First time animewatcher

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by KholdStare

Well Avantoe has to read a book too

Hmm, maybe you should watch xxxHolic because it's all about equitable exchange, usually in situations where there's a lot at stake

13 episodes or so? Then I'd renew my suggestion of Black Lagoon; two seasons of 12 episodes each, and some arcs are more skippable than others. My other nominee would be Baccano! -- American gangsters, demons, and alchemy mixed together by Japanese artists. He might find Issac and Miria too over-the-top, though. I did at first, but they grew on me, and the rest of the show is so good I didn't care how silly they were.

[bbduece]

We need to narrow down to what type of anime your friend would accept given that he/she never watched anime. Theres comedy, mecha, fighting, bloody, psychological, drama, romance, and some animes are just plain wierd but still enjoyable. Since we dont know your friend, it is hard to recommend any anime especially to a 1st timer. Randomly recommending what we each individually like and admire is not going to be a good idea since some people's fav might turn others off.
For example: I have friends that adore mechas and i have some friends that detest them so thats why we need to know your friend to make sound choices. I have friends that love school days and i have friends that loathe me for recommending it to them. My point is every anime is not for everyone because for every popular anime, there will be people out there that just dont feel it and it is not there cup of tea.

Might want to start him/her out with a anime movie since its short.

Can You describe your friends taste in media so we can get a rough estimate of what kind of genre he/she might be willing to absorb.

[SolarNova]

Black Lagoon ....nuf said

[oompa loompa]

im not gonna recommend higurashi as a first time show.. due to a gut feeling that i cant articulate into reason, i get the feeling that a lot of the show (mainly the non-serious parts) would be enjoyed better for a more experienced watcher. not that a first timer shouldnt watch it its an amazing show. but perhaps it would be better enjoyed after watching a bit of anime ( far sightedness and all )

[Avantoe]

@ bbduece; He doesnt really have any perticulare taste aslong as there isnt any major romance. But as favorite genre, I would probably say he likes adventure/action.

Actually it doesnt matter if its a movie or not. Since im being forced to read a book I would prefer to get him to watch something longer, but my main goal is to make him like anime and keep watching, so if there is a good movie that would get him hooked it would do aswell.

Thanks for all the recommendations, I'll think about it for a few more days before I'll decide what he is supposed to watch.

[KholdStare]

Originally Posted by Avantoe

@ bbduece; He doesnt really have any perticulare taste aslong as there isnt any major romance. But as favorite genre, I would probably say he likes adventure/action.

Actually it doesnt matter if its a movie or not. Since im being forced to read a book I would prefer to get him to watch something longer, but my main goal is to make him like anime and keep watching, so if there is a good movie that would get him hooked it would do aswell.

Thanks for all the recommendations, I'll think about it for a few more days before I'll decide what he is supposed to watch.

Yeah I would definitely not recommend series such as Air, Higurashi, Kino's Journey, Haibane Renmei, Suzumiya, etc... for a first time viewer. Adventure/action, right? I'll fix my recommendations to Elfen Lied, Claymore, and Seirei no Moribito.

[Pino]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Death Note is something worth considering. The storyline is intense and the visual presentation absorbing enough to easily get the attention of a watcher. Thriller/mystery

Are you serious? Episode 17 and Death Note started to slack. It was brilliant at the beginning, too bad they blew it.

There are alot of good series out there, so you really should narrow it down. Some genres he might like? Air might be too slow, alot of people don't like it slow.

I wouldn't recommend XxXHoLiC, forgot about the love for Himawari?

[Sokar]

For a first time Anime watcher, I definitely recommend Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. The reason being that these animes have a episodic format that most Western audiences are familar with. The main difference between Anime and most Western programming is that most anime are highly serialized, while most Western programming are episodic. A lot of people expect a story to begin, develop, and end within an episode. If your friend doesn't like one episode of the series then he/she can just skip to the next one, whereas with a serialized anime he/she might just drop it all together.

