Anime Recommendations

[Avaitor]

The animation is a bit dated in MSG, yes, but if whoever you're recommending it to isn't familiar with mecha or anime in general to begin with, what makes you think they'll find it worn out?

[Dr. Insomniac]

I mean, if they're familiar with sci-fi in general. For those who have already seen "Humanity takes it conflict out to the stars"-type stuff like Babylon 5 or BSG, the original Gundam just doesn't really stand the test of time.

[Avaitor]

Fair enough, but I still think that Wing is inferior, even compared to the original, since it shares a lot of the same tropes with less likable characters and weaker plot points.

[Spark Of Spirit]

It is inferior, but it hit that mainstream niche of explosive action and recognizable (though simple) characters that are much easier to digest to casual viewers. I'm pretty sure that was why it did the best of any Gundam show on TV here by far.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

My counter-argument to Wing being a gateway anime is that not everyone really liked it. There were a lot of people like myself who couldn't get into it. I barely remember anything that I saw from MSG, but seeing as how Wing already has dated animation to begin with, I wouldn't be opposed to MSG taking its place to begin with, especially since I myself can attest to the fact that Wing itself follows a bunch of common tropes, so its not like its any more original or unique than MSG.

As for her other choices, I definitely agree with Ghibli films, because like Avaitor said, people like me are in the minority, and even I still have a lot of respect for the guy even though I'm personally not really a fan of his work.

I'll also agree with FMA based on the fact that 99% of the people who watch it seem to love it, and while I myself have come to see it as less than the perfect series that so many people make it out to be, its still an undeniably good series, even if it is probably a bit overrated (IMO). I might have recommended Death Note in its place but too many people seem to take it the wrong way and either think of it as being too pretentious when its not even trying to be deep or find it to be controversial when its clearly making Light out to be a villain and not really bringing up any real questions of morality since its just meant to be an exciting thriller. So, based on that, I think it kind of rules it out even though it is a good series if looked at for the actual type of series that its trying to be in the first place. In place of FMA, though, I'd probably recommend a shonen or something like that, but only if the person seemed to be willing to give a chance to invest in a longer-running series, which in most cases I guess would be unlikely. I wouldn't mind recommending them something episodic that they can just try a few episodes of, like Lupin III or Case Closed, but those would just be alternatives.

Cowboy Bebop is a no-brainer. Though, I would also recommend Trigun as an alternative if its one of those people who only watched Cowboy Bebop and loved it but still wasn't convinced by that to seek out any other anime (and a bunch of my friends are like that, so it just goes to show how much CB transcends its own medium in appeal).

Neon Genesis Evangelion seems a bit polarizing, but I suppose it works out since a majority of people who watch it end up finding something that they like about it, so I think deserves its place on the list, personally.

[Angus]

What does gateway mean? A show that will hook a casual anime watcher to watching lots of that genre?


If so:

mecha - well, Robotech was good in the 1980s but I don't know what would attract watchers now. I tried watching NGE early in my anime watching time, and didn't find the appeal. It was a boring giant robot anime. Only after watching Gunbuster years later, then I was motivated to take NGE on. Maybe the movie remakes will get people interested?

rom-com - Full Metal Panic Fumoffu - It's short and crazy enough to attract the casual watcher. Has American movie references, and introduces the tsundere girl character. School Rumble works here too. Plenty of others to try afterwards but that gets the foot in the door and might even get you to consider the regular FMP or FMP TSR afterwards.

slice-of-life: School Rumble or Azumanga Daioh - perfect for short attention spans.

drama: Full Metal Alchemist - the original one, recommended by a casual anime fan, got me and my better half hooked. I also think Eden of the East has a good hook for a short series.

thriller: Higurashi - remember how a random "who is the scariest character" thread on tv.com got a bunch of us to watch this show. Death Note might be a decent second, but has too many big spoilers that will ruin the enjoyment early on. After a few titles along those lines, Monster makes a good catch.

fighting anime: Dragonball Z Kai (thank goodness for Kai as a better starting point), and One Piece (popular enough to appeal to the 35+ crowd).

gun-totin' anime: Black Lagoon, Cowboy Bebop, and plenty of other candidates

formula / episodic: Case Closed

shojo: Fruits Basket, Ouran HS Host Club

These titles have all worked with my family and friends.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Yeah, I also agree with Fumoffu in terms of general comedies. Its probably not the best anime comedy out there but its easily one of the most accessible to newcomers since its humor is more general than it is cultural. It also has the advantage of being a good stand-alone series, so nobody really needs to have seen the 1st season of FMP to enjoy it (though on that note I still don't see how some people could call Fumoffu the best, and in some cases only good season of FMP when TSR exists; I mean, even I really like it for its humor but its not like its that spectacular of an anime comedy on the level of something like Ouran or GTO, probably a few others that I'm not giving credit to because I haven't seen them myself). That said, it still gets points for being one of the only few anime comedies in the first place that I can actually get the humor of, and it did even manage to make me laugh out loud a few times throughout its run, so I'd definitely recommend that as a decent starter.

