Recommendation for Anime series to show to girlfriend

Lewieroo0

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Feb 2, 2009
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Last month I went on a date with a girl I liked and since then we've been going out together. We've shared some of our interests with each other and while I've had quite the interest in Anime, I've been thinking about how to introduce her to it.

She's only seen a bit of it here and there and i have loads of shows stored on my computer. Which shows would be best to show a newcomer to get them into Anime?

(She really likes Norse Mythology, Dancing and Celtic Culture so I've been thinking of shows that are very Renaissance Fantasyish such as Spice & Wolf and Guardian of the Sacred Spirit, though that's all I know of in that category -_-)
 

evilneko

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Strike Witches ...wait, kidding.. kidding...

Maybe start off light--as in Light Music, that is! K-On!

Or, you really can't go wrong with something classic like Nausicaa, Lodoss (the OVA), or Ghost in the Shell (movie, if you think she might like that sort of thing). None of those qualify for norse, dancing, or celtic influence but Lodoss is High Fantasy.

Come to think of it, even with all the anime I've watched I can't think of one off the top of my head that really fits any of those. Princess Tutu is full of ballerinas--but it's an older shoujo anime and while your girlfriend might like it, you might not...
 

Gigano

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Spice & Wolf could be great, it's probably the most classy anime romance piece you'll find, lots of enjoyable and believable interaction between the two strong leads. Though its slow pacing and other main focus on medieval trade and economics might not be for everyone.
 

Lewieroo0

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evilneko said:
Strike Witches ...wait, kidding.. kidding...

Maybe start off light--as in Light Music, that is! K-On!

Or, you really can't go wrong with something classic like Nausicaa, Lodoss (the OVA), or Ghost in the Shell (movie, if you think she might like that sort of thing). None of those qualify for norse, dancing, or celtic influence but Lodoss is High Fantasy.

Come to think of it, even with all the anime I've watched I can't think of one off the top of my head that really fits any of those. Princess Tutu is full of ballerinas--but it's an older shoujo anime and while your girlfriend might like it, you might not...
lol Strike Witches would be the last show I would recommend o_o

I tend to avoid any of those moefests such as K-ON and such so probably not the best choice to go with. Ghost in the Shell could be worth a shot, sci-fi has many possibilities (and i've wanted to check out the film + series at some point) and she quite likes sci-fi stuff (She's a fan for Doctor Who).
 

ThriKreen

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I often like to start someone off with El Hazard, the original 7 part OAV series. Since it is 4hrs long and fairly self-contained, it doesn't require as much investment as a full 26-episode season, and longer than a 1-2hr movie. Also the English dubbing is still the best out there, and it ages pretty well.

Ah! My Goddess isn't too bad for light Norse mythology, give it's origins.
 

evilneko

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Lewieroo0 said:
lol Strike Witches would be the last show I would recommend o_o

I tend to avoid any of those moefests such as K-ON and such so probably not the best choice to go with. Ghost in the Shell could be worth a shot, sci-fi has many possibilities (and i've wanted to check out the film + series at some point) and she quite likes sci-fi stuff (She's a fan for Doctor Who).
You've never seen either the movie or series of GITS? D:

BTW, of the animes I mentioned only the GITS movie has a good dub, though it still cuts a few lines which...might be important.

Yeah, sci-fi opens up lots of possibilities. Armitage, Blue Sub 6, Blue Gender, heck, even Gundam stuff. Then there's things like Last Exile, Lain, even a Starship Troopers anime. Plenty of lighter fare of course, like Outlaw Star (which has a superlative dub, mind) and To Aru Kagaku no Railgun.
 

Scarim Coral

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Well you can't go wrong with any Studio Ghibli films althought I think Princess Mononoke may fit into those category I think (so does Tales from Earthsea but that is the worst film out of Ghibli).
 

Lewieroo0

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evilneko said:
Lewieroo0 said:
lol Strike Witches would be the last show I would recommend o_o

I tend to avoid any of those moefests such as K-ON and such so probably not the best choice to go with. Ghost in the Shell could be worth a shot, sci-fi has many possibilities (and i've wanted to check out the film + series at some point) and she quite likes sci-fi stuff (She's a fan for Doctor Who).
You've never seen either the movie or series of GITS? D:

BTW, of the animes I mentioned only the GITS movie has a good dub, though it still cuts a few lines which...might be important.

Yeah, sci-fi opens up lots of possibilities. Armitage, Blue Sub 6, Blue Gender, heck, even Gundam stuff. Then there's things like Last Exile, Lain, even a Starship Troopers anime. Plenty of lighter fare of course, like Outlaw Star (which has a superlative dub, mind) and To Aru Kagaku no Railgun.
I've been wanting to check it out, but I've had so many other shows to get through -_-

I've been a dub fan for a long time so i usually watch it dubbed (with a few times i watch it subbed, usually when its a new show without one or at my club) and chances are she probably would prefer to start with dubs. I've heard good things about Last Exile, visually it looks pretty awesome :) and Outlaw Star is another show with a good reputation. Western Styled Anime's tend to be the best in recommendation and i find them to be the best ranging from Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Black Lagoon,Black Butler and Baccano!. Cowboy Bebop would probably be the best out of that group for showing.
 

Silverspud

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Show her the Cowboy Bebop episode "Pierrot Le Fou". This is always the introductory anime episode I show to a friend who's entirely new to the genre. No matter their background, age, or gender, after they see this episode the reaction's always the same: "Where can I find more?"
 

loa

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Ah well the 2 big ones would be full metal alchemist and death note.
Fma is just gorgeously written and death note has the bonus of not relying on fighting scenes at all and being shorter.
Spirited away might be an option too if she's into very ...japanese things and all that whimsy.
It's the least preachy studio ghibli movie and I personally see no way how someone can't like it and it has the huge bonus of being just one movie and not some big ass series that you have to get into to fully appreciate.

What else? Ah yes, cowboy beebop of course.
That one should be a classic by now.
If you feel courageous, you can try elfenlied too.
 

bernardblack

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I would suggest Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood if you want to go for a longer series, or Durarara! for a shorter one with some mythological elements thrown in. Baccano is also a good one with some magical elements and by the same writer who wrote DRRR. But Baccano is also extremely violent, so I would avoid it if you don't like blood.

Those are some of my personal favorites.
 

Galletea

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I would find out what kind of films she likes and then pick something based upon that. FMA is a brilliant one, and so is Trigun or Berserk, but the death, destruction and depression do come on pretty strong when they arrive.

On the side of cheery happy things, you can't go far wrong with Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle. I'd steer clear of the more depressing ones for now, and the death toll in Laputa still blows my mind a little.
 

rob_simple

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Silverspud said:
Show her the Cowboy Bebop episode "Pierrot Le Fou". This is always the introductory anime episode I show to a friend who's entirely new to the genre. No matter their background, age, or gender, after they see this episode the reaction's always the same: "Where can I find more?"
If that had been the first episode of Cowboy Bebop I'd ever seen I'd have thrown the TV out the window and spent the next three weeks under my bed.

Seriously though, it's a great episode, but I'd recommend starting with episode five instead, I think it's called Ballad of Fallen Angels? Or the movie, which was surprisingly good.

Other than that, I'd recommend Samurai Champloo because it's got great animation and brilliant characters; Gungrave is really good but perhaps too violent in the first episode; Excel Saga is a pretty good mash-up of literally every anime ever and Ghost Hunt is pretty cool but takes a few episodes to get into so might not be much help.