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New to anime, what should I watch?

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The lack of Inuyasha is angering my soul.

cant go wrong with Cowboy Bebop.
Ghost in the shell Movie
Akira (wish there were more bike scenes)
Samurai Champloo.

and Dragon MotherFuckin Ball without the Z
 
For animated series, watch
Cowboy Bebop
Yu Yu Hakusho
Samurai Champloo
Avatar: The Last Airbender (not anime, but it's one of the best animated shows in the last decade IMO)
Dragon Ball series

For movies,
Akira
All the Ghibli stuff like Nausicaä, Mononoke, Whisper of the Heart, Porco Rosso, etc.
 
Tri-Gun
Cowboy Bebop
Full Metal Alchemist
Steins;Gate
and Death Note, definitely one of my favorites.
 
Ignore people recommending old stuff out of nostalgia and start with modern classics like Suzumiya Haruhi, K-ON, Chuunibyou, and To-Love-Ru.
 
Acrylic7 said:
The lack of Inuyasha is angering my soul.

cant go wrong with Cowboy Bebop.
Ghost in the shell Movie
Akira (wish there were more bike scenes)
Samurai Champloo.

and Dragon MotherFuckin Ball without the Z
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You mean Twilight Japan? Inuyasha is basically Twilight. Inuyasha is Ed, Kagome is Bella, that crazy wolf guy is Jacob.

Anyways, JoJos Bizarre Adventure, by the time you get caught up you'll be wearing bright colored clothes and making fabolus poses.
 
The problem with asking this question is it is like saying "I'm new to movies; what should I watch?". Anime isn't really one genre so much as it is a medium. To decide what you'd like, you'd have to give a list of real genres you enjoy, such as comedy, fantasy or science fiction.

Regardless, I'd suggest either something that most people like or that has wide appeal to someone who enjoys multiple genres. I can't help but wince when someone suggests FLCL for a first anime; not because I don't like it but because I think it's just a really bad way to get someone into anime. (Anything too abstract or bizarre for starting out seems to give people the wrong idea about anime in general.)

Escaflowne (the TV series, not the film) was one of my first anime and still one of the best in my personal opinion. Fullmetal Alchemist, Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop also come to mind as the cream of the crop.
 
Einherjar said:
Ignore people recommending old stuff out of nostalgia and start with modern classics like Suzumiya Haruhi, K-ON, Chuunibyou, and To-Love-Ru.
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"old stuff" is pretty subjective, don't you think? And what does it matter what age the show is, so long as it is good? Everyone doesn't love Cowboy Bebop for nostalgic reasons, they love it because it is quality that stands the test of time.

Also

Azumanga Daioh >>>> K-On!

K-On wouldn't exist without Azumanga Daioh, and it's a hell of a lot better, to boot.
 
I was in the same boat as you this time last year. Fullmetal Alchemist is the easy first suggestion. It has a great story and is just a fun, well-made show. I've gotten a fair few mates into anime with the help of FMA. Make sure it's the original one and not 'Brotherhood', which is equally awesome but should be watched after.

Death Note and Code Geass are worth a look.

I'm happy to see so many people in this thread suggesting Monster - it's one of my faves. I do think the story drags in parts but overall it's fantastic and really fits with what you're looking for in the OP.
 
I disagree with so much of this thread. Maybe it's age or what, but I think most of the stuff being recommended is kind of shit.

Legend of Galactic Heroes is awesome.
Hajime no Ippo is really good too.
 
aechris said:
I disagree with so much of this thread. Maybe it's age or what, but I think most of the stuff being recommended is kind of shit.

Legend of Galactic Heroes is awesome.
Hajime no Ippo is really good too.
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So what you are really saying is he needs to watch Starchaser The Legend of Orin. I agree.
 
Macka said:
I was in the same boat as you this time last year. Fullmetal Alchemist is the easy first suggestion. It has a great story and is just a fun, well-made show. I've gotten a fair few mates into anime with the help of FMA. Make sure it's the original one and not 'Brotherhood', which is equally awesome but should be watched after.
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This is nutso crazyballs opposite day!

Although I do agree that if you watch Brotherhood, it makes it very hard to go back to the original.
 
