked the ending but rest of the anime is pretty good. Ending made me lower the score from 9 to 6 or 7
Oct 28, 11:49 PM

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Sep 2023
104
tokyo ghoul..1st two season were 9/10..
then this shit comes out named tokyo ghoul :re ..
Oct 29, 12:17 AM

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Dec 2023
56
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

I give it a 9.9/10

It could have been one of my favourites if it had slightly excited me more than it did.
DGottemOct 29, 12:23 AM
Oct 29, 1:27 AM
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Feb 2022
197
Reply to DGottem
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

I give it a 9.9/10

It could have been one of my favourites if it had slightly excited me more than it did.
@DGottem really? what could it have done to excite you more then? I'm curious
Oct 29, 1:39 AM

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Jan 2021
5474
A lot of romance anime like Giji harem. Its good but dry at some point.
Jujutsu Kaisen. Enjoyable but flawed. Not the best explained power system and everything after the Gojo vs sukuna was trash.
If you enjoyed the time you wasted, then its not a waste of time.

Oct 29, 2:21 AM

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Sep 2018
4440
Kodomo no Omocha, because the anime original fillers starting from episode 67 are nowhere near as good as what came before. If only MAL split s1 and s2 I could have at least added the first season to my favs, but they aired without a break.
Oct 29, 2:21 AM

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Jul 2021
8222
Great Pretender. They messed up the ending, it was way over the top, rather disappointing.
This dance is the pinnacle of human achievement.
Oct 29, 2:23 AM

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Dec 2023
56
Reply to ShuisBased2
@DGottem really? what could it have done to excite you more then? I'm curious
@ShuisBased2
I can't think of anything. The show is pretty solid, after all.

Looking back, I realize the show has the qualities of a 10/10. However, I trust my past decisions and feelings. At the time, I felt it was a 9 so it will stay that way.
Oct 29, 2:35 AM

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Jun 2024
1451
Ballroom e Youkoso could have been one of my favorites, but there’s only one season, and I want more.
Oct 29, 2:41 AM

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Mar 2023
2585
Happy Sugar Life would have been one of my favorites if it was longer.

YuYu Hakusho would have been one of my favorites if it was shorter.
Oct 29, 6:00 AM

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Mar 2012
8043
Kyo Kara Maoh could have been my favorite if Wolfram didn't exist or Yuuri had the balls to tell Wolfram to fuck off he's not interested in him instead of tolerating his abuses and simping to him.



「あなたのためなら世界中を敵にしてもかまわない」
"If it was for your sake I wouldn't mind even if I had to turn the whole world into my enemy"
Oct 29, 6:28 AM

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Mar 2024
295
Definitely Soul Eater comes to mind first. Eveerything that follows the manga is so good and really funny, but the moment it shifts away fromt he source material, the quality goes to shit.
If Toriko kept going, and did the Gourmet world arc, I would revear it much higher. But author troubles and the such, shit happens, sadly.
Oct 29, 6:35 AM

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Dec 2020
471
Link Click had some of the bess potential ever but I felt that they really didn't know what route they wanted to go in the second season and that is why it felt all over the place. Something really similar happened to To Your Eternity imo.
Even if Wonder Egg Priority is one my favs the ending is a dumpster fire.
"Those words are meant for those that dare defy god's final warning... An epigraph of their stubbornness"
- Maho Hiyajo (Steins;Gate 0)
Oct 29, 7:41 AM

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Oct 2016
2440
I would have loved

LOGH if not for the royalty and the terrarians. They needed better characterization.

Wotakoi, if the two women weren't fujoshis.

I loved the action parts and endings of Gunbuster and Diebuster but no so much the actual drama in them.

Kyousougiga would have been a favourite if it had a stronger plot and a good ending.

The major Imaishi anime would have been a favourite if they let me breathe. And in case of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, if it had an actual plot or at least a different ending.

Bastard!! if it wasn't as perverted as it is.

The Berserk trilogy if all of them were like the third.

The World God Only Knows if it was consistently like the ending of the third season.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu if it had a different ending.

And most anime I loved when I was 12-18, if I still was 12 to 18, but I'm not.
Oct 29, 7:42 AM

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Feb 2016
11871
Reply to Daviljoe193
Touch... mostly because it was one of my favorites, until it wasn't. Still feel gross for removing it, just to make space for something else.



