AnimeSuki Forums

Pepito · 2013-09-20, 21:25

Here's the deal, I want my wife to start watching anime with me and, as you know, first impressions are important, I want to choose a series that could serve as an entry point for someone that doesn't know anything about the japanese culture.

The gender isn't really important, I just want to avoid, for instance, episodes that depict the marked machoism on the japanese culture, or the extremely platonic relationships that sometimes appear, things like that, while being somewhat mature.

I hope somebody can get my point and give me good suggestions.

Thank you!

wolfbankai · 2013-09-21, 05:53

Fullmetal Alchemist : Brotherhood - definetly one of best out there , both liked by males/females and should fit your requirements.
Here's trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn1cDfaMoLg

Death Note - classic , pretty dark series and intresting.

ninryu · 2013-09-21, 06:05

I think Fullmetal Alchemist is always the best way to pull people into anime. I'd recommend beginning actually with the 2004 anime and watch the 2009 only afterward.

Also, it may be based on the Japanese folklore, but Inuyasha is probably one of the things that really pulled me into the anime culture.

kitten320 · 2013-09-21, 10:48

How about Uchuu Kyoudai ?
An ongoing series about two brothers wanting to become astronauts. Pretty realistic and down to earth, nothing anime crazy.

I think it could be a nice way to bring her into anime by showing her something more similar to real life movies first.

Another more reality based series are Sakamichi no Apollon. Series are are about jazz, plus some romance.

Seirei no Moribito are great action series that also differ a lot from standard shounen.

FMA is a good one if you want her to get more familiar with shonen genre.

Sackett · 2013-09-21, 11:08

Fullmetal Alchemistis a good choice, if you want to attract her to the more typical action shounen type anime. I would suggest Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, but both are good anime.

Another good choice for that type of thing is Crest of the Stars.

However, if you want to expose her to all the different genres and show how broad anime can be I would suggest:

Cross Game (or Touch, but Touch is rather old). The author, Adachi, is one of the greats in the anime/manga world, and has a long lasting and widespread appeal.
Bunny Drop (Classified as Josei which is targeted at adult women).
Madoka Magica Heavy christian themes make it accessible for westerners.
K-On Slice of Life. Nostalgia for highschool, forming a band, and hanging out with friends.
Kimi Ni Todoke A sweet and gentle romance.

Kirito · 2013-09-21, 11:30

I don't know if you've seen what I'm about to suggest. So forgive me if I come off as a broken record ahead of time.

Ahem:

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Totally beginner friendly. One of the first I've watched when I got back into anime after a "3 year break".

Air - Starts off light, but gets dark later on.

Tari Tari - High school slice of life drama about a group of students forming an orchestra club.

Sora no Woto - A young female soldier is stationed at a military base while holding on to her dreams of being a trumpeter.

ninryu · 2013-09-21, 11:42

Oh, I could I forget Kuragehime! It's not a traditional "otaku anime" for sure. It's extremely good, too. Check it out yourself.

Guardian Enzo · 2013-09-23, 05:53

Seirei no Moribito is one I've found to have a lot of success connecting with non-anime people. The themes are universal, it's gorgeous to look at and if the person is interested in fantasy at all, so much the better.

I would think Sakamichi no Apollon would be an excellent choice, kind of going for the other extreme of realism and approachability. And if they like jazz at all it should be a slam dunk.

Darthtabby · 2013-09-23, 19:42

Monster comes to mind as a good choice assuming you don't mind the fact that its 74 episodes long and is a bit heavy handed in some of its early episodes. Its in part a psychological thriller, though there's a lot of focus on the various people the hero meets during the course of his quest to track down the titular monster.

I also second Tari Tari, though with some reservations due to some fan service (though its pretty tame) and a less than great ending. Plus some of the main characters look too similar so it can take a while for newcomers to the series to stop mixing them up.

I do consider it a nice little comedy drama though. Plus I like the fact that it made use of the adult secondary characters that surround the main cast (the main cast themselves are teenagers, but they're handled a bit differently from teenagers in other shows -to paraphrase a preview description "they're too young to be considered adults, but don't think of themselves as children anymore").

Tenzen12 · 2013-09-24, 18:44

When you say Tari Tari there should be also mentioned it's precedecessor Hanasaku Iroha. Which is possibly even better choice.

