Posted by
In 2012, I fell into the rabbit hole that is anime, and I have yet to come back out.
I don’t remember why I decided to spend a few hours one night watching English-dubbed Sailor Moon episodes from the ’90s. I do know that magical blonde high-schooler lured me into a story-telling art form that I have since fallen deeply in love with. The story arcs, the relationships, the character development, the magic, the grit, the color, the fan art… anime lights my story-loving/comic-nut fire.
So while I’m still fairly new to anime and am definitely not an expert, I’m trying to get more well-rounded in my knowledge. Feel free to follow my breadcrumb trail, Offbeat Homies, and lose yourself to this world forever.
What if I’m intimidated?
How to get rid of cable and watch TV online
Every once in a while on Facebook or Twitter, I see a plea for help to get rid of cable and start watching TV shows... Read more
Anime has some hurdles to overcome, no doubt. The art takes some getting used to (“god, they must love slo-mo”), the dubs can be really bad, the fan service can be worse (“does every shoujo manga have to have a beach scene?”), and there’s enough of a culture barrier that Westerners can feel a bit lost sometimes (“why is he pissed she called him –chan instead of –kun?”). Combine that with the vastness of the anime canon itself, and finding a story you’re really into can seem like work.
But how do I know what I’d even like?
Like I said, Sailor Moon was my gateway drug. It’s a well-known example of shoujo, or stories for high-school girls. These shows tend to be light, funny, kind of innocent, and a little romantic. Other common genres are shounen (aimed at young boys with sports, action, and so on), hentai (porn), harem (romance with one boy and multiple girls — expect a lot of fan service), reverse harem (romance with one girl, multiple boys — not as common as harem), yaoi (boy on boy love, but more innocent than hentai), and the less common yuri (girl on girl love, again more innocent than hentai).
Okay, so how do I find it?
Google is your best friend, but I’m sure you already know this. After I finished Sailor Moon (or so I thought), I learned there were episodes that never got released in the U.S. (the Western world being a tad prickly about gender bending). Once I finished those, I wanted MOAR and found r/Animesuggest. Search for a title you’ve enjoyed, and I guarantee you that some angelic redditor has found at least five other shows they think are similar.
Tumblr is for fandoms. It’s a great resource for learning what else the fans of your shows watch, and oh my stars, the fan art can be beautiful.
If you just want to start watching something everyone’s heard of, consider the big three: Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece.
Now where do I watch it?
I started out watching English-dubbed episodes on YouTube and quickly realized there had to be a better way. There so is! Crunchyroll has some shows for free but I recommend the subscription service, and AnimeFreakTV lets you watch decent quality in exchange for sitting through a few long ads.
Most of the shows on these channels are subtitled, not dubbed, but that’s absolutely a good thing. You won’t learn Japanese by reading subtitles, but you’ll pick up a few words here and there (the first one will be baka, I guarantee it), and you’ll probably get an ear for pronunciation, food names, and honorifics.
So… what are your favorites?
So glad you asked! I still gravitate toward shoujo, but I love me some shounen too:
- Attack on Titan. This dystopian shounen has got a Game of Thrones approach to character development — it’s all about the layers, man, and I still have mixed feelings about some of my favorites. Everyone has a likeable quality, but everyone seems to have a demon, too.
- Durarara! What we have here are some great theme songs, beautiful, gritty, urban art, and multi-layered characters in a very bizarre criminal underworld.
- Free! Iwatobi Swim Club. This show began life as an advertisement for Kyoto Animation in early 2013. Tumblr went nuts for the 30-second promo, ‘shipping the characters left and right before anything much was known about the show. A year later, we have a legitimate season, and it is chockfull of the sort of fan service you’d expect in a story about swimming. Helps that it’s funny as hell, too.
- Fruits Basket. This late ’90s manga has a relatively stiff artistic feel, but the loveliness of finding your own family still makes me cry. Def watch the anime if you’re not into long reads.