I love being a free-tier user, and having to play "musical chairs, but one of the chairs is secretly an electric chair" with my faves all the time.
@Daviljoe193
Don't worry, Touch is still your favorite! I too have over 10 favorites. That we're not allowed to display them all doesn't mean we like them any less.
その目だれの目?
Oct 29, 7:45 AM

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Feb 2016
11871
Reply to Lost_Viking
Agent AIka - It should have been longer and more fleshed-out. Najica Blitz Tactics takes places in the same universe and got it perfect.
Aishite Knight/Rock n Roll Kids - I remember really wanting to rate this a 10, but for some reason I couldn't and it was so long ago that I forgot why. I'll probably give it a rewatch at some point.
Mitsudomoe - I thought about it, but Kodomo no Jikan was much better.
Mirai Nikki/Future Diary - I found one of Yukiteru's friends really annoying.
Seven Deadly Sins - The first season was actually really good, but after that it gradually went downhill and became shit when they introduced the "power level" garbage.
A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun - Again, first seasons were really good but each season after got progressively worse (Espeically with Magical Index. Scientific Railgun's later seasons, while not as good as the first, were still decent).
Lost_Viking said:
Scientific Railgun's later seasons, while not as good as the first, were still decent

That's an unusual view to hold. While I agree season 3 is not as good, I prefer the season 2 sisters arc over season 1.
その目だれの目?
Oct 29, 7:52 AM

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Dec 2022
5270
All of these are 9/10s for me, so still excellent:

M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane - Main girl was the least interesting girl by a mile, and the last few episodes were average

Rokka no Yuusha - Closest to a 10 of the lot, but it finished off bizarrely, introducing a homely-looking girl in a cow costume at the end, just for her to reveal that the mystery™ continues

Grisaia no Rakuen - The best of the Grisaia adaptations, but still a bit too short

School Days - Some of the drama (i.e., the hidden camera in the break room) was a bit superfluous

The SoulTaker - Kyousuke's pontificating to Runa was tone-deaf and unbecoming of a caring brother

Gakkougurashi! - Didn't adapt the helicopter crash, making some of the later episodes seem more uneventful than they would've otherwise been


╔⏤═⏤╝ ╚⏤═⏤╗
Shaded Horizon


Oct 29, 8:08 AM

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Nov 2021
371
Undead Murder Farce, the last arc was a bit rushed but everything before it was amazing. Tsugaru and Aya's witty banter felt fresh and unique.
Oct 29, 8:09 AM

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Mar 2024
26
Shokugeki No Souma, if isn't too much naked scene. Even though I like ecchi, h anime, erotica, etc also Gourmet. It just doesn't work for me to combine appetizing food with lustful naked scenes. I never felt hungry and horny at the same time, It just makes me sickening wanna puke at the same time.

Oct 29, 8:16 AM

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Oct 2010
21145
what exactly are those making of a great fantasy show? the only good thing about mushoku is the spice that comes from waifus

as to my answer, Kurenai Sanshiro, it only lacks more screentime of a top tier waifu
CatalanoOct 29, 8:31 AM
Oct 29, 8:58 AM

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Apr 2018
710
For the most part, this is what the 9/10 rating is for. A few standouts from my 9/10s include Kiki's Delivery Service, Sora no Woto, Heartcatch! Precure, Spice and Wolf, Steins;Gate, Is the Order a Rabbit?, Bocchi the Rock!, and Little Witch Academia. Some 8/10s fall into this category too, like Haibane Renmei, Tamako Market, Itazura na Kiss, Kimi ni Todoke, and Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Obviously, my ratings can change over time. I had originally given Sora no Woto an 8/10 but after a re-watch it increased to a 9/10, and it could possibly become a 10/10 (maybe). Similarly, I had originally given Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu a 9/10 but it has since increased to a 10/10 (though it could drop back down to a 9, so we'll see). Haibane Renmei was originally a 10/10 but now it's an 8/10. Is the Order a Rabbit? used to be a 10/10, but now it's a 9/10. Time changes everything. There are some anime I'm more confident will keep the scores I've given them, however. There are some 10/10s which will remain 10/10s for the rest of my life.
Oct 29, 9:11 AM

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Aug 2020
2998
Bleach. Too much flaws (it's a big show but still) especially TYBW (yes).

Next closest is Stand Alone Complex. It was close but just didn't resonate enough with me.
Oct 29, 9:12 AM
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Nov 2018
188
Every Isekai / fantasy / romance with a generic bland bitch protagonist with no personality. Swap the Protag with a decent character and the show would be 50x better.
Oct 29, 9:19 AM
Oct 29, 9:24 AM

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Mar 2019
190
Fruit basket and clannad. They're okay but i wished they dived more into the supernatural side of things.