Sackett · 2013-09-24, 20:04

Let us know how it goes.

SeijiSensei · 2013-09-24, 20:06

I've included information on English dubbing if you think that would make it easier for your wife to start out.

1) Sackett's recommendation of Usagi Drop ("Bunny Drop") would be my first choice as well. It's a very winning story about a 30-ish salaryman who informally adopts his deceased father's illegitimate five-year-old daughter. You'll learn some remarkable things about Japanese child care, like the publicly-supported emergency centers that stay open at night. Subs at Crunchyroll. NISA also distributes this show on disc with subs. There are no English-dubbed versions that I know of.

2) Nodame Cantabile - A misfit romance between a brilliant, egotistical wannabe conductor and a ditzy piano virtuoso both attending a college-level music conservatory in Tokyo. I think the original Japanese voice actors -- Kawasumi Ayako and Tomokazu Seki -- are brilliant in the roles, but the dub by Ocean Studios for Aniplex is pretty decent, too. The original is available only in torrents, but the dub can be watched for free on Sony's Crackle site. The torrent includes the two sequels which are not, as far as I know, available on Crackle.

3) Saiunkoku Monogatari - A "reverse-harem" featuring a feisty young heroine and a bevy of handsome men. She has little interest in romance though, as her eyes are focused on becoming the first female imperial official in her fictitious kingdom modelled on T'ang China (ca. 600-900 CE). There was a dubbed release of this show from Geneon USA, but it is expensive since it is out-of-print and unlikely to return. I can't link to the fansub torrent because the server includes licensed materials, but a Google search will help.

Shurrei is voiced by one of my favorite seiyuu, Kuwashima Houko. She has played a wide variety of intelligent, strong-willed characters including Clare in Claymore, "Isako" in Dennou Coil, and Sheila in Mahou Shoujotai Arusu. Depending on your wife's tastes in story-telling, she might like some of these performances as well. Kuwashima also voiced the main character in another reverse harem, the Hakuoki series adapted from a video game about a young woman who becomes involved with the Shinsengumi. I didn't like her character very much and never finished watching the first season.

4) Millennium Actress - a film by Kon Satoshi about a famous film actress reminiscing about her life. You'll survey 20th century Japanese history as you watch Chiyoko's career unfold and her pursuit of the love of her life.

5) Otona Joshi no Anime Time - Four adaptations of stories about Japanese women between 25 and 40 written by famous female authors. The women these stories portray vary greatly and should provide some interesting fodder for later discussion. The first three installments are here; episode four is here. All are fansubbed.

Also if you click the Search box on the main Suggestions page, then choose Advanced Search, enter "wife" in the left-hand box and select "thread titles" you'll find at least half-a-dozen Suggestions threads about anime and wives.

Kurohane · 2013-09-24, 20:32

I second Monster: It's definitely a good start for mature beginners and that it's for anyone. It's not heavily focused on Japanese culture, due to the setting of Germany, but it introduces some culture as the main character is Japanese.

Samurai X/ Rurouni Kenshin is like Inuyasha as someone mentioned earlier in it's factor of drawing people into the Japanese culture, though instead of folklore, it's Japanese history with the beginning of the Meiji era and life of samurais. It's a very good show. One of the firsts anime I ever watched. It's about a legend of the previous war that lives his life repenting for the deaths he caused as a wanderer and finds a sense of home during one of his travels.

Eragon · 2013-09-24, 20:36

Death Note without a doubt. Its short and will keep your wife's attention through it all.

Tenzen12 · 2013-09-24, 21:13

37 episodes is not short and Death Note is more suited for teenagers than adults.

Sackett · 2013-09-24, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

When you say Tari Tari there should be also mentioned it's precedecessor Hanasaku Iroha. Which is possibly even better choice.

Ano Hana is another possibility in a similar vein.

Pepito · 2013-09-24, 22:20

Wow, so many suggestions, thanks everyone, I'll let you know how it went, next month, as I'm currently living abroad and I will see her in about a month :P (got lots of time to check series hehe)

2013-09-20, 21:25	Link #1
Pepito Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Age: 39	Anime for starters Here's the deal, I want my wife to start watching anime with me and, as you know, first impressions are important, I want to choose a series that could serve as an entry point for someone that doesn't know anything about the japanese culture. The gender isn't really important, I just want to avoid, for instance, episodes that depict the marked machoism on the japanese culture, or the extremely platonic relationships that sometimes appear, things like that, while being somewhat mature. I hope somebody can get my point and give me good suggestions. Thank you!

