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What anime would you recommend to someone who's never seen anime before?

Archaic

Archaic

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Okay, so hypothetical situation here. Say you've got someone who's interested in watching anime. Who's either never watched anime themselves before, or at least hasn't watched something since they were a child and watched anime like Pokémon. What would you recommend to that sort of person, and why?

Do you go with some absolute classic movies, like the original Ghost in the Shell or Patlabor, that show what the medium has been capable of at its best? One of the classic 90's anime that everyone remembers watching and loving years ago but probably hasn't watched recently? Some recent series that doesn't lean into some of the negative stereotypes and tropes often associated with anime and manga?
 
I’d have to go with the movie Graveyard of the Fireflies. People who are history or WWII buffs would probably be especially interested in this movie since it shows WII life from the civilian perspective in Japan.

I think it’s also pretty relevant to EVERYONE as it shows us the civilian cost of war. It shows us how war divides civilians and spoiler alert how it takes the lives of our children.

I don’t think this movie would get someone into mainstream anime, but I think this movie would show how animation can be used as a medium to convey deep and relevant messages.
 
Cowboy Bebop
Berserk (97)
Vinland Saga
Monster
Samurai Champloo
Black Lagoon

These are all high quality anime that don't have endless amount of seasons like a One Piece and the stories are mature and adult oriented.
 
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JollyYoshi said:
I’d have to go with the movie Graveyard of the Fireflies.
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Fun fact. Grave of the Fireflies originally released in Japanese cinemas as a double-billing with My Neighbor Totoro. It was basically the Barbenheimer of its day.

NumberOneSpinelApologist said:
What kind of non-animation genres is the person into?
I would recommend something that would fit or overlaps with their other interests.
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Let's say someone that watches a wide range of western TV and movies, without a clear genre preference.
 
My hero academia, Fullmetal alchemist, Mushishi, Natsume yuujinchou, the Apothecary Diaries, Gundam: Witch of Mercury,
Land of the lustrous, Yuri on ice, Bananafish, Kaguya: Love is war, Mob Psycho, Saiki K., Paprika, Jujutsu Kaisen
This has a pretty good mix.
And then I would go from there.
 
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I'm kind of... confused by this thread?

"Anime" isn't a monolith; there are anime for every genre. This reads to me like those people saying "animation is a genre" which has been shown to be a reductive take.

There's really no answer to this question. If they "watch a wide range of western TV shows" without showing any clear preference, then just show them your favorite and hope for the best, I guess? I dunno, I really don't get this question.

anyway I'm sitting them down and making them watch BanG Dream because it's what I do to everybody who makes the mistake of asking me for recs. Peak franchise
 
Mialentia said:
I'm kind of... confused by this thread?

"Anime" isn't a monolith; there are anime for every genre. This reads to me like those people saying "animation is a genre" which has been shown to be a reductive take.

There's really no answer to this question. If they "watch a wide range of western TV shows" without showing any clear preference, then just show them your favorite and hope for the best, I guess? I dunno, I really don't get this question.

anyway I'm sitting them down and making them watch BanG Dream because it's what I do to everybody who makes the mistake of asking me for recs. Peak franchise
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I mean, this is part of the problem really. Because many people perceive animation in general as more of a genre than a medium, especially those whose only animation exposure growing up was "children's cartoons", it can take a bit to break people out of that mindset. Someone who differentiates between "children's animation" "(western) adult animation" and "anime" is already outside the norm.

I guess if we wanted to reframe things, it'd be "how would you introduce someone who's only really consumed mainstream western media to the anime medium"? And if there's nothing universal that we can recommend there and it just boils down to "it depends what genre they like", then what would be the best recommendations for those broad genres?
 
Ah. I forgot to add Parasyte. I did not add any true SciFi horror there. Oversight.
Psycho pass could also be a rec, but ghost in the shell stand alone complex would be better.
Oh.
Devilman crybaby. How could I have forgotten.
Also, JoJo, so they can understand the memes.
 
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  • Spy x Family, approachable plot with good balance of comedy and action.
  • Death Note, pretty much a detective story with an engaging plot.
  • Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, a good introduction to shonen as the magic system is well defined and complements well the plot and the characters.
 
Whenever someone mentions death note nowadays I can't help but remember this article haha

www.animefeminist.com

Death Notes on Camp: Repurposing a classic - Anime Feminist

New layers and new ways to appreciate the series emerge when it’s considered as a campy melodrama rather than the brooding thriller that writer Ohba Tsugumi intended it to be.
www.animefeminist.com www.animefeminist.com
 
recommendation_fluid said:
my uncultured bum can't reply to this when I've only watched Pokemon and few episodes of other mainstream anime :shroomad:
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You can just treat it as a recommendations list then ;)

BTW I realized I made another key oversight, and did not represent the isekai genre.
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
Known as Hamefura.
Also, Log Horizon.

Dont watch SAO lol
Go straight for the genre deconstruction
Like Re:zero
 
That would depend on the person a lot. Some people out there (like my mom) would be weirded out even by rather straightforward/grounded anime.

