I've only watched 2 anime, and both of them were watching with girls who were more into anime than me. Those two were Cowboy Bebop and Chobits. The former was definitely better than the latter, but Chobits was fun for umm... relationship reasons. Cowboy Bebop surprised me in that I enjoyed it more than I expected to. It had a better music than many mainstream network programs, an artistic style that I felt comfortable with, and the plot takes a lot of tropes that might be stale by themselves and manages to mash them together into something fresh and filling.
Comment has been collapsed.
one piece, surprised me. Saw the first few episodes on a french channel while on vacation about 6-7 years ago, and I was like wtf is this, a dude stretching his arms and stuff, I will never watch that. But .5-1 year later I was really bored and was out of anime to watch so I thought what have I too loose? hooked ever since.
And One Piece adresses also rl problems like racism or fate fanatics etc. etc.
Unlike series like bleach and naruto.
Comment has been collapsed.
The anime that surprised me the most was Hajime no Ippo. An anime about boxing... only it actually turns out to be genuinely entertaining, if unrealistic in how over the top it gets sometimes, but actually sticks close to real boxing stuff.
SAO was interesting but like most MMO stylised animes, it missed the mark on a number of things (star trek syndrome, being able to adlib anything and everything, making any established rules pointless). The main thing I disliked was in the second season, the female lead got replaced by lower trope fodder. Oh, and how it often introduced new characters, but they only really stuck around for a single episode and then turned into complete background nothingness.
Comment has been collapsed.
That was my take on SAO until I realized I had totally missed the point. SAO wasn't about the characters.
Hajime no Ippo sounds interesting, though. I'll probably take a look at it.
Comment has been collapsed.
If it wasn't about the characters, then what exactly was the point? Also I think if the critical part of appreciating a whole anime can be so easily missed, then doesn't that suggest the anime wasn't so good? Especially when the entire point of some episodes was introducing new characters (who were then never used again?) :3c
Personal interactions may be fleeting, but even if you reduce your focus on the people and more on their actions, the entire thing did feel as if it was lacking a certain something. The first season was pretty good, but the subject of defilement in the second season soured things badly for me.
Comment has been collapsed.
a) I've already answered that question---in detail---twice.
b) Fair point. The best art is that which is both entertaining and meaningful at the same time.
c) Nothing wrong with that. As I said in another reply, not every anime is worth watching for every individual. Just because something is "good" doesn't mean everyone will like it, and just because someone doesn't like it doesn't mean it isn't "good."
Comment has been collapsed.
Samurai Champloo. It's unlike any anime you've seen, or will ever see.
And since I'm not exactly great with reviews, I'll just post a wiki synopsis:
"Samurai Champloo is set in an alternate version of Edo-era Japan with an anachronistic, predominantly hip-hop, setting. It follows Mugen, an impudent and freedom-loving vagrant swordsman; Jin, a composed and stoic rōnin; and Fuu, a brave girl who asks them to accompany her in her quest across Japan to find the samurai who smells of sunflowers"
Good story, great character development, interesting plot, memorable characters, awesome soundtrack, well animated for a show in its time. Seriously, the fight scenes are so fluid. One of the best anime's you can ever watch. And little to no fan service which was a huge plus for me.
Comment has been collapsed.
Toradora
First time i watch it, it makes me cry (a lot) in the end . No idea why, really surprise me because i never cry watching anime
After i rewatch it, i didn't cry or even shed a single tear. Maybe my heart just weak toward those feeling back then.
Comment has been collapsed.
Oh yeah, seconded for a good romantic anime.
Admittedly at first I hated it because I really dislike the entire trope about abusive women getting a free pass, but once that character actually grew into a more friendly spot with the cast and started acting like less of an ass, it really grew on me.
And oh god, Minori.
Also why is it always the "predestined love interest" that gets the happy ending at the expense of others? For once it'd be pretty cool if a main character didn't end up getting what they wanted and their 'happy ending' was the resolution to grow up and become a better person? Guuhhh. See, one of the big draws of anime for me is that anime typically isn't scared to try new and weird settings that other non-anime series generally avoid taking risks on. The drawback being that you undoubtedly end up paying for it in character tropes. I swear, if I see one more "surprise, prettyboy turned out to be an evil egocentric!" or "I am a useless flavourless protagonist whose only ability is to be a boring bodyshield for friends!" I will... uhm... I'll do something but it won't be pretty!
OH, that reminds me, this led me to a new recommendation. Fresh post. :3
Comment has been collapsed.
Hetalia,
Hetalia is hard to explain, but basically, all countries have a human personification. Many episodes are based off real life events, some aren't. (for example, england trying to summon a demon and instead summoning Russia.)
I now know a lot more about history and geography before I watched it, and I find it hard to keep a straight face during history/geography.