2013-09-21, 10:48	Link #4
kitten320 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007	How about Uchuu Kyoudai ? An ongoing series about two brothers wanting to become astronauts. Pretty realistic and down to earth, nothing anime crazy. I think it could be a nice way to bring her into anime by showing her something more similar to real life movies first. Another more reality based series are Sakamichi no Apollon. Series are are about jazz, plus some romance. Seirei no Moribito are great action series that also differ a lot from standard shounen. FMA is a good one if you want her to get more familiar with shonen genre. __________________ My anime list

2013-09-21, 11:08	Link #5
Sackett Cross Game - I need more Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: I've moved around the American West. I've lived in Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Oklahoma Age: 44	*Fullmetal Alchemistis a good choice, if you want to attract her to the more typical action shounen type anime. I would suggest Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, but both are good anime. Another good choice for that type of thing is Crest of the Stars. However, if you want to expose her to all the different genres and show how broad anime can be I would suggest: Cross Game* (or *Touch, but Touch is rather old). The author, Adachi, is one of the greats in the anime/manga world, and has a long lasting and widespread appeal. Bunny Drop* (Classified as Josei which is targeted at adult women). *Madoka Magica* Heavy christian themes make it accessible for westerners. *K-On* Slice of Life. Nostalgia for highschool, forming a band, and hanging out with friends. *Kimi Ni Todoke* A sweet and gentle romance. __________________ Cross Game - A Story of Love, Life, Death - and Baseball. What more could you want? Last edited by Sackett; 2013-09-21 at 11:26.

2013-09-21, 11:30	Link #6
Kirito Enjoying Snack Time! Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Where It's Legal to Marry Clara and Alice Age: 35	I don't know if you've seen what I'm about to suggest. So forgive me if I come off as a broken record ahead of time. Ahem: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Totally beginner friendly. One of the first I've watched when I got back into anime after a "3 year break". Air - Starts off light, but gets dark later on. Tari Tari - High school slice of life drama about a group of students forming an orchestra club. Sora no Woto - A young female soldier is stationed at a military base while holding on to her dreams of being a trumpeter. __________________

2013-09-24, 20:04	Link #11
Sackett Cross Game - I need more Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: I've moved around the American West. I've lived in Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Oklahoma Age: 44	Let us know how it goes. __________________ Cross Game - A Story of Love, Life, Death - and Baseball. What more could you want?

2013-09-21, 05:53	Link #2
wolfbankai Junior Member Graphic Designer Join Date: Jun 2012	Fullmetal Alchemist : Brotherhood - definetly one of best out there , both liked by males/females and should fit your requirements. Here's trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn1cDfaMoLg Death Note - classic , pretty dark series and intresting.

2013-09-21, 06:05	Link #3
ninryu It's yuri, bitches Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Israel Age: 28	I think Fullmetal Alchemist is always the best way to pull people into anime. I'd recommend beginning actually with the 2004 anime and watch the 2009 only afterward. Also, it may be based on the Japanese folklore, but Inuyasha is probably one of the things that really pulled me into the anime culture.

2013-09-21, 11:42	Link #7
ninryu It's yuri, bitches Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Israel Age: 28	Oh, I could I forget Kuragehime! It's not a traditional "otaku anime" for sure. It's extremely good, too. Check it out yourself.

2013-09-23, 19:42	Link #9
Darthtabby Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009	Monster comes to mind as a good choice assuming you don't mind the fact that its 74 episodes long and is a bit heavy handed in some of its early episodes. Its in part a psychological thriller, though there's a lot of focus on the various people the hero meets during the course of his quest to track down the titular monster. I also second Tari Tari, though with some reservations due to some fan service (though its pretty tame) and a less than great ending. Plus some of the main characters look too similar so it can take a while for newcomers to the series to stop mixing them up. I do consider it a nice little comedy drama though. Plus I like the fact that it made use of the adult secondary characters that surround the main cast (the main cast themselves are teenagers, but they're handled a bit differently from teenagers in other shows -to paraphrase a preview description "they're too young to be considered adults, but don't think of themselves as children anymore").

