As anime fans, sometimes we’re called upon to recommend something for new fans just getting into anime to watch. This is both an honor and a great responsibility — we can introduce someone to the shows that brought us the most joy! — as well as the perfect opportunity to troll someone big time, if we’re into that. I asked J-List customers on Twitter and Facebook to share their favorite anime recommendations and got hundreds of replies, which let me know this subject was one fans cared deeply about. Let’s go over some of the best anime recommendations for newer fans!
What Anime Would You Recommend to a New Fan? Enjoy these New Anime Recommendations!
Obviously recommending something new to a less-experienced fan is a delicate thing, and will depend on what kinds of shows the person has enjoyed previously, whether they’re more likely to respond to a light-hearted slice-of-life series like Kin’iro Mosaic or Laid-Back Camp or might enjoy something deeper, like Evangelion. Personally, I would think new anime recommendations should be:
- short, since you don’t want new fans to get bogged down with something that takes serious effort to appreciate
- on the light side, since more intense anime might scare off amateur fans, and
- be representative of what anime really is, with compelling relationships, stories that actually resolve themselves in satisfying ways, and if appropriate, fanservice.
Of course, it’s easy to say “how cute!” with a smug face when someone asks us to recommend something to them. And right off the bat, Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a great place to start for almost any fan.
A lot of anime are masterpieces, but not recommended for amateur fans. Anything involving “sister love” is probably best left for later, when they become jaded older fans like us.
One show I would totally recommend to just about anyone is Violet Evergarden, the story of a soldier who has to find purpose in her life after a war ends and her beloved Major Gilbert is killed.
A reminder that Tsurezure Children is one of the best animes of the last 5 years. Go watch it now. pic.twitter.com/TXIG8GNzxV
— Peter Payne (@JListPeter) August 16, 2020
One light-hearted romantic comedy I can’t recommend enough is Tsurezure Children, which follows the clumsy romances of several high school-age couples. It’s adorable.
Several people suggested starting with classics like the 1997’s Berserk. Can’t go wrong there.
FMA Brotherhood was also high on the list of recommended shows. While I agree that it’s gorgeous, 64 episodes is quite a lot for a more casual fan to get through, and the complexity of the FMA world could be daunting for newer fans.
Clannad is another good show to recommend. The combination of light-hearted harem comedy in the first half with a serious character drama in the second half could be well received by new fans. If nothing else, Clannad will make them appreciate electricians!
Another one of the anime suggestions I saw was Highschool of the Dead, perhaps in jest, but I thought this was a great idea. There’s nothing more “normie” than zombie movies, and HOTD is a serious zombie show…plus you can also get new fans ready for all the fanservice anime has to offer. They can also get their first taste of the bitterness of not getting the second season we were promised.
While several people recommended the outstanding Made in Abyss, which starts out as a cute adventure story about a girl and her robot friend on a journey to find her mother, the intensity of the later few episodes might not be good for inexperienced fans… or it might be just the ticket.
One alternative is Castle in the Sky, the classic by Hayao Miyazaki. I clearly love this movie, since I included it in my list of top anime ever. It’s the perfect adventure store ever.
“Oh I don’t know haha, maybe Cowboy Bebop?” My IRL friends don’t need to know how far down the weebhole I’ve gone.
“It depends on what they like. Robots and DC Comics? Then Big O. History Buff? Then Strike Witches. Do they like guns? Then Upotte!!”
Naturally there were the usual troll remarks for Boku no Pico, Euphoria, Bible Black, and Yosuga no Sora. Never change, fellow weebs!
Thanks for reading this blog post about what anime would you recommend to new fans? Do you have any more anime recommendations for our list? Post them below, or tell us on Twitter!
J-List has been on a tear, posting fun new limited anime Blu-rays, from the new Hatsune Miku concert collection to Kantoku’s One Room series to the gorgeous second season of Yuru Camp. Browse them all here!
