Anime: What got you started? What are your favs?

tristaj90

Ok, so I've never "gotten" the appeal of anime. I'm not really a fan of cartoons in general, so maybe that's part of it. But this seems like a good place to ask- what is it about anime that you like so much? What appeals to you? What am I missing?

I used to think the same way. I felt that people who liked anime were "weird" and that it was stupid overall..
what got me into it was the cute girls (and yes that may make me sound weird too) and just the appeal of the Japanese culture. I think there are definitely male characters that I wish my husband could be more like. They are by no means for children (well the MAJORITY of them aren't) and are definitely not cartoons. I had to seriously put myself in the mindset of "i am not going to judge this i am going to give it a chance" and watched a whole series within a week or so. Then i got hooked. you have to find that ONE that will just put you into it. I find myself now wishing I could have had a school life in japan or that I was japanese because I am just obsessed with the Japanese culture now.

Just want to clarify that I don't think people who like anime are weird or that it's stupid. I like a lot of things that I know others aren't into- I'm a total fangeek (my ticker should tell you that). But anime doesn't speak to me the way those other things I love do, and I was just curious as to what the appeal is. I could tell you why I love Doctor Who, or Firefly, or Jane Austen, or any of the other strange things I love- they each have qualities that reach out and grab me. I would like to understand what it is about anime in particular that appeals to people. The same way that my college classes on Shakespeare helped me understand what is special about his work, and why it's so amazing- I didn't get it until I could learn to see it through an enthusiast's eyes, and now I love it.

Sorry, I never meant to imply that you did think anime fans were "weird".
I was just stating thats how I felt. I was trying to explain how I got into it. I'm 23 years old and my parents struggle with what the appeal is for me to watch what they call "cartoons"...I can't really explain it. I get sucked in and i'm hooked. I can't tell you what it is. I love the storyline, love the art of it..

RivenV

This seems appropriate

SoDamnHungry

Ok, so I've never "gotten" the appeal of anime. I'm not really a fan of cartoons in general, so maybe that's part of it. But this seems like a good place to ask- what is it about anime that you like so much? What appeals to you? What am I missing?

There are so many varieties of anime that it's hard to specify what some people like about it. I personally enjoy the stories and characters from certain ones the most, just like I would in either a book, a tv show or a movie. Some people like the art, some people like that it can be as ridiculous as it wants. Some genres (like mecha) are genres that you don't really find anywhere but anime. The way they look appeals to a lot of people, but just because you don't like cartoons doesn't necessarily mean you won't enjoy the right series if you can find it.

SoDamnHungry

Death Note was my first anime series.. i was introduced to it by a boyfriend i was dating at the time. After that relationship ended i started talking with another guy who got me into more series (that guy is now my husband).

Favorites are:
Clannad
Haruhi Suzumiya
Kanon 2006
Angel Beats
Itazura na Kiss
Soul Eater
Fullmetal Alchemist
Fruits Basket
One Piece
Toradora
Special A

I really like romance/slice of life/harem type shows... a lot of what I watch is usually highschool students in a club. LOL

Forgot about Toradora! That's one of my favorites. And Honey and Clover.

SoDamnHungry

Why Anime Porn of course!!!! bwahahahah but for real I was at a ACEN convention here in CHicago bout 5 years ago and they were playing that stuff at like 2 am at one of the halls.....AWESOME!!!!!!
My 1st time ever being exposed to anime.:bigsmile:

ACen! I'm Chicago based and go every year.

M______

StheK

Just want to clarify that I don't think people who like anime are weird or that it's stupid. I like a lot of things that I know others aren't into- I'm a total fangeek (my ticker should tell you that). But anime doesn't speak to me the way those other things I love do, and I was just curious as to what the appeal is. I could tell you why I love Doctor Who, or Firefly, or Jane Austen, or any of the other strange things I love- they each have qualities that reach out and grab me. I would like to understand what it is about anime in particular that appeals to people. The same way that my college classes on Shakespeare helped me understand what is special about his work, and why it's so amazing- I didn't get it until I could learn to see it through an enthusiast's eyes, and now I love it.

To me, it's just another story telling medium that hasn't really become mainstream in the US. It ranges from adventure fantasy, space sci-fi, westerns, medical dramas, high school drama (think of a drawn version of 90210), horror, etc. I think it's fair to say that for any tv genre you have in the US that's played with real life actors, you will be able to find an equivalent/similar anime series. (except reality... i hope).

If you decide to jump in, I've tried to put some sub-genre titles next to some of the series mentioned on this thread:
Mystery/Thriller: Death Note <--- if you like House, you might like this.
Action with fighting robots: Code Geass
Western/Space: Cowboy Bebop or Trigun <--- if you're a firefly fan, Cowboy Bebop might be something you like.
Adventure Fantasy: Inuyasha
Pirate Comedy: One Piece
Horror? Adventure? Action and drama (and lots of gravitas): Fullmetal Alchemist <---- one of my all time favs.
Animal cruelty made cute (chuckle): Pokemon (Let's face it... this is a show made for Michael Vick...)
Zombie Horror: High School of the Dead

If you want to check out some movies, I recommend anything made by the director Miyazaki. That guy is practically a household name in Japan... synonymous with names like Spielberg in the US.

Anyways, I love this thread. I just got some Amazon gift cards and hopefully I can find these titles. Huzzah!!!

Thank you! I will totally check a couple of these out- this is really helpful!