Board 8 > anime recommendations for a friend new to anime

(+) Yeah! (+)

my friend is asking for recs after starting one punch man and loving it.

i gave him a list of some of my favorites, but I'm horribly outdated:
cowboy bebop
death note
gurren lagann
eva
fma and fmab
code geass (this one might be a little too anime for a newbie)

gonna get him some movie recommendations too

anything that's over the top ridiculous (opm, ttgl) or quality with dark undertones (fma, death note, eva)

---

Attack on Titan (final season should be airing later this year)
Kill la Kill
Prison School (if he doesnt mind something being fanservicey on top of the over the top factor)

did i hear that attack on titan went from amazing s1 to shit instantaneously

is that true and does it redeem itself?

---

My Hero Academia
Black Lagoon

---

Kill La Kill
Devilman Crybaby
Fate/Zero
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Attack on Titan
The Promised Neverland

Some that come to mind for me

---

Snrkiko posted...

did i hear that attack on titan went from amazing s1 to shit instantaneously

is that true and does it redeem itself?

Not true whatsoever.

---

movies i recommended:
movies: akira, grave of the fireflies, your name, tokyo godfathers, read or die, perfect blue, cowboy bebop movie, MIND GAME, and all the Miyazaki movies starting with mononoke or spirited away

---

Snrkiko posted...

did i hear that attack on titan went from amazing s1 to shit instantaneously

is that true and does it redeem itself?

I'd say the opposite, season 1 is the weakest season!

---

Also Kill la Kill and Prison School seem like bad suggestions for someone new to anime unless you want them to think the genre is comprised mostly of of weird fanservice shlock

---

Carole & Tuesday

Turn him into someone who sees two girls being really friendly with each other and then wishing they were lesbians.

---

I only suggested Kill La Kill because he specifically said over the top ridiculous

---

Snrkiko posted...

code geass (this one might be a little too anime for a newbie)

I lol'ed because that's pretty true

I always have to recommend Monster but frankly that's not really anime-y, it plays like a straight drama that's animated, a GOAT drama, but still. So maybe hang on to that one for a few years down the line.

Also skip FMA, just get him on FMA:B, come on.

And Attack on Titan was always incredible. MAYBE you can argue the first half of Season 3 was a dropoff but certainly not Season 2 (or the latter part of Season 3). But all of season 3 was great.

So top rec you didn't list is Attack on Titan for sure.... but I'm also horribly outdated.

i purposely did not recommend kill la kill because imo it's a poor imitation of gainax shows but eh

---

Black Lagoon
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Steins;Gate
Fate/Zero
The Promised Neverland

If he's loving OPM you can try Mob Psycho 100 as well, same creator (and way better imhotbqh)

---

Yeah idk where you heard AoT season 1 is the best...

If anything it gets better as it goes for the most part.

MartinFF7 posted...

I lol'ed because that's pretty true

I always have to recommend Monster but frankly that's not really anime-y, it plays like a straight drama that's animated, a GOAT drama, but still. So maybe hang on to that one for a few years down the line.

Also skip FMA, just get him on FMA:B, come on.

And Attack on Titan was always incredible. MAYBE you can argue the first half of Season 3 was a dropoff but certainly not Season 2 (or the latter part of Season 3). But all of season 3 was great.

So top rec you didn't list is Attack on Titan for sure.... but I'm also horribly outdated.

fma has the better buildup for nina and maes imo so I think it's worthwhile still

---

xp1337 posted...

If he's loving OPM you can try Mob Psycho 100 as well, same creator (and way better imhotbqh)

100% TRUTH

---

I'm almost done with Demon Slayer, I'm really enjoying it and don't want it to end.

---

Snrkiko posted...

fma has the better buildup for nina and maes imo so I think it's worthwhile still

mmmm that is true!

I should go back and watch it, the more Maes was great there. Nina buildup though, come on...

Erased
Parasyte
One Punch Man
My Hero Acadamia
Akame ga Kill

---

Snrkiko posted...

i purposely did not recommend kill la kill because imo it's a poor imitation of gainax shows but eh

Uh, is it really an imitation when it's literally the same director?

---

I think S1 vs S2 of AoT is debatable, but S3 is definitely way better than either.

Monster is my favorite anime and could definitely be enjoyed by a non-anime fan, though at the same time its not just like mindless fun.

Fate/Zero and UBW are good suggestions too.

---

LordoftheMorons posted...

Monster is my favorite anime and could definitely be enjoyed by a non-anime fan, though at the same time its not just like mindless fun.

I've been wanting to watch this for forever but it's not on Crunchyroll or VRV. Where can I watch this?

---

Also yeah I just watched Demon Slayer myself and it was really good throughout.

Hopefully the movie and any further seasons maintain that quality.

And speaking of quality action shounen, My Hero Academia is also a top rec.

Baccano! is great, esp for not being super anime in ways that'll turn people off.

---

My Bride is a Mermaid. Great humor, great action, great at being over the top, plenty of classic anime stuff in there, its a compact length at only twenty-something episodes, and its on Netflix. Basically perfect.

SwiftyDC posted...

I've been wanting to watch this for forever but it's not on Crunchyroll or VRV. Where can I watch this?

I believe its all up on YouTube; I dont think theres any actual legal way to watch it, though (its in licensing limbo).

---

profDEADPOOL posted...

