At First Glance…

[The Huntsman]

Have you ever heard about an animated program and thought that you would hate it, only to watch it on a whim and discover that you really enjoy it? This has happened to me numerous times and I thought that it was worth creating a thread about, as I wanted to see how often it actually occurs. If this has happened to you, please let us know which animated program you are talking about, as well as why you initially thought that you would hate it and why you liked it when you actually watched it.

The first animated program on my list is “Yin Yang Yo!”. I admit that I was bitter back when the series premiered, as Jetix had more-or-less taken over much of the network at that point and forced many of my favorite animated programs from the 90s into oblivion. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t bitter, but I was foolish back then and I shouldn’t have blamed a programming block. Regardless, my grudge, if you can call it that, wasn’t the only reason that I didn’t like the series. Despite the fact that it got good reviews on this very website, most of the members of our community had nothing but bad things to say about it. I took them at their word and I thought that the series would be abysmal, but I began to watch it towards the end of 2007 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked Yin and Yang and I thought that the series was pretty funny despite certain annoyances. I guess I’ve always had a soft spot for animal characters, even though they have become redundant over the years.

Secondly, there is “Skunk Fu!”. I had heard very little about this animated program until it debuted on Cartoon Network, but I thought that I would hate it because of the central plot’s reliance on toilet humor. The fact that the show’s creators seemed to revel in its reliance on toilet humor also bothered me and I vowed that I would never watch it, but cooler heads prevailed and the series is now one of my favorite animated programs. I was particularly impressed with the combat scenes; they aren’t spectacular, by any means, but they’re definitely very good when compared to many other animated programs that are designed for children.

Then there is “Viva Piñata”. When I first heard about this series, I dismissed it completely because I thought that it was little more than an attempt to cash in on the video game that it was based upon. There was a lot of resentment towards 4Kids back then and most of the reviews that I read were negative, which further enforced my feelings. However, just last week, I actually gave the series a chance and I have to say that it may very well be my favorite animated program. I seldom laugh when watching children’s animation, despite the fact that I love children’s animation, yet “Viva Piñata” makes me laugh consistently in nearly every episode that I’ve seen. In truth, this series makes me feel like a kid again, as it’s been a long time since an animated program has made me laugh. It’s just a shame that I don’t get The CW, as there are only so many episodes legally available online.

So, have you ever liked an animated program that you thought that you would hate at first glance?

[Tobias]

'Spongebob Squarepants' - There was something very... offputting in the previews and commercials, so I actively avoided it for the first year or so. Then I caught the 'Hall Monitor' episode and was instantly hooked.

'Invader Zim' - It didn't look like my cup of tea, then I caught a few eps during a marathon and fell in love with the show. If I had to choose between IZ and 'Fairly Oddparents', I would chosen Zim to carry on with new eps.

'My Little Pony & Friends' - This was a really - REALLY- odd one for me. I thought it would be nothing but a girly girl cartoon, then one day I stayed home sick from school and caught part 2 of 'Bright Lights' and instantly wanted to see how the rest of the story came out. But this was before we owned a VCR so I had to wait a good six months to catch the rerun since it was on during school hours.

I'll post more later on.

[Bloody Marquis]

Judging from promos, pictures, and the first episode, I thought that American Dragon Jake Long was gonna be horrible. But after watching the second season, I have to say that it was a pleasant surprise.

[Darklordavaitor]

Judging from promos, pictures, and the first episode, I thought that American Dragon Jake Long was gonna be horrible. But after watching the second season, I have to say that it's was a pleasant surprise.
And you're welcome for that.;)

I had no idea I would of gotten into the show so much. From what I've of the promos before actually watching the show, it looked like crap. After actually watching the show, I saw a Disney series not afraid to set-up, take risks, and make the best and worst out of it's characters. And then it wasn't afraid to poke fun of itself along the way, as long as it didn't destroy the tension built up beforehand, which is something that the staff of Danny Phantom and Teen Titans couldn't admit to themselves for the most part. It seems the staff had more in plan with the show according to their blog (http://amdrag.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_archive.html), which reading all that Disney wouldn't let them get away with makes me dislike the Channel even more.

There are plenty more series I could mention here, but AD:JL is the big one for me, and I'm in a bit of a rush.

[Rick Jones]

I thought I would hate Avatar and most other Nicktoons made in the past decade but I haven't. I had absolutely no idea that Avatar would be as good a show as it is. I was expecting something watered down and that relied strongly on basement level humor but I was very pleasantly surprised.

