wanna get into anime but....

[the lapalminator]

lots of good advice here

little suprised nobody mention hellsing at all (original or ova, both are pretty safe bets for fun)

bleach is good for like 60 eps and then drops off
naruto is only good if your bored so just dont

however do lists include
full metal alchemist (either series)
anything by studio ghibli
gundam wing (another missed gem, i expected more knowledgable anime fans here)
outlaw star
cowboy bebop
and death note (although half way through it loses something special )

 

[LBringer]

lots of good advice here

little suprised nobody mention hellsing at all (original or ova, both are pretty safe bets for fun)

bleach is good for like 60 eps and then drops off
naruto is only good if your bored so just dont

however do lists include
full metal alchemist (either series)
anything by studio ghibli
gundam wing (another missed gem, i expected more knowledgable anime fans here)
outlaw star
cowboy bebop
and death note (although half way through it loses something special )

Gundam Wing was... well, cliche. I guess that works for a starter, but then when you look at almost all the other Gundam series, it's set apart. Besides, Wing's success brought us Seed and Kira Yamato so most fans have a mental block. And Hellsing was good (just got the dvds recently), but I would place it in one of those midlevel anime brackets instead of a starter.

 

[00slash00]

i dont know if id consider boondocks an anime. most people i know got into anime from pokemon or dragon ball z, but i wouldnt recommend either of those to start with to anyone over 12 (for those of use who watched them when we were around 12, however, dbz is a nostalgic gem).

id probably stick to an anime that only has up to 24 episodes, to start. i generally shy away from anime with multiple seasons because 24 is the perfect amount to get attached to the characters, for them to be developed fully and for a good story. stay away from most adult swim anime.

i cannot stress this enough, stay away from naruto, bleach, and especially inuyasha.

-*POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR INUYASHA FANS*-
inuyasha is extremely long, about 90% filler episodes that have no reason for existing, and worst of all, it has no end. throughout the show they start about a dozen story archs and dont resolve a single one of them. its the most abrupt ending ive ever seen, its like they just ran out of money so they ended the series halfway through

bleach and naruto arent much better but they at least have more substance. right now they are the trendy anime shows, very popular amount 15 year old boys


for the actual recommendation, there are plenty you should check out but if your just looking for a jumping off point, id say definitely cowboy bebop. its on pretty much every anime fans must watch list. it combines all elements. its funny, its action packed, and toward the end it gets very dramatic. the character development is fantastic and it has a great story but tells it in such a way so as to not beat you over the head with it. the english voice acting is also flawless. the best ive ever seen. when you look at voice actors for anime, look for the name "Steve Blum." hes the best. so yea, just watch cowboy bebop

 

[Free Thinker]

Outlaw Star. The perfect starter anime. Great story, not too deep but entertaining enough to be enjoyable. Great characters, great humour. It was my first anime and I still watch it after all these years.

This and Cowboy Bebop. These were my first 2 animes, and I still cherish them to this day. Both gritty bounty hunter stories that ooze awesomeness.

 

[LBringer]

-*POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR INUYASHA FANS*-
inuyasha is extremely long, about 90% filler episodes that have no reason for existing, and worst of all, it has no end. throughout the show they start about a dozen story archs and dont resolve a single one of them. its the most abrupt ending ive ever seen, its like they just ran out of money so they ended the series halfway through

SPOILERS: It ended in a 26 ep series that just finished airing recently. But good god, talk about a loooong anime. What was it, something like 8 seasons or so long?

 

[Ziel]

If you have no reservations and want to dive straight in, anything will do.

If you're wary and simply want to test the water, a lot of the suggestions here are terrible.

Cowboy Bebop
Black Lagoon
Ghost in the Shell
Ergo Proxy

These are good choices. They're dignified and have the types of characters that you're more likely to recognize. They're far gentler a transition from western entertainment to anime than something like Bleach/Naruto, Gurren Lagann or Lucky Star which even die-hard anime fans can find cringe-worthy.

Edit: Oh, and for gods sake get accustomed to subtitles. A lot of anime never gets an english dub, and most series sound better with the japanese voice-actors (voice-acting is a far bigger business in japan). There's some exceptions and I have no criticism for those who prefer dub, but you'll have a far larger selection to choose from if you can enjoy subbed anime too.

 

[baiaishan]

I'm going to have to second Samurai Champloo. I love Cowboy Bebop and a lot of the other series people have listed, but for a first time anime watcher I think that Samurai Champloo has the elements necessary.
- It is a complete story told in a relatively short number of episodes (not hundreds like some that were named)
- It's got kick-ass fight scenes and interesting characters
- It's funny sometimes
- I think that it would be pretty much immediately and consistently entertaining even for someone not already familiar with anime/Japanese culture.

(Although I love Lain, I'm just not sure it would be right as someone's first venture into anime. Maybe it's just because it's pretty heavy. Feel free to disagree, that's just how I feel.)

