Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I think if someone wants an easy introduction to a large chunk of what anime is like, FMA:B delivers while standing alone as a very solid piece of media regardless of medium.
Hell yeah it’s my favorite anime for a reason. It tells an exceptionally compelling story with likeable characters who have actual growth too.
There is a very big shock early in FMA:B that may horrify a newbie.
the random traumatizing episode is an important anime trope to introduce early
It annoys me that FMA has a better beginning than Brotherhood. Ideally you switch shows in the middle.
I did that as a newcommer… FMA just loses all sense at ep25 or so… and characters in FMAB feel flanderized till ep11. Anyway, it feels off to recommend someone to watch a show and then switch.
The only thing i missed from FMA was the music.
For me, it’s gotta be none other than Cowboy Bebop!
- It’s a fantastic sci-fi series that’s gritty and realistic without taking itself too seriously.
- The world-building is top notch, the cast of characters are extremely likeable, and the dialogue is memorable.
- It’s truly got something for everyone–kung fu, gunplay, ship battles, western, noir, comedic moments, drama, supernatural elements, immaculate vibes, etc.
- One of the best soundtracks of any show ever, famous for “jazz” but actually mixing a wide variety of genres and styles.
- Some of the best cel animation and painted backgrounds from the legendary studio Sunrise, with tasteful uses of early CG.
- Only 26 half-hour episodes, plus one optional film and one optional bonus episode.
- Mixes stand-alone episodes with a extremely satisfying longer story arc that will certainly leave you feeling something.
- Good performances in both the native Japanese, as well as the stellar English dub that was ahead of its time.
Cowboy Bebop seems to be the anime that transcends the genre more than almost anything else, and appeals to people even if they don’t typically gel with more tropey anime. I really think that Bebop is a triumph of the medium and one of the best television shows period, so I really can’t recommend it enough to everyone!
Yeah definitely.
Its not insanely long.
Its not full of weird shit.
Its not depressing as fuck like Evangelion.
I get the other part, but they’re more or less the same length.
I know im the odd one out, but i hated that show since it was on cartoon network as a kid. Like why is Spike so bad at his job. Hes just so incompetent. I guess it would be rather realistic in the fact that most people are idiots. I liked all the other characters, but spike always ruined it for me.
I get it. Spike definitely comes from that lineage of manga/anime characters like Arsene Lupin III and Ryo Saeba who oscillate between 20th century coolness and total goofiness depending on the needs of the moment. Just like Lupin, things don’t usually go his way, and even when he does a good job he’ll still usually get fucked over.
Still, I think that Bebop is a must watch!
Oooh no no no, he’s not incompetent at all. He’s got a very similar vibe to Dash from Trigun (pls watch if you haven’t) where he’s extremely skilled while looking incompetent, and wins fall right into his lap.
I’m sure there’s a term for this type of character, but I implore you to rewatch Cowboy Bebop with new eyes. The point of the show is not to watch bounty hunters succeed at catching bad guys, and if you watch it for this you’re not going to enjoy it.
This one. I love the Bebop. Tank! is my ringtone.
If you’ve ever played Beat Saber…this song is a really really good time.
If you have ears that song is a really good time 😄
Do you have a link to the map you like?
Shoot I don’t, it’s not my system. Sorry!
bonus episode
How’d I manage to miss this after all these years?
Still haven’t gotten around to the manga. But I think I might be the only person who actually liked the live action series
I’m gonna say Frieren (woa big surprise). It appeals to a lot of people, doesn’t have odd anime tropes, and has a great dub. It also has some action scenes so someone can see if they want to watch more action animes.
+1
Watched Frieren with someone who’s not usually an anime person. They’re devastated that we have to wait for more than a year to watch season 3
I’m struggling too! 😭
That’s probably a good reason not to have a new viewer start with anything that’s still ongoing, pick something they can watch start to finish.
I love Frieren and definitely recommend it, and that’s part of the reason I’m not sure I’d recommend it as a first anime.
Not because it’s challenging for a newcomer in any way, but rather because it oftentimes plays with expectations and trope subversion, and that would most likely be lost on someone that hasn’t watched other (similar) animes before.
I love Frieren, but I very much disliked Stark’s English voice. To be fair, I watched it multiple times in Japanese before watching the English dub, so maybe that biased my opinion.
I think Death Note is the most recommended entry point because it’s not too long, the plot isn’t hard to follow, and it happens in a “realistic” world.
Your Name is always a good choice.
It’s a movie so newcomers don’t need to invest a lot of time to finish it. It’s visually stunning, the soundtrack sticks with you, the narrative starts simple but becomes increasingly complex and memorable. It fits into most age brackets and its not marketed toward one gender only.
I think it’s still widely available for streaming too so it should still be pretty accessible.
My Neighbor Totoro.
There is no one must-watch I’d recommend, because it depends on the person.
Can’t go wrong with just about any Studio Ghibli film.
Your favorite slice of life anime, since this is a genre an anime newbie is unlikely to be used to. I’d personally nominate City: The Animation, but I understand Nichijou would also be a popular recommendation.
It’s not in my top 5 or near it, but I genuinely feel that Erased is such an amazing series for a first time viewer. It’s darker and explores darker themes, but I think a lot of non-anime viewers have an opinion that most anime is childish or nonsensical. I think the seriousness of it can show a new viewer that anime is a medium and not a genre. I’m a romance and slice of life enjoyer, so I’m definitely putting aside my preferences with that recommendation.
There’s sooo many things in anime that I believe take a bit of time to get comfortable with for new viewers: fan service, weird relationships between adults and children, tropes and metas, just the kind of gross way women are often portrayed, different character archetypes, the loudness of certain characters etc. I think after enough time with the medium you kind of develop a better understanding of certain things and it becomes easier to recognize why characters and themes that seem insufferable are part of a story.
If I get to force them watch whatever I want, and my goal is to introduce them to the medium as a whole, I’d be tempted to show them Code Geass. It’s one of the MOST anime anime shows, if you know what I mean. It’s got:
- high school students!
- magic powers!
- giant robots!
- a mysterious girl who immediately moves in with the main character!
- political intrigue!
- an evil empire!
- frenemies!
- scenes you’d be embarrassed to watch in front of your parents!
- taking philosophy too literally!
If my goal was to show them something that I think they’d like, I’d probably pick Frieren. Partially because it’s one of the best recent animes, and partially because it doesn’t have any scenes that are going to make them ask “What the hell are you making me watch?”
Frankly speaking I expected a lot of Boku no Pico recommendations. Where are they?
I’m pretty sure that meme has died out a looong time ago thankfully
It was my first thought. I feel old.
Honestly, everything that isn’t a (battle) shounen should be great. The most important thing is to firmly establish that anime is a “medium” and not a “genre”. And since almost every outsider thinks every anime is a battle shounen, it’s important to correct that misconception early on.
AnoHana would be my recommendation. It’s short for a series, it doesn’t take any Japanese cultural knowledge to enjoy it, and the themes are universal regardless of personal background, age or gender.
Dragonball Z.
It’s pretty much the epitome of the genre. It has all the tropes. It even crosses genres of anime depending on the episode. Most of the time it’s action, but they throw in plenty of comedy, romance, even slice of life.
My first exposure to anime was a DBZ movie, I think World’s Strongest
I liked Kimi Ni Todoke (apparently translates as from me to you) and think everyone should watch or read it.
I find that SpyXFamily and the Ghibli movies are what most people best relate to though, so if it’s a question of getting someone hooked start with *Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service or Howl’s Moving Castle. *
