The Anime-starter Guide
Looking to understand what anime is all about but don’t know where to start? Here’s some help
Quarantine has been a perfect time for people to pick up new hobbies and interests so here’s one of my recommendations for you to pick up, one that has the ability to last a very long time and provide you with unlimited entertainment in the forms you like.
I’ve prepared a really short, easy to follow guide based on popular genre along with personally tested examples of some mind-blowing anime.
The ‘I think anime is for kids’-myth buster anime
If you’re someone who doesn’t like the idea of anime or thinks it is childish, but are open to having your opinion changed given enough proof. These following are short two season anime that are sure to challenge your brain with their clever plots that don’t stop being interesting at any moment.
- Death Note (keeps you on the edge and confused about which side you’re on, short and exciting, available on Netflix)
- Code Geass (same as above, more regular anime art style)
Action anime — Shounen & Seinen
You will find a lot of anime falling in this category since young boys tend to be the major market segment for the industry. Take your pick from the infinitely long list of anime catering to your taste but beware- the classics tend to be loooooong! The one that I regularly follow has over 900 episodes till date. Some recommendations here —
- Black Lagoon (straight up in your face and hard hitting, short, available on Netflix)
- One Piece (very long, takes time to get into)
- Psycho-Pass (mind-bending plot set in the future, available on Netflix)
- Full Metal Alchemist (haven’t seen this but highly recommended by others, available on Netflix)
Romantic anime— Shoujo
The shoujo genre is targeted at young girls and could be a little too cheesy or cringey — typical of most media directed at young women, for some reason. Why is that? Do they think this is what young girls like or should be watching? Not about them saving the world or acing their studies? Anyway, I bring to you recommendations that are NOT cringey and serve as amazing character development tools for anyone, not just young girls. The male characters in these recommendations are also brilliant role models (and hot)
- Kamisama Hajimemashita
- Ouran High School Host Club (super funny as well)
- Tonari no kaibutsu-kun
- Nodame Cantabile
Comedy anime
Some great comedy anime that can also serve as starter anime right from the get go
- One Punch Man (a riot with its deadpan lead who can defeat everything with literally just ONE PUNCH, available on Netflix)
- SaikiK (available on Netflix, good for a light watch)
- and The Ultimate Parody Anime — Gintama (best enjoyed after being comfortable in the anime world to get all the jokes, available on Netflix)
Anime with strong female characters — Josei
A categorization that is of great personal importance. Look for the tag josei in anime to not watch a feel good, silly anime targeted towards portraying girls as weak beings in need of constant rescue. Josei is anime directed at a mature audience, especially women and generally feature well-rounded characters for both males and females showing both as characters who face harsh realities of life with both strength and resilience, at the same time being affected by them in very real, hard-hitting ways. I could dedicate a whole blog to this category!
Some recommendations here:
- Nana (a personal favorite with amazing music, unique art style)
- Inu Yasha (a classic with lovable characters, very long, old art style, available on Netflix)
- Fruits Basket (not your typical ‘strong’ girl but what an amazing storyline, available on Netflix)
Works of Art anime
If you want to watch just one anime in your lifetime, watch one of these. I had to have a separate category for this set of anime which are absolutely so delightful to watch that you don’t feel like categorising them with your regular, well- known genre. These fully capture the possibilities of anime and remind us of forlorn worlds and forgotten dreams with their beautiful art and enchanting stories. If you ever want to be in a trance, please do enjoy the following anime
- Cowboy Bebop
- Spirited Away (available on Netflix)
- Your Name
- Howl’s Moving Castle (available on Netflix)
- ….any other Studio Ghibli work (mostly available on Netflix)
So go ahead and try out some anime for your soul!
