Where to start with anime ??

[uscmhicks]

I have recently been interested in watching some anime stuff but I have no idea where to start. Whats the most popular stuff ?.
Any help would be great !.

 

[eighthsamurai]

oh man there are so many. Here's my recommended list:

Akira
Ghost In the shell (my fave)
Appleseed
Ninja Scroll
Berserk (series)
Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust
Jin-Roh
Metropolis
Cowboy Bebop (the movie)
Battle Angel
Tokyo Godfathers
Street Fighter 2: The Movie (not alpha)

Also, don't know if this is what you're looking for but have you seen any Miyazaki stuff? Can't go wrong with any of that - Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away. Man there are hundreds! I'm so excited for you! Get watching!!!

 

[uscmhicks]

Well , the only one I have ever seen EVER period is spirited away which is why I want to see more , I really did enjoy it.
Thanks for that list , gonna buy a few off of play.com soon , I will let you know what i thought of them. Akira is one I have heard is amazing so thats a definite.
Since I love the japanese horrors this is the next step i think.
I'm excited too !! much appreciated mate , thanks alot !!

 

[eighthsamurai]

yeah akira is awesome. i read the original comics in japanese a while back and since then the film doesn't cut it anymore. but before i'd read them it was my favourite anime by far. if i were to pick 5, i'd get akira, ghost in the shell (the very first movie, not the more recent ones), ninja scroll, vampire hunter d - bloodlust, and berserk. berserk qould be quite expensive to buy here but there are a lot of people on ebay offering it for much cheaper. it's an awesome series, animation is a bit dated but the story and characters are incredible.

2 i haven't seen which have some amazing reviews are paprika and memories. i think they might be my next purchases. now you've got me thinking anime!!!

 

[RJMacReady16]

Take it from a guy who generally despises Anime, that a lot of "popular" anime is crap---or, an acquired taste anyway.

Eightsamurai already gave you a good list, but be sure to start with these:

Akira
Ghost In the shell (1st movie & TV series)
Appleseed
Ninja Scroll
Berserk (series)
Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust
Jin-Roh
Metropolis
Cowboy Bebop (the SERIES)
Battle Angel
Tokyo Godfathers
Street Fighter 2: The Movie (not alpha)

Also, don't know if this is what you're looking for but have you seen any Miyazaki stuff? Can't go wrong with any of that - Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away. Man there are hundreds! I'm so excited for you! Get watching!!!

 

[Entropy]

I agree Miyazaki films are a good place to start. I've been enjoying the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya lately, but prolly not the best jumping off point.

 

[zedex9r]

You have great taste eighthsamurai, everything in your list is also part of my collection

Big vote for Akira. This is the movie that introduced me to anime and also had a strong influence in my passion for motorcycles.

Another great series that you should see is Neon Genesis Evangelion. Amazing anime.

Street Fighter II: V the tv series is another awesome anime. I just picked this up on DVD as a complete set and really enjoyed it again, I only had it on VHS and had quite a few episodes missing.

Appleseed / Ex Machina -- nothing more to be said

Going back a while, you could check out Macross or Robotech as it was called. Other old classics such as Guyver, Starblazers and Gatchaman may intrest you as well.

 

[Shai]

Grendizer........

 

[Darth Caedus]

I am SO sorry to say this, but the Street Fighter stuff isn't that bad

 

[MisterToyNYC]

Death Note! Watch Death Note! This has got to be the smartest, most well-written anime! And unlike other animes, you won't say huh? after its over.

It's currently airing on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network, but you can see the complete series in Japanese www.deathnote.tv. They also have the previously aired English dubbed episodes if you're like me and hate to read subtitles.

Watch it. Trust me, you'll be hooked!

Eric

 

[Shropt]

Cowboy Bebop the series!

The only anime I would say is worth owning on DVD!!

 

[Shai]

Cool Devices..........

 

[uscmhicks]

I just got the double disc edition of akira on dvd from ebay , lots of reviews on play.com also said this was a great place to start. Hopefully it will be for me too.

 

[Ryanfromindiana]

La Blue Girl

 

[Entropy]

Evangelion and DeathNote are both fantastic but I'm not so sure they are the best place for someone not familiar with anime to start.

Akria is great. One of the first I saw.

 

[nash]

Hentai....

 

[DarkArtist81]

Ninja Scroll is still one of my favorites, along with the original Ghost in the Shell and Akira. I was also a big fan of Cowboy Bebop and Trigun as well.

 

[FQRizzo]

Neon Genesis Evangelion is worth the investment in time and money. Though, for someone new to amine, it may be a little advanced.

 

[galactiboy]

Akira is a great first film... really shows off a lot of the potential of what Anime can be. First one I ever saw and it got me hooked.

 

[YoNoSe]

I would definitely recommend reading the Death Note manga to watching the anime. Most people I know who started with the TV series were bored to tears. It's a story about two smart people who mostly.....think.
Other than that, great suggestions above. It's almost mandatory to start with Akira at this point, though I wonder if it's been imitated so much it may seem a bit stale. I'm very curious to see your reaction as a first timer!