Personal faves:

1. Gintama
2. Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales (Bake Neko)/Mononoke
3. Claymore (ending sux thou, pls continue reading the manga afterwards)
4. Baccano!
5. Samurai Champloo
6. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
7. Arakawa Under The Bridge
8. Kuchu Buranko (Trapeze)

Guilty Pleasures:

1. Star Driver
2. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
3. Sengoku Basara

Fav mainstream throwback: Inuyasha

I haven't watched anime since last year but here was my top 10 from 2011 that I posted a while back:

1. Gintama - My favorite anime, ever.
2. Gundam Unicorn - Although it was only 4 episodes, I have been anticipating every release since it came out. Really great.
3. Tiger & Bunny - Really funny and lovable characters. I can't see how someone can't enjoy this.
4. Toriko - Never read the manga but when I first tried this out I was already hooked. Really fun anime to watch. Even if they cook/catch weird shit it still all looks delicious DX <3
5. Sket Dance - Some people discouraged me from watching it and said it wasn't that good, but I'm glad I tried it out because it really is enjoyable. If you like Gintama you'll definitely like this too (plus the cross over was great :D)
6. Level E - Never watched YYH or HxH until the remake so stuff from that guy was new to me until I watched this. It's really funny and enjoyable so if you liked those 2 works you should like this as well.
7. HunterxHunter - Completely fresh on me and so far it's been great watching it. Reminds me of how much I enjoyed FMA Brotherhood when it came out, so I hope it'll have the same effect :)
8. Bakuman 2 - I never thought watching something about making manga would be interesting to watch. Most people say it's better to just read the manga instead of watching this but I'm lazy to catch up on all those chapters ;/
9. Sengoku Basara: The Last Party - LET'S PARTY, HERE WE GO!!
10. Usagi Drop - Very cute and lovable anime :) I'm sorta glad they didn't continue further, I think the anime ended fine.

Honorable mentions:
The Borrower Arrietty
Ao no Exorcist
C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
Tono to Issho: Gantai no Yabou
Fractale
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And, Samurai Champloo > Cowboy Bebop. Sorry.
 
LOL @ everyone trying to put anime's best foot forward.... we all know how this will end. Go ahead and watch some Enkan... start low and you'll never be disappointed :)
 
kisaya said:
I'm so sorry but really it's not that great

Maybe I'm just not nostalgic as you all are about it but the ending made me go "that's it? really?"

The overhype killed it I guess.
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I just watched both back to back a couple months ago. Don't get me wrong, I love Champloo. Bebop is just in a whole league of it's own.
 
Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei, Texhnolyze and Kino's Journey are all 'highbrow'. All 4 are quite deliberate in pace and can be quite depressing. Expect little to no action in them, but they're actually thought provoking. Serial Experiments Lain in particular is more like an arthouse film divided into 13 episodes. All 4 are highly recommended.

Monster is also brilliant thriller which avoids most bullshit anime tropes, although it's a tad slow in the anime format.

Gintama is a giant piss take on the shounen genre, it takes a bit for it to get really good though.



Avoid Ergo Proxy at all costs. What a waste of an awesome art direction.

Moaradin said:
I just watched both back to back a couple months ago. Don't get me wrong, I love Champloo. Bebop is just in a whole league of it's own.
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Champloo has a pretty shitty ending which makes it worse than Bebop imo. It peeks at the episode with the blind musician, the final arc itself is utterly devoid of tension and emotion.
 
Moe ruined anime.

I'll take 80s hyper violence and gratuitous sex scenes any day.

I would have also liked to watch Cowboy Bebop but I had its ending spoiled before I saw 1 episode so I never bothered.
 
kisaya said:
And, Samurai Champloo > Cowboy Bebop. Sorry.
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I agree, although Bebop had the stronger ending. The pirate two parter in Champloo is better than most Bebop episodes and I prefer the music style in the former.

ZombieSupaStar said:
I would have also liked to watch Cowboy Bebop but I had its ending spoiled before I saw 1 episode so I never bothered.
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It has lots of self contained stories, so it's still worth it. Not to mention that you also watch Bebop/Champloo for the presentation.
 
For some more recent anime that may have been missed but I quite enjoyed:

Princess Jellyfish (hulu)
Humanity Has Declined (crunchyroll)
Black Butler
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (my fav of this bunch)
Magi: Labyrinth of Magic
Hunter x Hunter
Fairy Tail

Some of them are ongoing, some are completed.
 
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