I will come back here everytime i found something that could've been my favorite :>
Oct 29, 10:07 AM
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Oct 2019
151
Have to agree with Mushoku Tensei,
Alot of them aren't with my favorites usually because of either length (being too short), filler, lackluster/unfulfilling ending, bad comedy or fan service.
No Game, No Life
Naruto (OG series)
Bleach (OG series)
Shiki
Higurashi- When They Cry - Kai
Assassination Classroom
Parasyte
Erased

Just to name afew for now, they are brilliant in alot of ways but just fell short in 1 or 2 ways sadly.
Oct 29, 10:31 AM
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Apr 2024
1261
rahXhephon, I loved the mystery aspect and Konaka's episodes were visually great but the ending ruined it and the characters felt a little empty

Also trying to explain the relationships out of context is hilarious
Oct 29, 11:46 AM

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May 2019
7604
If they were in bikini armor all the time, this anime would be in my favorites.

https://myanimelist.net/anime/1082/Hikari_to_Mizu_no_Daphne
Oct 29, 12:53 PM

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Jan 2021
1553
My qualifications for a favorite: I judge the series as a whole, and if the series is overall 9.5+, I'll put the best entry in it in my favorites.

Made in Abyss — Riko not being that well-developed and intriguing protagonist. Most of the series, she was outshined by different characters, and even the moments where she shone brightly for me, it wasn't bright enough.

Gintama — A lot of the time, the comedy and the serious moments didn't blend well, and sometimes the comedy was way too crude. There is also the Gintama.: Porori-hen entry, and although it is a short one and still enjoyable, it's the weakest part of the series by far and sets it back a bit.

There are also series like 86 and Konosuba, which I wouldn't say are held back by any flaws, but all the good parts in them aren't that good for me to consider favorite worthy.
Oct 29, 4:26 PM
♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

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Nov 2015
54
Gangsta. due to bad ending and no season 2, probably indefinitely :'(
Oct 29, 6:03 PM
⛧ Weiß Engel ⛧

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Feb 2024
1918
Eizouken, Space Cobra, Night is Short Walk on Girl, Made in Abyss, Black Lagoon, Kill la Kill, Garden of Words, Daughters of Mnemosyne - runners up, in that order.

First three probably deserve the spot, I just don't want to shake my favs for no reason.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Oct 29, 6:42 PM

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Aug 2021
154
Hinamatsui could have been one o my favorite anime but it didn't because of the bad/not up to expectations ending. But i still love this show very much. Hina is one of most adorable character I've ever seen.
Oct 29, 6:44 PM

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Apr 2024
573
16-Bit Sensation was honestly hitting all the right chords for me specifically until the last, like, 3 episodes where it tried to have all the dramatics of a typical time travel story, and it got really messy in my eyes
"Dreams are worth fighting for"
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Oct 29, 6:53 PM

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Feb 2024
103
I was starting to get into Neon Genesis Evangelion, but the redhead ruined it for me with her bitchiness.

(images created in AI)
Oct 29, 6:53 PM

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Jul 2021
448
Hunter x Hunter, Nadia: Secret of Blue Water.

Hunter was near perfection in the first two arcs, especially since I saw the 1999 version first, which I still prefer due to atmosphere and pacing, then switched to 2011, but Greed Island was lame and Chimera Ants felt unbearably slow near the end in the dumbest way possible. Still great though..

Those who've seen all of Nadia know why, but imagine having a cool sci-fi adventure show loosely inspired by 100,00 Leagues Under the Sea, that also served as a spiritual predecessor to Neon Genesis Evangelion, get interrupted by boring Hannah-Barbera antics half-way through, where the main girl becomes 100 times more unbearable than before. It's not as terrible as people say, but those filler episodes still felt like a waste of time.
AzafuseKingToraOct 29, 7:10 PM
Oct 29, 6:56 PM

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Sep 2024
194
Demon Slayer - love the setting, annoying characters and humor
86 - this, I still like a lot, but the second season and light novel arcs after are weaker
Shinsekai Yori - I like this a lot as well, but I dunno ... the sudden time skips irritate me
Mo Dao Zu Shi - cut out a lot of content
Last Exile - Could have been 30-40 episodes, middle part is bit disappointing and ending seemed rushed. Is one of my favs but not in my top favs.
Nausicaä - Only adapts a part of the manga and needed to be a short series or movie series
LittleOwlbearOct 29, 7:01 PM
Oct 29, 7:07 PM

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Aug 2010
2362
Smile Down the Runway. The story isn't concluded yet in the anime, and I don't think it will be.
Oct 29, 7:36 PM

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Nov 2017
1210
Summertime Render was on the cusp of becoming an absolute classic and then the ending suddenly stopped making any sense, could've been up there.

The creepy pdf protagonist in Mushoku Tensei made the show for me, and transformed it into an ultimate classic absolute fave of all-time, mostly because he constantly finds his inhibitions thwarted and preconceived notions destroyed--which is the entire point of the show if you actually watched it.

Bubblegum Crisis 2040 is so whacky I wanted it to be good, and it still kind of is, but it's pretty out there, it needed some more ideas in the end.

The new Inuyasha show would've been good but they ran out of ideas. MHA after S2 starts to become a dumpster fire.
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