Oh, and now I love russian history.
While not for everyone and rendered towards the female audience, I find it hilarious and you should probably check it out. It pokes fun at other anime at times. Looking at you, Ukraine.
I'm not sure if it's quality, but I love it nonetheless.
Also, many racist jokes. Don't watch Hetalia if you are sensitive to that kind of humour.
Comment has been collapsed.
I'm something of a history fan, so I've avoided Hentalia, thus far. History is both simpler and more complicated than they present it in schools, so I've been afraid the anime might "let me down."
Comment has been collapsed.
You should read http://satwcomic.com/ Scandinavia and the world. Same principle, only base don Scandinavian countries in a comic strip form.
Comment has been collapsed.
One anime that surprised me recently was Baccano. There is not much of philosofy and stuff, but I liked the fact there is no main character. Well, or ALL of them are main characters. Let's say it was a different experience than the usual.
Sorry I couldn't give you more info or other animes, but I have to leave now :P
Comment has been collapsed.
I haven't seen too much anime, but Highschool of the Dead would be a perfect example for a surprise, though a negative one - I thought it will be a zombie-anime with some... "plot". But instead it turned into 80% boobs and 20% actual plot (or maybe 90-10), like if a 14 year old wrote the story. It was fun, and it wasn't too serious so it wasn't bad, but I expected and wanted another kind of a story. - for example Full Metal Panic also had panty shots and sometimes it simply went for being sexy, but it had great characters and storyline, I expected the balance of boobies to story something like that :D
Comment has been collapsed.
Yugioh 5D's
While I think the original Yugioh manga is pretty great, the anime adaptation and most of the sequels (GX, Zexal) range from meh to awful. I finally got around to watching 5D's recently and I was honestly surprised by just how much I liked it. It has a great plot and characters, and deals with heavy topics like urban segregation and parental abandonment. It's a really good series... for the first 64 episodes.
My main qualm with the show is that everything after episode 64 should simply not exist. The main plot of the series wraps up at that point, and it's clear they never intended for it to go on any longer, but screw the rules, they want money. The show goes downhill worse than the rock Sisyphus had to push. Three of the five main characters are relegated to the sidelines, plot lines and character development are totally ignored, blatant retcons happen, etc. It might as well be a different show. You see shades of this spiral toward the end of the first 64 episodes, which leads me to the other big problem of the series... the character Crow.
Crow is an awful, annoying character in what was an otherwise rather nuanced series. He's one of those characters that is supposedly "flawed" but is actually presented as being the best thing since sliced bread. He's best friends with the main character (despite never having been mentioned until he shows up in episode 30), he takes care of little orphan kids, his first appearance involves him getting a one-turn kill on his opponents, and worst of all he has no reason to exist. There was literally only one point where I felt he contributed anything to the narrative. Yet despite this fact, he ends up getting a substantial role later on, taking away screen-time from what was supposed to be the actual protagonists (as well as the backstory of one of the villains). Word is Crow was originally supposed to turn out to be an antagonist, but kids liked his monsters so much that the execs forced them to give him a prominent role. So... yay.
tl;dr: 5D's is an amazing show for the first 64 episodes aside from a few niggles, skip everything else
Comment has been collapsed.
Well, if I ever do decide to watch Yugioh, I now know which series to watch. )
Comment has been collapsed.
this thread seems very amusing :3
I love how everyone says that SAO is very surprising but in my opinion it was good at the first season, the second and third are just like "money leech" versions, i'm not even sure if they were on the manga but if they were i do think that the creator forgot the "impression" that i got on the first season, and unlike SAO, Log Horizon is very confusing but much more enjoyable
let's see... i have been enjoying sport animes a lot lately so animes like Hajime no Ippo, Yowamushi Pedal, Kuroko no Basket or Haikyuu!! are some of the honorable mentions, i also love how these get so many fun videos on youtube
also these - Black★Rock Shooter - Hataraku Maou-sama! - No Game No Life - Robotics;Notes - Tokyo ESP - Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (airing)
I only said the ones that actually surprised me somehow, sorry if there is no ecchi's in there but i prefer a good story to boobs or screamy twelve looking girls
edit:. OH! and TL;DR! :D
Comment has been collapsed.
TL; DR. Yeah, I could tell you skipped my explanation by what you said about SAO. That's OK, though. Not everything that requires thought and understanding to appreciate is "worth it" to everyone. Each person has to decide for themselves where to put their time and energy. It's not like there aren't multiple options vying for our attention.
Comment has been collapsed.
that huge OP and all those SAO coments are not really what i'm looking for in a "surprising animes" thread xD
and yes, i noticed that most of it is about SAO
for the "why" is really simple, they surprised me, maybe i was not expecting much, idk
Comment has been collapsed.
