What is a good anime for someone who doesn't like anime?

The only one that I can actually make it through watching ever was Akira, the 80s art style (hand drawn) and the futuristic sic-fi society mixed with just a little bit of kookiness was a perfect recipe. Others I have tried to watch and just couldn't make it through. They all just seem too bizarre and stupid to hold my attention.

Rebote!!!

what the hell? lol

@ps4hasnogames: I'm not really an anime fan either, but a lot of people who don't like anime seem to enjoy Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Attack on Titan is also supposed to be pretty good. I liked anime when I was younger, and I remember enjoying Monster and saw about 20 or so episodes of it. I wouldn't mind getting that show on DVD and binge-watching it.

If you liked Akira, then here are some more cyberpunk (and post-cyberpunk) anime worth checking out:

Megazone 23

Macross Plus

Ghost in the Shell

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Metropolis

Paprika

Steins Gate

Hal

Patema Inverted

+1 to Cowboy Bebop. That's what I call "entry level" anime because it has broader appeal than most anime and the general quality of the story, music, characters, and overall writing appeals to people who aren't necessarily fans of the genre.

-Byshop

Since we are in the anime recommending mode I have always had the urge to ask for this:

I would like for you anime connoisseurs to recommend me animes which are "grounded" in reality, by that I mean no giant fighting robots, no people jumping in the air to charge their super powers or guys slicing down a 100 guys with their sword etc.

Perfect Blue ........... (no robots, no bikes but damn awesome triller) .... I think the movie "black swan" inspire from it ....or just a coincidence

I'm not really an anime person, so that's often a thing that's a turn-off for me, personally. Though I've watched some episodes of "Monster" and I think it meets that "grounded" criteria. No supernatural elements or whatever, just a thriller about a doctor who's trying to track down a serial killer.

that looks really good. do you guys remember the movie with rowdy roddy piper? **** whats the name...They Live

For some reason that movie left a mark on my brain....there was an anime I saw MANYYY years ago that reminded me of that movie, it had that weird creepy music and sound affects and it wasn't a very famous anime it looked low budget but I'm putting together something cool like that for the new age and I'm looking for a bit of inspiration, would really appreciate if someone remembers it.

I speculate that what you are looking for is more anime like Akira with drama, action, and the Japanese style of creativity with western appeal. More than that, you are interested in Japanese culture. I recommend Princess Mononoke for an ancient setting with modern themes, Howl's Moving Castle for being a whimsical fantasy with serious parts, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind for being a fantastical voyage into parts unknown while maintaining the spirit of life including humanity. They were all hand-drawn, though Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle feature some computer graphics for "added elegance," as Hayao Miyazaki said himself (research him if interested). Two anime series worth watching are Android Kikaider: The Animation and Big O.

If you are intrigued mostly by the futuristic society of Akira, I recommend Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and if you would like to journey back into the territory Akira resides within then I recommend Outlaw Star.

great, thanks a lot I will check those out.

thanks again for putting the time into that.

@ps4hasnogames: Yes, of course. You are welcome.

King of the Hill.

@ps4hasnogames: Yes, of course. You are welcome.

Trigun, Gurren Lagann and FMA (the BROTHERHOOD/shintetsu version, I can't stress this enough: DO NOT WATCH THE FIRST SERIES

Why these 3? I think they're perfect for anime newcomers, They're short (well, FMA has around 60 episodes, so it's relatively short), they have good stories, great characters, writing and animation. Trigun might suit your art taste a bit more since it's way older than the other 2, in fact GL and FMA are pretty contemporaneous.

And especially: They have conclusive, proper endings, which tie the knot and any loose ends properly.

Most animes have really shitty/crazy/nonsensical/ambiguous endings or just lack closure in general. Eastern culture in general appreciates those bittersweet conclusions to stories while most western media frowns upon them.

For example that anime the first guy to reply recommended? Its about a guy who gets in the highschool basketball team, and tries really hard to get this girl, then they train a lot and go through a bunch of shit to enter a major basketball championship. And then...nothing, the anime got cancelled like 3 episodes away from the conclusion.

So what happened with the story? Well you can find out if you check the manga: They fail to enter the championship and the guy never gets the girl, and thats it, thats literally how the story ends.

