What's a good anime to break into anime?

[InsipidMadness]

The TL;DR is the above question, the details are as follows.

Basically I've been enjoying anime for a long time now. I'm not as deep into it as I would like to be, but I've taken pleasure in everything from: Baccano!, to Cowboy Bebop, to Samurai Champloo, to the Melancholy of Suzumiya, to Code Geass, to FMA/TTGL/FCLC/etc. I could go on for a while and I feel I've rounded the bases lightly on anime as a whole. Heck, I've even enjoyed Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece before filler hell has made me have an on off with Naruto, drop Bleach, but OP is still amazing. Now I'm not here to pick favorites, I'm sure there's supporters to every angle and I've seen threads before with an anime pointing finger contest, so lets get to the point shall we.

With most of my friends, I'm afraid to come out of the closest (so-to-speak) and announce proudly that I watch and enjoy anime. Most of them enjoy shows like Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Suits, Scrubs, Family Guy, and the like; which I also enjoy. However, I would love to introduce them to anime, but I'm sure showing them any of the big three would scare them off. So I ask you fellow escapists:

What's a good anime to break people into anime and Why?

 

[Fishehh]

Zero no Tsukaima
(Odd, bit ecchi but good humor)
Code Geass
(Good for newbies, by that I mean that there isn't many of the typical anime conventions, like THE CHOSEN ONE or any of that stuff.)
Fairy Tail
(Good humor, and fairly simply characters)
Wagnaria!!
(People working in a restaurant, good humor, good characters, and basic story)
GOSICK
(Good story, some of the best characters I've ever seen, and an oddly satisfying ending.)
Neon Genesis Evangelion
(Confuse the hell out of your friend but it was a good ride until the end)


TIP: Don't show them Naruto, Bleach, as their first ones. They have way too many different anime conventions (Problems being solved, flashbacks and trying to make us care about characters we only recently met.)

Hope that helped

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

I would say Dragonball Z, then maybe Naruto, then One Piece, then Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. That will be all it takes

 

[careful]

mushishi!
no action really, very tranquil anime, good music, good voices, really good story (in episodic format)

 

[neonsword13-ops]

Baccano!

A clever show. A bit gruesome at times but very interesting. It will keep the viewers attention. Almost evey episode has new viewpoint of the plot from a different character's perspective.

EDIT: For a movie, I would suggest Spirited Away. Fantasic animation in the Studio Ghibli Films.

EDIT 2: Other suggestions include: Full Metal Alchemist, Soul Eater, FLCL (If they like crazy and not knowing what the hell they are watching).

For the more childish viewers: One Piece, Naruto (My first anime), Dragon Ball Z.

 

[Decamper]

Movies seem to work best to bring in newcomers. A lot of people will be coming into anime (myself included, a while ago) with not the most open mind, and trying to commit them to a series right away is a quick way to scare them off. Movies having generally higher budget also helps smooth the transition over the animation difference, as someone above already mentioned

Ghost in the Shell [http://myanimelist.net/anime/43/Ghost_in_the_Shell] is what got me into anime, but its pacing might turn some people off if they have no interest in cyberpunk.

Pretty much any of Satoshi Kon's movies are great place to get someone interested too. If they like pshycological thrillers, go with Perfect Blue [http://myanimelist.net/anime/437/Perfect_Blue]. If they want Inception-like dream insanity, then there's Paprika [http://myanimelist.net/anime/1943/Paprika]. Fun art-house? Go with Millenium Actress [http://myanimelist.net/anime/1033/Millennium_Actress]. Or, if you wait until the holidays, you could get them with the hearwarming Tokyo Godfathers [http://myanimelist.net/anime/759/Tokyo_Godfathers].

If any of them like a movie you show them, then they'll be more open to trying one of the full series already recommended by others.

Hope that helps!

 

[Thaius]

Death Note is a good one to start off with, as is Full Metal Alchemist. Death Note is just plain compelling, and FMA still has enough cartoony nature to not weird out American audiences too much, but still tells a compelling and emotional story.