Studio Ghibli's always a good bet too.

** Also, just FYI Samurai Champloo was directed by the same guy who did Cowboy Bebop, Shinichiro Watanabe. If you liked one, I think there's a fair chance you'll like the other.

 

[spartan1077]

Highschool of the dead or sumthing like that- only one I've ever watched and liked

 

[the lapalminator]

The only series I really enjoyed was FLCL.

I tried getting into anime once, but I just...don't...blegh.

 

[LBringer]

I'm going to have to second Samurai Champloo. I love Cowboy Bebop and a lot of the other series people have listed, but for a first time anime watcher I think that Samurai Champloo has the elements necessary.
- It is a complete story told in a relatively short number of episodes (not hundreds like some that were named)
- It's got kick-ass fight scenes and interesting characters
- It's funny sometimes
- I think that it would be pretty much immediately and consistently entertaining even for someone not already familiar with anime/Japanese culture.

(Although I love Lain, I'm just not sure it would be right as someone's first venture into anime. Maybe it's just because it's pretty heavy. Feel free to disagree, that's just how I feel.)

Studio Ghibli's always a good bet too.

They shoulda just called it Samurai Bebop. Though, the rapping samurai turned me off for a bit when I watched it.

 

[Lord Krunk]

Bleach is a good one if you really want to get into it. Inuyasha is a classic if your looking for something a bit older.

IGNORE THIS MAN.

Bleach is far from the thing you want to start off on (or watch, full stop) and InuYasha will just disappoint you.

Cowboy Bebop or Death Note are my recommendations. If you want to get into eastern stuff you'll want to ease in with western concepts.

Hellsing's all right as well (watch the OVA) if you want something awesome. And can handle gratuitous amounts of gore and then some.

EDIT: Or anything by Studio Ghibli. Spirited Away's a great place to start.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is a touchy one; it's an excellent series but it's just too western in design to be considered a gateway anime. Art and mythos-wise, fine, but otherwise go with my prior recommendations.

 

[RyuSanada]

Higurashi no naku koro ni.

You win dude. That was an awesome, abiet dark and creepy, series.
If your into supernatural then I suggest Ghost Hunt as well. It starts pretty tame but a few cases are damn scary.

 

[spartan231490]

buso renkin. great action anime. short, interesting, amazing in short. Don't watch cowboy bebop, a lot of people like it, but in my mind, it is a horrible first anime to watch. the first few episodes (i lost interest very quickly because of this, although i'm told it changes later in) were completely disjointed and didn't have any overarching plot, this to me, is very not what most anime is like. bleach is interesting but long, and unfortunately has abundant filler, same with naruto. Full metal alchemsit and almost all of the gundams are very well done, although the gundams are a bit preachy. code geass and death note are very good if your looking for something a bit more intellectual, although death note kinda ran on a bit after the first few seasons. so i would suggest buso renkin, or code geass if ur looking for something more intellectual. don't watch many anime comedies, but most of them are acceptable, none stick out as truely amazing.

 

[baiaishan]

They shoulda just called it Samurai Bebop. Though, the rapping samurai turned me off for a bit when I watched it.

Haha- you ninja'd my edit, sort of. I always just skipped the opening theme. And come on, that's guy's only in ,like, one episode.

 

[Ziel]

I seem to remember Samurai Champloo being fairly in-your-face from the get-go. It certainly has all the elements of a brilliant anime series, but that doesn't necessarily make it newbie-friendly.

 

[MintyNinja]

Most of mine have already been said, so Durarara!
It's pretty awesome.

 

[LBringer]

They shoulda just called it Samurai Bebop. Though, the rapping samurai turned me off for a bit when I watched it.

Haha- you ninja'd my edit, sort of. I always just skipped the opening theme. And come on, that's guy's only in ,like, one episode.

The opening theme is kinda cool after you get used to it. The ending theme called 'You' in one of the eps near the end is VERY touching though. As for the rapping samurai in the show... I guess that's just how much he stood out to impact my opinion of it.

Don't watch cowboy bebop, a lot of people like it, but in my mind, it is a horrible first anime to watch. the first few episodes (i lost interest very quickly because of this, although i'm told it changes later in) were completely disjointed and didn't have any overarching plot, this to me, is very not what most anime is like.

I'd like to point out that for the majority of anime, the first few eps are usually disjointed to allow people to get used to the setting, the overarching plot isn't usually introduced (or at least solidly) until at least the 5th episode (of a 'normal' 26 ep run) if it's not heavy (like higurashi).

 

[Stephen Thurmond]

Grappler Baki, anyone? Great if you're into fighting series.

 

[shinigamisparda]

its just not happening asides from the boondocks

what anime should i watch to get into it?

I'd say watch Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, or anything by Hayao Miyazaki. Princess Mononoke and Castle in the Sky are two favorites of mine.

 

[fluffybunny937]

One Piece
A large number of episodes are on this website under video
www.onepieceofficial.com