- Hozuki no Reitetsu. If Adventure Time were made in Japan, this is what it would be. Don’t try to make sense of this hell-as-a-government-office arc. Just enjoy the randomness. Start with episode two, if you’re unsure.
- Noragami. Shounen, oddly enough. I probably would have guessed shoujo. A god of calamity accidentally half-kills a girl and tries to make it up to her. And fails a lot. Fucking beautiful artwork.
So what’d I miss, Homies? Where have you gone in the anime world, and what should I see next?
My gateway was once Sakura Card Captors. I’m not well versed in anime (we’ve had anime series in local tv for several decades, so there’s a lot of people with a vast knowledge of it that I’ll never be able to match!) I guess I can only point you to the “mainstream” anime! Which would be Ranma 1/2, Saint Seiya, Mazinger series… Not really sure if you’d be interested in “old school” animation though.
Personally, I’ve been wanting to see Evangelion for ages. I should get around to it soon!
It can be intimidating to realize I’ll never catch up to some people’s knowledge. But then I remember how much I love this stuff, and I have SO MUCH of it to learn about. And that’s awesome.
This was also my gateway anime. It was on right after I got home from middle school, and always interesting. From there I went to Ranma 1/2, then Evangelion, then Chobits, and down the rabbit hole I went 😀 I started attending a local anime convention, and even cosplayed.
I loved Ranma 1/2 and Evangelion. Those were my favorites when I was in high school. Right now, I really love Princess Jellyfish (there’s only 1 season and it’s available on youtube with subtitles from Funimation) and Nana, which is full of relationship and friendship angst in the most painfully familiar ways possible. Sadly, the manga is unfinished due to the author’s sudden illness and has been on hiatus for a few years.
I’m so pleased someone mentioned not only Nana but Princess Jellyfish. My goodness how I love them both.
Eeee! Anime!
I only got into anime about 3 years ago, but I was lured in by Fullmetal Alchemist. I cannot speak highly enough of the story, nor of the quality in artistry and (both) Japanese and English voice acting. I prefer Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood more, as it follows the manga in its entirety.
If you’re a macabre kind of person who likes spooky, yet super silly things, I highly rec Soul Eater. It’s a beautiful story with lovely references to mythology and people who can turn into weapons. It’s got a spiritual/mystical side to it as they spend a lot of time talking about souls and connections (but not in a romantic way).
If you need something with no supernatural to it and a super-sweet love story that will make your teeth rot, Ouran High School Host Club is your place to be. The entire cast is ADORABLE, and it’s got your sap and your angst.
Recommended, but not as highly: Mushi-shi, Baccano!, Durarara! (seconding OP here, worth it), Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, D-Gray Man (kinda, but Netflix didn’t have everything last time I checked).
Still watching: Dragon Ball-Z. This is my boyfriend’s childhood right here (we’re watching via the Funimation website) and it’s SO LONG. I’m enjoying it so far, and it’s a nice action anime.
I think most everything I’ve listed is on Netflix streaming, so easy access!
Ouran HSHC was totally on my list of faves before I edited it down! I read somewhere that the characters are all poking fun at stereotypes of shoujo. Once I watched it with that in mind, the show became fucking hilarious.
Attack on Titan was my gateway drug, I don’t want to wait for more! I just got into anime recently. I also love Fullmetal Alchemist (and FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood) and Black Butler (set in Victorian London. I listened to it dubbed because the accents made sense in that set).
The caption on the first picture is a pretty major spoiler. I usually don’t care about stuff like that but that but I would hate to have someone’s first time watching Attack on Titan lack any awesome suspense
Ruh roh, I ditched that pic. Thanks for the heads up.
You’re so right. My bad entirely! Thanks for catching that.