[Dr.Pepper]

There was something about the early ads for Ed Edd n Eddy that made me not want to watch it. It wasn't until a year and a half later I was bored and watched it with my brother and relized it was like one of the best show ever IMO.

[creativerealms]

Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go, the name alone was a turn off way too long. The character designs were pretty ugly and the basis for the show was not really that interesting to me ether. Yet the show really surprised me with the quality of it's characters and writing.

[Michael24]

Jimmy Neutron - I thought the animation looked okay, but figured it was just another annoying cartoon for little kids. But one time I happened to catch something during a channel surf that made me laugh, so I hung around for a few more seconds, which turned into a few minutes, which turned into the whole episode. I never watched it regularly, but I would watch entire episodes whenever I happened to flip across them.

Spongebob Squarepants - If I thought Jimmy Neutron looked annoying at first, I thought this looked absolutely obnoxious. The fact Spongebob stuff was freakin' everywhere didn't help either. But then my brother's girlfriend moved in with us, and she was a big fan, so they would watch it all the time. I started seeing it more and more, despite my efforts to avoid it, but I had to admit it was looking funnier and funnier each time I saw it. Now I think it's one of the funniest cartoons I've ever seen.

The Batman - I've covered my experiences with this before. Initially I was turned off because of the animation and character designs. But after finishing up all the B:TAS and JL/JLU DVDs, I was hungry for fresh new adventures with Bats and decided on a whim to pick up Season 1 and 2 when I saw them for cheap at Target. In two days I'd finished both seasons and was hooked. The designs didn't bother me once I saw them in motion, and it was just fun seeing a different approach to the material (as well as new adventures) after 15 years of Timmverse Bats. :)

[Silverstar]

Rocko's Modern Life-I've told this tale before, but when this series was first being previewed, I thought it was going to be nothing more than a lame Ren & Stimpy wannabe. Upon watching it, it became my all-time favorite Nicktoon, and remains so to this day.

[Tobias]

"Teen Titans' - The character designs (Robin's and Cyborg's especially) were a big turn off for me, not to mention the wacky anime influence, but once the show found it's footing about halfway through the season I started warming up to the show and became a fan.

[Yash]

Yu-Gi-Oh! - Back when this show premiered I was a Pokemon fan so I was bitter about how it sort of overtook it in popularity. I managed to catch a couple episodes on CN's first syndication of it though, and I was hooked.

Powerpuff Girls - This is the kind of show that will shred all of what masculinity every 10-year-old boy thinks he has, so naturally I avoided it like the plague. Over time though I grew to accept it.

[judyindisguise]

I hated Phineas and Ferb on sight. And frankly, I still don't like the way it looks. But to my surprise, it's genuinely funny at times, it's kindhearted, and I have yet to completely tire of Perry the Platypus, although, since he's in every episode, I've had plenty of provocation. The characters are likeable, the comic villian is really amusing, and the plots are cleverly constructed. So now I"m a P and F convert; I always tune in whenever there's a new episode.

[Light Lucario]

Yu-Gi-Oh!- When I first saw the commercials, I thought that the show would be something lame. But I saw an episode on CN once and then I slowly became hooked after watching more of season one on Kids' WB. In fact, the rematch duel between Yugi and Kaiba, with the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, made me love the series.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX- During a good portion of the first season, I thought that this new series was pretty weak, especially compared to how the story got in Duel Monsters. However, once season two came along, I thought that the show's plot became stronger. Upon rewatching some of season one's episodes, some were actually better than I thought and others remained about the same.

Avatar- I don't remember ever actually thinking that this show was going to be bad when I first saw it. I just didn't think that it would turn out as completely awesome as it did since it was on Nick.

Teen Titans- I remember watching some of the commericals for the show before it premiered and I wasn't too impressed. It might have been the character designs, but the anime facial expressions never really bothered me. Once I started watching some more episodes, I saw how it had a fun balance of serious and funny moments.

[AlgeaX]

The Batman Vs. Dracula: The title alone is pretty damn groan worthy all by itself. I watched it out of morbid curiosity more then anything else, but it actually turned out to be one of the best outings for this particular incarnation of Batman. Plus they had an appropriately creepy version of the good count himself.

[Baltofan]

I began to love Skunk Fu too.

[Mad Mod 49]

Avatar: Like Light_Lucario, I never thought it would be bad...but I had no idea how freaking epic it would be. But just the original 1-hour series premiere and bam! I was hooked.

Ben 10: It didn't look interesting at all when I saw the previews, but then I caught the episode Kevin 11 and I found that I was wrong. Not the best of shows, but quite entertaining.

