Forum - View topicThe List - 7 "Gateway" Anime Sure to Get Newbies Hooked
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Ranho
Posts: 68 |
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What a guy. Japan thanks you (as well as your 5 friends, probably). (Death Note should probably be included on this list despite the fact that it's shounen. That show had me rabid for a while) |
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Ranho
Posts: 68 |
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Man, I don't know how anyone would watch that opening, listen to the theme song and expect something different from the show. It is one of the few anime openings I actually watched to the end back in the day and I HATE anime openings (an already high-pitched voice girl singing with a high-pitched voice in a language I don't understand to drippy, skippy, happy pop music blergh!). Even the Ending with Revy walking barefoot on a beach, I loved. Such a cool show tackled by a studio that was perfectly suited to animate it at the time (MADHOUSE). Screw it, I'd like a 3rd season, please, simultaneously dubbed Supesu Dandii style. |
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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If you're talking about the Muyo OAV (and we can assume the column is too), I'll give you "nonsensical". Oh, lordy, is it ever.  Just try following one fact straight from one episode to the next, before you just give up and assume they're making it up as they go along.
If you're talking about the more "mainstreamed" Tenchi Universe TV series, OTOH, that solved a lot of problems that angered quick-thinking fans resentful at having the OAV shoved down their throat because it was such an "epic". The series reduces the concept to a simple comfort-food harem comedy--arguably the first one, since it was parodying a famous Japanese love-triangle story--with a sci-fi story arc to link it, but FWIW, it's a lot easier to follow. The characters ARE crazy, and in the good way, but it turns what would normally be the "shallow" or "wimpy" main center character into just a default Nice Guy to serve as the anchor of the plot. (Now, if you want a show that symbolized "The stereotype of what the rest of the world thought anime was", just look back at Fox following a string of mainstream syndicated anime like Digimon with their deal to distribute "Escaflowne"...How hard could it be? And found that 00's network Saturday morning wasn't exactly the "gate" for a show that was mecha-battled, girly, overwritten and artsy-stylized. That was the Anti-Gateway show that may have singlehandedly brought the post-Pokemon syndicated anime gold-rush to a calamitous, grinding, train-wreck halt in its tracks. Although the US mainstream gold rush officially ended with "Cardcaptors", the irony being, the original Cardcaptor Sakura, now on Crunchyroll, was in its day one of the most addictive gateway animes known to man  )
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Alex_Sandy
Posts: 26 |
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Most of your choices are oldies, fondly remembered, though I did think Death Note blew and Another's ending was completely over the top. If I had to recommend something a bit newer that the uninitiated could relate to I would choose Barakamon or Chihayafuru. The former because it's more adult and so far has never failed to please and the latter which I found to be an equally enjoyable character driven story with both based around quintessentially japanese activities. I wouldn't want to scare away someone with the typical teenagers in robots and half naked school girls. (Though I don't really mind them myself, but then I'm kind of childish)
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kevinx59
 Posts: 959 Location: In sunny California |
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Nice list, though none of these where my gateway anime. I grew up watching Pokemon, Yugioh and Shaman King. Cardcaptors was probably one of my early favorites, so much so that id be upset if I missed an episode. Kid's stuff, but probably the first series that really impacted me was FLCL. The music was amazing, the animation blew my mind, I was awestruck. The animation is still impressive to this day. The other series that got me to really start watching was surprisingly a rather obscure one: Stratos 4. Girls and jets, I was hooked. Ironically enough while Fullmetal Alchemist was the first manga I ever bought, to this day I've yet to watch more than a couple episodes of the original or brotherhood, though I have the 1st movie.
Recommendations? I've always preferred Samurai Champloo to Bebop, but both are solid. Black Lagoons cool, and someone I knew thought Highschool of the Dead was ridiculous but entertaining after recommending it . Bacanno maybe, though the nonlinear storytelling may be too confusing for a newbie. Chobits was my fanservice intro. Waiting in the Summer is also a good romance with a hint of sexyness. For some reason I think Squid Girl is a nice comedic intro. As much as I like Steins;Gate, all the Akihabara culture stuff seems like it may be a bit much for newbies. Hosada's movies I recommend though. Someone said Scrapped Princess, so maybe Chaika also. I'm watching Dennou Coil, which has appeal for both kids and adults. Last week I voted for Dekomori. Happy she made it, though too bad she got 9th. For this week, seeing as how K-On! Is one of my favorite series, there could simply be no other choice for me. |
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Running Wild
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Street Fighter II The Animated Movie and Ninja Scroll were my gateway anime.
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Ali07
 Posts: 3333 Location: Victoria, Australia |
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The SFII movie is the one with a Chun-Li shower scene, yes? I remember seeing that movie when I was around twelve...and I didn't see that coming. To this day, that is the only thing about the movie I remember...
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R315r4z0r
 Posts: 717 |
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DBZ was the first anime I saw, but I didn't really consider it (or know it to be) anime at the time. Fast forward a few years, I was watching some late night shows on [adult swim] that I enjoyed or just watched to pass time.
