Mostanimetend to get viewers hookedwithin the first few episodes, courtesy of some strong writing and engaging cliffhangers that make it downright impossible to leave the series hanging at a point. This is precisely why so many anime break into the mainstream in a resounding fashion — the majority of its viewership comes during the initial run of episodes, and any anime that manages to hook viewers end up generating a ton of buzz that helps it further down the line.
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However, this buzz can be extremely misleading if the later episodes don’t hold up in comparison to the beginning. It doesn’t help that some anime end up saving the worst for last, leading to an extremely unsatisfying viewing experience that can irritate viewers to no end.Here are some animethat started out with a bang before fizzling out further down the line.
10Fullmetal Alchemist
The original run ofFullmetal Alchemistwas pretty legendary, featuring an entertaining run of episodes early on. However, the show’s quality dipped after it pursued an original storyline.
The ending of the originalFullmetal Alchemistwas an absolute train wreck. Thankfully, these mistakes were rectified with the advent ofFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which rectified all the mistakes of its predecessor.
9Death Note
A mystery anime unlike anything most people had ever seen before,Death Note’s riveting storyline kept fans hooked for quite some time indeed. However, after a great run of episodes,Death Note’s story ended up floundering around.
The turning point of the show was definitely after L met his end at the hands of Light. Near and Mello weren’t nearly as intriguing, making for a disappointing conclusion to Light’s story.
8Sword Art Online
It might be a stretch to callSword Art Online’s beginning “great”. However, there’s no denying the fact that the initial few episodes of the anime were extremely entertaining and made for great binging material.
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Unfortunately, the show ended up declining dramatically in quality after the introduction of Alfheim and turning Asuna from a great independent character to a simple damsel in distress. It’s these episodes that have made the majority of anime fans hateSword Art Onlinewith a passion.
7Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoulisa show that started off on a great note. However, just like most other anime, it lost its appeal after veering away from the manga’s story.
Most people considerTokyo Ghoul Root Ato be even worse, but its predecessor started off on an extremely high note. Unfortunately, the ending was lackluster in comparison and left several events open to interpretation… and not in a good way.
6Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelionis one of the best and most legendary anime of all time. However, even its most devout fans find it hard to justify the torrid ending of the original anime’s run.
Thankfully, unlike most of the other anime on this list, this ending was rectified later down the line.The End of Evangelionis a must-watch for fans of the original show… especially if the original ending of the anime made absolutely no sense whatsoever.
5Bleach
There was a time whenBleachwas considered a part of the Big Three, along withNarutoandOne Piece. However, the series ended up diminishing exponentially in quality after the end ofthe brilliant Soul Society arc.
The Arrancar arc was fairly decent, but it just felt like this arc was treading the same ground as the Soul Society arc. Following this,Bleachbecame an unwatchable affair, with the Fullbring arc being one of the most inconsequential and useless arcs in any anime.
4Akame Ga Kill!
Few shows start off on a major high likeAkame Ga Kill!, which had one of the greatest opening episodes of all time. Unfortunately, rushed pacing and poor storytelling ended up taking away from the anime’s strengths with each successive episode.
The fact that everyone is killed off in the main cast for no reason doesn’t help, with even the manga itself not being as flippant when it came to the lives of these characters. It was clear thatAkame Ga Kill!was hinging mostly on shock value, with its storytelling being absolutely nonsensical at times.
3Soul Eater
There aren’t many shows that have reached the same high asSoul Eater… which is rather odd since not many shows have reached the same lows either. Bones might be great animators, but this studio shouldn’t try and change the story of a manga that was already great enough as is.
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As a result,Soul Eaterbecomes a complete mess later down the line. The whole concept of teamwork is thrown into the bin as solitary powerups and “epic” moments end up taking precedent instead.
2Elfen Lied
Another anime with an absolutely brilliant opening has to beElfen Lied. The show didn’t pull any punches when it came to depicting the incredible savageness and gore of the series.
While later episodes were pretty entertaining in their own right, the story eventually veered off a cliff near the end. There were too many plot holes that were left unexplained for people to be satisfied with this ending.
1Claymore
While shows likeFullmetal Alchemisthave received theBrotherhoodtreatment, it’s a shame thatClaymorehas been left in the dust for so long. After all, the manga is great, and the anime did a brilliant job of adapting the first half of the story.
However, after catching up to the manga,Claymore’s anime decided to veer off into an original story of its own. This was a bone-headed decision, with the ending of the anime feeling rushed and delivering absolutely no closure whatsoever!
