another series that surprised me was buso renkin before I couldn't even get past the first few chapters but after the chouno arc the series get's better and now since i'm caught up to any scanlations online I am itching for more and am now kinda pissed that I have to wait until I get enough money just to read volumes 7 - 10 fucking pisses me off.
Series that pleasantly surprised you
-
-
I My Me Strawberry Eggs- it's an anime about a man who couldn't be a gym teacher because he was a man so he decided to disguise himself as a woman. It was funnier than I thought although the ending could've been a little happier. Plus, it was only about 14 episodes so the pacing was good.
Princess Tutu- Very Interesting plot so its no regular girly anime
-
ES21 is (was) pretty awesome considering it's about something as retarded as american football.
-
ES21 here as well.
I began reading it online because I have a slight interest in football, but after a while I saw I couldn´t stop and I liked pretty much all characters. Something I hardly have.
Fun, a quite high amount of crowning moments of awesome, likeable characters and a rather steady quality throughout the whole series so far (well, let´s say until the expected end as the world cup arc seems to be hardly more than fanservice…), pretty much everything I look for in a manga. The only series besides OP I collect so far.
-
Berserk is another series that really surprised me. I had heard some praise for it here, and decided to read the manga. The first few chapters really seemed like your run-of-the-mill fantasy series with the violence cranked up to eleven. But, once I read Golden Age, establishing Gutts' character as we saw him in the Band of the Hawks really impressed me.
-
well i'm still in the middle of reading a few series but a few that went past my expectations were Hunter x Hunter and D. Grayman
I had originally read some of reborn but stopped because I got bored and began rereading it for some reason and i'm very happy i did got past the daily life arc and it got sick the same happened with history's strongest disciple kenchi which is also now one of my favorites
-
OP
I first saw pictures of the characters on the American Jump (specifically, Luffy with his lips pursed in what looked like a kissing pose, and a generic picture of Usopp) and was soooo turned off by the style. I was like… 12 or 13.
I think it was actually the 4Kids dub that got me into it.
As far as being "pleasantly surprised," I'm now at the point where I'd go into a deep deep depression if by some dark magiks One Piece went away. -
For me, OP wasn't so much of a show that "pleasantly surprised" me, but rather "it was so far into the story already that I was too lazy to start"… but I saw a few episodes of the Drum arc on TV! Surprise, I was not turned off by the 4kids dub! AHAHA. But I still hate the dubbing job, of course. But I wasn't expecting it to be bad at all, but I was in love with the story and the character designs were totally endearing to me.
Hunter x Hunter was also one that I was skeptical about at first, but after much nagging from my sister, I got really hooked! Never got passed Greed Island, though, because I didn't have the rest of the episodes. Too lazy to read the manga, too. :T
-
Recently I started watching Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Since 90% of the anime I've watched over the last year and a half have featured giant robots fighting each other, I decided that I should go for something different. I haven't watched a gag series before, so this would be something completely new for me.
Well, I find it pleasantly surreal and filled with ''Should I be laughing at this?'' humor, in addition to more traditional humor. I really like how it lampshades and lampoons anime tropes and such; I especially enjoyed the part about Internet trolls. It's also fun to follow all of the shout outs to other anime and such. So far I've spotted ones for The Melancoly of Suzumiya Haruhi, Final Fantasy, Phoenix Wright, Dragon Ball Z, Ichigo 100%, Code Geass, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Death Note, and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. I also snorted really loudly when I noticed that one character was reading a One Piece yaoi doujin.
Yeah, black comedy, and a delightful touch of surrealism and Nightmare Fuel. This is pretty fun.
-
At first I thought Gurren Lagann was going to be one of those second tier Gainax shows like Mahoromatic or that one with the maids.
-
hakuro no go…bahh can`t understand why i watched the whole series
bowling king..even now i don`t read it anymore:blink:
-
The one series that definitely falls into this category for me would have to be GTO. Now, so far, I've only watched the anime. And now I'm glad I did, because the manga's all the sweeter for it.