[bbduece]

Naruto (not shippuuden) episode 1-80 is superb. That should get him hooked . This anime in my opinion is probably the best pick since it caters to almost anyone. There are so many characters, there has got to be one that your friend would repond to.

I second Seirei no Moribito, it has a more serious theme to the whole show. Although not too much fight secens but each one detailed and beautifully done. The drama in this is really the meat of the story. This is for people who like ancient times (asian), adventures, and action with plenty of drama. The shows revolves around a prince, a body guard, and a water spirit. Very nice show and no psychological brain hacking like Elfen Lied. Just for the record Elfen Lied is among my all time fav but i dont know about recommending it to just anyone since it is extremely intense and pornographic (lots of blood and body-parts flying all over the place).

Elfen Lied has romance, so that is probably the only draw back base on your preference.

Get Backers is a good fighting anime: revolves around 2 good friends kicking ass. I dont remember if there was any romance. The ending got a little rough or else it would be amost perfect. The main characters and their opponents all have weird powers like electricity and stuff.

Black Lagoon is also very good for action and plot with no romance. It turn off one of my friend because he doesnt like mondern day theme animes(and he doesnt like robots ). Story rovolves around present day pirates (sorta) that roam around the south china sea (not exactly sure but some where around there) blowing stuff up.

If your friends have an interest in mecha then Code Geass (some romance, look past it because this anime is top-notch, also one of my favorites) Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (good amount of romance), or Gundam (probably Gundam 00 since it has almost no romance, i personally like Gundam Seed but that is romance up the wall)

I'll try to see if i can remember some more anime that have very little down time (meaning: boring moments).

[Happy_Chip]

Originally Posted by Sokar

For a first time Anime watcher, I definitely recommend Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. The reason being that these animes have a episodic format that most Western audiences are familar with. The main difference between Anime and most Western programming is that most anime are highly serialized, while most Western programming are episodic. A lot of people expect a story to begin, develop, and end within an episode. If your friend doesn't like one episode of the series then he/she can just skip to the next one, whereas with a serialized anime he/she might just drop it all together.

That's actually a good point - do you want to show this new viewer something more similar to western media, or something more 'japanese'?

Another question - is there such a thing as a 'quintessential' anime? a single program (or movie, etc.) that you could point to and say, 'now that's what anime is all about ...'?

[SolarNova]

If you want a movie to kick it of with then you cant really go wrong with the top notch titles like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll and Sky Blue

Granted Akira & Ninja scroll have ... aged.... but they still rock and GITS .. well ..must i say more :P

As for Sky Blue that is reletivly new, its a high budget film (hows 10mill US dollars sound ) and is pulled of verywell.
Even though i says its a love story, tbh it aint all that lovey dovey, its there but not in your face, infact you only really see it in a few 'flash backs' and at the end if i remember correctly.

EDIT: i just watched SkyBlue again and it may be to much romance for your freind tbh

Spoiler for Saving Space - Sky Blue Plot:

Would you know the colour 'sky blue' if you had never seen the sky in your life?

Sky Blue is a love story set against the forces of destruction, a dystopian vision of Earth's destiny, yet ultimately a reminder of our hope for the future.

In the year 2140, mankind's reckless exploitation of the environment has sparked a planet-wide catastrophe that has shielded the sun from view and all but ended human civilisation on earth. Only a small number of elites possessing power and technology have been able to thrive, building a magnificent, organic city named Ecoban. Ecoban the city grows by itself like a living plant, utilizing its Delos System to transform carbon compounds into useable energy. Jay is a 19 year old female trooper of Ecoban who guards the city against the incursions of outsiders.

Thousands of refugees have come to Ecoban seeking asylum, but the elites have barred their entry to the city and forced them to settle in the surrounding Wasteland. The refugees have become Ecoban's workers, known as the 'Diggers', forced to mine the Wasteland for the carbonite needed to feed Ecoban.

