As anime is beginning to slowly incorporate into a wider audience, there are new people who are being introduced to anime everyday. And due to a huge variety of shows that anyone can watch these days, it may be hard to pick the right ones without getting confused! That's why we made this list to help you in your journey to finding the right anime shows that will suit your tastes! Here are our top 10 recommendations for the people who are new to anime!
Your Name.
Romance, Supernatural, School, Drama | August 2016 | Movie | CoMix Wave Films
This is probably the best introductory anime film for people who only started to watch anime. Lucky you! You entered into the world of anime where Your Name exists! EVERYONE LOVES THIS ANIME, NO DOUBT. And you are sure to love this one, too!
The story surrounds our two main protagonists: Mitusha, a simple high school girl who dreams of living in the city as she is sick of the redundant, silly routine of the countryside; and Taki, a high school boy living in the city of Tokyo and at the same time working a part-time job in a restaurant as a waiter. In normal circumstances, there is no way these two would have interacted, but fate has a different approach. The whole story started to take its turn when one day, Mitsuha and Taki woke up in each other’s other bodies (yes, they switched bodies) that caused them to riot. They didn’t know what to do as they were confused, thinking everything is a dream - except it isn’t.
Your Name (or 君の名は, Kimi no Nawa) is an anime movie that you don’t want to miss out on! Created by the rising popular producer, Makoto Shinkai, whom of which everyone thinks is the next Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli, his works are always topnotch and unexpected twists in his stories are always inevitable.
One Punch Man
Action, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Parody, Supernatural, Super Power | Fall 2015 | Series | Madhouse
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Action, Military, Adventure, Drama, Magic, Fantasy, Shounen | Spring 2009 | Series | Studio Bones
Being listed on My Anime List as the top rated anime by anime watchers, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a must watch for everyone. Living in a world where people can use alchemy, it is governed by the law of equivalent exchange where in order to use alchemy, one must offer something of equal value in order to possess it. The story revolves around Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse Elric at a young age, trying to bring back their dead mother alive through the use of human transmutation, an act in alchemy that is considered taboo. Unfortunately for the Elric Brothers, their plan didn’t work and instead of bringing their mother back to life, they were burdened with a price - Edward losing a leg and an arm, and Alphonse his whole body. In order to reverse the effects of the sacrifice, Edward joined the military in the hopes of finding answers for their current issues. Along the way, he and his other companions found some hidden mysteries that concerns the history of alchemy, the nation, and of his own father.
What makes this anime so great as an introduction is its amazing portrayal of the events of the story. The beginning and introduction to the story may feel bland at first, but trust me when I say it get’s better, because it does. The way the different events are being connected feels satisfactory to anybody who will watch it, that’s why I highly recommend it to anyone, even to non-anime watchers!
Fruits Basket
Drama, Comedy, Supernatural, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life | Spring 2019 | Series | TMS Entertainment
Unlike most of the anime on this list, Fruits Basket is a shoujo anime. Shoujo - which literally means girl in Japanese, is a genre that is targeted for young girls. Common themes for the shoujo genre are romance and slice of life and here, Fruits Basket is one of those anime shows that showcases the shoujo genre well, and thus recommended as a good introductory to the genre.
Honda Tohru lost her mother at a young age and is forced to live with her grandfather. However, when her grandfather’s house was being renovated, her grandfather couldn’t house her due to limited space, forcing Tohru to find a place for her to stay. Because of her circumstance, she is now living in a tent from the Soma estate without knowing that its theirs. Due to this, her life crossed paths with the Somas - a family cursed with the spirits of the Zodiac year that makes them transform into the Zodiac that they are assigned with when they touch someone of the opposite sex. She met Yuki, her classmate which is known as “The Prince” whom of which possesses the spirit of the rat, Shigure, Yuki’s cousin who possesses the year of the dog, and Kyo, whom of which possesses the spirit of the cat.
Fruits Basket is an anime that not only is a mixture of different genres, but the story itself touches your heart. Watch how the lives of Tohru and the rest of the Soma’s intertwined in this drama-filled anime.
Demon Slayer
Action, Demons, Supernatural, Historical, Shounen | Spring 2019 | Series | Ufotable
Tanjiro is a young man with a strong sense of smell. He and his family live simply in a little house within the woods when one night, when Tanjiro was about to come home but was forced to stay in a nearby house after selling charcoal from the town, his family was attacked by a demon unknowingly to him. Upon coming home, all of his family died from the attack aside from his sister, Nezuko, who was unfortunately turned into a demon.
Demon Slayer is a shounen anime, an anime genre where its main audience are mostly young boys of the age of fiften (15) and below. The reason why we recommend this anime is mostly on its popularity, and its amazing animation. Most people who watch anime today started watching anime because of this anime. And as you can tell, it has a huge fandom too so you are sure to find people who have already watched this anime any time soon.