Basically, when I first saw the preview images for it (the ones with Tomoko in her 'beauty pageant' outfit and Onizuka making his funny faces), I was under the impression that it was just another stereotypical, ecchi comedy.
…I was right about some of the ecchi, but it's not stereotypical. Nor is it revolutionary, on the other hand. It's...normal. Best way I can sum this up is I was kind of impressed with the scene where Tomoko offers Onizuka a free grope, and he, the pervert, responds "hey hey now, let's not go overboard" (to paraphrase and embellish a little). And that's only the beginning. At first, I was also worried that he was winning over his students too easily, but then the author reveals that he was just getting the small fry out of the way and was warming us up for the big guns (Kanzaki and Miyabi come to mind). I'm usually into action/drama manga like FMA or One Piece, but Tohru Fujisawa has me fascinated by high school students! (Or are they middle school? The translations are kind of contradictory). I find that to be an achievement in of itself, and I can't wait to read the manga past the anime's story (not to mention reading the stories that the anime skipped over). -
Vagabond and HNK
Didn't think I'd like it that much, then all of a sudden holy shit
-
I know this is going to be an unusual one, but Dragon Ball Z.
This was like 7 - 9 years ago. I thought the series looked incredibly stupid, and the characters all acted like they were constipated when they were charging up their power.
Later on I gave Dragon Ball a chance, and I liked it. Once I got to the last episode I started Dragon Ball Z, and even though it still looked like they were constipated I liked it.
One Piece I also did a little bit, but it's the same with any series that is so amazingly epic. I didn't have too low of expectations for it, I just didn't expect it to be anywhere near as awesome as it was. Naruto had disappointed me already, and I thought "Another Shonen anime? it's probably just like Naruto." I was wrong. It blows Naruto so far out of the water it's not even in sight anymore.
-
First I will talk about the Animes:
(1) Avengers- at first I thought it was going to be kind of average (I borrowed in some place, since they whole season was in it) but I found it really interesting.
(2) Last Exile- In some of the first few episodes I wasn't really interested because it started a little slow, but at around 4-5 it got really interesting, and watched it to the end.
(3) Princess Tutu- I thought this was going to be kind of one sided, but each of the episodes were really unique, in some kind of musical kind of way, and of course the plot of each epi.
(4) One Piece obviously since it was kind of reg for me in the beginning, but then it totally changed for me andn ow its the best.
(5) BO^7 was another anime that kept on being rediculous for me for a long time, but it kind of growed on me
(6) Last one for now is this one called Hajime no Ippo. Don't know what to say about it, but iwas awesome
About mangas, there is too much that kind of surprise me (since I do read almost any type of manga that is on a shelve…in the librart of course)
-
Trigun is one that I had low expectations on but watching Vash the stampede constantly getting out of situations with not one bit of grace is amusing.
-
Trigun, full metal alchemist and Robotech
I thought they would all be terrible but I was rather amused. Their are others I should mention but I haven't made my decision yet if I like them (50/50)
Plus I don't know how other members feel but I find it rather hard to find manga/anime that I enjoy. Mainly because they just cant compare with OP
Any recommendations? (something with action, plot and humour)
-
Hokuto no Ken-I'm not all that interested in action anime but I saw some clips so I gave it a shot.
Haruhi Suzumiya-I heard so much good things about the anime so I gave that a shot too.
-
The World God Only Knows…..
this is surprisingly can make me lol all the time. yeah god is the true pimp. -
It's already been said, but Yakitate! Japan seemed like a really bad idea. The first thing that came to my mind after hearing about it was "How the hell can a manga based on baking possibly be worth reading?". After the first 5 chapters, that answered my question. It's a funny series that does a great job at mocking shonen mangas through the baking matches, and the reactions are just as hilarious, if you can understand the puns. Plus, the amount of research the author put into it just plain impresses me.
-
Angelic Layer pleasantly surprised me for a series about battle dolls.. I thought it would be a lot worse, and was surprised when it turned out to be a rather decent series. Nothing to write home about, but certainly not as bad as I thought it would be.
