Just Anime

As the title says, were there any shows that were better than what you were expecting them to be and you were pleasantly surprised? Shows that you hadn't heard good things from others, the manga didn't excite you etc. Which were those shows and why?

For me those were:

Tiger & Bunny: Wasn't expecting much from it but it was actually very good. Nice plot, good animation and characters.

Sacred Seven: I hadn't heard good things about it, so I was a bit hesitant to watch it but it was actually better than what I thought. Sure not anything amazing but the animation was good, the plot was ok and generally it was good to pass the time.

Baccano: Hadn't heard anything about it before watching it and a synopsis I read didn't exactly make expect a lot of things but I was happy I was wrong. Great animation and story,interesting characters and I have to say that Isaac and Miria are some of the funniest characters I have seen in a while.

There are more but those are the ones that come to mind right now.

P.S. I apologise if this has been done before, I searched and found nothing. If yes, feel free to lock it :)

@ComicMan24:So as an opposite version of my thread of the dissapointing series right?

-Higurashi no naku koro ni: I didn't watch it because of the "horror or gore", was because I wanted to watch something different and the opening atracted me; Who'll say that this became one of my favourite series, it was just differente to the commons ones; since that moment I became fan of When They Cry, and read all the novels

-Umineko no naku koro ni: Moved by my experience with Higurashi I decided to read Umineko before watching the anime, and I must say that is my favourite visual novel, it was the perfect mix between reality and fantasy, a fight between mistery and magic, the characters were originals and good, the plot so crazy and confusing, and too mind screwer, because this was an story made to fool the reader; and also this story presented me one of the most evil villains in story.

-Fate/Stay night, I heavily resisted to watch this one, because all people say that it was an excelent serie, I watched it and no surprise, but moved by a friend, I try the visual novel, and it was amazing, the anime just ruined the whole story, it has really good plot twist and crazy.

-Kara no Kyoukai: Just amazing, good artwork, good music, crazy plot, and original story; I liked how it focused on the characters more than other thing

Moyashimon: A series about a guy who can see/talk to microscopic organisms, as he begins attending an agricultural university. Really enjoyable while also being educational.

Pumpkin Scissors: You never hear anyone talk about this but it is really good (at least in my opinion). Takes place in a fictional early-mid 1900's pseudo-Europe, where tanks are the height of military weaponry. Follows a division of the military whose purpose is providing relief to people who have had their lives affected by war. There's also some stuff about scientific experiments to create the perfect anti-tank soldiers with no regard for their own safety. Just don't watch it dubbed. I couldn't make it through one episode.

Nadia: Secret of Blue Water- This was a rather pleasant twist on the works of Jules Verne, and considering Studio Gainax's track record of "WTF were they thinking" and "WTF" moments... this is relatively light on both of those. The movie was predictably bad, but hey... one can't have everything, right?

Outlaw Star: For a series not based off of a previously known entity in manga or light novels, it did really well for what it had. Sure, I would've loved to see it go a but further after the ending, but once more, one can't have everything.

@Makoto_Mizuhara_Sakamoto:Wait, that serie is based on a Jules Verne novel?

@Levance: Well, I think the better term to use would be "inspired by", and the main novel in question is "20,000 Leagues under the Sea".

@Makoto_Mizuhara_Sakamoto:Well, it seems that you have give me an ideal

@Levance: Think you might watch it now? Is that what I'm getting at... or an idea for something else entirely?

@Makoto_Mizuhara_Sakamoto:Take a look at the serie

@Levance: However, I will say this- as good as it was, once was enough for me personally.

Usagi Drop- Didn't think that the adventures of a 30 year old man who adopts a 6 year old girl would be too exciting. No magic, no mecha, just plain slice of life. Got bored one weekend and watched the first two episodes and I was hooked.

There's probably other shows but since it's the most recent, it's the one that came to mind.

Claymore,I thought it would be tacky but it was a great show.

@Levance:Well I was thinking about it, then I saw your thread and said why not? XD

@ComicMan24 said:

@Levance:Well I was thinking about it, then I saw your thread and said why not? XD

I wanted to do this thread too after creating the other one, but there was one reason that stopped me to do it

@Levance:What reason?

My biggest pleasant surprise was Gurren Lagann. I knew nothing about the show and just tuned into it one day and thought "oh great, another random big robot show" and man did it prove me wrong, it was the show that got me back into anime after I started drifting out of it.

Also, this thread would suit the Just Anime forum much better. Moved.