These top five are in no particular order. They are just five anime I feel are perfect for beginners. I'm talking about friends or loved ones who are not anime fans and seem reluctant to give it a try even though it may be important to you. I'm suggesting these five anime from personal experience from a male friend of mine who had no interest in anime even though he as a child he watched Dragonball without knowing it was anime. My friend was so set on not giving anime a try until I showed him these five anime. They each have their own qualities that I feel can reach out to a wide range of audiences.
Let's begin!
1) Ouran High School Host Club
This anime is about a commoner girl who has earned a scholarship to an elite high school full of rich kids. She enters the school with little concern for her appearance as she dresses in the boys uniform due to costs. In the first episode she stumbles upon "the host club, an elite club of rich and handsome boys who have too much time on their hands that entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands." After the girl breaks an 8 million yen vase that she can't repay, she ends up working for the host club as a male host.
The reason why I believe this is a great series for beginners is for the comedy. The characters and the situations they put themselves in are entertaining to watch. If you or your friends like to have good laughs, then this is the anime to watch. Ouran High School Host Club has 26 episodes and is licensed by Funimation. The dubbed and subbed versions can also be viewed on Hulu for free.
2) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
There are two versions of the anime, both excellent in their own way, but for the purpose of my friend's experience with anime I will be talking about this one. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood follows the original content from the manga series. There are these two brothers trying to bring back their deceased mother using alchemy they've picked up from their father's studies. After their horrible failure in resurrecting their mother, one brother loses an arm and a leg while the other loses his whole body. Luckily, the oldest brother attaches the younger brother's soul to a suit of armor. These brothers set out to find the philosopher's stone, a stone that is said to enhance the powers of an alchemist. While on their journey, they start to uncover secrets of the philosopher's stone.
This series is 64 episodes of intense story and diverse characters that keep you locked into the series. The series is licensed by Funimation and can be watched on Hulu with all episodes subbed and dubbed slowly being released.
3) Cowboy Bebop
This series takes place in the distant future where bounty hunters roam the solar system. The series follows two bounty hunts on their journey to obtain bounty rewards as they come across characters who add a little crazy to their lives.
This classic is a good example of what anime can do. Every anime fan knows this series and is the number one must watch anime on almost every list. It's the most well-known series in the industry for its unique setting and great, memorable characters. This series of 26 episodes is licensed by Funimation and can be streamed on Hulu with all episodes in sub while dub is becoming available.
4) Fruits Basket
Even though this anime is labeled as shojo, it offers a fun and emotional story that can be enjoyed by anyone. Our main character lives in a tent on the property of the Sohma family because her mother passed away and she doesn't want to inconvenience any of her family members. The Sohma boys living on the property takes the girl in and she ends up discovering their family secret: the members of the Sohma family who are cursed change into an animal of the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by the opposite sex. As hilarious as this can be, at moments you can see the struggle of these characters and their situations.
My friend was doubtful about watching this series purely on it's dvd covers, but once he watched a few episodes he was hooked. I remember my friend even asked to bring my dvds home because he didn't want to wait to watch the end. This anime is also licensed by Funimation and can be found on Hulu in subs and dubs of all 26 episodes.
5) Death Note
This anime is about a high school boy who comes across a notebook called the death note. He uses the book to escaping his boring life and to get rid of all the crime he's surrounded by. The book can kill anyone whose name is written in it. The boy starts to play God with this new found power of the death note. All the suspicious deaths the boy is creating attracts the attention of a genius detective.
This is probably not for a younger audience as there's a lot of violence. It's a thriller anime that has become iconic for the years. It deals with the concept of what a hero is. This anime is licensed by Viz Media, containing 37 episodes. It can be found subbed and dubbed on Hulu.
That's it for my top 5 anime for beginners. I hope this helps with people new to anime or people who want to get others involved in anime. Leave a comment if you'd like of the first anime that got you into the anime scene.
Thanks for reading. Until next time!
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