Anime & Manga *noob noises*

[Anonymous-X]

Hey, y'all! So, because I've been bored out of my fucking mind, and want to delve into some new fandoms, I decided that maybe I could check out some Anime.

However, I don't know where to start. There's just a lot of anime that seem really good that I can't really choose what one to start out with.

So, I'm asking you guys for suggestions (I really don't care about the genre, mind you).

Anyways, thank you for reading this!

 

[Tove]

My personal favorites~
Knights of Sidonia
Gurren Lagann
Attack on Titan
Samurai 7
Samurai Champloo
Blue Gender
Gantz until the last episodes
Witch Hunter Robin
Trigun

 

[Hall Kervean]

I can personally recommend Death Note and Hunter x Hunter (2011).

 

[Gizaira]

The Fate Series.

I suggest you start with Fate/Zero then go on to Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works (F/Z is a prequel of FSN), then either Fate/Apocrypha or Fate/Grand Order (it doesn't really matter which one between those two). If you're into a bunch of magical girl yuri fanservice stuff you might also want to check out Fate/Kalied Liner Prisma Illya. (not entirely sure how it is myself but...You can judge it yourself.)

Some other animes are One Punch Man, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Fullmetal Alchemist, School Rumble (has more to do with comedy), and Durarara.

 

[bisectional]

A lot of people start with Attack on Titan or Naruto. I personally find Naruto intimidating because it has so many seasons, but AOT is really good. Other good starters would be Blue Exorcist, Haikyu!!, or Tokyo Ghoul

Some of my favorites are Kiznaiver, 91 Days, Yuri! on Ice, Bungou Stray Dogs, Nobunagun, Baby Steps (just trust me on this one), and The Flowers We Saw that Day

 

[Birdsie]

Best, popular anime series I know of and their pros:

• Code Geass: A good action-packed story with heavy themes on leadership, and military strategy and tactics. Do not be swayed by that alone! It also contains minor superpower themes and how they can be abused if one didn't become an ordinary villain or superhero, and instead a national leader. On top of that, expect good mecha fights. This is definitely one of the best anime series to date. The visuals and music are beautiful and the story is at the very peak of writing. The main character is a magnificent bastard and a badass chessmaster that blows your mind in nearly every fight with clever tricks.
  
  The story follows the bizarre fate of Lelouch Lamperouge who sets out to obliterate Britannia, a large superpower of a nation, in an alternate historical setting. Lelouch makes a contract with a mysterious witch and attains the power of Geass; the ability to impose his will and orders onto any person through simple eye contact and order. He sets out and uses his tactical genius and Geass power to gain hold over the planet and make it into a gentler place.
• Fate Series: A poor way to get into the Nasuverse, so if you want to get the gist of the setting watch Tsukihime first. Despite that, Fate is an amazing story. It takes the classical mythological heroes: King Arthur, Heracles, Gilgamesh, Robin Hood, and other heroes whether historical, theological, or mythological and assigns them to seven classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, and Assassin. These seven classes are then summoned by seven Masters. These summoned heroes of legends past become their Servants and partake in the Holy Grail War, a war for the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail is in-fact, not just a holy cup, but an omnipotent wish-granting device. I advise to start with Fate/Unlimited Blade Works then continue with Fate/Zero, then, if you want a less tense story watch Fate/Stay Night. All with the best visuals and sound effects in any anime I've seen in my whole life. Also, prepare your butt because Fate/Heaven's Feel is coming out soon. Oh, and Fate/Apocrypha came out recently, so I guess there's that too!
  
  Fate/Unlimited Blade Works follows the story of Shirou Emiya, a third-rate magus who has little to no idea how to use his gifts. By complete accident, he summons the Saber-class Servant and has to, albeit unexpectedly, participate in the Holy Grail War and attempt to attain the Grail. On the way there, however, he meets an unexpected adversary in the form of an ancient king...
  Fate/Zero is a prequel, following the story of Kiritsugu Emiya, Shirou's adoptive father who is scarcely mentioned in UBW. Apparently, Kiritsugu participated in a Holy Grail War himself, having summoned the same Servant as his son. Kiritsugu wishes to attain the Grail in order to stop the world's suffering, but soon he discovers a deeper purpose of the Grail and finds himself having to choose between two great evils...
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: An epic story of amazing writing, with themes inspired by the classic saga story archetypes. Written differently from the classic anime archetype, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure changes greatly with each part. Where Part 1 is mostly a typical shounen combat series, Part 2 changes the theme drastically and suddenly turns it into a complex, tactical struggle against superior beings, where the protagonist has to use every little dirty move to his advantage and make clever plans to win. Each part is unique and each protagonist is interesting in his own way. You can expect an action-packed adventure full of comedy, and tragedy alike. Also, don't listen to people and trust me that it's safe to watch this - you won't turn into a muscle-worshipping demigod from liking JJBA. Oh, almost forgot: pretty music and visuals. Most importantly, what you can expect, is a truly bizarre adventure.
  