The classics are always good. Ninja Scroll, Akira, Evangelion, Appleseed, bubblegum crisis, are all older more action oriented classics. For the silly and perverted, but not hentai there is Golden Boy my all time favorite. I also LOVE and am slightly obsessed with Full Metal Panic and Fooly Cooly (FLCL). Then there is Cowboy Beboop, Trigun and so, so many more. I watch all sorts of anime, and read even more manga. I could go on forever. I also suggest this site Rent Anime.com http://www.rentanime.com/default.php
They are essentially a Netflix/gamefly type membership that lets you rent anime DVD’s. Their site is extensive and has almost everything you could ever want to watch. And they have it all divided into genres and alphabetized. I adore it, and they have a two week free trial. My only issue with the rent anime site is sometimes the turn around time can be a little slower than I would like. Sword Art Online is a newer series along with Fairytale which are both gaining a large following. Soul Eater is popular too. It all depends on what you are into. I have been watching anime so long I treat them just like my regular US live action shows and movies, there are horror stores, comedies, drama,s you name it they have it. There are some great variations in art styles too, each artist, producer and director bring something different to the table, and each art style really helps pull you into that world. You’ll eventually be able to identify artist, and voice actors since many of them work on the same things. Anyway… I could rant on, but I won’t. If you have any other questions or anything, please let me know I would be more than glad to help!
I have only seen one episode of Cowboy Bebop (although I want to see more), but it was the most beautiful episode of anything I have ever seen.
But… what the f*** is with FLCL? I had no idea what was going on the entire time, and still don’t even though I’ve finished it. I feel like I either missed something very important, somehow, or I’m just not cut out for really out-there animes. Ah well.
HAHAHA!!! That’s EXACTLY how I felt the first time I watched it. I suggest watching it again, but get it from someone who owns it, or all of the DVD’s at once ( there are three) Binge watch it, it’s the only way it will make any sense; and even then, it really isn’t meant to make much sense. Don’t try to breath too much into it, with out there anime’s like that you naturally want to, so you try to rationalize things or find more meaning then there is, or needs to be. But all I can say is watch it all at once. I have the collectors box set; so if you are ever in GA let me know. 😉
Cowboy Bebop is amazing, and one I am dying to see made into a live action. And I once dated a guy who looked EXACTLY like spike…. it was hot.
I actually did watch all of them at once; my husband has the collection. Still… no idea. Haha!
And now I really need to watch Cowboy Bebop….
Golden Boy is so fun! I’m always surprised that more people into anime either don’t like it or haven’t watched it.
If nothing else, Cowboy Bebop is worth watching because it has the single greatest soundtrack of all time.
Tactics was one of my first non-Sailor-Moon animes, and I love it. Very simple to get into, pretty light, and it delves into some really cool mythology.
I can’t recommend Chrono Crusade highly enough. It’s not a very long series, but by the end you’ll have your heart ripped out and you will be sobbing at how beautiful the story was and how close you got to the characters. It’s about an evil-fighting nun.
Oh oh oh! And Gankutsuou is basically an anime re-telling of the Count of Monte Cristo, with an amazing soundtrack.
A really light-hearted, adorable anime is Azumanga Daioh, about a group of high-school girls who become unlikely friends.
100% this! It’s also one of the few animes that doesn’t have romance (in my experience) in the plot, or rather, always being about boys and girls. I think there is only really one named male character, and the series doesn’t have the sort of fanservice one would expect from an anime about highschool girls. It’s fairly easy to find on Youtube.
I didn’t get to see nearly as much as I would like, but Read or Die really caught my interest. If you’re into books and libraries, it’s a good one.
Homies who use video streaming services like Hulu, Amazon Prime, or Netflix might be surprised at the choices available there, without having to turn to another site. A lot of the more popular series (and even some more niche series) are readily accessible on those types of services, so if you’re just getting started, it might be a good idea just to flip to their anime category and browse the descriptions to decide on a series to start with. Almost every genre that is represented in Western media will have an anime equivalent, whether it’s sci-fi, romance, fantasy, action, comedy, slice-of-life, etc.