On patrol in the Wasteland one day, Jay witnesses a gigantic industrial accident orchestrated by Ecoban's corrupt leaders against the refugees. Upon seeing this act of cruelty, Jay's loyalty is put to the test. When she then encounters her childhood sweetheart Shua leading a rebellion against Ecoban, Jay must make the ultimate choice - whether to live for duty, or very possibly die for love.

Shua goes to warn a group of Digger freedom fighters that his incursion into Ecoban may lead to retaliatory strikes by Ecoban. Despite Shua's warnings, the rebels put their plan into action - but it turns out to be a deadly trap that leads the Ecoban troops to the headquarters of the resistance. Later that night Jay flees Ecoban to be with Shua.

Joining forces in rebellion, Jay and Shua risk their own chance at happiness for the chance that the clouds may clear and the people of Earth might see the blue sky for the first time in their lives.

With a production cost estimated at 10 million dollars, Sky Blue is the most expensive animated film ever made in Korea, and has been the focus of intense debates among animation fans. Director Kim Moon-saeng, a veteran of the CF industry and responsible for more than 200 TV commercials, spent close to seven years in conceiving and producing this futuristic extravaganza and employed many hundreds of Korea's leading animation artists and technicians.

[Whitemoon648]

Originally Posted by Avantoe

Hey People,

Now, im getting into a problem, i got a certain friend that keeps going on about how he wont watch anime because its horrible, the argument he is using is because the storyline is crap... Anyhow I managed to make a deal with him, he will watch a show of my choice, and i will read a book of his choice.

I gave it a thought, but couldnt narrow it down to an anime that might get him hooked. So now im turning to the awsome community of AnimeSuki. Say, its the first time hes watching anime, what show should he watch? The only requirement is that it needs a good Storyline that will get him hooked, and NO romance! He absolutly detests romance.


~ Avantoe!

Great teacher onizuka Or AKA GTO. Its a must seen show. Made me cry, made laugh and when it ended made me depressed ( not because sad ending but because it ended).


It is one of the best anime that one could watch. Trust me, some of the characters are addicting.


I would tell you about some other addicting anime, but really for first timers you need an anime that actually starts strong. GTO does the job perfectly.





P.S. If you really want a good advise , you have to tell us more. I mean what type of anime does he like? there are people who hate fantasy ( death note for one), Violence ( higurashi) or many other type of anime. If you really want him to watch anime you have to tell us more. Also although i like the shows, i seriosuly dont recommend death note or Higurashi as first choices. Death note is in my top 5 anime but still it takes sometime to build and trust me its not the best start.

[xxanimefan4_ever]

yeah go death note....
if movie toki wo kakeru shoujo

No idea whypeople are saying elfenlied or higurashi....

[Ermes Marana]

Wow, lots of people saying Death Note and Monster.

And I completely agree.


Both pull you in right from the start, though DN does lose some momentum later on.


Both are outstanding stories, so even someone biased against anime should be impressed.

[SolarNova]

I 'would' definably second GTO as a must watch but maybe not for a first timer. Not because of the anime itself but just the length of the series, personally I think something around the 20 episode mark would be more suitable.

Maybe…

Black Lagoon (24 eps)
Full Metal Panic (24 eps)
OutlawStar (26 eps)
Initial D 4th Stage (24 eps)
Burst Angel (24 eps)

If you think he would agree to watching a 40 odd length series anime then yea, GTO is actually one of the best iv seen that keeps you wanting more.
Though theres no guns blazing action it it... its a comedy afterall

[-KarumA-]

death note and FMA are good picks
i do partly object to Higurashi because it can fall into the wrong thoughts to someone who has never seen anime, i showed it to some people in class and they just thought it was sick and weirdly drawn.. another good one to get people hooked on is Evangelion, though it isnt for everyone to watch but there were some in my class that i handed it to as an introduction and they became hooked =3