I want to get into Anime—Where do I start

So, I joined CV a little while ago to debate primarily in Star Wars threads, and at least give my input in Marvel/DC threads because I know some stuff about those universes as well. And of course, I'm a big gamer and fantasy fan, so I know all about the Halo, Skyrim, GoT, LotR, etc. threads when they come up.

But the one big thing on CV I know close to nothing about is Anime.

So yeah...Game of Thrones is gonna end next year and I'll be in college so I'll have lots of more time to do stuff. Since I can't play SMITE for too many hours in a row because the matchmaking is garbage sometimes, I thought I'd get hooked on Anime because there's tons of stuff out there.

Anyway...any recommendations for where to begin? I'm totally lost on where I should start so any and all help would be much appreciated!

One Piece, best selling manga of all time and the anime is great too.

Watch the sub though.

Naruto, one piece, rerouni kenshin , bleach, sword art, full metal alchemist brotherhood, death note, dragon ball z, gundam 00, gundam wing , gundam seed , inuyasha, d gray man, soul eater.... i can keep going but start with those ?

@necromancer76:

If you are coming over from the Star Wars mythos, technically I would start with just basic anime: Ruroni Kenshin, Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Beepop for just pure street level, basic anime. I don't know if you dig humor mech stuff but I would start at Nadesico

Then you get into something you probably would be interested in cuz of your SW mythos One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, Inuyasha, Gundam. Evangelion

Boku no pico ?

@necromancer76: One Piece is great but it’s around 600 episodes right now.

Sword Art Online first season is great, second season is meh. Not too long there, less than 30 episodes each. Plot is about how people get trapped in a virtual reality game and have to fight there way out through the games many levels and if you die in he game you die in real life I think.

Like was said above, Full Metal Alchemist is great, both Magi series are great as well as Adventures of Sinbad. Good action, some comedy, and both basically use magic.

Naruto is good if you leave the filler alone (I heard you can look up all the filler episodes online so you can avoid them) and then Naruto Shippuden, which you also want to avoid filler.

My Hero Academia is great. Has great characters, story isn’t boring, and it has that new animation which is just beautiful once you get to a certain fight in season 2.

Inuyasha is pretty good, about a girl descended from a princess who goes on travels with a half demon in another world. One of the old school anime.

I heard Food Wars was good. No action there, just comedy with cooking.

You can try Bleach out for yourself, starts slow but fights are pretty great towards the middle-ish. It’s about a guy who gets Soul Reaper powers (can “walk” on air, wields a huge sword, sees ghosts and kills them before they can harm humans).

Attack on Titan is hit and miss. Has great action and suspense but is pretty gory and has a lot of weird images. Plot is humanity is stuck living in walled up cities because there are huge titans outside their walls that want to eat and kill them and have nearly succeeded in exterminating humans.

Fairy Tail is also a hit and miss. Characters are cool, has some funny parts, I personally love the music, but the action isn’t that great, plot isn’t that great, and he writing can get pretty terrible at some points. But feel free to check it out yourself though.

I heard Workd Trigger is kind of like Star Wars, they even use weapons like lightsabers.

Berserk is about a dude who wields a six foot sword and fights demons and monsters left and right, day and night. The three movies tell the main part of the early manga and have some good animation and the 2016 anime carries on from that, but it has some weird 2D or 3D animation.

Seven Deadly Sins is pretty good too, two seasons (second seasons is only like 4 episodes though) and it’s about these seven knights who all have different magic fighting against demons and evil knights who also wield magic.

@valor_175: FMA;B is a bad first anime IMHO. It was my first anime, and it gave me a false expectation that all anime was that good.

Elite classroom

beat me to it.

Overlord

Hellsing

Don't

Katanagatari, is a strong recommendation.

Code Geass, is a strong recommendation. (You must watch this subtitled the english voice actors fail to bring the tone.)

If you are willing to watch a show about characters talking will the art goes crazy then watch the Monagatari series,

If you haven't watched Gurren Lagann you should remedy that, note that the series is insane.

If you want a long drawn out action series to keep yourself entertained for a good while, go with one piece.

Boku No pico is a short action series, featuring some impressive sword fights.

Here are a few titles I enjoyed that I believe most people getting into anime might like, too. This list covers a wide variety of genres and I concede some titles might be better for more advanced viewers, however since there are a lot, if you don't like something just move on to the next show or movie. I tried to avoid listing anything anyone has already mentioned, too.

