Virgin Friendly Anime

[Chikara]

I got the idea from Weebaoo Name's post here!

If you were to show an anime to a friend who's never even seen a single episode of DBZ. Where would you begin? Say the person doesn't know what they would like, so they can't help you in choosing a genre. What would you recommend?

 

[Circuit]

CODE GEASS. OMG ALWAYS.

... Overreaction over, yes, I would make them sit and watch every episode of R1 with me, and then maybe see if they liked it. If not Code Geass, I'd go with Gurren Lagann. If those two didn't work, then god knows what would haha!

 

[Alfieri]

I'd show them Cowboy Bebop for an older anime and if they prefer something new then Hunter x Hunter 2011.

 

[donavannj]

Gurren Lagann is a great intro to anime for people who've never watched any before, especially the English dub.

To paraphrase a friend: Gurren Lagann's not just content with being over-the-top. It establishes a new top above the existing top and then proceeds to surpass that top.

It's also got a satisfying level of action and drama.

 

[Akiba]

Virgin friendly?

Spoiler:

So like, me-friendly?

Spoiler:

;-;

I got a friend into Nihonculture recently by showing him Zankyou no Terror. He loved Shibazaki like girls love L. Short and sweet, at only 11 episodes.

 

[Sir Codin]

Fantasy and Sci-fi anime do it for most geeks and nerds (who are pretty much the only people who will watch anime)

For fantasy, Slayers and Record of Lodoss War are classics and good places to start.

For sci-fi, Cowboy Bebop, and Outlaw Star

For action/adventure, Fist of the North Star, Gurren Lagaan, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (superior to the 2003; there is no arguing about this), Yu Yu Hakusho, and Dragonball

I don't know what I'd recommend for ladies into lady stuff, but Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket, and Skip Beat are probably good places to start.

 

[KingRin]

I think advanced level anime such as Sword Art Online, Attack on Titan and School Days should be considered for new anime watchers.

I think these shows show the greatness of Japanese animation. Anime in its full glory.

 

[Pyrax]

Show them the likes of Gurren Lagann or Haruhi or even K-On! for that matter. I think Mushishi and Natsume's Book of Friends would also work as examples rather peaceful anime. Maybe Clannad to rip out their heart, then Code Geass and Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood to pump them up too?

 

[probono]

cowboy bebop
dragonball z
other gateway anime that escape my mind

 

[Skip Class]

Because it's directed at friends, in most cases if I knew my friends well, I'd pick based on: what they are like/ what they like instead of just giving a couple of anime. For example, on of my friends who has a huge love for mmorpgs, game design and game mechanics I'd give him something like Log Horizon.

As a general, probably the usual FMA and HxH maybe SAO and SnK for tasters.

Show them pupa to disgust scare them away

 

[Google2.0]

Cowboy Bebop for sure and maybe something like attack on titan or SAO.

 

[Gardevoir the Dragon Slayer]

Like mentioned before SAO, (but Nobuyuki Sugō and Kyōji Shinkawa might be a bit off puting for new viewers though).

I think Steins;Gate would be a good starting point.

 

[JJ Styles]

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.

I actually let a friend, who has never ever watched anime in his whole life, watch one episode of this and he started to watch every episode to kingdom come. And if there's one thing about this show, its the tone. ;)

And I highly recommend that for anyone who feels like watching a show that's away from your typical Meta anime picks nowadays.

Spoiler:

ZETSUBOU SHITA!!!!!!

CODE GEASS. OMG ALWAYS.

ALLL HAILLLL DEMACIAAAAAAAAAAAAA BRITANNIAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I actually like Code Geass in a sense since its one of those animes that did not have a Manga adaptation prior to its inception (in other words, The anime came first before the Mecha-less Manga adaptation).

My other recommendations are:
Pokemon the original series - do i dare say it? Other than it being heavily and loosely based on our beloved video game franchise, the original Pokemon series has a pretty sizeable taste in the times were it wasn't about Ash and friends foiling Team Rocket's plans.

Blood the Last Vampire - its a serious one, and its for those who like the blood. Pun intended

Sengoku Basara (both seasons) - ARE YOU READY GAIZE? PUT YO GUNS ON!!!!!! I think this show is perfect for virgin anime viewers. There's just something about this anime adaptation based on Capcom's Twisted adaptation of the Warring States period of Japan.

Project A-Ko - one of the classics that i watched. It had it all. Great animation, action scenes, likeable characters, and of course, the old school 80s anime that in my opinion will never feel outdated for me.

Cooking Master Boy - It will help viewers appreciate cooking in a whole new level, of win.

Lucky Star - Actually no. I'm trolling at this point.

 

[donavannj]

Lucky Star - Actually no. I'm trolling at this point.

It's definitely not a starter anime. You need at least a few under your belt, especially a certain set. It's not for those with power levels at or near zero. It makes too many references to be a first anime. It can be an early anime, just not in the first five or ten.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

There are non-virgins watching anime?! o.O

I gotta agree with Code Geass. It has anime points like superpowers and mecha but on the other hand it has a solid story and clearly shows that not all anime is for kids.

