Can’t go wrong with just about any Studio Ghibli film.
“Vash the Stampede”.
I’d recommend things based on stuff they like to read/watch in other media, so I don’t have a single must-watch.
That said my initial picks would be Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Spy x Family, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Nichijou. Perhaps Log Horizon? EDIT: Uzumaki for people who are into suspense/horror.
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. *
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.
I wouldn’t recommend it as a first anime to most, but I introduced a friend to anime with Spice & Wolf
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.
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!
This one. I love the Bebop. Tank! is my ringtone.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
+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
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’m struggling too! 😭
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 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.
Throw them into the deep end: Golden Boy.
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?”
