Anime newbie - where to start?

BlindZenDriver

I have seen Akira, but what got me really interested was when I came across Initial D which I really enjoyed. So where to go from there?


PS. For reference - Initial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgvBCwe0PFQ

ceres

While I don't mind some incidental discussion, this is generally frowned upon.

dispatch.o

In an effort to make this not an anime thread. I'd start with a local hobby store or comic book shop and ask whoever is behind the counter for some recommendations. Generally you need to decide if you can handle subtitled stuff, are interested in movies, serial shows with hundreds of episodes, or limited run stuff. There are also things that while not technically Anime are really well liked (the Castlevania stuff on NetFlix for example).

If you find something you like, or are interested in... don't take people seriously who get up in arms with some sort of purity test. It's entertainment, watch what you like. Some people turn it into what can only be described as a core part of their identity. I would argue that's probably unhealthy, and you should be free to check out whatever you want without being shouted down or vaguely nerd-shamed by some very unbalanced individuals.

Edit: I'll PM you a few that I really enjoyed as a normal person who doesn't delve that deeply into the culture of it, but discussing the merits of individual shows is best left to somewhere else.

Quid

I think it'd be better for you to think about what it was about Akira that you liked and look for that. Anime is a really broad term that covers a lot of different stuff. Asking for more "good" anime is very much akin to asking for more "good" movies after seeing, I dunno, The Matrix. There are a lot of good ones out there but it's extremely subjective. Point being, you'd probably be better helped by saying what it was you liked about that particular anime and people can probably direct you from there.

Gabriel_Pitt

You said you really liked Initial D, what about that did you like? Because there are probably thousands of different series that can be accessed through various streaming and on-demand services these days.

Sports, racing, something else?

Artereis

It's good to remember that anime is just the medium. It has all the same genres as live action movies. Figure out which genres you most want to explore, and look for some more famous titles under that genre.

E.Coyote

Crunchyroll has an app you can download on firestick, roku, ps4, etc. You don't need a login or account to stream things(it's free). It has limited commercials for shows it airs and the subscription service it has. The library of stuff is pretty extensive, and has filters for most popular and different genres. I'd say take a look at most popular and go from there.

Their website is sort of garbage for streaming compared to the app though if you're watching on a laptop. =\

Enc

Crunchyroll or Funimation's streaming service and forums.

As a lover of anime, always remember the words of the creator of all anime: Anime is a mistake, its nothing but trash.

DarkPrimus

Enc wrote: »

Crunchyroll or Funimation's streaming service and forums.

As a lover of anime, always remember the words of the creator of all anime: Anime is a mistake, its nothing but trash.

Hayao Miyazaki is not the creator of all anime, and he never said that.

I know you're just having a bit of fun, but it might not be recognized by someone who isn't familiar with the medium.

Skeith

Netflix has a pretty good selection these days as well. Not sure about Amazon Prime, but if you have either of those you might want to poke around a bit rather than starting a new service.

BlindZenDriver

Thank you all for great info. Both for the more specific suggestions, the places to go for streaming and also for explaining a bit on what anime is. So much to dive in and check out :P

Gabriel_Pitt wrote: »

You said you really liked Initial D, what about that did you like? Because there are probably thousands of different series that can be accessed through various streaming and on-demand services these days.

Sports, racing, something else?

Good question.
For sure what first lured me in on Initial D was the subject of racing - seeing how great of a quality job they, mostly, did with the cars and all. Like for example my inner car geek got a kick out of "car spotting", as in identifying the cars shown before they were named in the dialog.
But as I watched more I got interested in the culture that is portrayed as well through the side story lines. In general I find it interesting to learn what differs and what is the same in our world.
Of course I have no way of knowing how accurate the world in the series is, since really there isn't much in the way of Japanese culture in western mainstream media.

Quid wrote: »

I think it'd be better for you to think about what it was about Akira that you liked and look for that. Anime is a really broad term that covers a lot of different stuff. Asking for more "good" anime is very much akin to asking for more "good" movies after seeing, I dunno, The Matrix. There are a lot of good ones out there but it's extremely subjective. Point being, you'd probably be better helped by saying what it was you liked about that particular anime and people can probably direct you from there.