• Ao no Exorcist
• Bakemono no Ko (movie)
• Beelzebub
• Black Cat
• Black Lagoon
• Bounen no Xamdou
• Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha
• Eureka Seven
• Gankutsuou
• Gintama
• Guilty Crown
• Gun x Sword
• Hunter x Hunter (2011)
• Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari
• Katanagatari
• Kill la Kill
• Kimi no Na wa. (movie)
• Last Exile
• Little Witch Academia (TV)
• Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
• Mob Psycho 100
• Mobile Fighter G Gundam
• One Punch Man
• Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
• Seto no Hanayome
• Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-hen
• Slayers
• Steins;Gate
• Suisei no Gargantia
• Summer Wars (movie)
• Tekkon Kinkreet (movie)
• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
• Tiger & Bunny
• Trigun
• Usagi Drop
• Witch Hunter Robin
• Yakitate!! Japan
• Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho

Shows that I am currently watching that you might want to check out include Black Bullet, Black Clover, Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri, Kekkai Sensen, Log Horizon, and Noragami Aragoto.

Try One Punch Man and My Hero Academia.

@necromancer76:Ok people just suggest random things and that's not a good idea. (Lists are in no order)

Movies from Ghibli Studios:

• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
• Castle in the Sky
• Grave of the Fireflies
• Porco Rosso
• Princess Mononoke
• Spirited Away
• Howl's Moving Castle

Other recommended movies:

• Paprika
• Akira
• Perfect Blue

Classic Series:

• Astro Boy
• Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star)
• Dragon Ball
• Cowboy Bebop
• Ghost in the Shell
• Lupin III
• Grendizer
• Captain Tsubasa
• Captain Future

Popullar Series:

• GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka)
• Trigun
• Hunter X Hunter
• Initial D
• One Piece
• Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
• Naruto
• Death Note
• FullMetal Alchemist
• Assassination Classroom
• Fairy Tail
• Get Backers
• Dragon Ball Kai
• Black Butler
• One Punch Man
• My Hero Academia
• Attack on Titan

Personnal Choices:

• Case Closed
• Digimon (seasons 1-3)
• Death Note
• Fruits Basket
• Code Geass

@necromancer76: I would personally suggest Naruto- skip fillers, Sword Art Online- 1st season great 2nd season ehh, Akame Ga kill- very short and great action an story, Twin Star exorcist- older animation but great story and action, Black Clover- actually just started so you can catch up, Hero academia- very fun and action somewhat, DBS- ONLY THE FIGHTS ON YOUTUBE, those are my personal favorites but there are plenty more as well.

Dragonball

Dragonball Z

Dragonball GT

Dragonball Super

And the Manga.

Don't they're all trash.

Full Metal Alchemist & Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.

Fairy tail is garbage.

possibly the worst of it's genre.

@necromancer76: What genres are you a fan of?

@necromancer76: So I’m going to make a unorthodox recommendation. You said you are coming off GOT. I’d recommend you start with the Fate Series. It has similar elements of action/world building, details, and the idea of mortality that GOT has. At least imo. It details the holy grail war between master and servants based off mythological characters like King Arthur, Hercules, Gilgamesh, etc.

I’d try watching in this order:

Fate Zero (UFOTABLE): Prequel to Fate Stay/Night, the original series.

Fate Stay/Night (Deen): The original anime series

Fate Stay/Night UBW: The second route of the series, not a sequel but a retelling with a different focus.

I don't like anime but I enjoyed Death Note. It don't have that weirdness that I can't stand in other anime.

One Piece is the best selling manga. Start there. Naruto- skip the fillers, same with Bleach.

You could start with shorter series like attack on titan, full metal alchemists and one punch man.

And the classic Dragon ball.

Also, you could start watching classic Japanese animated films like Spirited Away or Grave of Fireflies.

Overlord is good, and it is not that long, a nice start.

I personally got hooked after watching One Punch Man, i previously had watched Attack On Titan, Dragon Ball/Z and TTGL(the most epic anime i've ever watched), but didn't really continue watching other animes, until a friend recommended me OPM, it's got great action, comedy and it's a parody of superheroes and generic shonen, recommended a 100%.

Overlord. Great action/fantasy with some comedy

Konosuba. Fantasy/comedy

Dragon Maid or Gabriel Dropout for comedy with some heart.

Attack on Titan. Decent action/horror in the first season. Though honestly I'd just read the manga until the Female Titan arc. Then watch from there.

