Anime Virgins

[fundayz]

I'd show them none. The vast vast majority of anime is terrible, and to encourage them to watch it is doing them a disservice.

 

[Cracker3011]

If you want them to laugh, then Lucky Star or Hetalia: Axis Powers are ideal. Great english dubs, properly funny, and addictive.

For a more serious anime, yoooou should probably ask someone else.

For a good blend of the two, Trigun works. It starts as comedy, and descends into serious shit pretty fast. It gets downright DEPRESSING around the final quarter.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

Show 'em Death Note, it's always a safe bargain. Hell it's the only anime I've ever seen a few episodes of then wanted to keep watching, so that's gotta give it some points.

 

[Grey_Focks]

speaking as an anime outsider, I have watched, or atleast tried to watch, quite a few anime. I say, the less tropes the better. Anything with school girls is a no, anything that occasionally goes into...super-deformed mode, I think? Not sure what you call it, but it seems to be used for occasional "comedy" scenes. That's also out, because that shit is just weird, and Japanese humor really isn't that funny to outsiders. Most of it seems to be based around either Japanese culture or awkward slapstick. Hell, I had to do a few google searches to find out that a nose-bleed is a symbol for being aroused. Shit is weird. Also, something with a simple title is good. Japanese words, and some names, are just difficult to say/read to non-Japanese versed folk.

So yea, Cowboy Bebop. That being said, don't expect it to suddenly make them want to watch other anime. It was an excellent show, but it is also the least anime-like anime there is, which is why it's so appealing to outsiders. After watching that, I watched FMA (the original!) and Death Note. They were both good, but they still had some damn annoying things about them. And don't even get me started and FMA: Brotherhood...

Again, this is all from an anime outsiders point of view. I figured my input would be helpful, since I'm really part of the group you seem to be trying to appeal to. Most importantly, do not try to force it on people. Anime is not for everybody, and having people keep telling you "Oh, you just need to watch THIS one! And then THIS one!" is just really fucking annoying, and is a fantastic way to forever turn them off the medium. If they ask for recommendations, go for it, but don't start bothering people about it.

 

[Reshkar]

Well I started off by watching the original FMA, then the manga version: Brotherhood(made me watch more anime), then made a few friends of mine to watch it aswell. They've all enjoyed it

 

[roguetrooper96]

If I remember correctly it was either Deathnote or Hellsing that got me into anime, I like horror and action. People that like comedy or light-hearted stuff should watch Love Hina (Never seen it myself but got many recommendations) or another light-hearted anime

 

[Goldhawk777]

Take some time to figure out the person, some people like that dark and edgy of Death Note and some people like funny comedy anime

Dark: Deathnote
Funny/Action for a new person: Yu Yu Hakasho
It's got an easy concept, and basically walks you through basic anime principles.

NOTE: STAY AWAY FROM GENRE ANIME!
EXamples: Gundum, Magical small girl anime, harem anime.

 

[Outright Villainy]

Full metal is a good start, but is quite anime-esque in a way, which I found off putting at first (I loved it by the end though)

Baccano or Cowboy bebop I'd say. Actually, just Baccano. What a show.

 

[Gudrests]

There are no such things as anime virgins....HELLO everyone Watched DBZ in there younger days....common now

 

[Palademon]

Death Note is one that always seems to work with me.

 

[FirebirdXR]

It all comes down to a person's particular interest in general.

If a person was a fan of noir-paced shows then I would've suggest Cowboy Bebob or Big O.
If a person favored a Harry Potter-sense of wonder, then I'd say One Piece.
An over-thinker who likes to evaluate the psychological aspect of shows (I've met a few), then I'd point to Evangelion.
Same as above, only from a socialogical perspective... Fooly Cooly. (The anime was actually analyzed by a friend's college class)
Tengen Toppa Gurren Langann is usually suggested by me for the Mecha anime haters, but I suppose it could be great for those who like the adrenaline rush of over-the-top battles.

 

[Maphysto]

How has no one mentioned Moribito yet?

Easily one of the best anime's I've ever seen. The plot is original, the characters are all very well written, and the art and animation are top notch.

Mushi-shi is another really good one. Each episode is a standalone story, but they're all well written and interesting. It would be very good for a newcomer to anime, since it's fairly light and doesn't have a massive, confusing plot.

Seconding everyone who's mentioned GitS or Cowboy Bebop.

