How do I get into anime
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Just look into anime that are in genres you appreciate more than you straitforward action style. Try out "code geass" and "death note," those two are more involved than naruto and pokemon, but if you need something a more in depth give "Phantom, requiem for the phantom" a shot. "Kenichi" is a 26 episode anime that will probably never be finished(the voice actress for the love interest died). It's heavily action geared but I can't help but recommend it.
I've never been a great fan of convoluted and thought provoking anime, I watch anime to kick back and turn off my brain, but those first three will be a decent start. Others on this site will be able to point you in the direction of others. Actually, "Kiba" would probably be a good one for you to look into as well. I'd say it's between code geass and Phantom, requiem for the phantom in terms of balance between action and thought provocativeness.
I've never been a great fan of convoluted and thought provoking anime, I watch anime to kick back and turn off my brain, but those first three will be a decent start. Others on this site will be able to point you in the direction of others. Actually, "Kiba" would probably be a good one for you to look into as well. I'd say it's between code geass and Phantom, requiem for the phantom in terms of balance between action and thought provocativeness.
But equally, it's unwise to discount such a large body of media based on a couple of examples from it. Both Harry Potter and Twilight are fantasy books for children (the latter of which is very badly written). It could be reasonable to suggest that someone who has only read them doesn't like children's fantasy (although I think even that is a bit of a stretch), but, especially for an adult, there's so much and so varied a selection of other stuff that it seems silly not to try them simply because you disliked a couple of books in a very particular niche. Especially one which implicitly caters to a different demographic.Kragg said:That is exactly what I was saying, I was even going to use the book analogy at some point... he said he didn't like it, I didn't. I'm looking at it from the other side, you don't have to read every book to see that you don't like reading. if you don't like reading you shouldn't be forced to because your peers do
It's pretty much the same case here. Naruto and Pokemon are both children's fantasy (although admittedly fantasy is more ubiquitous in anime), and considering the guy wants something more substantial, which isn't something kids' shows are known for, I feel it's jumping the gun to suggest he just give up entirely on anime.
I get bored easily, so a lot of what people have recommended I've been like "wtf dat sux".
Mushi-Shi is okay. But, yeah, slow and stuff. Never finished it.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. That's the first of the two Ghost in the Shell anime series, right? Because if it is, it's s***.
Ghost in the Shell. Did you know the guy who made this started out as a hentai artist? It shows. Good, yes, but because it's kind of old people hype it up.
The Big O. Saw one episode. Thought it sucked. Apparently people love it. Was it because I watched the dub, or am I just intellectually superior to everyone else?
Ergo Proxy. I would like to blame my being bored on the dub. Either that, or because it was so dark I couldn't see anything.
Last Exile: I got bored. What was I missing?
Monster: Zzz...
Clannad: Couldn't even stomach the first episode. Inclined to blame it on the dub, but...
Samurai Champloo: No, this is pretty good, but what it's doing on a list without Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note or Code Geass is beyond me. Frankly, if Bleach or Naruto were to condensed to only their good parts, they would probably be better than Samurai Champloo. At least I think so.
Claymore: Same as Champloo. The anime also ends abruptly, as it was not renewed for another season while the manga continued onward.
I would like to second Durarara!! because it hasn't gotten enough love. Same to Baccano! - although it is done out of chronological order and with three separate stories told from multiple perspectives simultaneously. Major blood and gore. I would mention Death Note and Code Geass, but they've been heard from enough.
Evangelion gets a (*insert MovieBob voice)
EVANGELION
IS
WEIRD!
And a bolded, underlined Your Mileage May Vary.
Some time you should get somebody to compile a "filler-free" list of Bleach and Naruto episodes so you can watch the story without the filler arcs. Makes the stories slow as molasses instead of slow as concrete.
P.S. For comedy I recommend Lucky Star, K-ON!! (basically Lucky Star but not quite as funny), and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Mushi-Shi is okay. But, yeah, slow and stuff. Never finished it.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. That's the first of the two Ghost in the Shell anime series, right? Because if it is, it's s***.
Ghost in the Shell. Did you know the guy who made this started out as a hentai artist? It shows. Good, yes, but because it's kind of old people hype it up.
The Big O. Saw one episode. Thought it sucked. Apparently people love it. Was it because I watched the dub, or am I just intellectually superior to everyone else?
Ergo Proxy. I would like to blame my being bored on the dub. Either that, or because it was so dark I couldn't see anything.
Last Exile: I got bored. What was I missing?
Monster: Zzz...
Clannad: Couldn't even stomach the first episode. Inclined to blame it on the dub, but...
Samurai Champloo: No, this is pretty good, but what it's doing on a list without Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note or Code Geass is beyond me. Frankly, if Bleach or Naruto were to condensed to only their good parts, they would probably be better than Samurai Champloo. At least I think so.
Claymore: Same as Champloo. The anime also ends abruptly, as it was not renewed for another season while the manga continued onward.