Though every time I hear Misaki's Japanese voice I get an uncontrollable urge to start beating my head into the wall. -
Ouran High School Host Club. I thought it was gonna be all Shoujo and romance and serious. Now I wouldn't mind that if it was a Yaoi series, but I digress. I was surprised to find that it was all a veil, a rouse if you will! It is, in fact, a comedy/parody of such shoujo romance and it really surprised me. I am now an OHSHC fan.
-
I"s
Looking back, I have no idea why I thought it wouldn't be all that great after finishing the first volume. I read a preview in Shonen Jump one day and thought, "Hmm…well this might not be too bad. I might give it a shot. I need a new romance series anyway now that I've finished Love Hina." So I bought the first volume and found it to be pretty meh.
Four months later I happen to be picking up the latest volumes of some of my favorites when I happen to see I"s volume two and three. I happen to have some spare money with me and I didn't have anything else to buy so I thought, "Well why not. It'll help kill an hour or two." So I bought them.
I couldn't put them down. I read and reread them countless times that day and the following week. I knew I had to see how the rest played out. I had to know what happened to each character as it happened. I looked the series on wikipedia and found that it was fifteen volumes long and there were only two volumes left in to be released by Viz. So I waited patiently. Planning and saving. Finally the month came when the final volume was released. I spent all of two weekends going from book store to book store grabbing up and buying one of each volume from 4-15. Finally I had them all and in two nights read the entire series from 1-15. What a weekend that was. How wonderful.
I"s is definialy my favorite manga ever. (Even more so than OP and FMA gasp) I just recently bought the dubbed DVD set. The anime was good but at the same time pretty meh compared to the original. I could actually stand to put it down and leave it for a day or two. (Dubbing was good though. Mike Mcfarland as Teratani was genius). For anyone who loves a good romance story, this is THE manga to read (in my opinion)
-
I expected Rumiko Takehashi's new series Rin-Ne to be lifeless, badly paced and dull ripoff of early Yu Yu Hakusho and early Bleach with a poorly done obvious romantic coupling, with some weak slapstick comedy visual gags or entire chapters dedicated to a single punchline, while somehow destined to be an unending 40-50 volume series. I expected all that and for it to also have none of the life and fun of Ranma or early Inu Yasha. Five chapters in, and hoo boy, was I wrong!
Its also poorly drawn in an art style that Takehashi hasn't managed to improve at all in 30 years.
-
@robbybevard:
I expected Rumiko Takehashi's new series Rin-Ne to be lifeless, badly paced and dull ripoff of early Yu Yu Hakusho and early Bleach with a poorly done obvious romantic coupling, with some weak slapstick comedy visual gags or entire chapters dedicated to a single punchline, while somehow destined to be an unending 40-50 volume series. I expected all that and for it to also have none of the life and fun of Ranma or early Inu Yasha. Five chapters in, and hoo boy, was I wrong!
Its also poorly drawn in an art style that Takehashi hasn't managed to improve at all in 30 years.
Give it some time. You know how Ms. Rumiko has strong beginnings.
-
Gurren Lagann - Thought it be another Gundam rip off and I was all O___O OMFG THIS ANIME IS EPIC! -keeps watching-
Death Note - At first I loathed this anime. I used to make fun of the ppl who watched it. Even called it emo note. XD but then I actully sat down to watch it and it turned out pretty good.
Big O - At first I didn't know wtf was going on then I saw the whole series and LOVE IT.
Hellsing - Didn't think I was going to like it because for one I hate vampires -w- but then I found out how awesome it is and how its so action packed
Code Geass - My first impression of this anime was "Sounds retarted -dont watch-" Then I watched it out of sheer bordem and found it pretty pleasant.
Ouran - Didn't think I'd like it because its one of "Those" Mangas that most of the time I despise…BUT It then turned out to be one of my top 10 favorite animes.
One Piece - I started watching it through 4kids and liked it back then. (I was young and stuipd) Then I found out about the Real One Piece and have been hooked ever since.
EDIT: OH AND
ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH -
Gurren Lagann- I Loved the subs and Kyle Hebert and Kamina are two of my favorite anime/voice actor duo's. It is just ever so enjoyable to watch, even though im not one to like mechs duking it out, i do love the Theme for Viral-Nikopol absolutely rocktastic!