Black Rock Shooter. Great action, not terrible CGI. The story can be confusing in places so maybe not a great place to start. Watch those other peoples suggestions and circle back to this one if you like the action.

boku no pico

and

all you need is a little sister

@life_without_progress: Big fan of fantasy, but really I’m open to anything here. I saw parts of Kirby and liked it, don’t know what genre that would classify as lol

Ore no imouto, you're welcome

Start with Naruto, that's like the standard anime to go with.

@necromancer76: I'd suggest you watch Fate/Zero. Fantasy series with deep philosophical thoughts with some gorgeous animation. Though the dynamic between the two main leads is rather lacking and somewhat static in comparison to the rest of other duos' character development in F/Z.

Fate/Stay night and Fate/Stay night: Unlimited is kind of bland in comparison to it.

Also, you should check out "Made In Abyss", 2017's breakout hit anime. Beautiful fantasy lore, world building and character development. An enchanting soundtrack and gorgeous visuals. There are occasional "this little robot boy surprisingly has a working penis" jokes but it never actually acts detrimental to the series itself.

@necromancer76: Hi i am a fellow game of thrones fan. I think i may be of help. Although i have watched very few anime. But i read quite a bit of mangas.

ONE PIECE (Colored Manga version)

World that gives you sense of gigantic scale with chock full of characters that feel real and unique. The characters are nuanced from the minor characters to major. The battles gets bigger as the story unfolds and world building continues, the pace is perfect. (unless you caught up to the manga and are waiting for each issue then its a torture. This is something that is gold to binge). They know how to make the danger feel genuine and builds tension in battle.

That is the manga. ( I am reading colored version). This manga is very long and when you start reading and notice how much you like it, suddenly the length seems too short and you start worrying "oh no, i am catching up". I knew about one piece for many years but avoided it as i found the art garbage, upon reading the first volume awhile bored on the train I loved it. It is not perfect but it fits and i highly recommend you read colored version if you can.

I tried watching couple of episodes of the anime and i found it atrocious.

Fullmetal Alchemist (Manga, First Anime and then second Anime)

Set in a world where people have powers (Alchemy) that allow them to manipulate the world around them in certain ways. It's about two brothers who messed up trying to use alchemy to restore someone they loved but ended up losing so much more so they set out to find an object that will restore them back to the way they were. You will uncover terrible secrets about the land of Amestris and those who live in it. Each character has their own motivation and goals which they go after and along they way they uncover secrets and grow up and change. Its a wonderful read and watch. This is something you read/watch and it stays with you long after you are done with. It lives in your subconscious forever.

This is about 27 volume long or about 60 episode in each anime. Fullmetal Alchemist follows the manga but after awhile diverges because it caught up to the anime, people will tell you its bad but i think those are fans who are too attached to the idea that it must be exactly as the book to be great. Its good. Then there is the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood anime which is exactly as the manga. You will love it.

Order: Read the manga--->Watch Fullmetal Alchemist ---> Watch Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.

Alchemy, It is the scientific technique of understanding the structure of matter, decomposing it, and then reconstructing it. If performed skillfully, it is even possible to create gold out of lead. However, as it is a science, there are some natural principles in place. Only one thing can be created from something else of a certain mass. This is the Principle of Equivalent Exchange.

@necromancer76: You should watch at least the first episode of "The Qwaser of Stigmata"

One Piece

Naruto

Death Note

Hellsing

Parasite

DBZ

Full metal alchemist brotherhood and deathnote. You can finish them quickly and they are great.

No definitely not One Piece your gonna be watching that stuff forever before it gets good. OP is for hardcore anime fans who don't mind watching one dimensional characters and the same kind of over long battles.

Naruto is great but it's more for Midcore anime fans who don't mind flashbacks and fillers every so often.

Watch Baki The Grappler. Totally underrated. I feel it's jusssssst right for the Goldilocks of anime. It's also a short anime and it draws you in the first episode. No filler. There's only two seasons but it goes pretty quick and has the most fighting styles I have seen from any anime.

13 year old kid is the son of the strongest man alive so the kid naturally wants to be the strongest fighter in the world and literally has to fight the best fighter of every fighting style. Boxing, Wrestling, Judo, Karate, you name it.

Oh and to throw in a Easter egg the kid's father is the voice of Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan. If you know who that is.

Attack on Titan is the best. Watch that

Part 1 Naruto

Dragon Ball Z

My Hero Academia

Full Metal alchemist

Yu Yu Hakusho

I see a lot of One Piece recommendations, and while it is a good series, I would recommend waiting until you had a few series under your belt imo. The length of it makes it very time consuming which can be a turnoff for newer fans. But if you don't mind sitting through it, you won't be disappointed.

