Getting a Friend to Like Anime

Wish

No spoils for the meek.
    • 1,895
    Posts
    17
    Years
    • Seen Feb 11, 2018
    I have a friend who agreed to watch one episode of an anime. (that is if I listen to country music for 30 minutes but anyway) Which anime would most likely get him hooked by the first episode? He has no prior experience to anime besides watching Pokemon and Yugioh in his childhood and hating on Naruto now. Which anime would be most comfortable for a new recruit? (That is yaoi jokes on the minimum, low fanservice) I just want him to get a good impression on what real anime is.

    He says he prefers a seinen, Comedy is surely welcomed. Something that forces you to watch the next episode. I want to be able to talk about anime with him.

    Thanks for the help. :]
     
    The most reliable gateway drug to anime I know of is Cowboy Bebop, hands down. I wouldn't say it "forces" you to watch the next episode, as almost all of the episodes stand on their own, but that just means you don't necessarily have to pick the first one. You could show him whichever one you think would work the best as a hook. At any rate, as far as dispelling kiddy-stereotypes about anime goes, there's nothing better.

    I mean, just look at this intro:

    Trust me on this one, this is the anime for typical Americans.

    EDIT: Forgot to mention, definitely watch it dubbed. It'll grow on him much better, and the dub cast is impeccable.
     
    Maybe Death Note? Have you thought about showing him a movie instead? I'd go a movie first because you don't have to watch like 50 to 60 eps to find out what happens. Akira & Grave of Fireflies are two that come to mind.

    If those fail you can't go past Full Metal Alchemist.
     
    give said:
    Maybe Death Note? Have you thought about showing him a movie instead? I'd go a movie first because you don't have to watch like 50 to 60 eps to find out what happens. Akira & Grave of Fireflies are two that come to mind.

    If those fail you can't go past Full Metal Alchemist.
    Click to expand...
    I'd say that Death Note and FMA are a little too flamboyantly otaku-y to be decent gateway drugs. Also, shonen anime have notoriously slow beginnings. You're definitely right about the movies, though, especially Akira. Another Ghibli film that comes to mind as a gateway drug is Princess Mononoke, as that's probably the most adult out of all of them. Ghost in the Shell is a possibility, but the nudity in that one puts some people off.

    EDIT: Oh yeah, and COWBOY BEBOP. PICK THAT ONE.
     
    It's funny that you say he has no prior experience of anime besides watching Pokemon and Yuugiou and yet he says he prefers seinen. It didn't seem like a lot of people knew what seinen/josei genres are, but I guess those genres are getting more popular than I thought.

    If it's seinen/comedy he's looking for, try the first episode of Arakawa Under the Bridge. It all depends on his sense of humor though. There is some outrageous humor in it, so if he doesn't like strange humor, then that might not be the way to go.

    A good seinen first episode with action would be Canaan. If I remember correctly, the first episode ends with some excitement which might make him stick with the series if he can follow the story.

    The last seinen I can offer you is Monster. The plot is very intricate, so if he's hooked by the first episode (which he should be if he cares for a good suspense/mystery), then this series would be a good start.
     
    icomeanon6 said:
    The most reliable gateway drug to anime I know of is Cowboy Bebop, hands down. I wouldn't say it "forces" you to watch the next episode, as almost all of the episodes stand on their own, but that just means you don't necessarily have to pick the first one. You could show him whichever one you think would work the best as a hook.
    Click to expand...
    If you pick Cowboy Bebop do not show him the first episode. Everyone finds it boring when they first watch it. Show him the episode 11, the one with the space monster. You don't need to know the plot or who the characters are and there's enough humor mixed in to keep it going even if everything else isn't what your friend is looking for.
     
    Zet said:
    Go with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, no one can resist Kamina.
    Click to expand...

    I, believe it or not, can resist kamina. and i dont think GL gets good til ep. 7 when
    Spoiler:


    I suggest code geass
     
    icomeanon6 said:
    I'd say that Death Note and FMA are a little too flamboyantly otaku-y to be decent gateway drugs. Also, shonen anime have notoriously slow beginnings. You're definitely right about the movies, though, especially Akira. Another Ghibli film that comes to mind as a gateway drug is Princess Mononoke, as that's probably the most adult out of all of them. Ghost in the Shell is a possibility, but the nudity in that one puts some people off.

    EDIT: Oh yeah, and COWBOY BEBOP. PICK THAT ONE.
    Click to expand...

    I would say Fullmetal Alchemist is actually a pretty decent show to start on. It really doesn't have any of the traditional failings that a lot of anime do, it actually isn't one of those really odd otaku-centric shows (like most mentioned here are) and has a deeper theme running throughout that blends nicely with the action of the series. I'd actually say it's the perfect gateway next to Cowboy Bebop.
     
    I'm surprised no one has said Code Geass yet.

    ... and of course I notice that someone has suggested it instantly after posting this.
     
    I wouldn't recommend Code Geass personally. The first season wasn't bad, but the second season was.

    Hmmm, it's not really seinen, but I would recommend Eden of the East [Higashi no Eden]. It has that "makes you want to watch the next episode" factor you're looking for, it has relatively mature themes, it can be a bit odd at times, but overall there's no fanservice, and there's some light comedy from time to time too. Oh, and there English in this isn't Engrish so that's a plus as well. Unfortunately, the only thing holding it back is that the second movie isn't out yet, but since it comes out at the beginning of next month, I'm letting that slide. It also has some English songs and references, so that might be a draw point as well for the English audience. It's short and sweet at only 11 episodes and 2 movies, plus it has the ability to draw you in with the first episode.

    Another one would be Baccano, though it's a bit Pulp Fiction-y as far as time progression goes. It takes place in old-school America, and it MAY actually be better to find the dub of this over the sub, though that's your choice. The first episode is more introductory, but it can get you to wonder just what's going on with the setting. Storyline-wise, start at episode 2.

    If you want EPIC GAR type, then go with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
     
    Last edited:
    QuilavaKing said:
    I'm surprised no one has said Code Geass yet.

    ... and of course I notice that someone has suggested it instantly after posting this.
    Click to expand...

    Lol.
    I'll third Code Geass.
    I don't really like much anime but this one had me on edge waiting for the new episode to see what happened next.
    Cliffhanger in every episode ftw?

    Although, if they like country music (which since they want you to listen to 30 minutes of it i assume they do) they won't like anime anyway.
    Ask if you can listen to "classic" country.
    The old stuff that borders on folk isn't too bad.
     
    No.

    The goal is to NOT drown him with obnoxious weirdness.

    Code Geass OOZES that.

    Example:
    [PokeCommunity.com] Getting a Friend to Like Anime


    ...Yeah.

    That's why I recommended Paranoia Agent. It's not obnoxious, and it's pretty awesome.
     
    Well, my friend got me to watch anime by seeing Bleach. For me, it was highly addicting and it still is @_@
     
    If you're worried about weirdness at all, just go with Cowboy Bebop. It has one of the lowest weird-anime-junk quotients in all of anime.
     
    I'm saying that Paranoia Agent is only really weird in the later episodes.

    In the beginning, it sucks you in, like a superpowered vacuum.
     
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top