Forum - View topicThe List - 7 "Gateway" Anime Sure to Get Newbies Hooked
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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Project A-ko was a great gateway, namely that it was crazy UY-style pop-ref insanity (from the UY TV writers and animators), at a time when the smaller labels were pushing corny action OVA's and dreary-artsy features down first-timers' throats, and nobody knew anime had a sense of humor, period. But with the caveat that we always had to warn first-timers that they probably wouldn't get the deadpan in-jokes about Captain Harlock, Fist of the North Star, Macross or Harmageddon, and it's best if they saved it for a bit and came back to it later. That's probably not as much of a problem today, but if you're talking to someone who doesn't know any of the core culture-quotient classics... |
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kanechin
Posts: 447 |
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"7 "Gateway" Anime Sure to Get Newbies Hooked"
if you're murican, f*** yeah. bleh |
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Small Waves
Posts: 7 |
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It frightens me that people unironically believe this is a good example of horror anime when it's unintentionally hilarious at best and a disgrace to the genre at worst. |
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tasogarenootome
 Posts: 593 |
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Was about to click "Nana" on that poll, then I saw "Solanin" - so glad it was included!
I agree with most of the list and some of the suggested additions in the comments. I would definitely include the Nana anime for people who enjoy romance/drama, Monster for your suspense/thriller fans (though it is a slow series), and I would say Steins;Gate is good for your sci-fi/time-travel fans. I wanna rewatch Brotherhood again in a few years when the first series is out of my head. I really loved the execution in the first series in terms of balance between action, comedy, drama, and fantasy, but I liked the plot in Brotherhood (and by extension, the original manga, I suppose) a bit better. I think either is a good choice, though - FMA is pretty good quality for a shonen series. |
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animefanworried
Posts: 126 |
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Since I've gotten several people into anime, I'll propose some shows that have worked:
-Code Geass: It has everything: Action, mecha without being too much about mecha, fanservice though not too much, western elements, strong themes, intellect, drama, well developed characters and relationships... This anime seems to work with most people. -Death Note: Provided they like mystery, cat and mouse detective drama. It has good themes, the characters are pretty solid but in spite of its other good points, the main appeal seems to be the cat and mouse / detective aspect to most newcomers. -Scrapped Princess: Great fantasy series set in a medieval like environments with sci-fi undertones. -Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: This one requires more thinking from the viewer. Unlike some of the others, its more complex elements are essential to understand to appreciate the series. If they're up for it, great choice. If they're not, really bad one. So its a double-edged sword. -Rumbling Hearts: Drama and romance in abundance as well as a quick introduction to more anime-like settings such as schools (Early on) and, well, Japan itself being the setting. -Chrono Crusade: Some comedy, pretty decent action, an interesting story most viewers can follow and the deeper themes in this one relate to religion, one western fans can relate to. -Naruto: A great introduction to shonen series and more traditionally Japanese settings if they haven't seen it yet. It helps that its a good series that's easy to watch to. I know Cowboy Bebop is loved by a lot of people and would probably work on most, but I don't feel comfortable recommending a series I didn't enjoy myself. If that had been my first anime, I'd probably have taken way longer to get into anime. |
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TheAncientOne
 Posts: 1872 Location: USA (mid-south) |
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Regarding the former, Cowboy Bebop hasn't seen a lot of time that it wasn't airing on CN since it first aired. In fact, it is airing currently. That certainly can't be said for any of the other titles you mentioned. |
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Ali07
 Posts: 3333 Location: Victoria, Australia |
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Interesting list. Since I got into the hobby on my own, my gateway was stuff like Pokemon, Digimon, FMA (not brotherhood), Ultimate Muscle and DBZ. Basically, whatever was on CN and Cheeze/Toasted TV in Australia.
But, FMA, Ultimate Muscle, and Digimon were series that I didn't really follow that well. DBZ would be the one that I'd say I really became a fan of. I've not seen any of the series that made the article's list.
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PurpleWarrior13
 Posts: 2026 |
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The first anime I had heard of were Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, and Tenchi Universe (in that order). They're all very accessible to newcomers, and I do LOVES me some Tenchi (seriously, there was a period of over a year where I was obsessed with Tenchi), but Dragon Ball Z will always be the first anime I really got into. Akira is a good gateway, as is Cowboy Bebop. Yu Yu Hakusho, Ranma 1/2, and Sailor Moon are also great gateway shows. Slayers is another great one I recommend, and Revolutionary Girl Utena was the first "hardcore" anime I got into after I discovered the first VHS volume in a $1 in 2006. I subscribed to Shonen Jump for a while and got into Sand Land a bit, and me and my brother (especially my brother) were hooked on One Piece. There were some FoxBox/4KidsTV anime that I watched like One Piece, Mew Mew Power, Sonic X, Ultimate Muscle, Fighting Foodons, Shaman King, and some others that were pretty early in my anime viewing. I also watched quite a bit of Yu-Gi-Oh! and unfortunately it's movie was the only anime movie I ever saw in theaters until DBZ: Battle of Gods (seriously, YGO: The Movie sucked). I still get into One Piece (though not as much as my brother) and I can watch Tokyo Mew Mew for the nostalgia, but overall, the Toonami shows meant a lot more to me. Cyborg 009 is another big Toonami show that me and my brother enjoyed together. Toonami kept it's Japanese closing theme, and it's probably the very first Japanese song I ever heard.
