- Jan 9, 2001
- 7,572
- 2
- 76
I'm curious to see what all the anime hubub is all about, I'll admit I've never watched any anime before. What's a good one to start with?
<---is very bored this evening
<---is very bored this evening
What's a good first anime?
- Thread starter johnjohn320
- Start date
Well first, part of the hubbub is because anime (in many ways) is just a medium for telling stories.
There are all sorts of genres and styles that can be / have been used over decades to do everything
from commercials to full length feature films with anime.
Having said that, its a very "geeky" thing to get into because most of it is so different from what
westerners are used to seeing from "cartoons".
You did not mention what type of movies and TV shows you normally like to watch, so its hard to
guess a good match up for you to start with.
One "free" suggestion, if you get the cartoon network on cable, is to check out the Saturday nite
Adult swim block of animation. (it runs late but you can set your VCR to tape it and watch it later).
That gives a fairly good example of different types of stories that can be covered thru anime, on
the cheap.
If you can find a place to rent from, check out series like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, or some of the
Gundam titles (Gundam 0083, Gundam 0080, even Gundam Wing). These are good stories that
don't get heavy on Japanese culture or philosophy, so you can enjoy them without going
"What the hell?..." thru most episodes.
Hope that helps. Just remember, you don't have to like the first thing you see, but if you don't,
look around a little before giving up, you might just find some stories made in a style or about
a subject that appeals to you more.
There are all sorts of genres and styles that can be / have been used over decades to do everything
from commercials to full length feature films with anime.
Having said that, its a very "geeky" thing to get into because most of it is so different from what
westerners are used to seeing from "cartoons".
You did not mention what type of movies and TV shows you normally like to watch, so its hard to
guess a good match up for you to start with.
One "free" suggestion, if you get the cartoon network on cable, is to check out the Saturday nite
Adult swim block of animation. (it runs late but you can set your VCR to tape it and watch it later).
That gives a fairly good example of different types of stories that can be covered thru anime, on
the cheap.
If you can find a place to rent from, check out series like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, or some of the
Gundam titles (Gundam 0083, Gundam 0080, even Gundam Wing). These are good stories that
don't get heavy on Japanese culture or philosophy, so you can enjoy them without going
"What the hell?..." thru most episodes.
Hope that helps. Just remember, you don't have to like the first thing you see, but if you don't,
look around a little before giving up, you might just find some stories made in a style or about
a subject that appeals to you more.
I would suggest starting with princess mononoke. A great movie and at least you get to see it in english with recognizable actors doing the voices. Other good choices are Ranma 1/2 The kenshin OAV's or evangelion. OTher people think record of lodoss war might also be a good choice..
Akira is usually everyone's first anime. Princess Mononoke is an excellent one for anyone, even if you've seen it 100 times. I'd also recommend Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (I enjoyed the sequel a lot more than the original D).
Anime like Ghost in the Shell and Angel Sanctuary are good, but only the first couple episodes have been translated. GITS put a lot of my friends to sleep by the end.
Anime like Ghost in the Shell and Angel Sanctuary are good, but only the first couple episodes have been translated. GITS put a lot of my friends to sleep by the end.
- Nov 27, 1999
- 65,421
- 408
- 126
Neon Genesis Evangelion. It isn't your typical anime... It is by far one of the best i've seen. very deep/complex/gloomy compared to most anime.
You can buy ep1-26 (perfect collection??) for $100 or something like that. Sometimes cheaper. Just look around.
There are also movies to it which I would highly recommend watching, as the ending to NGE doesn't exactly "feel" like NGE...(watch it and you'll know what I'm talking about).
Vision of Escaflowne is alright. It's pretty good, but as for starters..eh...
Princess Mononoke -- i don't quite agree with what they're trying to say, but animation is good.
Love Hina -- very popular series when it came out. eventually you should check it out. many animes revolve around the idea of "one guy and multiple cute girls" -- this is no exception.
Read or Die -- damn good OVA. VERY GOOD ANIMATION. music is pretty decent, as with plot.
Kanon -- it's pretty good. it'll make you laugh. it'll make you cry. not perverted like love hina...
Lotsa types of anime, but these should be good starters for what kind you want to see...(in other words, I recommend watching multiple animés before you make a judgement about animé...)
Hope this helps. These are all somewhat modern, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding 'em.