Digimon: At first it looked like a lame Pokemon rip-off and I stayed away. But then I was able to watch several Myotismon episodes and I was converted.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Began watching during the Maze Castle arc. Got hooked, bought the whole first season, and it was all uphill from there.

The Iron Giant: From previews, I thought it looked boring. And to this day, I still kick myself for even thinking that. :p

[Marvin Tikvah]

Ben 10: Alien Force, I have never been, nor will I ever be, a big fan of the original series. But the more down to earth approach of Alien Force kept me watching.

Chowder, the previews made it look very juvenile, and I wasn't a big fan of it's art style, but I caught the premiere out of curiousity, and it's now my favorite show on CN.

Powerpuff Girls, like Tash said, the promotion made it look like it was entirely focused on appealing to little sisters, but when I first got cable, I flipped to CN and they just so happened to have a marathon of PPG, and I now consider it a masterpiece.

The old 80's Nintendo cartoons, specifically the Mario-based ones. Many online reviews pointed out the inconsistencies of the cartoon, so I initially placed it in the same boat as the movie. However, I bought the SMB3 DVD set for my little bros, and ended up watching some, and I actually enjoyed it.

[Spideyzilla]

Magi-Nation- I like it. Fun. One of the best theme songs I've ever heard.

The Batman- When I first saw the Joker, I laughed. But when I watched it, I loved it.

Gargoyles- Believe it or not. I thought it was too complicated. It's now one of my all time favourite cartoons.

Batman Beyond- I found the idea absurd. It was great.

Kung Fu Panda- Just plain funny.

[danreyes1]

I've had a few of those experiences

Juniper Lee - Obvious ripoff of Jake Long, which I already hated. But JL actually came out... good. Too bad it didn't last long

Storm Hawks - Looked like one of those high-twitch animation style shows that are all to common nowadays. Again, Cartoon Network killed it. What does CN have against shows I actually like?

Legion of Super-Heroes - Despite being a DC fan, I never liked the Legion. Silly powers and an inconsistent history. Plus I was wary of new DC cartoons since Teen Titans. However, I found it quite entertaining, especially the terrific second season. What's this? It's been canceled! I have the WORST luck, don't I?

Spectacular Spider-Man - Sawe the first episode. Wasn't thrilled. Then saw the last episode. WAS thrilled. Found out Greg Weisman created it. Liked it. Caught the rest of the series, loved it. Currently the only one of these shows that is still playing, though the fact that I actually like it will send a red alert to the network execs to cencel it after season two, no doubt.

[Dr.Pepper]

I hated Phineas and Ferb on sight. And frankly, I still don't like the way it looks.
I agree 100%, but I only watch it occasionally.

[Racattack!Force]

Juniper Lee - Obvious ripoff of Jake Long
Um no, they were developed at their respective studios at the same time. For more info on how Juniper Lee was made, check out this interview with Judd Winick (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?threadid=34655). And you can check out the AmDrag block for info on their side too.

[Blackstar]

Chowder- When I first saw the previews, my assumption was that this show would be another Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?-a mediocre cartoon with cheap animation. And when I saw the premiere, I thought that it was mostly just weird, but a few episodes later, Chowder started to grow on me. To update this story, Chowder is currently one of my favorite shows on CN. I now think that Chowder is funny and weird, but in a good way. I especially like the characters of Mung Dahl and Truffles.

Ed, Edd 'N' Eddy- Becasue this show came from Danny Antonucci, the same man who gave us The Brothers Grunt, my expectations were considerably low, but the Eds really started to grow on me after a while, even though I didn't enjoy the last couple of seasons as much as I did the earlier ones.

Johnny Test- When JT premeired on Kids WB, I thought that this was the single stupidest cartoon ever made. Ironically, I didn't start to appreciate Test until after the reruns began airing on Cartoon Network. Test still isn't one of my favorite shows and CN runs it way too much, but I enjoy it more now than I did when it first aired.

[danreyes1]

Um no, they were developed at their respective studios at the same time. For more info on how Juniper Lee was made, check out this interview with Judd Winick (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?threadid=34655). And you can check out the AmDrag block for info on their side too.

Alright, fine, it looked like a ripoff. Whether it was or was not, I don't care. It was better and should have continued on.

[mojokingbee1]

Kappa Mikey - Hated it at first because of it's stiff animation and predictable storylines, but grown to love it after the Karaoke Genie episode (and finding out that Andrew Kaiko and Toonzone's own Matt Wilson worked on it).