I would like to second Durarara!! because it hasn't gotten enough love. Same to Baccano! - although it is done out of chronological order and with three separate stories told from multiple perspectives simultaneously. Major blood and gore. I would mention Death Note and Code Geass, but they've been heard from enough.
Evangelion gets a (*insert MovieBob voice)
EVANGELION
IS
WEIRD!
And a bolded, underlined Your Mileage May Vary.
Some time you should get somebody to compile a "filler-free" list of Bleach and Naruto episodes so you can watch the story without the filler arcs. Makes the stories slow as molasses instead of slow as concrete.
P.S. For comedy I recommend Lucky Star, K-ON!! (basically Lucky Star but not quite as funny), and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Story wise, I found [Deathnote] to be quite good (season 1). Cliffhangers at the end of episodes with well written plausible conclusions (given the in-show-logic).
Dragonball Z (or DB:Kai because it's got much less filler for the same story) is a classic in my opinion. It's the very definition of guys who can fly mysteriously and shoot energy beams at each other.
Dragonball Z (or DB:Kai because it's got much less filler for the same story) is a classic in my opinion. It's the very definition of guys who can fly mysteriously and shoot energy beams at each other.
I hate most anime. After a while it all becomes so much garbled nonsense. But even I, the great hater of all animangananime, Would have to reccomend Death note in the original japanese with english subtitles. It's hard to fault it, it's truly brilliant, and it avoids all that angsty bollocks that most other animes are drawn to.
I'm certainly not the person to ask on this subject, since I immediately pounced on fairly obscure and weird animes - the first anime I watched start to finish was Highschool of the Dead, followed by Sekirei (for the record, I freaking LOVE Sekirei.)
But my advice is to just pick something with blurb that sounds interesting and go for it. Worst thing that can happen is you get disappointed and try another series.
Failing that, watch Darker Than Black. If the theme song alone doesn't get you pumped to watch, nothing will.
EDIT: also try RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne. Really dark cyberpunk-y series, set in different time periods, starring an immortal private detective.
But my advice is to just pick something with blurb that sounds interesting and go for it. Worst thing that can happen is you get disappointed and try another series.
Failing that, watch Darker Than Black. If the theme song alone doesn't get you pumped to watch, nothing will.
EDIT: also try RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne. Really dark cyberpunk-y series, set in different time periods, starring an immortal private detective.
What this awesome person said. And I can confirm the faithfulness; it is the best adaptation I have seen to date.ChupathingyX said:
Also this. And Baccano while you're at it.TizzytheTormentor said:
The best way to get into anime is IMO the Studio Ghibli productions.
Also, try Death Note, it's what got me into anime.
For now, stay away from SHAFT productions. I think they are the most awesome shows in the history of awesome, but I can see how it can be off putting to others.
So maybe anime just isn't your cup of tea and you shouldn't worry too much over not liking it. I like some anime, but far from all. I often feel like there are too many episodes to actually manage to stick with it.
However I would recommend you watching Welcome To The NHK for a decent story, dark humour and some character development.
Love Hina if you want some simple fun. Nin x Nin = Shinobuden also gives you some random spaced out fun.
Dragonball was good in the start, but I only read the original manga and I didn't bother with the anime. However things just get weird when you go too far in that series and almost everything that happens before can be disregarded as if they never happened. Yeah, it gets bad. I wouldn't bother past Buu saga.
However I would recommend you watching Welcome To The NHK for a decent story, dark humour and some character development.
Love Hina if you want some simple fun. Nin x Nin = Shinobuden also gives you some random spaced out fun.
Dragonball was good in the start, but I only read the original manga and I didn't bother with the anime. However things just get weird when you go too far in that series and almost everything that happens before can be disregarded as if they never happened. Yeah, it gets bad. I wouldn't bother past Buu saga.
I'll be shocked if someone hasn't already suggested this but you should watch Hayao Miyazaki films. Because they are movies they wont require a huge investment of your time and have an art style that holds up even decades after they were made. Also the dubs tend to be high quality. I would recommend Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke in particular. Other than that there have been some very good suggestions above me. Fullmetal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Darker Than Black(Can be confusing if you dont pay close attention), Trigun are all good places to start.
But Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke really are both great films
But Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke really are both great films
This list is genius.Death Carr said:I got into anime with Death Note. Then I got recommended FLCL, then that moved onto Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, and so on.
It really just depends on what you're looking for. Aside from the writing, do you want high action, romance, Slice-of-life, etc. We really need more details before we can recommend something to your tastes.
Also, the obligatory anime guide I post every time one of these threads shows up.
OP:If you don't want the "everything causes an explosion" situation, you should generally avoid the Shonen/Shounen genre.
Gunslinger Girl is a show with good music and well done art. It can kinda be divided into parts highlighting the various cyborg girls' relationships with their handlers and parts where those cyborg girls shoot the bad guys. That's a pretty simplistic explanation, so you'll have to check it out yourself.