One other suggestion if you do plan to get more “serious” about watching anime is to use a site like http://myanimelist.net/ to keep track of shows you’ve previously watched. In addition to keeping things organize, you can also assign a rating out of 10 points, and there are a number of sites designed to compare your ratings and recommend similar shows based on what other people have watched and liked, so it’s a nice way to start your search based on what you’ve previously watched and liked.
as a side note: i had/have a problem watching anime with the husband, some animes that he did enjoy (but wont admit it, because its a “cartoon”, was Cowboy Bebop, and Trigun.
I would suggest Ah/Oh my Goddess, Princess Tutu (which sounds sickly sweet but does twist the Magical Girl Anime plot and is suitable for all the family), Nodame Cantabile (with subtitles as I find the American Voices a little wierd), anything by Studio Gibli though be warned about Graveyard of Fireflies as it is the saddest thing I have ever seen. The films Perfect Blue, Millennium Princess and Paprika are also really good and so is Tokyo Godfathers. Scrapped Princess is good also though I thought the ending was a little flat though I did watch it during my big Anime binge. Azumanga Daioh is really funny and a a little wierd. Twelve Kingdoms. and Saiunkoku Monogatan. There are so many Anime that I have watched though I haven’t kept up to date most of these come from before 2010, mostly female lead and on the lighter side of things. Hope this helps! 😀
Awesome! I’ll have to look some of these up.
I really agree that it’s surprising what is available on traditional streaming media services like Hulu and Netflix. I’ve also had good luck with YouTube, and is where I have been watching the Princess Tutu series (geared toward young children, but has fascinating storytelling).
If you’ve got young kiddos, there’s lots of anime meant for children under 10. Most of them are written really smartly, but are simple enough for children, without gore or romance elements.
Oof this is a dense topic.
First, as suggested by the OP, Anime isn’t really a genre of it’s own in a sense. Anime is really just Animation from Japan. From there are the genres, but it’s defined by the medium (animation) to how it’s classified.
I tend to go, personally, more towards the weird and/or surreal. Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of my favorites and needs to be watched multiple times to be adequately understood beyond the surface. There’s so many layers going on and every viewing gives you more/different/deeper insights into the characters and plot. Beyond that, I also highly enjoy Serial Experiments: Lain.
With Lain, you can’t expect things to make sense for a few episodes in the center, but then it all clicks into place. It’s, in its symbolism, about self-sacrifice, love and death. I’d give the plot synopsis, but you’d think I was insane. Definitely worth a watch! And it’s relative short, being mini-series length.
I want to second Fullmetal Alchemist, too. It’s got an easily followed basic plot, but a lot of depth of character in it, too. Brotherhood I had a hard time getting into because it starts in an emotionally charged time in the arch from the first series. Either are guaranteed tear-jerkers at times, but I’m a sucker for plots that involve family.
Bleach is decent for a start into shounen. It’s long-running and based off of an even longer-running manga (comic) series of the same name. Beware of the filler archs with it, though, as they can get a bit drawn out.
Ouran High School Host Club is good for some comedy and light romance. I’d call it worth a watch, even if just once. I enjoyed it heartily straight through to the end.
If you’ve got a little one who you want to take with you on the journey, Card Captor Sakura, subtitled, is mind-bendingly cute and may, in fact, have given me a cavity or forty. It’s really nice.
Miyazaki films in the original Japanese are great to start out, as well. A little fantasy, a good bet for kids most of the time, beautifully animated with some great thematic and character elements. Howl’s Moving Castle is a favorite of mine; as is My Neighbor Totoro.
Since the content is as diverse as any other media, I would recommend taking what you like from Western media (Sci-Fi, Fantasy, comedies, kid shows, etc.) and finding anime within those same lines.
I forgot to mention one I liked, but wasn’t jumping up and down about —
Shojou Kakumei Utena (often found as Revolutionary Girl Utena here in the States) is nice for some shojou (shocker I know) anime with some interesting romance and light gender-binary transgressions (without getting spoilery, Utena is a high school girl who believes herself to be a Prince).