  The story follows the fate of the Joestar family bloodline, starting in Part 1: Phantom Blood with Jonathan Joestar, betrayed by his adoptive brother; Dio Brando. Dio takes the legendary Stone Mask and uses its unholy power to turn himself into a vampire. With the help of allies, Jonathan sets out to destroy Dio using the ancient power of the Ripple. Later, in Part 2: Jonathan's grandson; Joseph takes over, just before WW2. Part 2: Battle Tendency focuses on Joseph's fight with the Pillar Men, ancient vampire gods. Afterward, we go to Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, where Joseph's grandson Jotaro takes over the banner of the protagonist and using the mystical Stand ability, he sets out to kill Dio once and for all after his unexpected return. Lastly, we go to Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable, where the small town of Morioh is under attack of weird, unexplained supernatural events. Jotaro travels there and unites with Josuke Higashikata, the unlawful son of Joseph Joestar. The two use their Stand powers and gather allies to stop a mysterious serial killer... and soon enough, the epic anime saga will continue with the anime release of Part 5: Vento Aureo.

 

[Windsock]

All anime is terrible
Except Gundam
Gundam's pretty cool.

 

[Alteras]

It really depends on taste. I watch my anime types, based on what emotion I want to feel or what genre i'm interested in, or whether or not I'm on the hype train. That usually means I have more than 75+ anime I'm "currently watching" at any given time. Here's my list of "anime for beginners." Some of these will probably have a nonexistent fandom or a fandom that died out a long time ago.

Popular anime:
These are your usual good starts into the anime world. Birdsie did a great job covering three of what I would already recommend

Fate Series - If there is one thing I would add to the review that Birdsie gave is that Fate/Unlimited Blade Works is an alternate timeline of Fate/Stay Night. I believe that Fate/Stay Night is considered the true ending, but I'm not too sure. My recommendation would be to start with Fate/Zero, then choose between UBW or SN, as I've found that my peers are able to get into the franchise better, starting with Zero, even though SN and UBW do a better job at explaining the laws of the universe. If you prefer to watch it in the way that it was aired, SN, then Zero, then UBW.

Aldnoah.Zero - Need a good Mech anime that isn't 10 years old? Aldnoah.zero is your anime. Humans colonized Mars, however Mars began a revolt and waged a war on Earth, eventually destroying the Moon. A truce is made until Mars decides to attack Earth again, this time doing a ton more damage. Follow two young boys thrusted into this war on opposing sides as they do battle in epic mechs without the transforming bit. It is honestly a great show, with its own level of smarts (definitely not on code geass's level tho). Season 2 is a divisive season for fans tho, so beware.

Boku no Hero Academia - The Superhero Shonen trope done well. Tired of Marvel and DC? Need a down to earth, warm hearted superhero origin story? This is your anime. Follow Midoriya in the world of superheroes and villains, where practically everyone has an ability known as Quirk. Season 2 is airing right now. Animation is quite nice, story is heart warming, it's just good in general. It is able to flesh out many of its characters and give even the side characters some development. It's a hype train rn, and I love it. Oh and the music, it is beautiful.

Ansatsu Kyoushitsu - This delinquent class's teacher is an alien who is about to destroy the world. The students have been tasked with killing the teacher through assassination attempts. Good series all around. It has good character development, as well as a lot of laughs. It's really great.

It's never too late to hop on the bandwagon:

Baccano! - The only thing I can say is read the MAL synopsis. I can't even begin to describe to you how much I love it. You follow multiple characters (and by multiple, I mean lots) all in the same world, as you try to piece together the entire puzzle. Episodes and scenes are played out of the order in which it occurs, but it makes the ending even more satisfying, as you figure out how every character is interconnected in this bizzare world of old America. You'll end up never skipping the opening.

Initial-D - CARS. It's literally street racing. It's a quite dated, but the fanbase keeps on loving it. If you've ever seen the "Multitrack drifting meme," this is where it came from. There are quite a number of seasons and you can find it on youtube. I'm not even a car geek and I love it. Music is good old Eurobeat, so it might feel cliche, and so is the art style, but it is honestly a good watch.

Log Horizon - DATABASE! DATABASE! JUST LIVING IN THE DATABASE! ... Excuse me. Log Horizon is the smarter version of Sword Art Online (if you don't know SAO, it is if players are trapped in a game). It's action sequences aren't as epic as SAO, but rather I'd say the epic part is understanding what is happening. Not only are the battles smart, but also the down time. The main character, Shiro, is consistently plotting and planing. If you're use to MMO games, or even just rpgs in general, you'll pick up all the terms right away, however there is a lot of world building throughout the anime. The anime is currently awaiting a season 3.

No Game No Life - This should honestly be in the popular category, but it'll go here anyway. Ahem, Brother and sister (adopted) transported to a world where everything is decided by games. Oh and brother and sister are the best at games in their world. Art is beautiful, games always have a twist, and the hype train keeps on going. it is good.