Immoral Sisters

@hippiesanta: For some reason, as soon as I hear an English voice during an anime my brain shuts down and I'm incapable of watching. I gritted my teeth through the whole video XD

@Master_Live: If you don't mind a bit of awkward teenager romance then you can give Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien a try. I watched the first episode out of boredom and didn't think I would be able to watch the whole 20 mins but all of a sudden, something happens and the show turns into a really serious and heartwarming drama. I remember thinking that it was a really uncommon tone for an anime in a time of Narutos and One Pieces...The awkward take on love that Japanese is easily forgotten when you start warming up to the characters and thinking "This is messed up...how would I take it if it happened to me?" (which is not something I wonder often while watching Anime). Can't really tell you much about the show since the big event happens in the very first episode, so I'd spoil the whole thing...Only 14 episodes so it's short enough (just checked and apparently there are 3 OVAs of 4 episodes each, but I haven't watched those)

I dont know if you've been to japan .... but when I was there .... I wish everybody speaks English .... at least a broken english .....

but anyway japanese language sounds sexy ..... The manly male voice and squeeky female child-like voice blends perfectly .....

anyway ... watch this while still can ... before it is put down

It's in Japanese with english subs

*link remove by me*

i hope you know where to get it @korvus ... it's not wrong to link btw because it's on youtube.. but just a precaution .... I don't want to get beaten by people here......

Cowboy Bebop

/thread

Watched recently for the first time. It aged very well. 11/10 imo.

Lets see here:

Anime Series:

Cowboy Bebop (Legendary anime that just so happens to have broad appeal. Tis like a futuristic, bluesy Western. This would be my top recommendation)

Sword Art Online (If you have any experience with MMO's this one is great. Series literally takes place inside an MMO)

Attack on Titan (I feel conflicted here. On one hand it is the single best anime show I have seen. On the other hand, it is a bit of an odd show and is also insanely brutal which can be too much for some)

As for movies, look no further than Hayao Myazaki's catalog. Princess Mononoke, How'ls Moving Castle, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Tototoro, and The Secret World of Arriety are all fantastic movies.

@hippiesanta: Yeah, Japan is not the best place to find English speaking people. Mostly high school students or above, but you need to be lucky and their English is still broken to hell...

I mean, don't get me wrong, from all the languages I can speak, English is my favourite one; my wife and I still choose English 90% of the times when we're chatting...sometimes we cycle through Portuguese and Dutch but it's mostly English.

That being said, I can't stand dubs in any language when it's at all possible to avoid them. Same with translated books; if I can read the original language, I can't read the translated one.

(Also, posting links for downloads is against GS's TOU, so careful with that...wouldn't want you getting in trouble because of me EDIT: Nevermind, it's not a download, it's Youtube =D)

@Master_Live: Eden of the East fits that bill

Its probably the most grounded anime that isn't a slice of life also one of the best imo highly recommend watching monster pretty sure the whole series is up on netflix. Someone mentioned Eden of the east which I also believe is on netflix and It meets those criteria imo not one of my favorites but I good anime none the less.

Although alot of the animes I like the most are over top a more " Grounded" series I would personally recommend is Haibane Renmai its got supernatural elements to it but its not over the top at all just a very good slice of life that has super natural elements to the story but just adds to it imo.

There are at least two genres of anime that fit this criteria:

Sports - Ashita no Joe, Slam Dunk, Initial D, Hajime no Ippo, Hikaru no Go, Over Drive, etc.

Drama - Kimagure Orange Road, Hana Yori Dango, Full Moon, Honey & Clover, Kanon, Clannad, etc.

Monster, it's a really fantastic show and avoids most of the things that can make anime weird

Cowboy Bebop is essentially a western/sci-fi live-action show that just sort of happens to be animated basically, I consider it the perfect "Entry-level" anime and it's fantastic regardless.

1+ for Monster, and generally more "Grounded" shows like say, Ergo Proxy, actively avoid many of the tropes that scares away many people from anime.

Beck is also pretty good, I was really surprised by it, and it seems to fit what you're looking for, it's a sort of "slice of life" thing, pretty grounded as well. Though it takes some time to get used to the art style.

If you're a fan of MMORPPG's, Sword Art Online would be a perfect anime for you.

Death Note, Ergo Proxy.

I personally started watching Anime just 4 years back. I was never interested in the reoccurring plotlines and genres. I like enjoying the charm out of subtle yet soothing storylines. Some animes I would recommend if you want to stray away from the drastic fantasy elements are:-

1. Yuri On Ice - Sports Anime with a Fresh and interesting plot-line which surpasses the typical anime plots.

https://squinoo.com/yuri-on-ice-season-2/

2. Lucky Star- Tons of comedy with each episode having random events

https://myanimelist.net/anime/1887/Lucky%E2%98%86Star

3. Black Lagoon - Most realistic anime shows I’ve ever seen

https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/black-lagoon

A lot of Studio Ghibli movies don't really buy into anime tropes, even if they are often fantastical fantasy. My favorites are probably Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and The Cat Returns. Grave of the Fireflies is great if you want something more grounded in reality, but it is incredibly depressing.

Also, Anime is not all magic, swords, and robots. A lot of Anime about mundane everyday life, but I'm not really into that so I can't recommend any off the top of my head.