The anime that surprised me the most is Seirei no Moribito.
It is a mature anime based more on the story and the characters than on action.
The visual and the dubbing are superb and make you feel all the emotion between the characters.
You should have a look if it is the kind of anime you like.
It is very short (only 26 episodes of 25 minutes).
♪♫♪♫♪ :)
Comment has been collapsed.
I like SAO too, the romance and battles are really get into me.
But the most greatest I've ever watch is Code Geass. The ending is just unpredictable and memorable.
Oh, and Steins;Gate too, you have to watch it.
Comment has been collapsed.
I agree. Code Geass's ending is unexpected and got me shocked. But, I like SAO only the first half season. The rest just a filler eps. The 2nd season ending still good though, it made me want to cry :D
Oh my, Steins;Gate is one of the best. But, it did not surprised me. It is just awesome.
Comment has been collapsed.
Yeah, feels when Lelouch did that really impress me. I meant, he did what other Anime's MC never did.
Yeah me too, I like the first arc when all player got trapped in that game. I was thought that will be the main story. But when I heard that Kitrito and the others got out from the game in eps 15 (or 14?) is just make no sense, and it goes to another game 1 by 1.
The 2nd season is truely good, but not good as the first arc. The Mother Rosario Arc just like filler to me.
Comment has been collapsed.
A bit more on the ecchi side but Golden Boy surprised me a lot. My friend recommended it to me and almost forced me to watch it. I thought it'd be a lot different than it was but in the end i thought it was great especially the way things were connected.
It's short (but episodes are slightly longer than normal) but I think it's just the right size for the story they're telling.
Comment has been collapsed.
I haven't really heard about this one. I'll have to keep my eyes open for it.
Comment has been collapsed.
To aru Kagaku no Railgun's second season was actually REALLY good compared to the rest of the To Aru franchise. I didn't care much for most of Index or the first season of Railgun, but holy crap do I love the way they do the Sisters arc in Railgun S2, especially with how it concludes. It's one of the few sets of episodes I was able to go back and watch over and still really enjoy.
The chemicaloid episodes afterward weren't so great, though....eeghhh.....
Comment has been collapsed.
Finally! I like Railgun series than Index. The 2nd season was better than 1st, but both of them were very enjoyable. I really enjoy all the episodes. I especially love the two main char's pair. I really want another season of Railgun. I can't find any news about it though.
Comment has been collapsed.
OK...
Now, getting back to the topic of the OP, which one anime would you say surprised you the most with its quality? And perhaps more importantly, why?
Comment has been collapsed.
Funnily enough, Akira was also the first anime I ever saw. Up until then, I thought anime was just "japanese cartoons," so I never bothered to watch them at all. I don't remember how I ended up watching Akira, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting.
Comment has been collapsed.
btw u could try log horizon tough i reckon attack on titans would e more interesting for u at least it was for me after i watched sao :)
P.s. Offtopic lets say i would want to give away a triple a game and person x wins but when i look at person x al he has done is givin away his winnings instead of activating them is thta a legimate reason for reroll?
Comment has been collapsed.
I'm not interested in Attack on Titans. Not my kind of story. Full-Metal Alchemist or Soul Eater is about as dark a story as I can still enjoy watching..
If the winner of a giveaway hasn't been following SG rules, that is grounds for a re-roll. Who wants to give their game to someone who will probably regift it?
Comment has been collapsed.
Answer with great anime: Higurashi, for being the first "serious"-topic anime that blew me away, after I've been only watching the lighthearted comedy stuff before. But that was amazing and is still today one of my most loved Anime out there <3
Actual #1 surprise even though the anime turned out mediocre: Ultimate Girls xD
After watching the magical girl episode of the Higurashi OVAs, I thought: "Hey, back in the day when Sailor Moon was around you didn't like that "girls" anime, because it was obviously for girls and you can't watch that shit."
So I thought about giving it a chance now that I've grown out of that stupid kid's behavior. But the quality and style wasn't quite my thing to sit through a million episodes, so I searched for something different in the magical girl category.
I somehow stumbled across Ultimate Girls and the 2 lines of text I read about it
a) didn't sound too bad and
b) didn't tell anything about it being that Ecchi either^^
I was very surprised when starting to watch it, as I don't like reading up much on shows to not spoil anything before^^
Comment has been collapsed.
Steins; Gate. Surprised me in lots of ways, one of the rare animes that I can't predict what will happen in the end.
But I hated SAO, it's the only anime I gave up watching. Left it at 14th ep, it went full romance. I loved the MMORPG idea but romance murdered the anime for me. Log Horizon all the way ...
Comment has been collapsed.