[Lavenderpaw]

. It was better and should have continued on.


Amdrag or Juniper Lee? :confused:

As for me,Teen Titans didn't click with me for reasons I can't remember but I took a liking to it around 2005.

[lemonhead75]

Invader Zim and Courage the Cowardly Dog- I was a whole lot younger when thes shows premiered, and frankly, I was just terrified of them. And since then, I have completely fallen in love with them.

Storm Hawks- The first few episodes weren't very entertaining, and the animation was poor, but the more I watched it, the more I liked it.

[Racattack!Force]

Amdrag or Juniper Lee? :confused:
He was referring to Juniper Lee.

[creativerealms]

Flapjack: Why because A I hate Chowder and B too many people were calling it "Chowder 2.0" or "It wants to be like Chowder" yet Flapjack has this charm that I do not believe Chowder has. So yeah it was the comments of others mixed with my opinion on another show that stopped me from giving Flapjack a chance, at first. Now i love the show.

[PinkAZ31207]

"iCarly"- At first when I saw the commercials (and some parts of the pilot) I thought it was just going to be another stupid show about annoying girly teenagers who do annoying girly teenager stuff on a video. But then I watched a few of the episodes when I was at my Aunts house on 4th of July (on this kool projector thing! Yah, we were so bored..) and I thought it was REALLY funny! :lol:

[PinkAZ31207]

Um no, they were developed at their respective studios at the same time. For more info on how Juniper Lee was made, check out this interview with Judd Winick (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?threadid=34655). And you can check out the AmDrag block for info on their side too.
(sorry Im doble posting, but I don't know how to quote on a message :sweat: )
I've seen both, and i dont rly think it's a rippoff. But i think Jake Long is WAY better! (but then again, I only saw one or two scenes of Junper Lee, maybe that's something I'll have to check out..)

[Silverstar]

"iCarly"- At first when I saw the commercials (and some parts of the pilot) I thought it was just going to be another stupid show about annoying girly teenagers who do annoying girly teenager stuff on a video. But then I watched a few of the episodes when I was at my Aunts house on 4th of July (on this kool projector thing! Yah, we were so bored..) and I thought it was REALLY funny! :lol:

We're suppsoed to be discussing animated programs. iCarly isn't a cartoon. But nonetheless, thanks for sharing.

[JRP82190]

X-men TAS as a little kid i hated the clunky animation and the weried voices but after seeing the movie and X-men evo and falling in love with the X-men as a whole i decided to give the show a shot and it is to this day one of my favorite cartoons along with evo

[thenewme93]

Bleach- EEk! Naruto with Samurai and fanservice...(Boy was I wrong..)

Am Drag: Man..this Chinese kid needs to lay off the MTV! (He did in later seasons..LOL)

South Park: Cheap animations and fart jokes..(Then I watched the Scott Tenorman eppy..)

[Novapocalypse]

Naruto

I was the like... "WTF. Blonde Ninja 12 year old looking like Goku = Bull."

Then I started watching it... and liked it.

[Lavenderpaw]

(sorry Im doble posting, but I don't know how to quote on a message :sweat: )
I've seen both, and i dont rly think it's a rippoff. But i think Jake Long is WAY better! (but then again, I only saw one or two scenes of Junper Lee, maybe that's something I'll have to check out..)

Amdrag had more of a plot and even plot arcs. ;)

[danreyes1]

I think we should really stop comparing Jake Long to Juniper Lee. Yes, they were similar, but both are unique enough in their own ways and have their fans. I happen to not like Jake Long because I found the characters fairly annoying, while Juniper Lee had only one annoying character. And I'm quite sure they were leading up to something with Juniper's friend finding out her secret in the last episode (which I'm not sure even aired on TV, I only saw it on CN.com).

At this point it's like comparing Nintendo to Sega.

[Light Lucario]

I think we should really stop comparing Jake Long to Juniper Lee. Yes, they were similar, but both are unique enough in their own ways and have their fans. I happen to not like Jake Long because I found the characters fairly annoying, while Juniper Lee had only one annoying character. And I'm quite sure they were leading up to something with Juniper's friend finding out her secret in the last episode (which I'm not sure even aired on TV, I only saw it on CN.com).

At this point it's like comparing Nintendo to Sega.

I do agree with you here. I do see similarities between American Dragon and Juniper Lee, but both were pretty different in the long run and they did have their own charm to gather their fans. I personally still prefer American Dragon over Juniper Lee, but that's beside the point. I agree, though, that comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges. Both are fruit, but they're different fruit altogether.