Kekkai Sensen - I'm not too sure what the consensus is on it, but I love it. Supernatural beings in New York. Crazy shit happens. It's a no hold bars world. Oh and the main character has a really cool ability. That's all I'll say. I don't want to explode in fandomism.

Dark then Black - Electric Chinese Batman. Welcome to a world where the stars are no longer the same and the every government in the world is keeping a conspiracy theory that there are supernatural beings known as contractors. You follow Electric Chinese Batman, who is an epic contractor, doing dirty jobs of a secret organization. It's really really cool actions sequences all around.

Your niche anime:

Gosick - It's quite old, but it is a good detective anime. Set in the fictional European nation of... something I don't remember, before the outbreak of world war 2, a japanese transfer student comes and... agh! just read the MAL synopsis. It's a detective anime that's really really cool. I wouldn't say that it has the same touch of detective as something like an Agatha Christie novel, but it is a detective story anyway. It has its fair share of action as well.

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU - it might seem like your ordinary slice of life high school romcom harem anime, but trust me, it is not. Characters have conflicting philosophy and ideology as three characters who's arguably never had true friends try to be friends, and not your "high school posse" friends. It is actually quite heartbreaking, as every character, even side characters, speak in metaphors and double entendres, slowly trying to influence the main characters for better or worse. Oh and the true main character (the one you'll hear the narration from) has a slow but really strong character development. It has 2 seasons, and while the first season isn't as heavy as the second, it perfectly sets everything up. If you want a more proper synopsis, go read the MAL one, although I find it to be lacking in what I just described. 10/10 would recommend any day. If there's one thing you should take away from my post is that My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU is really really good, and should be watched because it takes the slice of life, romcom, and harem tropes and brings it to the literary value that it can be. It's so good I'm even giving you the english title and not the japanese, just so you can remember it!

Steins;Gate - This could fall on in the other categories, but I've been finding that not as many people have watched it nowadays. Time travel, mad scientist, a bit of harem, conspiracy theories, what more could you need? I don't know how to describe it to you. The characters have different personalities and some are a bit crazy, but as you progress through the anime, you find out their backstories, their motivations, their ideology. It is an anime that has been in the top 5 for a long time, but kinda hard to sell unless you've watched it. It's a bit slow at times, but I think it helps to reflect the nature of it.

Spice and Wolf - Anime meets medieval economics with a bit of the supernatural. Guy meets fox girl, guy turns out to be merchant, two stay together in an anime that'll get you more interested in economics than any TED talk ever could. It is quite good.

Joker Game - Have you ever looked at spy movies and thought that all those action scenes and gadgets and gizmos really aren't what a spy should be. Well, these people thought so. Welcome to Japan, in beginning of WWII. A clandestine spy agency known as D-Agency is set up and sending spies out all over the world. There is no big overarching plot, but rather mini plots as you follow these spies exploits. You might not ever remember their names, maybe not even their face. They will literally blend in with the crowd, but isn't that what a spy is suppose to be? It's action scenes are minimal, but it's the actions these spies take that's truly great. I quite love it, although other people who are expecting a more bond style anime won't.

Death Parade - A psychological thriller. It is beautiful. It is full of metaphors, symbolism, and ideology. Two people enter a bar, meeting a strange bartender called Decim, who invites them to a game. The two aren't allowed to leave the bar until after the game is done. They have no memories of how they've gotten there, and no way to contact the outside world. The thing with the game is that they're betting their lives on it. It is a great anime that really explores the depths of the human psyche. I've done an entire research paper on it, and there's still more that I haven't figured out from it. It includes alot of freudian psychology without having to explain it. It is really beautiful, music, art, story, everything. Oh and the opening is lots of fun. If there's one other thing I want you to take away from this post, is that Death Parade is one of the best anime I've seen in a long time.

Barakamon - A heartwarming anime about a guy living in the countryside and being friends with little kids. You watch this guy grow both emotionally and philosophically. It's beautiful. Go read MAL for a better synopsis, I can only tell you to go watch it.

I honestly want to give you more, but any more and I might as well just give you my entire 200+ anime list.

 

[NekoQueen49]

The first anime (that I knew was an anime) was Karin (Chibi Vampire for the manga). It's pretty good, a rom com about vampires and all that.

For romantic shows, which I know more than others: Kamisama Kiss, My Love Story, Kimi ni Todoke, Okami-san and Her Seven Companions, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, My Little Monster, Toradora, Ouran High School Host Club or Wolf Girl and Black Prince.

For darker, more mature themes: Death Parade (I already wrote it before they said it! So it counts as original), Durarara, Monster, Madoka Magica (don't be fooled- it is dark), Fullmetal Alchemist, Hunter X Hunter (starts light) or Death Note.

Not romance but still light hearted: The Devil Is a Part Timer, Seven Deadly Sins (kind of romance but no ships have sailed), or Haikyuu (some one has already said this before I did though but it's what got me into sports anime)
I have more, but I'm afraid to spend too much more time and my list will be completely unoriginal

 

[Illiterate]

Anything Mainstream.