Baccano! is great, esp for not being super anime in ways that'll turn people off.

I forgot about baccano!

---

Revue Starlight fits both of your requirements!

---

Death Parade

---

good luck finding a legal way to watch Baccano!

but if you're looking for something awesome that's completely over the top then I recommend School Rumble

---

Sword of the Stranger
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
the Tatami Galaxy
Ping Pong
Blast of Tempest
Boogiepop and Others/Boogiepop Phantom
Shiki
Texhnolyze
Paranoia Agent
Big O
Welcome to the NHK
---

LeonhartFour posted...

good luck finding a legal way to watch Baccano!

If legal ways to watch was a requirement it should have been mentioned in the OP tbh.

---

death note and steins;gate are good for people whove never seen anime in my experience

---

people watch anime legally?

---

I don't think I have given a high rating to anime mainstream stuff that a 'casual' fan would get into easily. That being, said, I'll try my best.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki Kun is the highest rated pure comedy on my list, and for a good reason. It's funny, it has interesting and naturally entertaining characters. They lead themselves to the jokes very well because the set up is often built into the quirk or personality of the character. It also has some nice romance elements which can make it easier to feel invested in the characters, but it doesn't expect you to buy into any ridiculous melodrama.

I'd also add Tsurezure Children to the list of recs as a series that is great in all of the same ways as Nozaki-kun, and I'd recommend for the same reasons. The difference between them is that Tsurezure Children is more episodic and often focuses on a rotating cast of minor characters who each have their own fairly self contained stories. Some of them end up recurring, but each "skit" feels like a complete short story that has good comedy and good romance.

Comedy series are a great catch-all recommendation for anyone who is new to anime, or just for someone if you don't know their tastes. It's a very small investment and you can quickly figure out whether you like the comedy or not.

The already mentioned Prison School actually is very good. Yes, it has a lot of over the top fanservice. But it's also intentionally absurd, and it takes it to such a degree that I have seen many, many casuals who very easily laughed at the absurdity of it all. It's presented in a way that can appeal to normals. And it helps that the fanservice is backed up with characters and a plot that make you actually feel invested and want to see things through to the end. The anime doesn't adapt the entire manga, but it does adapt what is a very good self-contained arc, from start to finish.. and also happens to be probably the best arc in the entire series. It's worth a try. And for anyone who isn't sexually repressed to the point of being unable to watch something that shows a character with exposed skin, it's definitely worth a watch. You should also see the OVA when you're finished. We're very unlikely to ever get a season 2, but the OVA adapts the next few chapters in a way that gives a more complete and satisfying conclusion to a few of the characters.

often the hardest part of recommending anime to anyone who doesn't already watch anime, is getting past whatever self-imposed obstacle or restriction that they have already set for themselves as to why they "don't watch anime." even seasoned anime watchers do this. you don't like sports anime, until you see a sports anime that you like. you think that all mecha is lame, until you see mecha that you like. you don't like fanservice, until you find a fanservice series that is good. you think all anime is lame trash, until you actually watch some that is well made.

literally anyone can easily say 'prison school is just softcore porn made for horny teenagers' if they haven't watched it yet. that is very easy to say. but if you watch it, you might think differently. and trying new things isn't always so easy, especially if it's something that you already have a bias against.


---

and I speak from personal experience here. I used to be the kind of person who said that fanservice series were almost always low effort, and there was no real purpose for them to exist when you could just go watch porn instead. Prison School is actually the show that changed my opinion on this.


---

i haven't seen prison school myself, gonna have to check it out. is it streaming anywhere?

---

Inferno cop

---

Snrkiko posted...

i haven't seen prison school myself, gonna have to check it out. is it streaming anywhere?

funimation and crunchyroll, it looks like. or get the uncensored version through some nefarious and underhanded methods.

and it actually has a dub which honestly makes it more normal friendly than a sub only series would be.

---

Finished Demon Slayer. Cant wait for the next season. Its easily one of my favorites.

---

how's seven deadly sins

---

Not mentioned:
Erased
Vinland Saga

Adding my vote to some already mentioned:
Death Note
FMA: B
Promised Neverland
Fate/Zero
Steins;Gate
AoT

---

Snrkiko posted...

how's seven deadly sins

pretty standard shounen fare. decent early on and gets progressively worse

at least thats the manga i dont know if the anime is produced well at all

---

Snrkiko posted...

how's seven deadly sins

Its fine enough up to a certain point. Its kinda generic-ish though. The latest season ran into some issue of being handed off to a different studio right before it was time to air or something so the entire thing has like a 2 cent budget and is being slammed by viewers.

I only watched the first season, and it felt very generic and uninspired. The jokes often fall flat, the characters don't leave much of an impression, the action scenes are good enough. I kept hoping it would get better and it didn't.

---

Peace___Frog posted...

I only watched the first season, and it felt very generic and uninspired. The jokes often fall flat, the characters don't leave much of an impression, the action scenes are good enough. I kept hoping it would get better and it didn't.

kill la kill?

---

Steins;Gate

---

https://twitter.com/HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN/status/1235225657774235648
https://twitter.com/HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN/status/1235808812008759297

Just tell him that Hideo Kojima watched this.

---

Snrkiko posted...

kill la kill?

kill la kill is top tier and I would never use that paragraph to describe it

---