2013-09-24, 18:44	Link #10
Tenzen12 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012	When you say Tari Tari there should be also mentioned it's precedecessor Hanasaku Iroha. Which is possibly even better choice.

2013-09-24, 20:06	Link #12
SeijiSensei AS Oji-kun Join Date: Nov 2006 Age: 74	I've included information on English dubbing if you think that would make it easier for your wife to start out. 1) Sackett's recommendation of Usagi Drop ("Bunny Drop") would be my first choice as well. It's a very winning story about a 30-ish salaryman who informally adopts his deceased father's illegitimate five-year-old daughter. You'll learn some remarkable things about Japanese child care, like the publicly-supported emergency centers that stay open at night. Subs at Crunchyroll. NISA also distributes this show on disc with subs. There are no English-dubbed versions that I know of. 2) Nodame Cantabile - A misfit romance between a brilliant, egotistical wannabe conductor and a ditzy piano virtuoso both attending a college-level music conservatory in Tokyo. I think the original Japanese voice actors -- Kawasumi Ayako and Tomokazu Seki -- are brilliant in the roles, but the dub by Ocean Studios for Aniplex is pretty decent, too. The original is available only in torrents, but the dub can be watched for free on Sony's Crackle site. The torrent includes the two sequels which are not, as far as I know, available on Crackle. 3) Saiunkoku Monogatari - A "reverse-harem" featuring a feisty young heroine and a bevy of handsome men. She has little interest in romance though, as her eyes are focused on becoming the first female imperial official in her fictitious kingdom modelled on T'ang China (ca. 600-900 CE). There was a dubbed release of this show from Geneon USA, but it is expensive since it is out-of-print and unlikely to return. I can't link to the fansub torrent because the server includes licensed materials, but a Google search will help. Shurrei is voiced by one of my favorite seiyuu, Kuwashima Houko. She has played a wide variety of intelligent, strong-willed characters including Clare in Claymore, "Isako" in Dennou Coil, and Sheila in Mahou Shoujotai Arusu. Depending on your wife's tastes in story-telling, she might like some of these performances as well. Kuwashima also voiced the main character in another reverse harem, the Hakuoki series adapted from a video game about a young woman who becomes involved with the Shinsengumi. I didn't like her character very much and never finished watching the first season. 4) Millennium Actress - a film by Kon Satoshi about a famous film actress reminiscing about her life. You'll survey 20th century Japanese history as you watch Chiyoko's career unfold and her pursuit of the love of her life. 5) Otona Joshi no Anime Time - Four adaptations of stories about Japanese women between 25 and 40 written by famous female authors. The women these stories portray vary greatly and should provide some interesting fodder for later discussion. The first three installments are here; episode four is here. All are fansubbed. Also if you click the Search box on the main Suggestions page, then choose Advanced Search, enter "wife" in the left-hand box and select "thread titles" you'll find at least half-a-dozen Suggestions threads about anime and wives. __________________ Taking Anime Seriously - Politics by the Numbers - Sports by the Numbers - MAL List - Avatars - Images Last edited by SeijiSensei; 2013-09-24 at 20:28.

2013-09-24, 20:32	Link #13
Kurohane Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012	I second Monster: It's definitely a good start for mature beginners and that it's for anyone. It's not heavily focused on Japanese culture, due to the setting of Germany, but it introduces some culture as the main character is Japanese. Samurai X/ Rurouni Kenshin is like Inuyasha as someone mentioned earlier in it's factor of drawing people into the Japanese culture, though instead of folklore, it's Japanese history with the beginning of the Meiji era and life of samurais. It's a very good show. One of the firsts anime I ever watched. It's about a legend of the previous war that lives his life repenting for the deaths he caused as a wanderer and finds a sense of home during one of his travels. __________________

2013-09-24, 20:36	Link #14
Eragon Still Alive Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Somewhere far far away Age: 30	Death Note without a doubt. Its short and will keep your wife's attention through it all. __________________ Signature courtesy of rikikai

2013-09-24, 21:13	Link #15
Tenzen12 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012	37 episodes is not short and Death Note is more suited for teenagers than adults.

2013-09-24, 22:20	Link #17
Pepito Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Age: 39	Wow, so many suggestions, thanks everyone, I'll let you know how it went, next month, as I'm currently living abroad and I will see her in about a month :P (got lots of time to check series hehe)