However, I am going to recommend starting them on something that's not actually anime: Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's an American cartoon, and it's aimed at kids, but it's one of the best fantasy shows you'll ever see, if not straight-up the best. The first season can be a bit juvenile, but is still interesting and well-done, and it just gets better as it goes along until it becomes an incredibly awesome, intense, emotional, and hilarious fantasy epic. It absolutely must be seen. It has similarities to anime (mainly a similar animation style and its focus on story and character), but it is still very western in many ways, and the original English voice acting is fantastic, eliminating the added difficulty to newcomers of dealing with subtitles. So it's a great "gateway show," if you will.

Also, for you, I must say you absolutely must see Clannad. If you've never cried in anything ever before, this show will still break you. It will break you hard. Watch it.

 

[Drakmeire]

The first I ever watched was Gantz because I heart Violence.
I'd suggest Death Note (Trust me, it's a perfect show when you first start but if I watched it now I'd probably hate it)
Fullmetal Alchemist (either)
Soul Eater (very fun and not too long, good for getting into the weirder stuff)
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (very grounded in reality, dark, and has an AMAZING dub)
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is great if you want to see how amazing a show can be if you completely immerse yourself in its world where logic no longer applies...I guess it's the same with FLCL

 

[Darby]

OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB.

 

[Drakmeire]

OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB.

hahahahaha...NO
that's good if you feel like being brave and tackling the shoujo Genre, but I'd suggest Madoka Magica before that. even if you're comfortable in your masculinity, Ouran is still a challenge.

 

[SAMAS]

I think a recent one that came out, Summer Wars, might be a decent start. Especially since your friends seem to be the Sitcom crowd.

 

[InsipidMadness]

Spoiler

Zero no Tsukaima
(Odd, bit ecchi but good humor)
Code Geass
(Good for newbies, by that I mean that there isn't many of the typical anime conventions, like THE CHOSEN ONE or any of that stuff.)
Fairy Tail
(Good humor, and fairly simply characters)
Wagnaria!!
(People working in a restaurant, good humor, good characters, and basic story)
GOSICK
(Good story, some of the best characters I've ever seen, and an oddly satisfying ending.)
Neon Genesis Evangelion
(Confuse the hell out of your friend but it was a good ride until the end)


TIP: Don't show them Naruto, Bleach, as their first ones. They have way too many different anime conventions (Problems being solved, flashbacks and trying to make us care about characters we only recently met.)

Hope that helped

That's an interesting list with a few I haven't heard of myself, thanks.

Spoiler

Never try to break people into something that they don't have any interest in - it's a good way to lose friends quick.

Don't just randomly go "hey, I like anime, wanna watch some?" Tell them at a more opportune moment, like when describing something naturally.

If your friends like you far less for enjoying anime, then they probably weren't very good friends in the first place.

Finally, I would say the original Full Metal Alchemist. Why?

-It has a good English cast. They'll most likely want to watch it in English. Sorry, subbers, but you know this to be true.

-The humor is far more spot-on than most anime could ever dream to be. It's a good introduction to the quirkiness of most Japanese stuff because it's not overblown and doesn't often interrupt more dramatic moments. Mostly. Plus it's actually, you know, funny.

-The plot is interesting and the characters are very likeable.

-It's digestable and makes sense. By this, I mean that a lot of anime doesn't often make sense at first. The first episode of FMA does an excellent job of introducing the two main characters, what happened to them, why one is in armor, why one has two fake limbs, what their main goal is, and it sets up a conflict at first to boot. And it also gives some great characterization.

-The animation is decent. Again, I hate to break something to many otakus, but a lot of anime moves at a slow frame rate and/or has horrid animation. FMA isn't bad at all, though I have to admit that I've seen better. Still, the drawings are clear, the designs are sharp, and the characters all move in ways that don't look bad at all.

I can see your opening point, no need to force it, but I've been pondering for a while now if/how I should say something and decided to make a running list for now. Also, do you mean FMA or FMA Brotherhood?

 

[cameron196789]

I found 'the Melancholy of Suzumiya' to be really good, I would start there.