Kuro Kami- At first i just thought it was a crappy show where the guy is weak and the girl fights all his battles, but being a big Jason Griffith fan I found out he played the main character, Keita in the show. So i tuned in for the first 5 or 6 dub episodes and have been watching all the episodes ever since. This show also has Laura Bailey as the main girl, Kuro and shes so innocent i love it! This show surprised my with all the mixtures of the voice actors from Funi, Bandai, and 4Kids(Who really can do a great job) This show is action packed and very fun, plus the animation is fantastic!
-
Tenjou Tenge
My friend wanted me to check this series out BAD, and I thought it was just your average Ecchi anime, and I wouldn't like it. Then I watched it and the Action was actually pretty good.
But also, every time I mention this to someone, they go "Lulz, Anime Sux, Manga Bettar" and when I ask why… the answer is always... "Moar Bewbs!!"... Yeah, I don't care about that... -
@Thousand:
Give it some time. You know how Ms. Rumiko has strong beginnings.
You realize I was saying that I expected Rin-Ne to suck for all those reasons… and then...
it turne dout that it did, PLUS crappy art.
Right?
Because this series does NOT have a strong beginning. At all. It her worst launch yet as far as premise, memorable moments and characters are concerned.
-
Gurren Lagann… Didnt expect much, got a lot
-
Shaman King and of course One Piece. Both these series I didn't think I'd like much and grew to love both of them.
Lupin the 3rd as well.
-
Dragon Ball Z- because at first i was a girly girl that wasnt into fighting and other "guyish" stuff so i was turned off it for a while. Then my brother showed me an episode with frieza and i loved it ever since
-
Death Note - Read a little discription about what it was about, I thought it sounded stupid, but I gave it a shot, man it was an awesome series.
Black Cat - Had heard absolutely nothing about it anywhere, just randomly clicked on it in one manga, this series was absolutely awesome, why this series isn't talked about I will never know.
-
Black Cat - Had heard absolutely nothing about it anywhere, just randomly clicked on it in one manga, this series was absolutely awesome, why this series isn't talked about I will never know.
Same here. I was bored and was just searching random manga on onemanga. I came across Black Cat, and it said complete, so i read it. (I only read Complete manga, or manga that have a steady realease). I wasn't expecting much, thought it would be something i'd just read a few chapters of and let go. But i eneded up reading the first 50 chapters in one sitting. I really loved it and it had a nice ending, wrapped up the story well and left me feeling happy.
-
-Karakuri Circus (completed)
-Psychometrer Eiji (ongoing)
-All Baki series (2 completed series, 1 ongoing, continued storyline)
-City hunter -> Angel heart series (1 completed, 1 ongoing, continued story)
-Gintama (ongoing)
-Mx0 (completed)
-Samurai Executioner (completed)
-Shamo (ongoing)
-Sanctuary (completed)Don't expect a thing, buy them all very willingly later.
-
Mr. Fullswing really surprised me, but it's completely random nature just keeps me captivated.
I don't really know why I like Liar Game, but I just can't stop reading it. It's nothing all that special, but I just can't stop reading it. Kaiji is also something I couldn't stop watching even though it wasn't the type of thing I normally like. I guess the characters and artstyle just got to me. Both of these are worth a shot if you enjoy psycological stuff.
I wasn't really interested in Rave so I didn't expect a lot from Fairytail, but I was really proven wrong. It's nice, it's just got this upbeat atmosphere going, I can't help but enjoy it.
Lol, also Pokemon Special. It's really good actually. I decided to give it a go just for the lols but it's pretty cool. It also has the guts to change the focus from one protagonist to another.
Um, what else… The World God Only Knows is a pleasant little surprise. I seriouslly wasn't expecting much, but it's managed to keep me reading.
My favourite out of all the little surprises is Sket Dance though. It's quirky, funny, it's got some good serious moments and is just plain awesome.
