Anime Newcomer

S

Shakey

Dandy Guy, in Space
Hi everyone!
I recently have become quite obsessed with anime and manga. I started out with most of the ghibli films and have now moved onto watching Bleach and Naruto pretty religiously. I have also been shown a bit of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Claymore, both of which i enjoyed.

I was wondering if you guys could give me some ideas as to what anime was worth looking at.

A friend of mine mentioned Code Geass and Le Chevalier D'eon but i don't know much about them.
 
Hey Shakey. Welcome.

Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Cowboy Bebop are a good bet for newcomers. As for Eva, you'll get good and bad opinions of it, but I for one wouldn't watch it 'til you've seen some more standard mech shows first like Gundam or Patlabor.

Depend's what you're after really. I imagine you'll get a lot of recommendations...
 
Hello :)

What kind of things do you like outside of anime? There's so much out there it's a minefield to suggest without knowing a bit more.

If you like the powering up and fighting format of Bleach/Naruto, similar series are out there which should appeal. Yu Yu Hakusho is a great one, and Dragonball (including Dragonball Z) is pretty much Naruto only older and with Chinese fairytales influencing it rather than ninja fairytales. I think Hunter x Hunter is on the way too and that's another good one in the same vein.

If you liked Claymore I'd look into Berserk. Chevalier D'Eon is fantastic if you enjoy a slightly more historical bent with less superpowers (though there are some...). I certainly really enjoyed every minute of it.

R
 
Oh, and I should add that a lot of people who start out with Bleach and Naruto seem to get a huge kick out of Death Note. It's less action packed but has the same kind of appeal and is rather unusual. All three were originally published (as manga serialised comics) in the same magazine in Japan, so they're aimed at the same kind of audience.

R
 
Since you like Bleach and Naruto, Get Backers is a title you should look up. It's a shounen like them that's pretty damn good, the only flaw being the original story/filler ending. Kenshin is another well known shounen title worth looking up.

Le Chavvy Don is one of the most boring series I've watched (after the first episode). I was very disappointed by it. I've tried to watch it twice, first stopping after watching the 1st volume and then stopping when I tried again later after the second.

Death Note is fantastic; the most epic and thrilling series out there. The only show similar to it in terms of thrills and brilliant plans is the first season of Code Geass, which you should watch regardless of if you rate Death Note.

If you like your stories dark with realistic real world settings, Monster is another show you should look up after watching Death Note. It's probably the most adult series out there, but it's also very long (74 episodes) due to the story being told from the perspectives of different characters.

Claymore is similar to Berserk with its dark medieval feel, the main difference being that females do all the owning and men do all the dying in Claymore - The opposite of Berserk.

...oh, and CitizenGeek will be here soon to befriend/opinion rape you now that you've mentioned NGE. If I were you I'd make my thread evacuation plans now.
 
Wow! didnt expect any replies so quickly.

I'm pretty open to any anime other than the more fanservicey type, i don't wanna rule any genre out coz i mite miss out lol.

Ghost in the shell is one i intend to look at coz it seems really popular, and i have the cowboy bebop movie to watch this evening, is it best to see the series first?

I think ill definitely look at Death Note and possibly berserk.

Whats the main plot with code geass? I know next to nothing about it.

I'll have a look around at the others you guys suggested an see what i think.

Thanks for the help guys and ill watch out for CitizenGeek :D
 
Welcome!

Code geass is practically about japan; All is well, until Britannia invades. Britannia slaughter lots of the japanese and even renames the city. There is a boy, lelouch, who hates britannia all his life, since his mother was one of them who was slaughtered by them. Anyway, basically, he gets caught up with some terrorists, and he gets this special power where he can kill anyone, control thoughts, and many more (Which you'll learn about when you watch it! ;D). He decides he will use this power to over throw britannia and get revenge on them. If you liked bleach, then you'll probably like this (It has everything; Mecha, drama, action, etc.).

Death note (as mentioned before) is really great! It's the typical bored college student who finds a death note; Anyone's name who is wrote in the death note will die of the cause which is written. He also plans to use this for justice, and to kill criminals, etc.

I'd definietly recommend one piece and gurren lagann. One piece is one of the other main shonen series (along with death note, bleach, naruto). The plot might sound a bit 'dumn' but it's really good fun! Gurren lagann is really awesome too. It's hard to talk about that series without spoiling it, so I'll just let you find out for youself! ;)

Another is probably Full Metal Panic! It's at times dark, funny, action packed and very good. Once again, I don't want to talk about this because I feel I might spoil it for you! But, if you like code geass/gurren lagann, then you'd like this! ;D

Ghost in the shell is more dark/serious. If you like that stuff, then go for it. But, to me, it was a bit dull, repetitive and too serious. (For this, you should watch the SAC (stand alone complex) series first. The movie will definietly put you off it lol).
 