Lucky Star - Actually no. I'm trolling at this point.

You should know that Lucky Star bases enjoyment on anime references and without knowing them, the enjoyment is lowered.

 

[Dter ic]

For light hearted entertainment I'd definitely recommend Barakamlon. It's funny, adorable and suitable for all ages.

 

[Sonata]

It really depends on their age too. If they're an adult I might not feel as weird having their first anime being very sexual and would recommend something a little bit more than Pokemon whereas if I were referring an anime to a little kid I'd recommend something like Digimon, DBZ, or something else filled with a lot of action.

I'm actually trying to get my mom into anime and I recommended her to Death Note, Clannad, and Madoka Magica. She's turning 36 this year and hasn't seen a single episode of anime because she always blew it off as just another cartoon. Soon she will learn.

 

[Bounsweet]

This thread title really confused me for a second because I didn't know that the virgin it was implying was people who have never watched anime before...

But, going with the crowd on Cowboy Bebop, and by extent Samurai Champloo. Some of the more humble slice of life shows (basically josei, I guess) like Usagi Drop are really good, but those are more often than not pandering to the "otaku culture" with gratuitous fan service which is pretty off-putting for people new to anime. I remember when I was little and starting to get into anime, I loved Cardcaptor Sakura too, so that or Sailor Moon are good recommendations.

Also, any Studio Ghibli movie ever. My mom doesn't know anything about anime in any way but she knows and recognizes Studio Ghibli and/or Miyazaki material and really appreciates their movies.

 

[JJ Styles]

I pretty much made it clear that if one were to let someone who's never watched an anime before watch Lucky Star, that would be blatant trolling at a hard level. Of course I knew what I was talking about ;)

Anyway, I forgot this magnificent gem:

Fist of the North Star - would this be a humble recommendation? More than a humble recommendation, this is a nice show to recommend to anyone who thought that anime was all about cute girls and pretty things, which is why they refused before. A classic series of pure testosterone and epic manliness with direct inspirations from Mad Max.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (the 2013 anime adaptation) - Perhaps of all the manga adaptations out there, this amazing series is the most dead-on loyal to the source material, Heck, even if one didn't even read the manga series in the first place, this has all of the things that a first time anime viewer will like: memorable characters, great action scenes with a little bit of graphical gore, and a story that expands generations of its own series. Though i highly recommend the first time viewer to watch the 1st season, which is based on the 1st Chapter of the Jojo manga since everything interconnects tightly.

it has a solid story and clearly shows that not all anime is for kids.

Exactly my point here. Heck, CG is what helped revitalize my love for anime in general, and it helped a couple of my non-anime watching friends as well. There is a bit of fanservice in CG which may dissuade the virgin anime viewers but they are easily skippable and the solid and intriguing story kicks on quickly.

 

[Cherrim]

Also, any Studio Ghibli movie ever. My mom doesn't know anything about anime in any way but she knows and recognizes Studio Ghibli and/or Miyazaki material and really appreciates their movies.

This. Movies are a much lesser commitment than any series, even the short ones, so it's easier to convince someone to sit through one. Ghibli is world-renowned and anyone who's familiar with anime (ie, anyone letting you sit them down to watch some) has probably heard of the studio or at least one of its films. Pretty much all of the films are appealing to all ages, too. Sure, some are aimed a lot more at children than others, but you really can't go wrong showing someone Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke... both of which found a pretty strong Western following. (Or even Grave of the Fireflies if they're worried about anime being too childish... although tbh that's probably my least favourite Ghibli film so I wouldn't personally show it to anyone.) Also on the movies side of thing, 5 Centimetres per Second. Where Ghibli's animation technique is impressive, Shinkai films are impressive for their backgrounds.

If I had to show someone a series and not a movie... mmm I guess I'd go for something that's heavier on plot than jokes or fanservice, for obvious reasons. Death Note comes to mind but its anime drags on and on and it's a little too long to be someone's "first" imo. Honestly, it really depends on what genre of movies and shows they already like. Sci-fi fan? I'd probably drop them into Steins;Gate or Evangelion. Horror? I'd hesitantly show them Higurashi and apologize constantly for the weird loli fanservice. If I think they'd like lighthearted stuff, maybe Kamichu or Cardcaptor Sakura. (I think I'd be tempted to save CCS for when I know they'd be sure to like it because I don't think my heart could take it if someone told me they didn't want to keep watching CCS because they didn't like it. Nope, no way. Can't be my friend anymore if sudden CCS marathons are out of the picture.)

My brother isn't an anime person but he really enjoyed Elfen Lied and Steins;Gate. I have NO idea where he picked them up but it was a really weird weekend when both of us ended up marathoning Elfen Lied with no idea the other had even heard of it. But he's also seen like 50 episodes of One Piece for some reason so maybe he's more of an anime person than he lets on...