 

[English Stew]

Until a little while ago, I was an anime virgin, who regarded the medium as completely rediculous. What changed my mind most was Death Note - its serious tone, mostly realistic setting and smart writing shattered my preconceptions.

Because of this, I would say that the most important thing that an "introductory" series needs is realism - it's the fantastical things like brightly coloured ninjas and teenage battlemech pilots that cause culture shock.

 

[manarazer]

Me and my friend were arguing over what show we would have someone who never watched anime, or at least never had much exposure, watch to get them into anime. He kept arguing something lighthearted like Love Hina so as not to scare or dissuade the person. I argued that the person might not enjoy the comedic antics often seen in anime, so something more serious with an overall plot like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood would be better.

What are your opinions, and which show would you use?

EDIT: Another point I used was that Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't have any fanservice moments (or at least none that I can recall) unlike most animes.
EDIT 2: Also, we weren't counting Miazaki's films. EX: My dad loves them, but would never watch anime without someone making him.

I'll go with Love Hina, that was my first anime!

Edit:
I think you should have them watch full metal alchemist (dubbed) and then watch desert punk (dubbed), that way they will LMAO because Edward Elric is screaming about breasts half the time.

Also, i recently went to the local movie rental store and found gunslinger girl (english dub). Maybe people that don't enjoy anime still like it?

 

[SckizoBoy]

Something short, but serious. Maybe something like Gurren Lagaan.

You're kidding right? There's nothing even remotely 'serious' about Gurren Lagann at... all!

speaking as an anime outsider, I have watched, or atleast tried to watch, quite a few anime. I say, the less tropes the better.

And that's the best advice I've ever seen, and I'm an anime 'insider' (as it were).

Go for series that tend to buck the general trend of genres, avoiding harem/fight/teen superpower/childhood friend/magical girl/mecha/from another dimension (and a few others that currently escape me)

Most of the good first series recommendations have been made:

Cowbow Bebop - quite a languid series but don't look for an overreaching story
GitS-SAC - as noted, good for fans of crime TV, but ramp up the technology & conspiracy
Samurai Champloo - samurai meets hip-hop scene (it's a bit of an acquired taste though)
Rescue Wings - for lack of a better description, it's very human & down to earth
Darker than BLACK - on a superpower theme, but it's handled much better than most (if not all IMO) other such series (avoid the sequel though)
Baccano - may be a bit heavy (and if watching subbed, and depending on your mate's tendencies) the pseudo-English may get a bit irritating (but that's applicable to a fair few series)
Durarara - made of pure awesome! Sort of like Pulp Fiction, but much wackier and with a smattering of folklore
Nodame Cantabile - a tad tropey, but if you're into classical music, give it a go

Ehm, that's my lot for now. I've excluded slice-of-life stuff since that's a very love-it or hate-it genre.

EDIT:

Freezing, High School of the Dead, La Blue Girl, Black Bible.

*Troll Face*

You could give some psychological trauma doing that! (My god, Freezing was awful!)

 

[Halo Fanboy]

I would avoid having them watch adaptations as an introduction. You don't introduce video games to people by showing a movie-adaption game.

 

[Grayjack]

This is not what I had in mind when I read "Anime Virgins". Not at all.

Me neither.

OT: Like others said, Cowboy Bebop.

 

[AyreonMaiden]

As long as the anime is serious and not comedic, I think it would be a good starter. The comedic aspects of anime are often very weird and take time to get used to. They were the reason I avoided anime for years, until Death Note showed me that anime can be more than that.

Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, Black Lagoon.

I'd show them Bebop or Black Lagoon over the other two though.

Odd, my first two were Death Note and FMA, and I loved them. I later watched Black Lagoon, which I hated, and Cowboy Bebop, which I thought was good but heavily overrated.

It's weird how different peoples' tastes can be.

Definitely. It's completely understandable how Bebop is so overrated. People praise it to the moon but I've found there's aspects I dislike about it after my second watching. Curious, though, why did you hate Black Lagoon though?

But mileage will always vary; I was thinking that the best way to get an anime virgin into it would be to showcase something that has minimal anime-isms or is very watchable before introducing them to things with more magical or supernatural elements. I wouldn't jump them in on FLCL or a Magical Girl anime off the bat lol

It's also a matter of the person's predisposition. If they like suspense and thrills, I absolutely say Death Note first. If they're fans of Lord of the Rings or other such epic journeys, Fullmetal Alchemist is fantastic as an introduction. So I guess my list should have been much longer in retrospect, hahahah.