A likewise good question.
This one is harder for me to really nail down. I think much of it was really because of it being different in a sort of Sci-Fi interesting universe sort of thing. Unlike Initial D it isn't set in "the real world" but something rather different.

Shogun

This is not an anime series but a film that I watched very recently. It is called Redline and underground racing features heavily. This thing took something like 7 years to produce and it is entirely hand drawn. It has one of the craziest art styles I have ever encountered. I do not watch anime beyond having seen the stuff everyone has seen. Miyazaki films, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, etc. I thought Redline was something pretty special and even for those that don't like anime I believe there is something unique there to enjoy.

Quid

Cowboy Bebop is probably a safe bet. It's got near universal acclaim but for you specifically most episodes have either a tense chase or spaceships dog fighting and it takes place in a world radically changed from our own.

LostNinja

If you like unique universes I could recommend Fullmetal Alchemist (either the original or the remake Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood). I think they both are considered to be really good (I personally prefer the original), the remake Brotherhood was just made to more closely follow the manga.

Basically it is set in a world where alchemy became dominant instead of science and is weaponized by the military.

Jars

if you liked the racing you have to watch redline. there really isn't anything else like it, you will never see animation better than what is in redline.

Skeith

Yeah, Redline's style (music as well as animation) is unique as far as I know.

Kelor

dispatch.o wrote: »

In an effort to make this not an anime thread. I'd start with a local hobby store or comic book shop and ask whoever is behind the counter for some recommendations. Generally you need to decide if you can handle subtitled stuff, are interested in movies, serial shows with hundreds of episodes, or limited run stuff. There are also things that while not technically Anime are really well liked (the Castlevania stuff on NetFlix for example).

This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind. There's enough out there that if you find something you enjoy you can dig through the genre and find something else that grabs your attention. Much like any medium you'll find some gems if you dig around.

As many people have said, Redline is probably the next stop after Initial D if you enjoyed it. It has a great soundtrack, but there isn't really anything that fully embraces the cheese like Initial D does with it's music.

If you are looking for something to follow up Akira you might enjoy Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop or the first season of Darker than Black. Ghost in the Shell leans more towards the sci-fi side of things, Cowboy Bebop follows a group of bounty hunters in space and Darker Than Black is set slightly forwards in the future and lands more on the powers side of things that Akira had going.

All of these have been voiced in English if that is more to your taste. I did a bit of digging around, you can find all of them on Hulu, if you don't have Hulu Amazon has Darker than Black. The other two I'm unsure on as most of them are blocked as an Australian.

Anime talk is sort of frowned upon on the forums, but hit me up with a PM if you have any questions or want some suggestions for other genres.

Madican

This thread feels like a honeypot.

Paladin

A good recommendation would probably be a better forum to talk about this stuff but I've never gone forum shopping so I wouldn't know

ceres

Madican wrote: »

This thread feels like a honeypot.

It's not. I think I'm being pretty upfront that posts in this thread must stay very specific to the OP's requests and if they do not I will shut down the thread and possibly toss out some infractions, depending on how egregiously the line is crossed.

Keep a narrow focus on the conversation and questions asked as the pertain to the original requests and feedback of the OP, and you will be fine.

Madican

In that case. OP you mentioned you like the racing aspect. I don't know many anime pertaining to racing but I do know two. The first, Redline, has already been suggested. The second is called Oban Star Racers. Not sure if it's on Crunchyroll but the general gist is Podracing, Mario Kart, and Twisted Metal mixed together in space.

BlindZenDriver

Madican wrote: »

In that case. OP you mentioned you like the racing aspect. I don't know many anime pertaining to racing but I do know two. The first, Redline, has already been suggested. The second is called Oban Star Racers. Not sure if it's on Crunchyroll but the general gist is Podracing, Mario Kart, and Twisted Metal mixed together in space.

Thank you for adding to my list
Work and also some home improvement is gonna keep me busy until the weekend, but then I hope to dig in and check out things. Redline for sure is on my list and Oban Star Racers sound like I need to check it out also.

