History GrowingTheBeard / AnimeAndManga

* The early chapters of ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'' received mixed reactions, with some finding them fairly enjoyable and sweet and others being turned off by Ichikawa's dark {{Chuunibyou}} antics and dismissed the series as another WishFulfillment RomanticComedy. The reception became much better around Chapters (Or [[IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming "Karte"]]) 10-15 once he dropped his "desire" to kill Anna and started focusing more on CharacterDevelopment and the growing interactions between them. What ''really'' settled it as a great series among readers were Karte 42-43, where the series started exploring Ichikawa's insecurities.

* ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'' undergoes a noticeable shift in quality starting with Volume 5, where the story actually begins to challenge the main characters and the stakes become higher. The anime, however, does not do a very good job illustrating this, leading to criticism that the series arguably does not deserve.

* ''Manga/ItazuraNaKiss'' does this in tandem with TheyDo - the [[spoiler:HappilyEverAfter end]] of the first season is in many ways the real ''beginning'', because it drops most of the exaggerated RomCom {{Dead Horse Trope}}s in favor of a more grown-up plot.

** Another would be the Piccolo Daimao Arc, which is the point where the story undergoes a very visible shift towards a darker tone and more dramatically-fueled action. This is the first VillainArc, a story format that would tellingly ''define'' every subsequent arc going forward after the 23rd Tournament Arc, which makes up almost the entirety of ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.

** With regards to the manga, this could be placed around the time Goku goes to train with Roshi. At this point, Toriyama dropped a lot of the Literature/JourneyToTheWest stuff, stopped breaking the fourth wall, cut down on the gags, and refined the action sequences. Even though the earlier parts were entertaining, this is where the series really came into its own, and began its move towards that as which Dragon Ball is really known - a lengthy, fighting-based shounen saga.
** ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' grew its beard from its ''Manga/DragonBall'' origins by undergoing a CerebusSyndrome with the WhamEpisode of Goku's death and TheReveal of his alien origins. The show itself truly becomes its own with Goku becomes a Super Saiyan, and the action escalates to the high levels it's known for today.

*** The series started getting its own voice during the Universe 7 VS Universe 6 tournament. It had a very powerful plot twist with [[spoiler:Frost being revealed to be EvilAllAlong]], and featured some of the most tactical and well thought-out fights in the entire ''franchise'', helped in no small part due to the U6 fighters having very unique fighting styles. The one thing that eventually won the fans over, however, was [[spoiler: Goku combining the power of Super Saiyan Blue with the Kaio-Ken and breaking the very concept of time itself.]]

* The ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' manga does this around volume 2, when it begins to switch from an UnwantedHarem comedy to an action series with the arrival of Evangeline. It really hits its stride at the climax of the Kyoto Arc, around volume 3. Unfortunately, the anime adaptation [[GeckoEnding didn't get that far]].

** [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist The 2003 anime version]] likewise picks up around the time of [[spoiler:Hughes' death]], splitting from the manga's storyline and evolving into a truly dark and compelling drama. By the time Ed fought [[spoiler:and killed]] Greed, its beard had grown out to roughly Music/ZZTop proportions.

* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'': Even it's most die hard fans will admit that the pre-Benizakura chapters are the weakest part of the manga, as is just a series of comedic situations one after the other with seemingly no end goal. The anime especially had issues adapting the humor of the manga, with the voice actors not being as on point as they will get, the animators finding the right style for the kinetic energy Gintama requires and the editors figuring out how to pace and cut to make the jokes land, making the humor in these first few episodes feel extremely clumsy. It's not until Benizakura, it's first serious arc (around episode 58) that Gintama finally fixes it's issues, prompting fans to give the following advice: "Try it out until the Benizakura arc. If it hasn't gripped you by then, it's safe to drop it".

* ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' changed from a lighthearted series full of {{Cross Company Reference}}s to past Creator/{{CLAMP}} series into a much darker story once the group arrived in Acid Tokyo and several startling character revelations took place. Main character Fay also physically exemplified this trope by [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange allowing his hair to grow out]] after this story arc. ''IF'' you consider DarkerAndEdgier to be better. Some fans were put off by the unrelenting gloominess of the next three arcs, but the complexity of the plot and characterization certainly mushroomed.