Wolf Girl and Black Prince was one that surprised me in the sense that I initially decided to watch the first episode strictly "for the lulz", but ended up really liking it and sticking with it until it was done. Something strangely charming about it, despite the fact the animation itself was lackluster and the "story" wasn't exactly anything to write home about. Perhaps it was just the mood I was in at the time, who knows.
Comment has been collapsed.
if you are a bit more interested in "old School" Anime try bubblegum crisis. great cyberpunk was pretty much the first adult animation i have seen at that point. also good rather deep stories but NOT WTF- I really tried to get it but still didnt get it -deep( i hate that like the ending of NGE for example). Also the soundtrack is great. 15 years later and i still occasionaly listen to it ( you gotta love youtube). There was a newer show called Bubblegum crisis 2040 but i simply didnt like the art style of that show ( everyone had the same face but different hair). i am quite shure you could watch the episodes of bubblegum crisis on youtube. 8 episodes each around 40 min
Comment has been collapsed.
Already seen it. I think, however, that you addressed the OP, so that's good. )
Comment has been collapsed.
Yeah i did at least a bit. I liked the part "a written letter was considered an expression of who you were, an extension of your personality". I think that still applies. Actually writing a letter takes far more effort than writing a post on the internet even if it is just for the fact that Not answering a written letter is still considered rude simply because you can be certain that this person had to open it to read it while NOT answering an e-mail is still ok and can be easily explaned away with ( had no internet, landed in spamfolder. so many e-mails overlooked it and so on.
A letter is still something of substance. Its a bit like paying with cash( actual letter) or with credit card(internet post).
Comment has been collapsed.
167 Comments - Last post 24 minutes ago by MeguminShiro
725 Comments - Last post 1 hour ago by leecee
1,951 Comments - Last post 1 hour ago by diehard
148 Comments - Last post 2 hours ago by jiggakills
13 Comments - Last post 3 hours ago by yush88
9 Comments - Last post 4 hours ago by yush88
5 Comments - Last post 7 hours ago by yush88
212 Comments - Last post 3 seconds ago by TomyDrack
2,090 Comments - Last post 4 minutes ago by Daepal
42 Comments - Last post 9 minutes ago by Oppenh4imer
376 Comments - Last post 13 minutes ago by aez76
220 Comments - Last post 14 minutes ago by aez76
466 Comments - Last post 17 minutes ago by Vampus
28,464 Comments - Last post 27 minutes ago by Dominicanoed
Every now and then, the topic of anime recommendations comes up. People's tastes vary, of course, but there are a lot of SG users who watch a lot of anime, so long lists of excellent titles are sure to follow. What we don't usually delve too deeply into is why certain titles are worth watching. I thought I'd broach that subject.
If you could pick only one, which anime (movie or series) surprised you most with its quality? Whether it was the story that traveled in unexpected ways, the characters which were unexpectedly real, or the message which was unexpectedly deep, this anime surprised you by being on an entirely different level. It not only entertained you, it broadened your understanding of what the medium could achieve. Tell us which anime surprised you, but more importantly, tell us why.
For me, it was Sword Art Online. It wasn't until the last, frigging episode that I finally realized I'd been missing the point entirely.
I had heard other people recommend it, and I had read the blurb for it, but it had sat on my "to watch" list for a long time. When I had finally gotten around to viewing it, it seemed to be pretty much what I expected. "Yet another action-oriented anime.* Guy fights stuff; guy gets stronger; guy becomes a hero. Oh, and throw in some females for the romance angle. It was OK for what it was, but the pacing was a bit uneven for an action series, and the second season wandered all over the place. "They seem to have turned this into a joke," I thought. "How many cliches and fetishes can they stuff into the remaining episodes?" I pretty much wrote off the entire series as a 'sellout,' and continued watching only to get to the end of it. I sure am glad I did, though, because it turns out I was totally wrong. Judging by the feedback of some others, I wasn't the only one, either.
SAO is not an action series. Nor is it a fantasy series, either. To be honest, it's not even 'entertainment.' Sword Art Online is Art, in all its uncompromisingly critical---and often uncomfortable---examination of the human experience. SAO is a deep, penetrating look at the meaning and depth of interpersonal relationships through the lens of online gaming. What does it mean to play a game? Where is the line between who you are online and who you are in real life? How does virtual reality affect the real relationships we forge between ourselves and other people? Does it even matter? To put it even more bluntly, what is the difference between the real you and the person you are online? Is there one?
These are questions psychologists have been discussing ever since the birth of the internet. Before that, a written letter was considered an expression of who you were, an extension of your personality. With the introduction of internet anonymity, however, all of that went out the window. SAO explores this subject in depth, exploring the entire breadth of human relationships. This anime is so much more than 'entertainment.' I highly recommend you check it out.
Comment has been collapsed.