 

[InsipidMadness]

Spoiler

Movies seem to work best to bring in newcomers. A lot of people will be coming into anime (myself included, a while ago) with not the most open mind, and trying to commit them to a series right away is a quick way to scare them off. Movies having generally higher budget also helps smooth the transition over the animation difference, as someone above already mentioned

Ghost in the Shell [http://myanimelist.net/anime/43/Ghost_in_the_Shell] is what got me into anime, but its pacing might turn some people off if they have no interest in cyberpunk.

Pretty much any of Satoshi Kon's movies are great place to get someone interested too. If they like pshycological thrillers, go with Perfect Blue [http://myanimelist.net/anime/437/Perfect_Blue]. If they want Inception-like dream insanity, then there's Paprika [http://myanimelist.net/anime/1943/Paprika]. Fun art-house? Go with Millenium Actress [http://myanimelist.net/anime/1033/Millennium_Actress]. Or, if you wait until the holidays, you could get them with the hearwarming Tokyo Godfathers [http://myanimelist.net/anime/759/Tokyo_Godfathers].

If any of them like a movie you show them, then they'll be more open to trying one of the full series already recommended by others.

Hope that helps!

That's an interesting point, I hadn't thought of that. Movies would seem more reasonable to start with.

 

[InsipidMadness]

Spoiler

Death Note is a good one to start off with, as is Full Metal Alchemist. Death Note is just plain compelling, and FMA still has enough cartoony nature to not weird out American audiences too much, but still tells a compelling and emotional story.

However, I am going to recommend starting them on something that's not actually anime: Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's an American cartoon, and it's aimed at kids, but it's one of the best fantasy shows you'll ever see, if not straight-up the best. The first season can be a bit juvenile, but is still interesting and well-done, and it just gets better as it goes along until it becomes an incredibly awesome, intense, emotional, and hilarious fantasy epic. It absolutely must be seen. It has similarities to anime (mainly a similar animation style and its focus on story and character), but it is still very western in many ways, and the original English voice acting is fantastic, eliminating the added difficulty to newcomers of dealing with subtitles. So it's a great "gateway show," if you will.

Also, for you, I must say you absolutely must see Clannad. If you've never cried in anything ever before, this show will still break you. It will break you hard. Watch it.

I actually finished watching Avatar:TLA over this past summer. I really enjoyed it and hadn't thought of using an American anime to introduce them to anime xP Also, which FMA?

 

[itsausernamewhatofit]

I "converted" several friends with Baccano!, so I guess that would be my choice to start people on.

 

[TheTim]

I Started with Dragon Ball Z, and think it is great for anyone who wants to get into anime, or Rurouni Kenshin

 

[direkiller]

The TL;DR is the above question, the details are as follows.

Basically I've been enjoying anime for a long time now. I'm not as deep into it as I would like to be, but I've taken pleasure in everything from: Baccano!, to Cowboy Bebop, to Samurai Champloo, to the Melancholy of Suzumiya, to Code Geass, to FMA/TTGL/FCLC/etc. I could go on for a while and I feel I've rounded the bases lightly on anime as a whole. Heck, I've even enjoyed Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece before filler hell has made me have an on off with Naruto, drop Bleach, but OP is still amazing. Now I'm not here to pick favorites, I'm sure there's supporters to every angle and I've seen threads before with an anime pointing finger contest, so lets get to the point shall we.

With most of my friends, I'm afraid to come out of the closest (so-to-speak) and announce proudly that I watch and enjoy anime. Most of them enjoy shows like Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Suits, Scrubs, Family Guy, and the like; which I also enjoy. However, I would love to introduce them to anime, but I'm sure showing them any of the big three would scare them off. So I ask you fellow escapists:

What's a good anime to break people into anime and Why?

Anything with a good dub
subtle reading tends to put people off

So Coyboybebop,Trigun, first half of death note,Code Geauss

avoid FLCL, GurenLagan,Evengelion,Elfen Lied, High school of the dead i know there good but there not a good first time anime and can put people off for life as they are confusing as all hell,disturbing, and half the jokes will go over non anime junkies heads.

if you need to test the waters for some of your more squeamish friends you can start with some anime esk things first as they would get the jokes a lot better: i recommend Reboot if there Star-teck fan boys(or have at least seen Wrath of Kaun)
Teen titans-as this actively tribunes certain anime regurly
Forgot Avatar:TLA