Some things are easy to miss when you’re watching an anime for the first time.
Rewatching anime is a curious thing. Many people seek the same experience they got the first time they watched the series. However, they often end up being disappointed — they’ve already experienced the story, and it’s just not the same anymore.
That can’t be said for everything, though. Some anime only get better on rewatches, for one reason or another. Here are some examples of those — you will actually benefit from watching all of them at least twice!
Steins;Gate is considered by many one of the best anime of all time. It is at least a good contender for that spot, and that’s because it executes a time travel plot flawlessly.
While the first half might feel slow, it’s anything but that — a lot of things happening in it are actually hinting at the bigger picture. If you watch the anime again after finishing that, you’ll notice those small details.
It’s easy to get confused when you watch Evangelion for the first time. In fact, many fans do, especially those who weren’t familiar with the anime at all.
The entire mystery behind the plot of Higurashi: When They Cry (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) is only revealed after two seasons of the anime. After that point, many of the earlier events, especially in the first arcs, can be seen in a completely different light.
This is a case where a rewatch helps you to recontextualize the events to figure out what actually happened.
While the controversial finale of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) can definitely sour the mood when you go for a rewatch of the entire series, it’s still very much worth it.
Chances are, you don’t remember the first episodes in vivid detail — and many plot twists were actually hinted at since the very beginning. One thing pretty much everyone agrees on, and it’s that Isayama is excellent at foreshadowing.
The Monogatari series can easily go over your head on the first watch. The very first arc of Bakemonogatari is weird and relies on wordplays in Japanese and heavy symbolism, and the non-chronological order doesn’t help the franchise (although it has its dedicated fans).
Still, the anime gets way more understandable on the second watch — and if you already liked it, you’re still likely to find something new for yourself. You can experiment with the watch order as well, although due to some arcs happening at the same time, it can’t be watched in a fully chronological order.
An iconic franchise, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken) constantly surprises the viewer with unexpected plot twists, references and crazy battles.
While you can’t really be surprised a second time, there’s a lot to gain from rewatching JoJo… with a friend or two. Just to see their reactions, you know, or to argue about who is the strongest Joestar.
While Durarara!! rarely goes completely achronological, there is still some shuffling of scenes in every episode. The way the series is told takes some time to get used to, and, while it is entertaining, you can have a hard time remembering the characters at first.
On a second watch, when you’re familiar with the background events and every character, it actually becomes pretty clear — and in a way, more entertaining.
The Garden of Sinners
There’s definitely a trend here. Another series told in achronological order, The Garden of Sinners (Kara no Kyoukai) is written by the original creator of the Fate/stay night visual novel, Kinoko Nasu.
The Garden of Sinners consists of 7 mainline movies (plus a sequel movie and 2 specials) that are told out of order. It aired this way to create a sense of mystery and not reveal everything at once, and especially the first movies can be confusing.
A rewatch can help with that, and you can actually do it in a chronological order.
There’s just something special about Toradora!. At first glance, it seems like your usual romance anime, and there’s no reason to actually rewatch it since you know how it ends.
Despite that, for many, it has become an annual Christmas rewatch. There’s something nostalgic in that, mostly because for many, it has been one of the first anime.
Lucky☆Star
It’s not that Lucky Star gets better on rewatches by itself. It’s just that it is funny, yes, but a lot of the jokes will still go over your head. The anime heavily references otaku culture and requires a heavy cultural baggage if you want to get the most out of it.
While enjoyable at face value, it actually gets better if you watch it again — after watching more anime, of course.
Some things are easy to miss when you’re watching an anime for the first time.
Rewatching anime is a curious thing. Many people seek the same experience they got the first time they watched the series. However, they often end up being disappointed — they’ve already experienced the story, and it’s just not the same anymore.
That can’t be said for everything, though. Some anime only get better on rewatches, for one reason or another. Here are some examples of those — you will actually benefit from watching all of them at least twice!
Steins;Gate is considered by many one of the best anime of all time. It is at least a good contender for that spot, and that’s because it executes a time travel plot flawlessly.
While the first half might feel slow, it’s anything but that — a lot of things happening in it are actually hinting at the bigger picture. If you watch the anime again after finishing that, you’ll notice those small details.
It’s easy to get confused when you watch Evangelion for the first time. In fact, many fans do, especially those who weren’t familiar with the anime at all.
The entire mystery behind the plot of Higurashi: When They Cry (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) is only revealed after two seasons of the anime. After that point, many of the earlier events, especially in the first arcs, can be seen in a completely different light.
This is a case where a rewatch helps you to recontextualize the events to figure out what actually happened.
While the controversial finale of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) can definitely sour the mood when you go for a rewatch of the entire series, it’s still very much worth it.
Chances are, you don’t remember the first episodes in vivid detail — and many plot twists were actually hinted at since the very beginning. One thing pretty much everyone agrees on, and it’s that Isayama is excellent at foreshadowing.
The Monogatari series can easily go over your head on the first watch. The very first arc of Bakemonogatari is weird and relies on wordplays in Japanese and heavy symbolism, and the non-chronological order doesn’t help the franchise (although it has its dedicated fans).
Still, the anime gets way more understandable on the second watch — and if you already liked it, you’re still likely to find something new for yourself. You can experiment with the watch order as well, although due to some arcs happening at the same time, it can’t be watched in a fully chronological order.
An iconic franchise, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken) constantly surprises the viewer with unexpected plot twists, references and crazy battles.
While you can’t really be surprised a second time, there’s a lot to gain from rewatching JoJo… with a friend or two. Just to see their reactions, you know, or to argue about who is the strongest Joestar.
While Durarara!! rarely goes completely achronological, there is still some shuffling of scenes in every episode. The way the series is told takes some time to get used to, and, while it is entertaining, you can have a hard time remembering the characters at first.
On a second watch, when you’re familiar with the background events and every character, it actually becomes pretty clear — and in a way, more entertaining.
The Garden of Sinners
There’s definitely a trend here. Another series told in achronological order, The Garden of Sinners (Kara no Kyoukai) is written by the original creator of the Fate/stay night visual novel, Kinoko Nasu.
The Garden of Sinners consists of 7 mainline movies (plus a sequel movie and 2 specials) that are told out of order. It aired this way to create a sense of mystery and not reveal everything at once, and especially the first movies can be confusing.
A rewatch can help with that, and you can actually do it in a chronological order.
There’s just something special about Toradora!. At first glance, it seems like your usual romance anime, and there’s no reason to actually rewatch it since you know how it ends.
Despite that, for many, it has become an annual Christmas rewatch. There’s something nostalgic in that, mostly because for many, it has been one of the first anime.
Lucky☆Star
It’s not that Lucky Star gets better on rewatches by itself. It’s just that it is funny, yes, but a lot of the jokes will still go over your head. The anime heavily references otaku culture and requires a heavy cultural baggage if you want to get the most out of it.
While enjoyable at face value, it actually gets better if you watch it again — after watching more anime, of course.
