Across all forms of entertainment - film, TV, anime, or games - the consensus is that the original is always best. It doesn't matter if it stems from a nostalgic standpoint or whether the first adaptations are deemed objectively better. In most cases, production veers too far away from the source material which angers the diehard fans.
Whatever the reason, it's notoriously rare to find shows that fans say are better as time goes on. The beginning is the worst part. Most shows with a bad start don't have the luxury of a second season to improve. Every now and again, an anime that started badly is graced with a chance to improve.
10 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Finally Shows New Content
There aren't many instances where a second adaptation is as popular, if not more, than its predecessor. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the second attempt of the 2003 anime that made a mark on the world. Brotherhood held more faithful to the manga and directly followed the original events.
The beginning of Brotherhood felt weak and rushed. Almost everything in its first season was already covered in the original adaptation. When the new content gets shown, along with improved art and graphics, is when Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood stands out.
9 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Starts Very Slowly
Everybody loves a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, and this is where JoJo's Bizarre Adventure thrives. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure shot to worldwide stardom thanks, in part, to its intense absurdity. A modern classic, the franchise has rightfully earned a dedicated following. Most fans unanimously agree that JoJo's gets off to a slow start.
JoJo's begins as a Victorian slice of life story, but there's no indication as to what's in store. Most fans agree that the Phantom Blood arc is the worst part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and Jonathon Joestar is a boring, generic protagonist. The consensus is that Part 3 is where the anime hits its stride.
8 Inuyasha Seems Cliché
Inuyasha is romance-adventure anime following a fifteen-year-old who's transported back in time. There, Kagome meets Inuyasha, a half-human-half-dog demon. Inuyasha is a relatively long series with a minimum of 150 episodes. Like most stories with a similar premise, the beginning is far from exciting.
It starts out seemingly as nothing but a cliché Isekai story where a human ends up in a world they don't belong and befriends a local protagonist. All of this changes, however, once the action scenes start, and the romance is further explored. Most fans agree that Inuyasha Kenketsu-Hen is much better than the first season.
7 Seven Deadly Sins Felt Shallow Early On
Set in the European Middle Ages land of Britannia, Seven Deadly Sins follows the main characters - a group of knights that each represent one of the deadly sins. The team was framed for plotting a coup, and are on a mission to clear their names and to liberate the land from the Holy Knights.
Seven Deadly Sins begins sloppily, feeling shallow with a childish art style. Originally, there was nothing that made Seven Deadly Sins stand out from any other one of its genres. Seven Deadly Sins only seemed to boast overpowered main characters and useless female characters. Finally, things got serious, and the emotional and mental turmoil tormenting the characters added a much-needed depth to the show.
6 Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic Needed Better Action Sequences
Magc: The Labyrinth Of Magic is loosely based on Arabian Nights (1001 Nights), the Arabic folktales from the Islamic Golden Age. Labyrinth Of Magic is set in a recreation of the Old World. Its different regions and nations share similarities with their real-life counterparts. It has multiple well-known stories, such as Aladdin and Sinbad The Sailor.
Fans of Labyrinth Of Magic unanimously agree that the second season, Magi: The Kingdom Of Magic is far superior to the original. This is mostly thanks to the better action sequences and a greater impact on the story as a whole.
5 Aria Was Initially Average But Became Something Magnificent
Aria is a futuristic story set in New-Venue on a terraformed Mars - now Aqua. Aria follows the main protagonist, Akari, who begins her journey of becoming a gondolier tour guide with one of the most prestigious companies in the city. Set in a slice-of-life story style, viewers get to explore the world along with Akari.
Aria, initially, was rather slow and painful to watch. Aria's second and third season developed the anime into a highly successful series. Aria began as an average show with nothing to write home about, to something truly magnificent that has kept the franchise alive.
4 Once Steins;Gate Finds Its Footing, It Becomes One Of The Best
A sci-fi time travel show is always going to get confusing and disorientating, it's just the nature of the genre. Fans love a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, which is something Steins;Gate fails at.
Initially, Steins;Gate tries too hard to be smart, almost to a pretentious level, and settles for the generic young-genius tropes. The first 10 episodes are a struggle to get through, with vapid characters, a nonexistent plot, and mediocre animation. Once Steins;Gate finds its footing, however, the story becomes one of the best, proven by its immense popularity.
3 Toradora! Began Predictable, But Became An Emotional Romance Anime For The Ages
Toradora! is coming-of-age story about a ragtag group of teenagers with conflicting personalities. Toradora! is a romantic comedy anime that mainly follows Ryuuji Takasu, a timid and gentle student with an intimidating face. The story also follows Taiga Aisaka, who is small, cute, and has a fiery personality. Toradora! takes a turn when they realize they both have a crush on each other's best friend.
Slapstick comedy, height jokes, and boring romance tropes are the first things watchers notice about Toradora!, and it's hard to endure. After this though, the writing improves and many dimensions are added to the characters to make Toradora! an emotional romance anime for the ages.
2 Clannad Is The Opening Act, But After Story Steals The Show
A gut-wrenching tear-jerker for the ages, Clannad is a widely known anime that touches on life's trials and tribulations expertly. Tomoya Okazaki is a delinquent with no aspirations. He ends up befriended by a young girl named Nagisa Furukawa. He finds out Nagisa's dream is to revive the school's drama club and decides to help her achieve this goal.
The first season of Clannad wasn't necessarily bad, but after the release of Clannad: After Story, it becomes evident which one is superior. It feels like Clannad becomes the opening act while After Story is the showstopper.
1 Gintama Didn't Introduce Characters Well, But Eventually Gets Into A Good Rhythm
Gintama follows aliens called "Amanto," which have invaded Earth and have taken over feudal Japan. This lead to a ban on swords and samurais being treated as outcasts. Gintama follows eccentric samurai Gintoki Sakata as he works odd jobs around Japan with his friends to pay the bills.
Gintama has one of the most painstakingly slow beginnings of all anime, with the first two episodes being a bombardment of character introductions. It also ruins a lot of serious and dark moments by trying to make itself more ridiculous during those scenes. After the first season, Gintama becomes hilarious and explores dark and mature elements well.