If I were to school a newbie to anime...
Jun. 7th, 2004 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timepiececlockIf I were to meet a person who has only just started anime and wanted to know what the best was, this is what I'd tell them to watch, and the order I'd tell them to watch it in.
1. Cowboy Bebop - I think this is one of the most accessible shows to watch from the perspective of an anime newbie or hopeful anime inductee. It's themes are more familiar and accessible to Western audiences, and it's character designs are stylish, and it's considerably less weird-scary than some other shows. And the music holds your attention until you've seen enough that you're convinced you want to stay.
2. Trigun - Because this is my favorite, and also because of the reasons above. It's a good show by which to introduce someone to the wackyness of anime and the drama, and to slowly get them used to the inherent sillyness too. Also introduces the philosophical element common in so many anime series.
3. Fruits Basket - Unlike the the other two, this would expose the viewer to the less action, more personal type of series out there. FB displays a stellar range of comedy and drama, and represents many of the most enjoyable elements of anime as a flexible art medium. Also, it proves that anime can do sitcoms, and do them damn well, so well you never want them to end. It teaches the lesson of anime humor and irony.
4. Naruto - Time to introduce the newbie to fighting anime! By now they should be used to action and comedy, drama and sillyness. Time to show them the best fighting anime out there. And teach them that anime is crack and that crack is called Naruto.
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion - now that you've got them exposed to all of the above, it's time to introduce them to the "weird & disturbing shit" category. Eva, what a way to start down that road. It also rounds out their education nicely with a very-frequently discussed title that is always good for strongly opinionated conversation-starters.
6. The Vision of Escaflowne - And here is where they get the culmination of everything they've seen before - perfect music, perfect character development, perfect plot, perfect writing, perfect romance, perfect drama, damn near perfect everything.
And now that your basic education is complete, time for the fun excursions. Like electives in high school.
7. Full Metal Alchemist - Angst. comedy. angst. action. angst. magic/alchemy. angst. brain-exploding plot that makes you wibble. And very very smartly interwoven.
8. Ranma 1/2 - Because Rumiko Takahashi is a household name for anime fans. And there's a reason for that, absurd as that reason may be.
9. FLCL - Best experienced when one is well and deeply into anime fandom already and are more emotionally prepared to deal with it's beautific and metaphoric psychotic randomness.
10. X, the movie - Because they need to know how bad the bad can be. It's a horrible experience they'll hate you for, but it's a harsh lesson that must be taught: some anime really sucks.
Ultimate Anime Rec List:
or
How to go about educating someone into otakudom, through anime showings
or
How to go about educating someone into otakudom, through anime showings
1. Cowboy Bebop - I think this is one of the most accessible shows to watch from the perspective of an anime newbie or hopeful anime inductee. It's themes are more familiar and accessible to Western audiences, and it's character designs are stylish, and it's considerably less weird-scary than some other shows. And the music holds your attention until you've seen enough that you're convinced you want to stay.
2. Trigun - Because this is my favorite, and also because of the reasons above. It's a good show by which to introduce someone to the wackyness of anime and the drama, and to slowly get them used to the inherent sillyness too. Also introduces the philosophical element common in so many anime series.
3. Fruits Basket - Unlike the the other two, this would expose the viewer to the less action, more personal type of series out there. FB displays a stellar range of comedy and drama, and represents many of the most enjoyable elements of anime as a flexible art medium. Also, it proves that anime can do sitcoms, and do them damn well, so well you never want them to end. It teaches the lesson of anime humor and irony.
4. Naruto - Time to introduce the newbie to fighting anime! By now they should be used to action and comedy, drama and sillyness. Time to show them the best fighting anime out there. And teach them that anime is crack and that crack is called Naruto.
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion - now that you've got them exposed to all of the above, it's time to introduce them to the "weird & disturbing shit" category. Eva, what a way to start down that road. It also rounds out their education nicely with a very-frequently discussed title that is always good for strongly opinionated conversation-starters.
6. The Vision of Escaflowne - And here is where they get the culmination of everything they've seen before - perfect music, perfect character development, perfect plot, perfect writing, perfect romance, perfect drama, damn near perfect everything.
And now that your basic education is complete, time for the fun excursions. Like electives in high school.
7. Full Metal Alchemist - Angst. comedy. angst. action. angst. magic/alchemy. angst. brain-exploding plot that makes you wibble. And very very smartly interwoven.
8. Ranma 1/2 - Because Rumiko Takahashi is a household name for anime fans. And there's a reason for that, absurd as that reason may be.
9. FLCL - Best experienced when one is well and deeply into anime fandom already and are more emotionally prepared to deal with it's beautific and metaphoric psychotic randomness.
10. X, the movie - Because they need to know how bad the bad can be. It's a horrible experience they'll hate you for, but it's a harsh lesson that must be taught: some anime really sucks.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 09:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 10:01 am (UTC)You only say that because you haven't seen all of FB yet. Also, FY is a different kind of animal than FB... firstly it's an adventure/romance/fantasy story so it's not even in the same category. And as much as I love FY (I spent the early years and money of high school age on it so I know what it's like to love that show too), it's not quite as good as FB is. It's good, but not quite as good. Mostly though it's different, so it's hard to compare.
Replace Trigun with Rurouni Kenshin (just until after the Kyoto arc) and the Samurai X ovas.
I have not yet seen the OAVs, but I rate the tv-show of Kenshin at about the same place as I rate Inu Yasha. Fun, but I would put it way down on the list of what you need to watch before anything else.
Replace Eva with RahXephon since it has the better ending.
Well, I haven't seen RahXephon (Does RaXephon freak you out? Because parts of Eva seriously squicked and disturbed me), but I would still put Eva up anyway, for it's importance to anime fandom. It's a classic almost the way Akira is a classic. Any anime fan is *obligated* to watch Eva at some point, I believe. If I were king of the world, anyway, as my post infers I would be in order to make such a list in the first place.
I thought about Spirited Away, Perfect Blue, and Akira, but I left them off simply because I was too lazy to really get into movies, which are a whole nother basket in addition to tv shows. I only put the movie X up there because it's the worst anime I've ever watched. Weirdly, also one of the prettiest.
I put FMA up because until now I've thought Trigun had the highest angst factor of any decent anime I've seen... now FMA, as I watch, is getting very close to taking that title.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 10:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 10:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-10 06:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-10 08:33 am (UTC)