List of Anime That Exceeds Our Expectations

The following list involves anime whose inceptive premises and first impressions let us believe the show would fail but eventually ended up surprising the viewers for better.

The Great Passage

There are no explosions, no OP protagonist, or designing fleshing out women. It’s a character-driven, adult drama that focuses on a publishing house and the professional and personal life of lexicographers. On getting such a tiring description many of you might want to hold your horses but, if you care for the characters, their choice, and how they shape their future, The Great Passage is worth giving a shot.

Dictionaries are obsolete for quite a while now and you might not be aware of the fact that how much thought one gave to every single word that goes into the dictionary worry not cause the series will make you realize it in its own beautiful ways.

It is not always teaching you geek dictionary stuff but the center plot revolves around its characters and the workplace acts as a vehicle for the growth of the characters. It places hurdles organically, there is always sort of conflict in the process of being resolved. This series is not just about struggling but learning to embrace one’s true self.

Noragami Aragoto

Noragami Season 2 simply added to the popularity of stray God Yato. It unlike some other shows knows how to do a second season. Aragoto added just so much to the world and the characters from Season 1, it answered some of the most sought out questions and improved from the first season greatly.

It deals with the issues in a way that is relatable from Yukine’s acceptance of his death from Season 1 to Bishamon’s massive amount of regret and rage in Aragoto to Ebisu’s absolute desire to help humanity regardless of the cost. The show excels in mixing good action sequences with comedy reliant on character expressions.

Beastars

We can say Beastars has mystery, a bit of action, romance it’s all there with little something for everyone but, its insane character development and the theme of the animal side of human nature transformed the series into a mind-blowing experience. Set in a world where anthropomorphic animals inhabit the world. Carnivores and herbivores are trying to live in harmony but this sets up a sort of racial divide between the two races.

The anime series focuses on an insanely believable group of young adults dealing with their own issues. Legosi is composed anthro protagonist whose humane attitude is at odds with the killer instincts of his kind, the carnivores. He falls in love with Haru, a herbivore.

Is this actually love or predator’s instinct of devouring its prey? As the show progresses it was cool to see Legosi learning more about himself. Louis initially appears unbearable but we later find out how he acts that way and what’s behind that armor.

ACCA: 13

It takes place in a fictional country, Dowa which is divided into 13 states and they all operate mostly independent of one another. However, there is some semblance of a federal government as an attempt to keep the peace. With ACCA being an agency that acts as an overseer but, like all organizations it has flaws: some are trying to cheat the system and even break it which brings us to our main protagonist, Jean Otus.

He is a member of ACCA and his duty is to make sure that everything is still running smooth. So he surveys different states. Another boring premise but, the show is basically about its narrative carrying its ambitions forward. With each visit to a new state, new conflicts and a visual feast awaits Jeans and the audience. The show has done commendable work in telling a story that is way more explicit than the boring premise.

Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

A period drama about a traditional form of comedic Japanese storytelling can be a tough sell based on its rather a niche premise. But if the narrative of being a story about storytellers doesn’t get you interested then the compelling tales being told by the well-developed characters still might.

All of them feel fleshed out and the dynamics with one another are in major highlights driving the meaningful drama from start to finish. Layered, comedic, and tragic this is one extensive story worth experiencing.