[Angus]

Fighting show: Ikki Tousen – It's historical and the girls become more powerful when their clothes are stripped. And they have a TOURNAMENT!
Action: Aria the Animation – fear those all-female company gangs and their bosses as they take control of the waterways on Mars.
Slice-of-life: Death Note / Hell Girl – It's so real! I see the dolls and notebooks and start freakin' out.
Mecha: Dragonaut the Resonance – hell yeah, robots that turn into dragons, and big breasted scientists.
Comedy: Evangelion 1.x and 2.x – you musn't run away because it's funny, especially when Shinji tries to take a shower.
Long-term show: Pokemon. Because Pikachu rocks and so do 4Kids in its Al Kahn prime.

[Pharass]

Having recently finished Fang of the Sun Dougram, I can say that this is a show I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in the mecha-genre. For those of you who have never heard of it, Dougram was one of the first "real" giant-robot series that followed in the footsteps of Mobile Suit Gundam. However, having watched both of these shows (and this may sound blasphemous), I have to say that everything Gundam did, Dougram does better. That's not to say that Mobile Suit Gundam is a bad series, far from it, it's just that Dougram came off as being more mature (in the right ways) and complex, with a tighter script and more interesting characters. Granted, Dougram doesn't have anyone as cool as Char, but as a whole the cast is awesome, especially Lecoque who is one of the greatest anime-villains I've seen in a long time.

[gunswordfist]

So on JesuOtaku's FormSpring, she was asked what would be five good gateway anime titles, and here is what she came up with.

1. Three Ghibli films, from different five-year timespans.
2. Gundam Wing followed by Gundam 00 for comparison
3. Neon Genesis Evangelion
4. Cowboy Bebop
5. Fullmetal Alchemist

What do you guys think of these, and would you come up with a different list? As for me, I think she has good choices, but I'm not sure if I would go with these five.

Miyazaki/Ghibli is a very good choice, for one. I know we're not all huge Ghibli fans, but at the same time, guys like EK, Foggle, and GSF who aren't big on their work are more in the minority with anime fans, and the studio's range is so wide, that if you pick any three films, it's hard to think that whoever watches them won't enjoy at least one. My answer would probably vary depending on the person I'm recommending these to in question, but in general, I'd probably go with Castle of Cagliostro, Grave of the Fireflies, and Spirited Away. Hell, maybe I named one that you like as well.

The Gundam one I definitely don't agree with. If you want to get someone into mecha, the Gundam franchise would probably be the best place to start, but that's only if you're interested in using that. Maybe keep 00 in for comparison's sake, but I'd replace Wing with the original. Even though MSG predates Wing by a good 15 years, Wing has aged even worse than it, and just isn't a very good watch. MSG contains just about every trope you can expect in mecha, and while it isn't perfect, would be a much better choice for beginners. Especially if you use the movies, if you want to cut things down a little.

I wouldn't mind adding in some Gundam and Evangelion, since Eva isn't much of a mecha series. It starts off as one, but the deeper you get into it, the more of a psychological drama it becomes. A damn effective, if imperfect one, too. This is a bit of a hard sell, since it's a bit divided in the fanbase, but I would consider adding it to my list, since NGE was the first anime I've seen that wasn't on TV, and my 13 or 14-year-old mind was blown away when I first watched it. I even got a lot of the series at that age as well, so it might work for some.

Bebop, absolutely. As JO said it herself, it is THE gateway drug. So close for everyone.

FMA, maybe. I like the idea of adding a shounen on there, but I'm not a super huge fan of the series. I wouldn't want to name a long-running series like DB, YYH, or OP though, since it's such a commitment, and part of the fun might be lost watching multiple episodes at a time rather than on a daily basis, like when I watched some of these on Toonami. That happens for me, at least, but I'd rather go with a shorter running series regardless. Death Note, maybe? It seems to work for a lot of different fans, and it got me interested in anime again. FMA works too, but either would be fine.

What do you guys think? I'll try to make something similar for the general animation board in a sec.

Shit, I don't even know what Ghibli is.

Anyway, my list:(in no order)
1. Cowboy Bebop
2. FMA
3. RK
4. Trigun
5. Outlaw Star

Basically, Toonami shounen sells itself.

[Avaitor]

Ghibli is Miyazaki's studio...

[Spark Of Spirit]

 

[gunswordfist]

  I knew that sounded familiar.

[Angus]

I can't see why YYH couldn't be a gateway show. It's got plenty of jumping in points and the enemies get introduced at a good pace.

[gunswordfist]

I can't see why YYH couldn't be a gateway show. It's got plenty of jumping in points and the enemies get introduced at a good pace.

I was definitely going to list that show but then I saw what Avaitor said. Either way, I have no clue how much anyone would be willing to watch a long series.