Forum - View topicWhat's The Best First Episode You've Ever Seen?
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MasterSword23
Posts: 38 |
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Death Parade's first episode was awesome!
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scriver058
 Posts: 127 Location: NY |
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The first episode of Gai Rei Zero would get my vote here. The rest of the show didn't live up to it, but that first episode... Jesus.
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KENZICHI
 Posts: 1103 |
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I think mine would have to be Attack on Titan too. At least in recent memory. That episode instantly hooked me and produced such an emotional impact in me. Yeah haha.
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Merxamers
 Posts: 720 |
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Great read, loved all the answers (even for the shows i haven't seen yet).
This question would be difficult for me to answer, since i tend to focus more on how a show ends than how it begins. There are a few shows that have struck me with impressively directed first episodes, where the creators were obviously trying their hardest to make a great first impression (Tora Dora!, Tokyo Ghoul). I'd say my favorite, though, would be Kill la Kill. Each time i've re-watched that show, i'm surprised at just how much HAPPENS in it; much like the rest of the show, it never really feels like there's any wasted time or dialogue. Whenever i've recommended it to other people, i let them know that they should recognize whether or not the show's for them from the first 4 minutes, and it's true. I love watching it every time. In the future, i'd love to see a similar editorial about Final episodes 
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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This is the first in a series of editorials where we poll our critics with a simple question like this and then get your responses. We're open to suggestions for what the questions should be! But please don't forget to list your favorite first episode here. We're really curious what people say in response to this one.
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Souther
 Posts: 602 |
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The best first episode I've seen is Karas's. The first opening fight alone, in my eyes, remains unrivalled in terms of action and direction, not to mention the other incredible fights. I loved the settings, from the city to the spiritual world and the youkai that inhabit it, the visuals are amazing and the soundtrack is glorious. I wanted to know more about its world and why everything was happening.
Last edited by Souther on Fri Dec 04, 2015 12:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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7jaws7
 Posts: 704 Location: New York State |
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I'll roll with GTO on this one. I don't know if it counts since it's longer than a traditional television episode, but the introduction to Onizuka's unorthodox career as a teacher - even if it started off for all the wrong reasons - was an absolute blast to watch.
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Saidah Gilbert
Posts: 28 Location: Trinidad and Tobago |
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It's hard for me to choose favourites. I, too tend to look back on anime that I've watched for the progression of the story rather than the first impression. If I remember the first episode, it's because it was so horribly bad that I couldn't continue it. However, I'll attempt to answer this question.
THINKING.... When I watch anime, I tend to be strongly influenced by the OP theme. If it's good, then I will watch the anime even if the story eventually loses interest for me. However, a first episode that I can see myself watching over and over again will probably be Kill la Kill or One Piece. They both have good OPs and the story starts off interestingly enough. |
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KutovoiAnton
 Posts: 941 Location: Vladimir, Russia |
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I think my favorite first episode is in Rurouni Kenshin. "A sword is a weapon. The art of swordsmanship is learning how to kill. That is the truth. What Miss Kaoru says is sweet and innocent talk that only those whose hands have never been stained with the blood of men can believe. But, to tell you the truth, I much prefer Miss Kaoru's sweet and innocent talk over the truth, indeed I do!"
Special mention goes to "Shingeki no Bahamut". It was amazingly directed swashbuckling adventure, similar to the Pirates of the Carribean. The rest of the series was great as well, but the first one REALLY stays in the memory. |
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WingKing
Posts: 617 |
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Love this article! Some really interesting choices; it's great to see what hooks different people on a show and which ones succeed at it.
For me, just thinking quickly about it, I'd probably have three candidates: the first episode of Trigun, Episode 00 of Haruhi, or one Theron mentioned, the first episode of Kurau Phantom Memory. Anime is notorious for its slow starts and the vast majority of shows, even a lot of my favorites, really needed 4 or 5 episodes for me to get completely into it, but with those three I immediately had a sense after those opening 25 minutes that I was watching something special. I actually showed the first episode of Kurau to the anime club for teens that I run just a few days ago, and seeing it for the first time in about 7 or 8 years suddenly made me want to watch that whole series all over again - I'd almost forgotten how good it is. And more importantly the kids were totally caught up in it; even the ones who usually like to fiddle with their phones when we watch videos were giving it their full attention. If you can rivet a roomful of teens to their chairs, that's when you know you have a good episode. |
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Jonny Mendes
 Posts: 997 Location: Europe |
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Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica
The first 3 minutes make me glued to a anime that i didn't expect to be so good. Shakugan no Shana and Date a Live first episodes are also very good. |
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chito895
 Posts: 512 Location: Lima, Peru |
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I'm somewhat new to anime, so I may have missed lots of very good first episodes. The Attack on Titan premiere was strong and very scary spoiler[(The mom
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Then I remember SAO first episode: I loved when the coated guy appeared from nowhere to say that all the players are trapped, and if they die here, they die in real life, and then everyone lose their shit and at the end of the episode they show us how many people have already died! That one was really powerful and grabbed my attention inmediately. But the best of the best I've seen so far: School Live!spoiler[ Although it was just at the end of the first episode that you realise that Yuki is messed up, one can really see all the foreshadowing and little details they put during the complete episode.] And then that revelation, with such atmosphere and music left me like  Yep, it is the best first episode I've seen so far.
And kudos to the first episode of Hyouka too! The first two "kininarimsasu" were the most absorbing (and maybe the most beautiful) pieces of animation I've seen from KyoAni. |
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FilthyCasual
Posts: 2185 |
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I've never really thought about this question. Most of the time when I watch something it's because I've already it, so I tend to conflate anime premieres with manga first chapters.
I guess Tokyo Ghoul's first episode would be my favorite. It introduced the tone of the series and captured Kaneki's fear and confusion extraordinarily well. |
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Hoppy800
 Posts: 3331 |
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The 1st Idolm@ster, especially since it was one of those "day in the life" episodes which usually aren't that good but it made the anime and the series approachable to everyone something that doesn't happen as much today, the studio and creators these days assume that you've played the game before watching a game adaptation especially with mobile adaptations.
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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If only the rest of the first-season arc, let alone the second first-season arc, was as good as that first episode. 
Hard to pick one favorite, as just about every classic I've stayed with had a great first iconic setup episode (the race in UY, a girl and a panda running out of the rain in Ranma 1/2, Beldandi poking her head through the mirror in Ah My Goddess OVA)-- It would be shorter to think of a list of classics that didn't have great first episodes, but of those that did, I still get re-hooked every time by most of the characters being first established by their jokes in Azumanga Daioh: Ms. Yukari's cheery entrance into class ("Um, your class is next door"), Tomo's enthusiastic late stand in the hall, Chiyo first arrives, and Sakaki's first attempt at petting Kamineko. Oh, and while Bodacious Space Pirates was cute and fun, why did it never turn into the high-adrenaline chase that the first episode was? Last edited by EricJ2 on Fri Dec 04, 2015 3:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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