I'm located in Denmark and I'd be surprised if that doesn't make accessing some sources for content difficult. I already know what one can find on Netflix here is more limited than in the US for example, but fingers crossed it won't be terrible. I sort of expect the main challenge to be the language

21stCentury

I'm not familiar with Initial D. Does it involve a lot of introspection and strategizing?

If so, you might enjoy Akagi, which is abotu Mahjong and gambling.

Or Kaiji, which is about gambling too, by the same creator.

Mr Khan

Stuff with action and tension that's generally well regarded (without too much "goofiness" or other stuff that may put off people who aren't enamored of Japan's taste in comedy, cuteness, or sundry fanservice):

Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Attack on Titan
One Punch Man (although the latter borders on a gag series at times).
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has a lot of twists and turns if you don't mind a bit of weirdness, but it's not the kind of weirdness that leads to controversy for the most part.

see317

Mr Khan wrote: »

Stuff with action and tension that's generally well regarded (without too much "goofiness" or other stuff that may put off people who aren't enamored of Japan's taste in comedy, cuteness, or sundry fanservice):

Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Attack on Titan
One Punch Man (although the latter borders on a gag series at times).
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has a lot of twists and turns if you don't mind a bit of weirdness, but it's not the kind of weirdness that leads to controversy for the most part.

I don't know if One Punch Man would be a good place to start for a new comer to anime. It plays off of a lot of established tropes for it's humor, and if you're not familiar with the tropes I don't think the series would be as entertaining.
It's still a good series, and entertaining. I just don't know that I'd start with it.

DarkPrimus

One Punch Man plays with Japanese super-hero tropes a lot, but I think people just like American super-heroes could enjoy it, too.

Skeith

Mr Khan wrote: »

Stuff with action and tension that's generally well regarded (without too much "goofiness" or other stuff that may put off people who aren't enamored of Japan's taste in comedy, cuteness, or sundry fanservice):

Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Attack on Titan
One Punch Man (although the latter borders on a gag series at times).
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has a lot of twists and turns if you don't mind a bit of weirdness, but it's not the kind of weirdness that leads to controversy for the most part.

To add, Sword of the Stranger is another excellent action film (the only downside being that it's a film rather than a series, but it is absolutely gorgeous, with some of the best fight choreography I've seen in any medium).

WiseManTobes

The main thing to remember if you go googling for anime, is for the love of god, turn on Safe Search

H3Knuckles

Something Awful's anime subforum put together a wiki intended to help people find series they might like. Besides the "New to anime?" section, the articles for any given series include short simple 'pitches' and a 'if you liked this, you might also like' recommendations section. And keep in mind it isn't some corporate bot making those suggestions, but an online community of enthusiasts. Maybe something to check out when you can spare the time?

Atheraal

Wow, y'all even mentioned Miyazaki, and didn't recommend the Ghibli movies? Shame. Shame! OP, start with any of those, they're pretty much all incredible. If you want something episodic, I'll suggest Hajime no Ippo. Similar conceit of people doing a realistic sport, but with the ability to inner monologue a ridiculous amount of strategy while they do. And it's even longer than Initial D! And still going!

Heatwave

Here's some popular anime recommendations. One listed by genre and the other is more comprehensive.

I'm sure you're bound to find something of interest

https://imgur.com/a/nnG8W

https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/recommendations

As for my personal recommendations:

A Silent Voice (Drama)
Baccano (Mystery/Thriller)
Ben-to (Action/Comedy)
Black Lagoon (Action)
Cowboy Beebop (Action)
Darker than Black (Action/Sci-fi)
Neon Genesis Evangelion+End of Evangelion (Sci-fi/Robots/Action/Drama)
Fate Zero (Action/Supernatural)
Flying Witch (Slice of life/Relaxing)
FLCL (Comedy/Action/coming of age)
Full Metal Alchemist 2003 series (Adventure/Action/Drama). I recommend this first over the Brotherhood series because it's a lot more nuanced.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (Sci-fi/Adventure/Robots)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Crime/Action)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Action/Adventure/Horror?/Meme machine)
KonoSuba (Comedy/Fantasy)
Madoka Magica (Horror/Drama/Superheroes)
Mob Psycho 100 (Sci-fi/Action)
My Hero Academia (Superhero/Action)
Nichijou (Comedy/Slice of Life)
Rokka no Yuusha (Fantasy/Mystery)
Samurai Champloo (Action)
Steins;Gate (Sci-fi/Drama)
Sword of the Stranger (Action)
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Action/Robots/Hype)
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Drama/Romance)
Tiger and Bunny (Superheroes/Action)
Tokyo Magnitude (Drama/Disaster)
Wolf Children (Drama/Sci-fi)