Which also leads me to Rose of Versailles, which is a major inspiration for Utena. I’ve never seen it, personally, but one of my really good friends, who adores Utena to the moon and back, watched it and enjoyed it mightily.
oh god, yes! rose of versailles was called “lady oscar” here in germany and i loved that show as a kid. oscar is a woman but captain of the royal guard or something of the like.
also lovely, in a dark-dystopian way: wolfs rain. we found that on youtube a couple of years ago…
Sorry sorry.
Swinging back in to HIGHLY recommend AIR. You know what will happen from the beginning, but you fall in love with the characters so quickly (gauuuuu)! Once you watch it, any time anyone makes an Anime Music Video (AMV) with it as the source material, you’ll burst into these weepy, ugly cries. (just thinking about it now is making me a little weepy. That’s how good it is!)
It’s about a time-bending protection story between the two main characters (not in the Dr Who sense, but in another way).
I LOOOVE Sailor Moon! Just started getting into Full Metal Alchemist. Have watched Inuyasha, Death Note, and some really good yuri, too, like Strawberry Panic. There’s so many others I can’t remember right now and so many I have yet to watch. Welcome to the club! 😉
OMG do I have a list of anime for you
First, Action anime: Gurren Laggan (which will tear your heart to shreds in the best fucking way), Baccano!, Space Dandy, Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass, Samurai 7 (which is AMAZING), Berserk, Black Lagoon, Claymore, Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO for short), Trigun, Outlaw Star (if you can find it), Soul Eater. High School of the Dead is all about boobies and zombies and is amazing fun.
Sword Art Online is action packed AND has amazing romance. It’s so good, I’ve read about so many couples that want to use quotes from it in their wedding vows.
The Tenchi OVA and Tenchi Universe should not be underestimated for how good they are, despite their age.
Comedies: Dragon Half (only 2 episodes), Ouran High School Host Club, Abenoboshi Shopping Arcade, Desert Punk, FLCL (which is only 6 episodes, but you’ll need to watch it multiple times), Baka & Test, Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Ninja Nonsense, Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star, Hetalia, Hare & Guu, School Rumble, Midori Days, Full Metal Panic Fumofu, Those Who Hunt Elves, Cromartie High school (featuring Freddie Mercury!), Animation Runner Kuromi, K-On! and Magic Users Club. Bottle Fairy is so sugary, that you will probably have diabetes afterward, but if you are into that then it’s worth it. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is very darkly funny.
Romance: His and Her Circumstances, The sweet blue flowers and Ah! My Goddess are all good.
Thoughtful anime: Hell Girl (good dose of horror and existentialism in this one), Mushi-shi and Kino’s Journey are both Episodic and you may feel more comfortable with them at first. Haibane Renmei is heart wrenching. XxxHolic is wonderfully slow paced. Last Exile is action filled and presses issues like why we fight and even have wars and why they can be prevent yet are inevitable. Madoka Magica is a magic girl anime, but gets dark fast. Wandering Son is about a boy and girl that struggle with both sexuality and gender identity while in middle school. The issues are talked about respectfully and thoughtfully.
Now and Then, Here and There is sooooo good, but not many people have watched it. Warning: There is an almost rape scene that will leave you hating humanity. The girl is ok physically, but mentally the scarring is there, and it is well written, not just for drama.
Kuragehime (or Jellyfish Princess) is one I have a hard time classifying but is wonderful and thoughtful. If you are a lady which has struggled with relating to other people but is passionate about something, then this is then anime for you.
When They Cry, Elfen Lied and Umineko are very bloody and great if you’re into that.
Anime Movies: Summer Wars! I cannot stress how good this movie is! If you never ever watch anything else anime again, then just watch this!