Azumanga Daioh is a simple slice of life. Slightly cutesy, but really fun. Not much in the way of a plot, but the characters stick with you.
Any of Hayao Miyazaki's films. Strong lead characters and the films have amazing art/music. Always worth watching. My personal favorite is Spirited Away.
I essentially suggest to just watch more anime. Pokemon isn't a very good representation of anime as a whole and Naruto is, in my opinion, rather bad in general, particularly from an "intelligent" standpoint. So, I suggest, if you want to get into anime, look up different anime and read summaries, etc. Then watch whatever interests you. I personally recommend Death Note, Code Geass, Fullmetal Alchemist, FLCL, Gurren Lagann and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Those are ones I would go to if you want "intelligent" anime that make you feel interested in the characters and don't have generic situations, but you should watch whatever you want, regardless. Also, I would recommend Soul Eater, even though it's more on the action side of anime.
NOW I'VE LOST ITAceTrilby said:
I KNOW I CAN KILL
THE TRUTH EXISTS BEYOND THE GATE
A show that exists to get its main character naked and mutilate her. Yeah, that's really gonna make people like anime...AceTrilby said:
Because I failed to mention it before, I second Steins;Gate. I failed to finish it before it was removed from Crunchyroll (because Funimation picked it up) and have regretted it ever since.
Oh, and I recall someone mentioning The Future Diary AKA Mirai Nikki. Personally I'd recommend getting one or two anime under your belt before starting it because it toys with a couple anime tropes. I haven't quite finished, but from where I stand the first handful of episodes are the best, but that's still going from like a 9.9 to a 9.0, so whatever. Also has one of the most psychotic/amazing/psychotic openings you'll ever see:
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I would suggest watching a lot of anime. Watch a lot of different stuff. There is a lot of it from different people and different genres.
I watched a lot of the movies and failed ovas that were prevalent in the early 90s in the united states. Most were meh, some were great, others terrible. Some were so bizarre that they linger in my brain to this day.
I would do some research into titles to see if they interest you then go from there.
I watched a lot of the movies and failed ovas that were prevalent in the early 90s in the united states. Most were meh, some were great, others terrible. Some were so bizarre that they linger in my brain to this day.
I would do some research into titles to see if they interest you then go from there.
If you're looking for intelligent/epic, look no further than Paranoia Agent.Grubz said:
It's fucking insane, and only 13 episodes long.
Similarly, Full Metal Alchemist (both the original cartoon and Brotherhood) are just non-stop awesomeness in its most distilled form, while also having some pretty deep characters and a story that, well, makes-some-damn-sense.
thestickman91 said:
Miyazaki ftw. Beautifully drawn masterpieces that on occasion make your brain go 0_o but not in the mind fuck way that evangelion or some of the others out there so it may be a good place to start.
Didn't see anyone mention El-Hazard so I will =)
Wow... I'm kind of sad. If this list is true to its word then I've found out why I've lost interest in anime. I have watched virtually everything worthwhile.Furioso said:Great list, I'll have to save that picture for future use, needs more Full Metal Alchemist and Yu Yu Hakusho thoughDeath Carr said:I got into anime with Death Note. Then I got recommended FLCL, then that moved onto Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, and so on.
It really just depends on what you're looking for. Aside from the writing, do you want high action, romance, Slice-of-life, etc. We really need more details before we can recommend something to your tastes.
Also, the obligatory anime guide I post every time one of these threads shows up.
Glad to see Usagi Drop on the list. Great show, but very unconventional... a lot of people are turned off by the premise.
Er... yeah I had something to add, but this post pretty much ended the thread. If the OP can't find anything enticing on this list, then Anime just isn't for him... and he might be dead.
You know, I just recently got bored and re-watched the entirety of Code Geass. Oh my God. I had forgotten how epic it was. And how sad it is. Jesus, so many episodes tug at your heart strings. The episode about Colin's mom. So tragic. Yuffie. And the final 10 minutes. No series had ever made me feel so close to crying more times. I'd say it's one of my favorite all time anime. If not my current favorite.The Wykydtron said:
I would start with more realistic Anime, as it is often grounded in reality, which lets you settle into the styles and techniques used by different Anime directors.
My number 1 Anime recommendation is COWBOY BEBOP. Yes, the series has a story arc(a macro plot), but you don't have to watch all of them in a specific order. You can watch them how ever you want.
It's a space/cowboy drama. They fly spaceships, but they shoot bullets, not lasers. The atmosphere and the setting FEEL realistic and plausible. Please check this one out. If Naruto felt like a chore, Cowboy Bebop will feel like a vacation!
My number 1 Anime recommendation is COWBOY BEBOP. Yes, the series has a story arc(a macro plot), but you don't have to watch all of them in a specific order. You can watch them how ever you want.
It's a space/cowboy drama. They fly spaceships, but they shoot bullets, not lasers. The atmosphere and the setting FEEL realistic and plausible. Please check this one out. If Naruto felt like a chore, Cowboy Bebop will feel like a vacation!