Anime/Manga that exceeded your expectations

[kkslider5552000]

Just in general, what anime/manga did you like way more than you ever expected?

A few examples I can think of:
-Tiger and Bunny I watched when it was new, knowing NOTHING about it. Didn't expect it to be one of the best super hero shows ever.
-Full Metal Alchemist I watched an episode once way back in the day and didn't like. So when I tried it again, I was shocked at how good it was (I didn't know how critically acclaimed by everyone it was either, to be fair)
-When they aired the last Inuyasha anime fairly recently, I watched an episode that I genuinely loved, if nothing else. Which is shocking since I wasn't into what else I saw in the anime THAT much and I HATED Inuyasha back in the day.
-I didn't hate the 4kids One Piece dub at the time (at least in practice, in theory on the otherhand...). Because it's still One Piece so it was shockingly watchable, against all odds. /controversy
-I expected The World God Only Knows to be good. I didn't expect it to be borderline perfect.
-Watamote was just another otaku comedy thing, but it was actually a brilliant, dark look at the ****ed up minds of nerdy teenage girls.
-Black Lagoon is the only ultra dark anime (and practically series) I fully enjoyed it seems

And for manga my main example is easily Ai-Ren. Beautiful romance/slice of life story that very few people have read. It's a shame.

[k11chi]

Magi definitely... The 2 male main characters could have gotten extremely annoying had the story been simply character heavy or followed the usual shounen plot in every arc but it doesn't and it actually has problems you have to find another way to deal with than a super move to the face. Now it's not on HxH level in a way that the main characters don't contribute to the fight against the bad guy of the arc, but the way it deals with worldbuilding and fleshing out and all is way above HxH.

Inuyasha also... It was entertaining. I actually watched Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho but Yu Yu was alot more overhyped, got bored of it soon after episode 3 or something. Dropped at 7 while with Inuyasha I just watched it straight in row to ep 50 or something.

[dumytru]

Zankyou no Terror (Terror in Resonance) - I expected it to be good before it aired, and it got better and better.
Higurashi no naku koro ni - At first I was excited about the gore and mystery, then episode 5 came along, but I kept watching it and season 2 was way above what I expected (storywise).
Code Geass - Three years. That long took me to start to watch it. I watched the intro (first 2 minutes of episode one), then after three years I watched the series.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica - (this is the third involving time-traveling). I guess nobody expected that kind of storyline.
Angel Beats - Just like Code Geass, I watched the first whole episode without going to the next one three times (or so).

[char13happy]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica - I always wondered why people recommended this to me for a long time knowing full well I don't watch Magical Girl shows. Thank the heavens I did because this got a 10/10 from me.
Shokugeki no Souma - came for the food, stayed for the characters. Megu bby is <3
Chihayafuru - I did not expect to fall in love with an anime about karuta. Of all things.
Fate/Zero - I knew next to nothing about the fate series so I had high expectations going in this one. One of the best decisions I've made regarding anime alright.

[Uchiha Shadow]

Berserk, at first I thought I won't like something more than HxH, but Berserk easily made it to the top and became my favorite manga.

[bluekaitou1412]

- Just recently, God Eater. I played the game and the story was nothing special (quite predictable, actually). I haven't seen many excellent game-to-anime adaptations. So I assumed God Eater to be just another beautiful anime by ufotable and didn't expect the studio to deviate from the game's plot, but by episode 4 I was proven quite wrong.

- The first studio DEEN Fate/stay night, when I watched it back in 2008. I had no idea what I was going into. This is an interesting case because it got me hooked on the source material immediately afterwards (it was my first VN) so my opinion of the anime soured. I've been a fan of the Fate universe ever since.

- Magi. I thought it was just a Hunter x Hunter ripoff and kinda gimmicky for alluding to Arabian Nights but goddamn it turned out to be one of the most political/philosophical animes I've ever watched without being too explicit about it. I moved on to the manga after the first season.

- Puella Magi Madoka Magica; self-explanatory.

- Steins;Gate. Again, no idea what it was prior to watching it. A friend recommended but was extremely mum about it. I almost dropped the series after just watching episode 1 because it didn't sell the anime that good, but I went back to it again after a few days and the rest was history. I also know now why my friend didn't spoil a single thing.

- Umineko no Naku Koro Ni. Watched it after Higurashi, expected another murderfest. That's only half-true. I liked it way better than HNNKN.

- Haikyuu!! I checked what the fuss was about, expected another Kuroko no Basuke/Prince of Tennis type of sports anime with all the absurd superpowers. But actually I felt like it was closer to Slam Dunk and that gained it a spot in my favorites list.

- And there's Hyouka, and don't even get me started with this one. Considering it became my all-time favorite slice-of-life anime when I just kinda watched it on a whim and expected a relaxing, fluffy school-life story. The first episode caught me off-guard and when the anime started dropping blatant references to Agatha Christie and detective tropes in general, I went positively nuts (some subtle ones appear in the end titles). Where's my season 2, KyoAni?!

[char13happy]

Don't expect an S2 from KyoAni season when the source material is still left hanging. There's only one volume left and I think I've seen people petition to have it turn into a movie instead.

Also, I am now tempted to watch Umineko after reading the above post.

[bluekaitou1412]

At this point, I'll take anything. But if it's gonna be a movie I hope it's in Shoushitsu-quality.

[Memesu]

Shoushitsu?

Akatsuki no Yona.

[Aby]

Steins;Gate and Baccano! - My friend recommended it to me and loved it so much
Love Live! - The story, the characters it became one of my favs ♡

[Uchiha Shadow]

Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul:re, the level of writing is insane, everything is foreshadowed, like literally.

[k11chi]

Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul:re, the level of writing is insane, everything is foreshadowed, like literally.

I've seen alot of people complain about Tokyo Ghoul being too edgy for no reason and forcefully dark or something. Haven't really gotten into it since the anime...
When people talk about best foreshadowing it's always One Piece also.

[hon123]

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[Uchiha Shadow]

At this point it has to be Gintama, I never thought I'd like it, let alone for it to become my favorite.

[k11chi]

At this point it has to be Gintama, I never thought I'd like it, let alone for it to become my favorite.

How do you think the series will end since it's probably only couple dozen chapters away from the finale...