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sunflower
 Posts: 1080 |
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For years I tried to get my husband interested. I tried Akira, GitS, Summer Wars, Last Exile, Full Metal Panic, Bleach, Death Note. Nothing worked until AoT. That got him so hooked he was jonesing for more anime. So we watched FMA Brotherhood; now he has a wallpaper with May and Al on it. We tried Hellsing Ultimate but he was bored. He wanted sf so I went with Steins;Gate with the excellent dub. Slow start but by the 3rd ep he was again hooked.
He says he hates moe characters but damned if he doesn't squeal over cute animal mascots. I have no idea what to offer him there lol. He hates shounen fighting anime with a passion (the ones where everone keeps powering up) or I'd make him watch Hunter x Hunter. So next we're going with Baccano! Then perhaps Moyashimon because he likes science. And Legend of the Galactic Heroes. I hadn't thought of Beck but it's sitting right here next to me so maybe I'll try that. I'm thinking he might also like a sports anime if they don't have silly powers. Oh, I just realized he would LOVE Master Keaton. We are so watching that one. I have to say though, about the episodic animes, he doesn't like that. He wants an overarching story. So I'm hesitant to show him Cowboy Bebop since the arc isn't apparent for a long time. |
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Ambimunch
 Posts: 2012 |
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I got like 5 people who hated the idea of anime to like the genre with Death Note alone
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bs3311
 Posts: 416 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio |
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I can agree with Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Black Lagoon, and Another. But the rest are bad IMO.
Fruits Basket follows the role of a shallow yet ditzy minded girl surrounded by boys. It cant follow the mainstream female audience where most girls are partying and puffing there noses. And tenchi muyo? That show is basically the stereotype of what the rest of the world thinks of japanese animation. Its crazy, non-sensical, and the main character is shallow. Psycho-Pass is a pretentious mess that shoves down our throuts that the system that they are under while wrong and should be abolished, should not be abolished since the world has lived by it for so long, the transition would take generations. That did not stop the end of FFX or the fall of Communism. While hummanity is in fear of it in the city, they would be delighted it would be shut down. Plus, alot of murdered women that can impresionize people that its murder porn for men. Plus the main lead is another shallow ditzy in a silent way around so many men with different stereotypes. You know even a newbie officer can be a proactive Kusanagi? You give the audience what they already seen in other mediums, not whats basically exclusive in anime. New concepts of character development and story telling can be in it. But you need to give them what they want first to then slowly but surely get hooked to the rest of the meal. Like: -Berserk, a LOTR type show mixed with Gladiator and Connan. -Ghost in the Shell, a Fringe CSI. -Gatchaman, style and creators of speed racer and original take on power rangers. -Legend of the Galatic Heroes, star wars and star treck but less nerdy. From the New World, Lost but with a dis-utopia concept. -Death Note, Breaking Bad main character and modern Sherlock Holms thriller concept. -Evangelion, Pacific Rim and godzilla. -High School of the Dead, zombies..... with michael bay action/fanservice X 10 -Nior, Charlies Angels meets female lead crime shows The list can go on. But its the viewers opinion. I can respect it, but I can speak my points on what i veiw to be the PERFECT GATEWAY ANIME
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Ali07
Posts: 3333 Location: Victoria, Australia |
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Ah, Yu-Gi-Oh!, I totally forgot about that one! Was a show that I also saw, pretty sure I watched the entire original series of it. Never got into the TCG and I've never seen the movie. The only TV anime movie that I've seen in theaters was the original Pokemon movie. |
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Kadmos1
 Posts: 13566 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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I really wish a company would pick up the 2001 version of Cyborg 009 from Sony and release it in its entirety. That would be a nice gateway anime. Coincidentally, the main voice of Joe in that version was Joshua Seth and he's best known from Digimon (another gateway anime). |
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wonderwomanhero
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Would Noir be considered a gateway anime?
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EnigmaticSky
 Posts: 750 |
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I would say that the first FMA is better to watch first, rather than Brotherhood. I love both to death, but you get more out of Brotherhood and the original that way since things are explored more thoroughly first, and then the second you still have all the information with just a refresher. For example, you don't get as good a sense of spoiler[Mayez Hughs and his significance prior to his death Brotherhood], but you do in the original. Meanwhile if you try to go back, you have to sit through something you have seen for twice as long, and some of the differences may be a bit more confusing.
As for things missing from the list, I would say Samurai Champloo is one of the best gateway series since it shows you Japanese culture through a familiar lens so it isn't so jarring, is fairly episodic, and has a very mature sense of story telling. For those saying Eva is a good starting point, I disagree. It's a great series, but it's a deconstruction. You get much more out of it if you have seen what came before it, and just how unique it was for the time. I wish I would have seen more Giant Robot series prior to watching it the first time around (I had watched some Gundam as a kid and Code Geass, but really nothing else). |
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