Your Lie in April
Drama, Music, Romance, School, Shounen | Fall 2014 | Series | A-1 Pictures
A young pianist prodigy who lost the spotlight when he could no longer hear the sounds of the notes of the piano he is playing. Traumatized by the death of his mother, Arima Kousei thinks that he was cursed by his mother because he thinks he's the reason why she died. Because of this loss, he stopped playing the piano and just focused on living as a regular middle school student. His life eventually turned to a differnt turn when he met Miyazono Kaori, a cheerful, loud girl that he met under the bloom of cherry blossoms, on the Spring of April. Kaori is actually a violinist and because of her determination to make Kousei as her accompanist for a violin competition, Kousei was forced to go back to the stage, forcing him to face his fear of playing the piano.
Your Lie in April is a wonderful story of youth and fulfillment. It is also a good introductory anime for people who are interested with the music genre. Just prepare your tissues though! This one will leave you crying along the way as you later discover the lie that was made on that shining spring of April.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War
Comedy, Psychological, Romance, School | Winter 2019 | A-1 Pictures
Not your usual love story, Kaguya-sama: Love is War is basically an anime about wits and brains. Our protagonists, Shinomiya Kaguya and Shirogane Miyuki, won’t admit that they like each other and both see that love between people are a simple portrayal of power play. Whoever confesses their feelings first is bound to lose the showdown that is love.
Kaguya-sama is an anime that everybody loves because of its lightheartedness and comedy. If there's one episode that this anime failed to make you laugh, then you're lying! As if it isn't fun to see how these brilliant power duo turn into idiots when it comes to expressing how they like each other.
Haikyu!
Sports, School, Drama, Comedy, Shounen | Spring 2014 | Production I.G.
“I may be short, but I can fly!,” Hinata Shoyo is not your usual volleyball player. Having a short stature standing only at 5’4”ft tall, his hopes of becoming a volleyball player started when he was introduced to the Little Giant when he was in elementary school. The Little Giant, who was Karasuno High School’s ace player then, was also a short volleyball player that defeated the odds of volleyball. Shoyo who was inspired by him, decided that he will join the volleyball team when he reach middle school. By his senior year on middle school, on his very first volleyball tournament, he met the King of the Court, Kageyama Tobio, and experienced his first ever defeat. Unsatisfied by his defeat, he made a promise that he will defeat Tobio the next time he meets him on the court when they meet on high school but, an unfortunate encounter awaits him as he stepped into Karasuno High School’s volleyball team’s gym.
Haikyu is an amazing introduction not only to anime, but also to the sports genre in general. Watching this anime filled with different characters with different goals, you are introduced to a new perspective unlike any other sports anime out there. Be sure to watch Haikyu if you want to watch a fulfilling and inspiring anime that you don’t want to miss out on!
Hyouka
Mystery, School, Slice of Life, Psychological | Spring 2012 | Series | Kyoto Animation
If you are looking for an anime that is light-hearted then Hyouka is the anime for you. Just like our protagonist here, Oreki Houtarou, he prefers to live his life where he expends less energy than needed. After all, his motto in life is “If I don’t need to do it, I won’t do it. If I need to do it, I’ll do it quickly.” He is, unfortunately, forced to join the Classics Club by request of his sister in order to keep it from disbanding. Due to this, Houtarou met Chitanda Eru, a girl with a keen eye for mysteries and is always curious about almost anything that piques her interest. Houtarou, who is somehow unable to shake Eru off, tries his best in solving different mysteries around them, even the deeply rooted mystery that concerns their club itself.
Hyouka is a nice psychological and mystery anime that anyone will enjoy. Plus, the adorable factor that is Chitanda Eru will also make you say “I’m curious!,” too.
Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life | Spring 2018 | Series | A-1 Pictures
Momose Narumi is an otaku. Otaku, which is a derogatory term in Japanese used for people with consuming interest like anime, is often associated with negativity. And as an otaku, Narumi wants to hide this fact behind her when she decided to join a new company to work at. Unknowingly to her, turns out her childhood friend, Nifuji Hirotaka, an otaku himself, works at the same company! When Narumi revealed to Hirotaka that she was dumped by her past boyfriends because they knew that she was an otaku, she decided that when she gets a new boyfriend, she will try her best to hide the fact that she is an otaku to them. Hirotaka then suggested to let him be her boyfriend for the meantime to see how it will work out for the both of them.
The reason we recommend Wotakoi is mostly because it has a lot of “otaku” terms used in the anime that may serve as an introduction to the people who are confused with the anime culture. But while this is also true, it also has an interesting story regarding romance between adults, which is often a rare case in anime. You can say the story of Wotakoi is one of a kind even.
Have you watched any of these anime shows? Tell us what you think are the best shows to watch for when introducing newbies to the world of anime!