There’s also Paprika, Tekkonkinkreet, Dead Leaves, King of Thorn, Tokyo Godfathers (which I love to watch at Christmas time) and all of the Ghibli films. Be careful with Grave of the Fireflies, though. I guarantee, you’re gonna feel depressed for a day or two after watching it, so counter it with something that reaffirms your faith in humanity.
Holy wow, that is quite a list. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. Thanks!
Seconding Baccano. It’s by the same folks who did Durarara, and I think it’s even better. One of my all-time favorite animes.
Mushi-shi goes on that list, too, though I think that one has more of a niche audience – it’s just not going to appeal to everyone.
Oh! The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, if you can find it! It’s a *lovely* movie, sweet and thoughtful and funny and a little sad.
Girls und Panzer is by far my favorite anime. I think that I could watch episode 12 on a continuous loop and never get bored.
http://www.crunchyroll.com/girls-und-panzer
My suggestion: don’t feel obligated to accede to someone else’s taste. If an anime is very popular, perhaps try one full episode. If it doesn’t grab you, try something else.
I have also found it helpful to use Amazon’s recommendations system. Once I found an anime that I liked, I searched for it in Amazon and tried out series that other customers had purchased.
I LOVE that you said don’t feel obligated to anyone else’s tastes. It’s a big fandom! There’s absolutely something for everyone.
My FH got me into anime big time when we started dating. Here is what we went through (partial list, enough to get started and figure out what you like):
Sci-Fi/Fantasy: To Aru Majitsu no Index (translation: A Certain Magical Index), Humanity has declined, Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Stein’s;Gate, Captain Earth (Current season), Knights of Sidonia (Current Season), Angel Beats, Blast of the Tempest
Action/Adventure: Full Metal Alchmeist Brotherhood, Black Rock Shooter (my all-time fave), Attack on Titan, Sword Art Online (skip the second season, it doesn’t really add much to the over-arching story line and is meh), Accel World
Horror/Mystery: Higurashi, Madoka Magica, Elfen Leid, Another, Shiki, Hell Girl, Mirai Nikki
Everything Else: No Game No Life, Fate/Zero, Fate Stay Night, Ga Rei Zero, Monster (you better have A LOT of time if you want to dig into this one), Noragami, Beyond the Boundary, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Farewell, Mr. Despair), Katanagatari, Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari
Comedy: Chuunibyou, My Oridnary Life, Oran High School Host Club, Durarara!, Baccano, Space Dandy, My Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu, Engaged to the Unidentified
Slice of Life: Lucky Star, Minami-ke, Ordinary Life of High School Boys, One Week Friends (Current Season), Asumanga Daioh, Hanasaku Iroha
Oh, thanks for this! I’ve been in a really 90s/cyberpunk mood lately (resurrecting my LiveJournal will do that), and so I got curious about anime. The other night, I realized Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is on Hulu, so I watched that and now I’m looking for more stuff along those lines. But I know that both Netflix and Hulu have a fairly limited selection.
So this was really timely! Thank you!
I definitely found Netflix’ selection to be extremely limited. It’s a good way to start, but, for example, it wouldn’t be worth it to have Netflix solely for the anime.
Oh man, where do I begin? As most 90s kids Sailor Moon and Pokemon were my gateway anime. My old favorites are Slayers (warning: the animation in the first 2 seasons is a bit hit or miss, and the third season’s story is not very good, but you should still watch it to better follow seasons 4 and 5) and Trigun. Newer shows I’ve been into are Madoka Magica and Eden of the East. I’m pretty behind on new stuff. Hmmmm old classics I would also recommend are Kenshin, Excel Saga, and Tenchi Muyo. To create a comprehensive list would be difficult. There is anime on Netflix and Hulu btw, though Crunchyroll is the most comprehensive collection.
To get on my soap box for a moment, I implore you please to not watch via YouTube (unless it’s an official channel) or other pirated sites. Piracy has done a lot of damage to the anime industry. Granted back in the 90s fansubs did some to help prove there was a market in the US for anime, now they make it harder to convince Japanese companies to give US licenses for official release. A lot of anime fans have an entitled attitude that they deserve this stuff for free/without ads. Please don’t be that guy; find legal ways of watching.