Hope this helps.
Darien
You can buy ep1-26 (perfect collection??) for $100 or something like that. Sometimes cheaper. Just look around.
There are also movies to it which I would highly recommend watching, as the ending to NGE doesn't exactly "feel" like NGE...(watch it and you'll know what I'm talking about).
Vision of Escaflowne is alright. It's pretty good, but as for starters..eh...
Princess Mononoke -- i don't quite agree with what they're trying to say, but animation is good.
Love Hina -- very popular series when it came out. eventually you should check it out. many animes revolve around the idea of "one guy and multiple cute girls" -- this is no exception.
Read or Die -- damn good OVA. VERY GOOD ANIMATION. music is pretty decent, as with plot.
Kanon -- it's pretty good. it'll make you laugh. it'll make you cry. not perverted like love hina...
Lotsa types of anime, but these should be good starters for what kind you want to see...(in other words, I recommend watching multiple animés before you make a judgement about animé...)
Hope this helps. These are all somewhat modern, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding 'em.
Hope this helps.
Darien
For starters you need animes that are like normal movies with great plots (there aren't that many movies with plots nowadays. ....)
1) Cowboy Bebop : one of the better and more "movie like" animes. Action's awesome and story's good
2) Evangelion : IMHO the best anime ever. Might be a little too wierd for new comers especially towards the later episodes. but again the action's good and everything's fantastic.
3) Ranma / Maison Ikkoku: On the lighter side, these are some funny animes that you don't have to watch the WHOLE 200+ episodes of them (well I think you'd like to watch Maison Ikkoku towards the end).
Maison Ikkoku was my first anime. I was just in high-school and they showed it at 2am in the morning on TV. Ended up hurting my grades.
1) Cowboy Bebop : one of the better and more "movie like" animes. Action's awesome and story's good
2) Evangelion : IMHO the best anime ever. Might be a little too wierd for new comers especially towards the later episodes. but again the action's good and everything's fantastic.
3) Ranma / Maison Ikkoku: On the lighter side, these are some funny animes that you don't have to watch the WHOLE 200+ episodes of them (well I think you'd like to watch Maison Ikkoku towards the end).
Maison Ikkoku was my first anime. I was just in high-school and they showed it at 2am in the morning on TV. Ended up hurting my grades.
Maison Ikkokou - only if you wanna be bored and really force yourself to watch it.
I would honestly start out with something action packed, as it seems to work for most people. Try Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell or Wicked City for some nice movies. If you want a series, try Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop, SF2 V, or something else that you think looks cool. Most action animes are really awesome.
If you like Vampires, skip straight to Hellsing.
I would honestly start out with something action packed, as it seems to work for most people. Try Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell or Wicked City for some nice movies. If you want a series, try Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop, SF2 V, or something else that you think looks cool. Most action animes are really awesome.
If you like Vampires, skip straight to Hellsing.
Hmmm...Ranma 1/2 is light and fluffy enough. A lot of the harder stuff too soon would only scare you away 
Gooberlx2
Lifer
- May 4, 2001
- 15,381
- 6
- 91
It really does depend on what kinda movies you like to begin with.
I'll have to concur with everyone who said Princess Mononoke. Animation is good, Music is great and even the dub version is great (and I like the story quite a bit).
(You'll probably find yourself switching to subbed anime if you get that into it, as most dubs have horrible voice actors i.e. Kenshin's voice in OAV1)
Other starter recommendations (series).....though:
Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) OAV
...Chobits is turning out to be pretty cool
Movies:
Grave of the Fireflies
Akira
I'll have to concur with everyone who said Princess Mononoke. Animation is good, Music is great and even the dub version is great (and I like the story quite a bit).
(You'll probably find yourself switching to subbed anime if you get that into it, as most dubs have horrible voice actors i.e. Kenshin's voice in OAV1)
Other starter recommendations (series).....though:
Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) OAV
...Chobits is turning out to be pretty cool
Movies:
Grave of the Fireflies
Akira
Dude, Serial Experiments Lain is too much for even some of the anime fans. I watched some of it during study breaks for Signals finals. I swear my head was hurting.
Kenshin series is probably a good starter. Ranma is the best! you'd have to start from the very beginning though....
--Ben
Kenshin series is probably a good starter. Ranma is the best! you'd have to start from the very beginning though....
--Ben
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