Also, suggesting Land of the Lustrous? Man, I love them rocks more than my life but I feel like I can't explain its premise without sounding like a madwoman :wynaut: And that's considering the anime doesn't even get to where the craziest parts start in the manga.
 
kiadony said:
without sounding like a madwoman :wynaut:
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Why would someone not want to sound like that? XD cannot relate. I am unapologetically mad and have no ambitions to pretend otherwise.
Anime is beautiful in its diversity. Having a good selection of some of the best it can offer can broaden this hypothetical person's horizons.
If they don't want to broaden their horizons, well, they are going ro have a bad time watching any anime in the first place.
This hypothetical person has not defined gender or age, so.
Yeah, I would of course suggest other stuff depending on their demographics.
 
NumberOneSpinelApologist said:
Why would someone not want to sound like that? XD cannot relate. I am unapologetically mad and have no ambitions to pretend otherwise.
Anime is beautiful in its diversity. Having a good selection of some of the best it can offer can broaden this hypothetical person's horizons.
If they don't want to broaden their horizons, well, they are going ro have a bad time watching any anime in the first place.
This hypothetical person has not defined gender or age, so.
Yeah, I would of course suggest other stuff depending on their demographics.
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Well, I admit my perception is warped as most people in my life that aren't already into anime are 100% normies that would most certainly not even consider trying it. And yeah, I would probably lean towards recommending classics depending of which genre the person likes (ie, FMAB for those who like fantasy/steampunk/action etc.).
 
Nobody mentioned SnK so far? Bruh. How the mighty have fallen lol.
NumberOneSpinelApologist said:
Dont watch SAO lol
Go straight for the genre deconstruction
Like Re:zero
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I love both. SAO gets so much hate for one reason or another for more than a decade now. It might not be the best but there's plenty to like about it as well. Let's not pretend many other anime could be critised for similar reasons we often hear about SAO (plain protagonist, world not fleshed out, fanservice, etc.) In that way it's a more representative introduction to the medium when you compare to Monster for example. Most anime aren't masterpieces like that one, but they can still be fun to watch.

If one starts watching anime with the idea that every season is gonna have 5 series that are Monster-level quality, rather than the reality that at least 5 of them are gonna be similar to SAO or worse, I'd say SAO is arguably a better example of what to expect with the majority of anime. Also, for someone new to the medium there's hurdle of the number of episodes too. Not everybody's willing to watch 70+ episodes of an anime from the outset. I'm just saying that the "best" anime quality-wise aren't necessarily the ones most people would find accessible or even respectable to start with. Not only that, they might be turned off when they find out what most anime are actually like: a mixed bag of Japanese entertainment varying wildly in quality and adherence to certain tropes.

It really depends on the person if they gel more with random SoL anime or mecha harem anime. If they stick around, most anime fans will eventually find their way to the widely accepted masterpieces anyway. The most important thing is that you keep their tastes in mind. For example recommending Steins;Gate to a scifi fan or KnY to somebody who's more into Japanese samurai culture, then SnK for one who's not as comfortable stepping outside of a Western-style setting yet, or a romcom like Toradora for a romance drama lover. In this case, some might prefer SAO to start with over Re:Zero if they're not fond of more graphic scenes.

The anime "taste" will be built up over time as a result of whatever choices the person makes after the first one they watch. I'm sure many people on here such as myself first got into contact with anime through Pokémon, but no one's really recommending Pokémon as a way to get into anime or calls it one of the "best" quality series despite the fondness they may have for it. It's all about discovery and those first recommendations are only a starting point from where their curiosity leads them next. If they discover they fundamentally dislike the medium after trying multiple or even one of them, so be it. It could be the case Re:Zero is their first and last anime ever and SAO leads them on the road of a lifelong passion with the medium, or the other way around.
 
I dont actually have very deep or smart criticism od SAO, I personally find SAO as a whole simply boring. I dont mind bland self insert protags, or fanservice etc as long as it is equal opportunity. I watched most of it because for some reason I felt like torturing myself for the sake of understanding the fads.
Last Time I tried watching something sao related I literally fell asleep.

My first anime was Sailor Moon actually. That made me realize I did not represent the magical girl genre, another critical oversight.
The Sailor moon remake is pretty decent I think, could be a rec too.


Blast said:
some might prefer SAO to start with over Re:Zero if they're not fond of more graphic scenes.
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That's why I suggested Log Horizon.
Log Horizon>>>>>SAO
It is not like sao does not have anything good, there is good reason there became so many clones afterwords. And well, I did watch most of it and spin offs so I do realize me telling g to not watch it makes me a hypocrite lol

BTW IMHO the spinoffs were better than the OG

I should probably add BOFURI. There is no MMO game isekai vibe less offensive than this one, and also full of humor. It is definitely no masterpiece but I remember it fondly.

I would not recommend SnK due to its controversies. Not a good introduction because of that.
 
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Let's see, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
My Hero Academia
Maybe Jujutsu Kaisen are good starts
Durarara for a fun time.

If you perhaps want something with a mostly adult cast, Cowboy Bebop is a solid classic (even though I don't like it and it traumatized me).

If they don't mind raunchy, Panty And Stocking is right up their ally, it's inspired by Western animation.
 
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