NOTE: The following are only if you're willing to spend a lot of money importing blu-rays from Japan

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (Robots/Sci-fi/Action)

It's really good, but is only available from Japan, and their region free blu-rays are expensive as hell. The upside is this particular series comes with English subtitles and an English audio track.

Macross Frontier Movies (The False Songstress, and The Wings of Goodbye) (Action/Romance/Sci-fi)

Hunting down the region free blu-ray box sets that include english subtitles will be really hard. Its really good though. However if you can wait 5-6 years these movies and the tv show might get released in the west. Maybe.

Feel free to PM me if you want more good anime.

azith28

I would suggest that if you are trying to start it as a hobby, picking something recent that people are currently still enjoying is a good place to start. This way when you inevitably might have questions or want to talk about it, you can still find people discussing the subject. once you find some recent shows that you enjoy it will give you a good idea of what older shows would interest you. Feel free to PM me as well if you want opinions, I've been pretty heavily into it for a bit.

Heatwave

I agree with watching recent shows so you can take part in discussions, but I'm reluctant to suggest currently airing shows right off the bat to those new to anime.

If a currently airing show ends up being terrible it might sour your opinion on the medium.

I'd suggest you finished a few anime first and if you're still intrigued by the medium then start watching the currently airing one.

azith28

A recent one that just ended and is being hailed as a definate Anime of the season, maybe of the year is "Made in Abyss". I think its a pretty good show to a new anime watcher because it ranges from 'oh this is beautiful and cute' to "WTF IS THAT" to 'I CANT STOP CRYING' through the season. It shows the range of possible anime types very well without sacrificing quality. Everyone is still talking about it, but the season has ended so its a good time to watch it.

ceres

Okay this is straying into "lists of anime" and not what the OP is asking for. He's not asking for anime of the season or popular recommendations. He is asking for anime like what he watched using them as a jumping-off point. What anime are like those anime in the ways he talked about? That's the topic.

If this becomes a general anime recommendation thread, I'm closing it. I'm sure he's capable of finding lists of famous anime if that's what he wants.

Heatwave

Sorry. I interpreted the OP's question as wanting something like a beginner's guide to anime.

Nought

So, as a fellow Dane I'll try to give a few recommendations.

If you live near the capital then Faraos Cigarer and Fantask are places to get physical discs, though the former generally have a better selection.

I have just looked at my Netflix and it seems like their selection of anime is a bit random. Some you only get English audio (and german), some give English and Japanese and a few even have Danish.

You shouldn't have any problems with subtitles and I only watch anime with Japanese audio, but it does mean you have to focus on what you are watching and can't have it on a separate screen.
English audio have come a long way, but I have to say Danish voice actors generally do a better job if you can get it and don't want to read subtitles.

One of the better streaming services is Crunchyroll, but you won't have access to everything the US gets for some reason.
Also get a subscription if you want to watch a lot. The commercials are US levels of bad in the amount and number of repeats.

As to genres I have a hard time recommending anything since I am almost solely into mecha.
But while some are good, it is most likely a good idea to stear away from anything set in a high school. They typically show their subject matter from a very Japanese perspective.

Then again if a teenage girl battling Hitler in Mahjong for control of the moon sounds like a fun time, then that is literally something you can get to experience.

Lastly, as a rule a lot of anime is not meant for children, so with a bit of help it is very much possible to find deep adult centered entertainment and avoid the content that is the reason some people hate it and why it is mostly banned on this board.

ceres

Alright, we're in pretty general territory now. Time to close this.