-
Shin Angyo Onshi
I decided to read this on a whim. No real reason I chose it. But damn is this a good series! Character development, art, and story are all pulled off well and come together very nicely. Sure there are cliches abound.. but this handles them well. The characters are likeable. Near the end, you grow to truly despise the villain. And the main character is a badass who doesn't hesitate to dirty his hands. This one gets dark at points. I could go on, but read for yourself.
Onemanga has the entire series up.
-
Ares
Eyesheild 21
Veritas
-
Island has really impressed me.
Honestly, I picked it up because 1) the used bookshop has the full run, which is amazing considering how old it is in publication time (ca. 2002 - the side pages say things like "GTO volumes 1-2 now available" and "Priest, coming soon!") and 2) they referenced it in Rebirth, a series I love to death.
The first volume is a bunch of supernatural violence, the next two introduce some characters you'll hate– but then, come volumes 4 and 5, there's some really unexpected stuff about the relationship between Japan and Korea, and the former's WWII dealings... yet, it's not preachy.
Please do not buy the last two books before I get them.
-
Black Lagoon. The first chapter pulled me in like a magnet.
-
Reborn and Gintama both seemed like generic gag/comedic/daily life type manga (well as daily life as things can be in Gintama's setting >.>). Both pleasantly surprised me when they got to the actual action. I forget what it was in Gintama (Benizakura arc maybe), but Mukuro's arc in KHR hooked me in. Gintama was something I probably would have stuck with anyway for being so funny, but once it showed it was more than just comedy, the deal was sealed.
Also, I started Code Geass expecting a mecha anime, which I generally dislike, but then it got all intricate and plot-twisty and I got hooked. Definitely wasn't a mecha anime, the mecha is made into a side thing pretty much.
Last manga I can think of that started off "meh" in my mind was HunterxHunter. It just took a while for me to get that it was different from what I thought it was and once I realized that, it's actual brilliance hit me.
One Piece I surprisingly liked from the first chapter I read, which was during the Kuro arc. Seems a lot of people took time getting hooked -
3 series mainly come to my mind-
Death Note
Code Geass
One PieceDeath note, i was thinking "??? how could "Death" and "note" come to be connected?" after i watched it, i was sooo glad i did. a good series, seriously exciting and dramatic series, and awesome characters.
(if ur watching code geass and don't want spoiler of the ending, dont read this)
Code geass, oh just finished. W-O-W was all i could think. i saw the first episode about 10 minutes through, and changed it. all i saw was fighting robots (which now i know were knightmare frames). the next week, for some reason my mind convinced me to watch it. again, W-O-W! i knew about half way through that lelouch would die, so i thought "yea he'll get killed by brittainia because they think he's evil", but how he did was actually honorable. he wasn't bad, really. truthfully, when he died, it almost brought me to tears.:cwy: that series was so exciting and dramatic, cool characters,just all around awesomeness. oh that series was sooo awesome.:wub: definitely in my top 3 fave animes ever.:wub::wub:One Piece, yes yes One Piece. at first i though, "ugh an anime about pirates?how much lamer can it get?" then i watched it (probably lost the remote while it came on), i LOVED it (even 4kids dub amazingly).all i can describe it as is awesome awesome awesome. since i saw that first episode in the baratie arc, OP became my favorite anime ever.:wub::wub: such amazing animes like OP can't be ruined comepletely, even by utterly horrible dubs like 4kids.
i have other animes, like bleach,and black cat, but those 3 are my biggest and favorite.
-
bakuman
i thought Eiji was going to be a giant homo and then he goes and suprises me and becomes my second favorite character ever
soul eater
i kept hearing it mentioned but i didnt think much about it till i saw someone had shinigami from the OP in their avatar. it looked like good quality animation so i thought i'd give it a chance, and it took me about 8 episodes before i was completely and totally hooked on this series for life
-
I agree with Captain Schmeckie's comment on Nadia and the Secret of Blue Water. GAINAX has sort of irked me from what I've seen of their works, and thought "You've seen one GAINAX series, you've seen them all." But, I was dead wrong after watching it. I bought the DVDs on a whim, and was surprised at how well-written the characters were. Roll it up with some creative steampunk, a catchy soundtrack, and you've got a solid series.
-