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Old 2012-02-07, 11:02   Link #27
DonQuigleone
Knight Errant
 
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by xMythycle View Post
What exactly do you mean by saying that I should be careful of watching Parody anime, why exactly?
If a show exploits anime tropes and stereotypes, you won't "get" the anime if you're not aware of them.

Good example from my life: One of the first anime I watched was Ouran High School Host Club. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I didn't get all the humour in it. This is because Ouran has a lot of Shoujo and Romance anime parodies. Because I wasn't aware of the romance and shojo clichés at the time, I didn't fully appreciate it.

When I came back to it 2 or 3 years later, I found there was a whole other layer to the show I wasn't getting.

Which is why you should avoid shows that are overtly based on humour based on Otaku knowledge. Good examples of this would be many of the shows SHAFT make (particularly something like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), but other famous titles like the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or Higurashi are much more effective shows when you have some prior knowledge of Anime and Otaku clichés, as much of those shows premise is based on subverting those. In the case of Zetsubou Sensei and Haruhi it's comedy, for Higurashi it's horror.

So it's best to go for Anime that are not very meta when you're starting out. Once you've watched a wide range of shows, and maybe have 10 or 20 series under your belt (that or you watch a lot of first episodes), and have sufficiently "absorbed" Otaku culture, then you'll be in a position to fully appreciate them. However, many of these shows have appeal to the uninitiated. For instance, Higurashi is just a plain good horror show, but it's even better when you've watched a few VN adaptations, Moé shows or harem romances. It exploits Moé for horror. (and if you don't already know what Moé is, you have a lot left to experience!)

Don't let any of the above intimidate you though, discovering all this stuff is very fun and interesting, and the vast majority of anime is very accessible.

If you want an action show, I'd go for Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood. Probably the best action show I've ever seen. You may want to see the original Fullmetal Alchemist first, however, as the first 10 episodes of Brotherhood are an abbreviated version of the first 26 episodes of the original (other then that, they don't share any plot in common).

You can also try classics like Cowboy Bebop, Macross, or any of the Ghibli movies. It's a long time before you'll run out.
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