It wasn't until I saw Fullmetal Alchemist that I got hooked. And it was a rather odd feeling to. Whenever I saw the show I got this strange tingling feeling in my gut saying "this is something I gotta get into." Anyway, I think a good gateway anime, oddly enough, would be Angel Beats. It's stylized, funny, has some cool action and an intriguing plot hook. Plus it has those sudden dips into completely shocking pits of darkness that really grab the viewer. |
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scriver058
 Posts: 127 Location: NY |
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I've always said that if you could take the first half of FMA 2003 and combine it with the second half of FMA Brotherhood, you'd have the perfect adaptation of FMA. As it stands I prefer the 2003 series, I enjoy the more serious tone it has as opposed to FMAB going super deformed every 2 minutes, the homunculus on the whole and how they are created are more interesting, the true villain of FMA 2003 really isn't that different from Father, and of course it does a much better job with the Elric brother's origins and making you aware of why Maes Hughes is such a great character. I get why it was done, but it's still highly disappointing to me that FMAB chose to take the route it did with it's first 12 eps, that hurts it too much for me to like it more than 2003 but it's still pretty good once you get past that. Ah, gateway anime... I remember the Guyver 12 ep OVA being the first anime I had seen more or less, it was amazing to me at that time. It led me to seek out stuff like Ninja Scroll, 8-Man After, Lily Cat, Akira, Curse of the Yoma, the Fist of the North Star anime movie, pretty much anything I found at the local video store or playing on the Sci-Fi network. I kinda went through a lull with anime after that initial experience, but the series that brought me to full permanent fandom was Rurouni Kenshin when it began running on Toonami. That might be the anime I would nominate as a gateway, pretty much everyone around me (family, friends) found something to like about it when I showed it to them, more so than anything else I might have tried to show them.
I've actually compared Berserk to Game of Thrones, when speaking of it to friends. |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4096 |
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The OVA series not only makes you think, it requires you to think. Universe is the processed cheese to the OVA's brie. I guess the question is: do you want them to get a taste for something or not? And I should have said this earlier: Mainstream anime isn't anime. {Most of the popular animes don't even have Japanese names... or have them changed... so yeah} My gateway anime was Bubblegum Crisis 2040 with its episodic nature slowly being replaced by multi-episode arcs, finishing with a full on story. It doesn't get any better than that. Dragon Ball Z? I said "better". Today, anime has changed. Better, worse? Don't know but Psycho Pass and Another were the most recent titles on that list and I'd rather not touch either one of them again. Mean spirited with an absolute slaughter feast/fest and then there's the horror series. Can you say "anti moe"? I can't because I'm not Japanese. Recent shows with non Japanese appeal that doesn't just cater to Japanese otakus {rather than just shows that hate them...}, talk about your "mission impossible". Well, yeah, there is the giant in the room but let's skip him for now. I got nothing. "Anime lite" like K-On or Toradora? |
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SquadmemberRitsu
 Posts: 1391 |
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My gateway anime was K-ON. And as much as I love Bebop I don't think any of those shows would have given me the desire to watch more anime.
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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In the ultra-cute department, there is Chi's Sweet Home (licensed for DVD, not yet released) and Chi's New Address (on Crunchyroll). Chi is unbelievably cute. For a bit more edgy story, I'll suggest Higepiyo about a bearded, sake-drinking chick (poultry, not girl) with samurai aspirations. He's hilariously voiced by veteran seiyuu Paku Romi. Given your comment about Master Keaton, what about Monster? I'm of the opinion that the second season of Black Lagoon is substantially better than the first. I guess if you're looking for shoot-em-ups you might like the first season better, but I thought the Nazi arc was silly and, while Roberta has an interesting back story, the rest of that arc was just too ridiculously unbelievable. I prefer the arcs where Balalaika is a principal character and think the final sequence of season two, "Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise" is the best of all the BL stories. |
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Sorraffy
Posts: 160 |
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Whoever said Claymore, I'd have to disagree with that one especially if the newbies become "invested" in the series. They'd get to the end and say, "hey I really liked this series where can I watch more?" , "oh you can't, the anime just ended like that ... but there's a manga and it's still going!" so maybe gateway into Anime then gateway to manga.
*Same with FruBa. Use to really like it (still like some eps) but I really enjoy the manga a lot more now, the final .. 3? volumes always bring a tear to my eye when I re-read. As far as my 5 would go (going with something different than what this list has) - Yu Yu Hakusho through at least Season 3 - R. Kenshin through the end of Kyoto (no need to go further) - Trigun - Last Exile - Michiko & Hatchin |
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FlamingFirewire
 Posts: 464 |
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If you're looking for a sports anime, you should see if he likes Cross Game at all - it's easily one of the better sports anime out there. Oh, and you definitely have to make sure he tries Monster. |
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sunflower
 Posts: 1080 |
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Monster is definitely on my list. I just wasn't sure how to get it for him. I'd love to be able to show him the dub but there's no way to get it, unless it's streaming somewhere. I need to look around. Chi is a great idea! I've heard about it but never watched it. I'll try the first volume or so and see how it goes over. Given that he loves all animals to distraction, I have the feeling he'll love it. Higepiyo? I'll take a look. I'm not sure if he's ready for the bizarre side of anime yet LOL, but I won't know until I try it. ;D Thanks for the ideas!
Thanks! I've never seen Cross Game. Is it a complete story in the anime or does it end mid-manga (in a dis-satisfying way)? I'm trying to stay away from incomplete stories. |
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