Some anime series arrive on the scene and immediately steal the spotlight, instantly establishing themselves as new heavy hitters in the industry. These shows earn endless praise, and often build upon their strong starts with even stronger second seasons down the line.However, some shows aren’t quite as lucky.
Sometimes, be it because of behind-the-scenes troubles, rushed production, or any variety of factors, a new series might not exactly hit the ground running.Slow starts aren’t rare in any genre of anime, but some shows face plant so hard that they aren’t ever really able to recover.
These 10 anime series certainly didn’t start on the right foot,but were eventually able to turn themselves around.
Clannadis known and well respected today as one ofthe greatest romance anime series of all time, but that wasn’t always the case. The iconic 2007 Kyoto Animation drama started off with what is arguably one of its weaker arcs, before slowly settling in over the course of its first season.
The typical high school rom-com hijinks were traded out for realistic and brutal depictions of adulthood that absolutely refused to pull any punches.
Its second season, titledClannad After Story, is what eventually made the series so great. The typical high school rom-com hijinks were traded out for realistic and brutal depictions of adulthood that absolutely refused to pull any punches.Clannadremains one of the greatest anime series of the 2000s, despite its relatively slow start.
The series recently left the Netflix lineup in the United States, but is available to stream on The Roku Channel and Prime Video with a HIDIVE subscription.
Despite having the legendaryWeekly Shōnen Jumptag associated with it,World Triggerdoesn’t exactly get the sort of recognition that the magazine’s other adaptations enjoy,and it’s likely the series' first season had something to do with that. Unfortunately, its strategic action simply wasn’t awarded the best animation Toei had to offer, and the anime suffered for it.
However, beyond its opening sections,World Trigger’s visual quality and overall pacing improved significantly alongside the narrative’s deeper dives into its characters and world. Unfortunately, the manga has slowed production since leaving theWeekly Shōnen Jumplineup in 2018, delaying any sign of a future fourth season.
While enduring the wait, anime fans can check out the series on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
Black Cloverdidn’t exactly start slow, at least not in terms of the reception and support it got in its earliest sections. In fact, the anime was one of the biggest released in 2017. However, as far as quality goes, it took some time for the series to truly grow into something that could separate itself from the rest of the shōnen adaptations released every year.
Most viewers have a bit of trouble connecting with its leading character, Asta, who has no magical powers in a world filled with powerful magic users. The series' pacing also came into question early on, but once it settled in,Black Cloverbecame a series loved by a large and passionate portion of the anime community.
Unfortunately, the anime entered a lengthy hiatus in 2021, but wasconfirmed to be getting a second seasonat Anime Expo 2025, once again by Pierrot.Black Cloveris currently streaming on Crunchyroll, Disney Plus, Hulu, Netflix, and more.
Steins;Gatehas become one of the most belovedanime series released in the last two decades, and for good reason. Its tangled web of a time travel story makes for some highly emotional and suspenseful moments, eventually culminating in one of the best endings in anime history. But it takes some time to get there.
Steins;Gateis a worthwhile watch in its entirety,but its first third can be a bit of a slog to get through. There isn’t anything all that interesting going on, and the series' tone is far from what it would become in its second half. Though what eventually unfolds has long been considered one of the greatest stories ever told in anime.Steins;Gateis currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
Full Metal Panic!might not spark the sort of buzz it used to, but it remains one of themost popular action mecha seriesin the genre’s history, and has improved significantly over time. Its original anime series, which was handled by studio Gonzo and went by the same title, drew in viewers with a mix of comedy and action, and kept itself relatively lighthearted.
Some ofFull Metal Panic!’s earlier sections haven’t exactly aged gracefully, but the series' growth over the course of its run has been impressive to watch.
However, when the legendary Kyoto Animation entered the picture, the series shifted into a more mature experience that dove into its characters and leaned into the drama of the universe,not to mention the increase in visual quality. Some ofFull Metal Panic!’s earlier sections haven’t exactly aged gracefully, but the series' growth over the course of its run has been impressive to watch.
The anime is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll and Prime Video.
Of themajorWeekly Shōnen Jumpadaptations,Reborn!, also known asHitman Reborn, hasn’t quite enjoyed the lasting fame other shows have had, which is a shame considering just how popular it was during its heyday. Some of that might have to do with its earlier sections, which can be a bit of a chore to get through for newer anime fans.
The series started as a gag manga, relying on absurd humor and somewhat directionless storytelling, before shifting gears into a more serious shōnen action affair, a transformation not totally unlike that ofDragon Ballin its earlygoings. The anime improves on all fronts as it moves along, but it does take some time to get there. Fans can check out this largely forgotten classic on Crunchyroll.
Few long-running ongoingShōnen Jumpseries have been as influential or consistently successful asJojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The anime adaptation by David Production, which isset to return as early as next year with Part Seven, has been highly acclaimed for some time, but its earliest portions are far from its strongest, and that’s true of its source material as well.
Part One ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventureis good, but it can often feel like a story made by an artist still fleshing out exactly what it was he wanted his series to be. Pretty much everything that happens in its earliest sectionis simply done better later down the line.
It might start a bit slow, but viewers can be certain they’re in for a high-quality experience as the series continues on.Jojo’s Bizarre Adventureis streaming on a variety of services, including Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, and Disney Plus.
Hajime no Ippo, also known asFighting Spiritin the West, is one ofthe most iconic and successful long-running manga seriesever, though its anime counterpart has struggled to keep up. More than 10 years after its debut inWeekly Shōnen Magazine, the firstHajime no Ippoanime series premiered in 2000, and was largely fine.
Nearly another decade later, though, and it would return for a second and third season that used more modern animation to blow its first season out of the water.
It’s become a bit dated over the 25 years since its initial run, but the series served its source material well on release. Nearly another decade later, though, and it would return for a second and third seasonthat used more modern animation to blow its first season out of the water.
Unfortunately, 2013’sHajime no Ippo: Risingis the last anime fans have seen of the series, despite its source material having continued on years past the show’s conclusion. Nevertheless, it remains an incredibly worthwhile watch, and is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
Bungo Stray Dogsis one more underrated andunderappreciated ongoing anime and manga series, and that isn’t without reason. Aside from its seinen tag, which usually limits a show’s exposure to the wider anime community, the series got off to an incredibly slow start in its first season, prioritizing character and world building before diving into the meat of its story.
That isn’t exactly the wrong approach to take when building a narrative,but it is one that banks on a patient audience. Though whenBungo Stray Dogsgot into its second season, all the pieces were in place to set the narrative in motion, and the stakes climbed while the action was finally allowed to breathe.
Unfortunately, fans are still waiting for the announcement of a sixth season, but until then,Bungo Stray Dogsis available to watch on Crunchyroll.
The modern “Big Three” of seinen manga typically involvesBerserk,Vagabond, andVinland Saga, but the ongoingKingdomis absolutely deserving of a spot among those three and remains largely underrated despite its nearly 20 years of success. That likely has something to do with its ongoing anime adaptation,which arrived in 2012 and did not make a good first impression.
The first two seasons ofKingdomsuffered from low-quality CGI-heavy animation that ultimately failed to capture the manga’s dark and gritty moments,leaving longtime fans disappointed. However, around its third season,Kingdom’s visuals improved greatly, finally making up for the lacking quality of its early sections.
Kingdomis scheduled to return with its fifth season in October 2025, and fans can catch it streaming on Crunchyroll.