And though it's not an anime, I heavily recommend Avatar the last airbender. It's art style is anime inspired, it has well developed heroes and antagonists alike, and the creators had the entire series mapped out, giving it a decisive beginning middle and end. Plus it's not too long, only having 3 seasons.

@necromancer76: OP. If you are feeling overload of recommendation. Take that as the ultimate recommendation.

Try Queen's Blade.

@necromancer76:

Fantasy

• Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
• Fullmetal Alchemist
• Hunter x Hunter 2011 (overrated as hell but does have two good arcs)
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable (should probably watch Jojo 2012 & Stardust Crusaders beforehand but Diamond is Unbreakable is the best)
• Fate/Zero
• Humanity Has Declined
• Princess Mononoke
• Hellsing Ultimate
• Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
• Avatar: The Last Airbender

All have great dubs except Humanity has Declined & Diamond is Unbreakable which has no dub.

Action

• Baccano - Super over the top and paced well. Kinda like a Tarantino movie.
• Attack on Titan

Space/Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk/Future

• Texhnolyze - A cyberpunk Thriller that is slow and well paced with minimal dialogue in the beginning. You should brace yourself for this one.
• From the New World - Futuristic post-post apocalyptic civilization that is very different than what you'd expect. Heavy use of exposition in some episodes that can be boring.
• Cowboy Bebop and it's movie - You should've heard about this one.
• Steins;Gate - Half slice of life, half-time traveling. It's nice
• Time of Eve - Relationships with a robot
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Apart from the manga, this is my favorite and best iteration of GITS that I've bothered with. You don't have to watch the movies, the first season or read the manga to jump in.
• Neon Genesis Evangelion + End of Evangelion - The controversial super popular anime franchise. Just watch it because you should.
• Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Really old and really boring. Only watch this if you're in for politics and pretty good characters and writing
• FLCL

Mecha

• Gurren Lagann
• Gundam Origin

Thriller

• Monster
• Death Note

Masterpiece

• Kenshin trust & betrayal

Don't waste time with My Hero academy, DBZ, Naruto, bleach, inuyasha, Magi - The Labyrinth of Magic. Watch Hunter Hunter instead, it's better than all of these.

Don't waste time with Ao no Exorcist, Tokyo Ghoul, or Parasyte. Watch Attack on Titan, Devilman Crybaby or either version of FullMetal Alchemist instead.

Don't watch Guilty Crown. It's a crap Code Geass Clone and Code Geass is a weaker Death Note clone.

Sword Art Online & Fairy Tail sucks. Don't watch it.

Cowboy Bebop is better than Samurai Champloo & Black Lagoon so watch it first.

1. Digimon season 3 and 4

2. Hell girl

3. Code geass

4. Flame of Recca

5. Tokyo ghoul manga dont watch the anime especially season 2

6.Dbz abridged

7. Sao abridged

8.Nichijou comedy gold

9. Daily life of highschool boys comedy

10.Fate zero or stay night

11. Anohana feels

12. Your lie in April feels

13. Oregairu cery awesome anime

14. Maoyuu maou yuusha, if u like economics stuff

15. Black lagoon, modern day mercenaries. One of the best and u can watch the english dub as its mentioned that it sounds better.

16.C – The Money of Soul and Possibility Control

17. Darker than black

18. Eden of the east

19. Elfen lied

20. Jormungand, about an arms dealer

21. Hero tales

22. Zetman

@jashugan: i am trying to get into HxH manga. man the characters irks me. MC is a child who seems like hes wise old man and has cliche backstory about his parent. the plot so for is nice though.

@ignvela: every shonen main has a cliche backstory. Watch one of the hunter hunter anime then read the manga.

The series is overrated but it's much better than its peers and gets better as it goes on. It doesn't have the strongest start.

@necromancer76: Don't watch weeb Manga/Anime series like SAO or No game No Life, it destroys your brain.

You will detect the styles immediately.

Start with Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist, Samurai Champloo, Parasyte – Kiseijuu, Attack on Titan, HunterxHunter, Ghost in the Shell, if you like gambling, Kakegurui-Compulsive Gambler, Lupin the III, etc...

One of the last Manga/Anime which I pretty liked a lot was Kakegurui and Parasyte.

@jashugan: thats one of my weakness. Bad start is a turn off for me.