The story of my anime journey began in a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth or at least it feels that way. Back in the day, I would come home from school and watch Battle of the Planets. Anime was very much a niche back then. Since then, the amount of anime that I watched has topped out to over five hundred series. This puts me somewhere between otaku and noob on the anime viewer scale. Holding the middle ground has its advantages.
One of the key benefits is that people new to anime ask for your advice. This is a serious undertaking, as who wants to be the one who destroyed anime for another? Before giving a suggestion, I like to get an idea of the types of shows they like to watch. Are they comedies, dramas, fantasy, or something else? With the baseline set, you can now select something they may like. As of this posting, these are my ten anime for anyone interested in getting into anime.
As you review the post, please feel free to let me know what anime got you into anime. Leave a comment below and let me know your picks.
For action fans
Attack on Titan (2013)
In the distant past, humanity was brought to the doorstep of extinction. The agents of their destruction are large humanoid beings that eat people. With the titan’s ruin, the survivors sealed themselves off in a high-walled fortress. The Titans are back and humanity once again faces ruin. Eren Yeager and his friends take up the struggle to save their people. This story follows their journey from refugees to members of the Survey Corps.
Attack on Titan is a well-written story with first-rate characters and animation. The story captures viewers and holds them for the episode’s runtime. There are few series that can match Attack on Titan for its fluidity of action. This is a visceral series, which may cause some to shy away from it. Despite any drawbacks, I feel that new viewers will beg for more after watching Attack on Titan.
For fantasy fans
Violet Evergarden (2018)
In this world, a Great War tore the continent to pieces. A girl serves as an instrument of death. Stripped of her humanity, Violet would suffer great loss before the war’s end. Thrown into civilian life, she struggles with war trauma and life off the battlefield. The path to recovery comes after she takes on the role of an Auto Memory Doll. People hire her to record their stories and send these letters to loved ones. The connections she makes help her to overcome past demons.
Violet Evergarden is a visually stunning anime. The story is tight and viewers will come to enjoy the characters. On the flip side, this is not an anime to watch if you want Lord of the Rings. With this aside, this series has enough fantasy elements to be my choice to hook new anime viewers.
For psychological fans
Death Note (2006)
Death Note explores the concept of what that would look like if you could hand out justice. The gods of death seek to explore this premise among humans. A death note comes into the hands of Light Yagami. By writing a name in the book, Light has the ability to dispatch anyone. The strange deaths of some bad guys cause law enforcement to take note. Light’s actions reach legendary status, which feeds his ego. Emboldened, he starts killing off anyone who gets too close to him. Hiding in the open, the story evolves into a game of cat and mouse.
Almost twenty years ago, Death Note graced our screens. Over this time, the fandom continues to heap praises on the series. This is due to great storytelling and character development. From start to finish, the series holds you captive. Death Note hits all the right keys to keep both veterans and newbies of the suspense genre interested in anime.
For romance fans
Fruits Basket 1st Season (2019)
Tooru Honda loved the tales her mother told of the Chinese zodiac. A tragedy takes her family, leaving the young girl to fend for herself. With no place to go, she sets up camp on the property of the Souma family. Despite the hardships, Tooru is a positive and cheerful girl. One rainy night, Shigure stumbles upon the girl’s campsite and offers to take her in. His gesture will lead Tooru to find family and love within the world of the zodiac.
Fruits Basket is a perfect balance of drama, comedy, and romance. It also has some dark moments, which may be difficult for some viewers. My feeling is that you cannot go wrong with the first season of Fruits Basket. I am sure that any romance noob will be begging to see the next season.
For science fiction fans
Steins;Gate (2011)
Future Gadget Lab scientists long to create tech that amazes the public. However, the lab’s claim to fame so far is the ability to turn fruit into sludge. Rintarou Okabe attends a conference on time travel, which flips his world on its head. A piece of new tech seems to manipulate time by sending messages to the past. He comes to work on the device, which leads him to be a target of a secret organization. Meanwhile, someone is messing with the timeline. Okabe must repair time or face the loss of friends and family. Can he fix the problem before losing his mind?
Steins;Gate is a popular series in the anime community. This is because it takes a different approach to time travel. The story is solid and the characters are worth the investment of your time. You also do not have to over analyze it. For this reason, I recommend Steins;Gate to those who are new to anime and like sci-fi.
For sports fans
Haikyuu!! (2014)
The anime is about the Karasuno High School volleyball team on their road to the championship. Once a powerhouse, the team seeks to take back the school’s glory days. To achieve this task, seasoned players need to whip the newbies into shape. Two first-year students, Shouyou Hinata, and Tobio Kageyama, are key to the team’s efforts but the pair come with their own hang-ups. The series follows the duo from individual players to valued members of the team. Will their efforts be enough to earn Karasuno their former glory?
Haikyuu!! does a great job of blending a story with some intense sports action. The banter and action make you feel part of the team. Anyone who played school sports will relate to the team’s struggles. You do not have to like volleyball to enjoy the story, so this is why I feel Haikyuu!! is the gateway for sports fans to get into anime.