I don’t watch a lot of anime (especially compared to my partner), and most of what I’ve seen is the more popular/prevalent in North America stuff.
The first animation from Japan I ever watched was Akira, and it is a classic for a reason.
That led to a few seasons of Sailor Moon & Sailer Moon Super S, and a few seasons of Dragonball Z. Oh, and Ninja Scroll.
In more recent years: Naruto, Avatar, and a big BIG vote for Cowboy Bebop.
Ahh – memories. Voltron, G-Force (aka Battle of The Planets/Gatchaman), Ronin Warriors – then Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Tenchi Muyo, Pokemon (yes, it’s anime, folks), Dragonball, Dragonball Z… I loved the things that Cartoon Network introduced me to. Then I discovered manga (graphic novels), and I was bought, sold, and paid for. I’ve been in and out of anime for the past 16 years, missed a lot, have attempted to catch up on some – and I totally agree that Attack on Titan is a very George R. R. Martin-esque take on a story. Really good, though!
The amount of anime genres make it so that pretty much everyone has a niche – which is great.
AAAAHH so glad you agreed with the GoT analogy. As the story kept going, I had no idea what to expect from any of the characters, even ones I had fallen completely in love with.
Tokko is my favorite anime show and its not that long either so you can kind of binge on it – and the main character is a girl with pink hair who kicks booty! Also, I really like Gunslinger Girls, but haven’t gotten that far into it yet..
Im such a noob!
For real, I thought every “child/teen of the 90s” had seen Ninja Scroll, Akira and X – I thought these were required watching during that decade…. 🙂
ALWAYS watch the subtitled version. My gateway was Fruits Basket and Sailor Moon. Hardcore. Now I highly recommend Bakemonogatari. Honest to blog the art style is amazing and the story is fast moving with lots of ‘hidden messages’ that add to the plot. Attack on Titan is balls to the walls amazing. I also recommend Golden Time, Death Note (!!!), Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Seitokai Yakuindomo which is very slapstick high school one that leans toward the whole teenagers weenie angst bit. Another, which is a creepy ass almost everyone dies kind of thing. Oh god, SO MANY.
One more reason (as if you needed one!) to always watch the subtitled with original Japanese dubbing – you will learn Japanese! Most of my American friends who have gone on to learn Japanese as a 2nd language started off mocking the Japanese phrases in anime.
At the very least, you’ll learn a few insults, how to count, and probably a few names of animals.
regarding Subs v. Dubs, I totally agree.. EXCEPT in one situation. Ghost Stories. The anime in Japan was crap. and they knew it. So when an American production company (ADV?) wanted to bring it over, the Japanese company said ‘Ok, but we’re not giving you the script’. So… they just made up their own HILARIOUS take on these supposedly scary stories. Gotta love the Ayres Brothers.
One anime I loved to death was Nerima Daikon Brothers (Nabeshin!). really raunchy, totally hilarious.
Another one that I really enjoyed was Ergo Proxy. post-apocolyptic type, and not actually that.. uh. Japanese in customs or culture differences? As in, you don’t need to know that Baka-boy not taking off his shoes was rude.
A helpful tip for Anime newbies.
Give a new anime 6 episodes before you decide if you like it.
I love anime and I even co-chaired anime club in college and I find that the 6 episode rule is super functional. Anime is weird and series tend not to start with strong pilots in the way that American TV dramas do. Give the show a time to establish character and story. By episode 6 you’ll either be totally hooked or totally over it.
Fantastic tip! Six? I’ll give it a try!
My rule was always four episodes. Either way, good tip.
I usually do 5-6, too! Yeah, too many anime do not really suck you in until you stick around for a bit. I do the same with books… if I don’t like it after a few chapters, I put it down.