I watched the Cowboy Bebop movie first and loved it. It works great as a stand alone. Of course then I had to buy the series...

If you're after adult, mind-bending entertainment, then anything with Satoshi Kon's name to it is good.

Perfect Blue, adult psychological thriller.
Millennium Actress, ode to the Japanese film industry, romantic nostalgia
Tokyo Godfathers (remake of the Three Godfathers (John Wayne movie) with three homeless people finding a baby around Christmas)

and the two mind-bending trips

Paprika, a dream machine gets out of hand
Paranoia Agent, brilliant, brilliant TV series, string of attacks by a schoolkid on roller skates and with a baseball bat has the police baffled.
 
Yagami said:
Ghost in the shell is more dark/serious. If you like that stuff, then go for it. But, to me, it was a bit dull, repetitive and too serious. (For this, you should watch the SAC (stand alone complex) series first. The movie will definietly put you off it lol).
Click to expand...
Watch me rage. :evil:

Just kidding Yagami, that's why I recommended the series. ;) Although as a side note my first anime ever (and what got me into it) was the original GITS Movie, I loved it then and always will.

The Bebop Movie can be watched first Shakey, it's a side story rather than a sequel so doesn't spoil the series.
 
Eight posts in and no mention of Haruhi or Lucky Star [bar myself] I'm certainly impressed and proud of you all!

Anyway, to get you started since you seem to be like me three years ago here's the path I chose:

FMA>Gantz>One Piece>Berserk

Then just go for whatever.
 
ONE PIECE O_O

Surprised you haven't been recomended it yet! (assuming you haven't). It's got quite a reputation for being childish, but if you can tolerate it, it'll prove itself to be one of the best anime series out there. I ******** you not ^^.

Other anime series like Death Note (Awesome), Fullmetal Alchemist (Awesom'er than Death Note) and Serial Experiments Lain (Despite how confusing it is) wouldn't go amiss either.

Oh, Oh, Oh, and give Elfen Lied a shot. Only a short series being 12 or so episodes long, but it has an imfamous opening scene and the story is gripping ;]. Don't miss this one!

(Friendly warning, Elfen Lied is definatly NSFW so be careful were you watch it ^^')
 
Only glanced through the other posts so if I repeat anything forgive. Just a few things you might want to try:

Gungrave - Bought the boxset a while ago on recommendation from a friend, and while I was skeptical at first it ended up being a fine series.

Gunslinger Girl - despite the seemingly disgusting concept the first series of this is an excellent action drama (though admittedly it's more drama than action).

Macross Plus - Some of the other Macross series are also worth tracking down, but this one is readily available in R2 and certainly one of (if not) the best.
 
I agree with Wildcard's recommendation: Berserk and Gungrave share a considerable amount of similarities, so it's worth watching it if you enjoy Berserk. Gungrave was my #1 anime for a lengthy period.
 
I forgot to mention. If you like mecha, try gundam seed and gundam 00. Both are a pretty good mix of all genre's around (I'm currently watching seed, but I've been told 00 is excellent, too).
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys, i'll try an take a look at as many as i can. Just purchased quite alot of anime based on the suggestions, the missus wont be pleased lol
 
Hey you, welcome here. Why not get the missus into anime as well? There is definitely something our there for her as well.

As most people said before, you seen to be the kind who likes shounen, so One piece an Hunter x hunter should definitely be in your sight.

WRT Le chevalier D'eon, I'm watching that right now and I'm enjoying it immensely. But then again, I like almost everything I see =P

Don't listen to Aion and go fearing Citizen Geek. Their relationship goes way back... But in the case of CG appearing and start talking about NGE or FF VII, you just say "Yeah, whatever" and run ...
Same for Aion and Gankutsuo.... ;D
 
Well as someone who was recently quite a newcomer I will offer what I can. I always think about it in terms of what types of films you like as that will help you pick a genre. If you like light hearted films or comedy then go for an anime which has those elements. However, if you like philosophical films or ones with serious messages then go for that as well.

If you like Naruto and Bleach then I would say Dragonball/Dragonball Z is definately worth it. In fact Naruto as a character was influenced by Son Goku (main character) anyway.

Also if you like those then I would definately say that both Death Note and Full Metal Alchemist are definately worth watching as they both have the same sort of target audience and they're ones that are worth watching anyway in my book. As I've just read you'll be getting deathnote. I always say the manga is better but the anime is great too. I hope you enjoy it!

Funnily enough when I first watched Dragonball Z I also quite enjoyed Tenchi even though I was still new to anime at the time (there are many series for the same franchise so start on "Tenchi Muyo" OVAs) and it might be something you like. A sci-fi harem comedy which has a lot of laughs, some action and a bit of love too. I'd give it a try if I were you.

Oh and if you like dystopian settings or slow paced philosophical messages then watch Ergo Proxy. A favourite of mine. Anyway I hope I have been of some help!
 
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