In an ideal world, every anime season would improve on the one before it — but sadly, some promising series peak with Season 1. Delivering a grabbing first chapter is only half the battle for a title hoping to win audiences. Series must keep that momentum going, paying off their initial setup. Anime that get better with every release pull this off, but every so often, one with great potential peaks before it really gets off the ground.
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Failing to meet expectations can be a good thing when an anime is aiming for a premise shift. However, in most cases, it signals a downward spiral that’s difficult to come back from. For some projects, like The Promised Neverland, it means ending on a low note. For others, viewers begin to get frustrated and expect less from a given series.
5) The Promised Neverland
The Promised Neverland Season 1 is an incredible introduction to the series, endearing viewers to the characters and immediately thrusting them into the horrific, high-stakes circumstances they find themselves in. The end of the very first episode throws a curveball, revealing the orphans at Grace Field House are being raised for the slaughter. It’s a dark turn, and things only get more intense from there.
The entire first chapter is gripping as Emma and her friends attempt to escape the fates laid out for them. And there’s a lot of promise when they finally reach the world outside of Grace Field House — but Season 2 fails to deliver on it. Inexplicably, it alters the events of the manga, even cutting a fan-favorite arc. The anime-specific storyline does little to improve on Season 1, ending the show on a frustratingly low note.
4) Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul is another anime that diverges from the manga to its own detriment. It’s why Season 2 is regarded as such a step down. Tokyo Ghoul Season 1 does a decent job selling us on Ken Kaneki’s story. It chronicles his struggle as he becomes half-ghoul, tries to hold onto his humanity, and eventually succumbs to his new nature. The first outing ends in a place that raises interesting questions about where the now-traumatized character will go. Sadly, Season 2 doesn’t use the source material to answer them, with Root A opting for an anime-original narrative instead.
Understandably, this turn of events isn’t appreciated by most longtime fans. And although Tokyo Ghoul attempts to undo it in Season 3, returning to the manga story as if nothing happened, it fails to regain traction. It’s a shame, as Season1 sets up a dark and compelling story, even with its own shortcomings. In general, Tokyo Ghoul is one example of a story that’s better experienced as a manga.
3) Psycho-Pass
Psycho-Pass Season 1 gets the anime off to a good start, introducing a dystopian version of Japan where technology can analyze a person’s mind and use that information to gauge whether they’ll become a criminal. As you might imagine, this leads to questionable methods of prevention — and enables those who can evade the system to slide under the radar. The latter becomes a problem for Psycho-Pass‘ main characters, who must track down a criminal capable of tricking it. And Season 1’s execution of this premise is thoughtful and has an impressive amount of depth, doing the dystopia justice.
By comparison, Psycho-Pass Seasons 2 and 3 aren’t bad additions to the series — but they are a step down from Season 1. The first chapter sets a high bar that the others fail to meet, as the writing and plotting simply aren’t as strong. The commentary still shines, but the rest doesn’t compare. (It doesn’t help that the villains also aren’t as engaging.)
2) The Seven Deadly Sins
Netflix has several anime gems, and The Seven Deadly Sins Season 1 is certainly worth a watch. Unfortunately, the fantasy series’ later chapters are decidedly less so. The adaptation of the manga starts off with promise, benefiting from an engaging cast of characters, solid animation and action sequences, and an adventure that’s consistently entertaining. Season 2 isn’t much of a step down, though the first chapter remains the high point. And from The Seven Deadly Sins Season 2 onward, the series takes a turn for the worse, incentivizing fans to pick up the manga instead.
The biggest complaint about later chapters of The Seven Deadly Sins is the animation quality, which makes a number of confrontations that should be thrilling a tad underwhelming. The story itself also fails to improve on Season 1, making it an anime that clearly peaked with its earliest outing.
1) One-Punch Man
Perhaps the most frustrating anime on this list, One-Punch Man has an amazing first season. It’s everything fans of the manga could have hoped for, and by all rights, it should have become the next big superhero anime. Saitama’s story is adapted with a good balance of high-stakes, gripping action and humor and charm. The animation does it justice, and the production quality is what you’d expect for a highly anticipated anime. Unfortunately, it drops noticeably in One-Punch Man Season 2, despite the story itself going in the same interesting direction as the manga.
One-Punch Man Season 3 is the true nail in the coffin for the series, though, as it continues to decline in quality — and that’s after a six-year wait for new episodes. Season 3 is still ongoing, but the break between parts may alienate viewers further. It’s especially disappointing considering how great the manga is. And the stunning adaptation of ONE’s other manga, Mob Psycho 100, demonstrates the heights it could reach with more effort.
What’s an anime that you feel peaked with Season 1? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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