Anime. It’s a word that can sometimes confound those who aren’t familiar with the animation style. What makes animeanime, exactly? Isn’t it just cartoons about a bunch of high school kids in supernatural situations? Why are they yelling all the time, or being perverts, or turning into weird, pint-sized, cutesy versions of themselves? And I’ve heard a lot about tentacles … is it safe for my kids? These are all valid questions and criticisms of anime’s many and varied tropes, but you’d be missing out on decades worth of quality characters, stories, and style by avoiding anime entirely. So, to better guide you into the awesome world of anime, we’ve put together a handy list of selected TV series and movies for newcomers to check out. And since anime spans a wide age range–you don’t want the kiddos watchingNinja Scroll, after all–we’ve included a breakdown of our suggestions by age to better ease your transition.
A heads up to the anime aficionados out there looking for deep cuts or non-traditional suggestions: Remember that this is abeginner’sguide, so we’re not going to be throwing folksinto the deep endof the iconic, fan-favorite seriesNeon Genesis Evangelion, the insanity that isJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, or coming-of-age mind-benders likeFLCL. Additionally, in an effort not to overwhelm newbies with dozens of suggestions, we’ve limited selections to three TV series and three movies per age range; apologies up front if your favorites didn’t make the list. However, feel free to suggest your favorite beginner anime series and movies in the comments below!
And if you’ve already seen these suggestions and/or want to branch out on your own anime adventure, be sure to check outCrunchyrollandFunimation–and may I suggestVRV, your cost-effective, one-stop shop for these offerings and more–along with anime offerings streaming onNetflix,Hulu, andAmazon. There’s a whole wide world of anime out there, so let’s get started with some easy entry points for newcomers!
Anime TV Series for Kids
Debuting over 20 years ago, the originalPokémonseries remains one of the best gateways into anime. It’s basically genetically engineered for kids to fall in love with it. The series, along with its companion video game franchise, follows up-and-coming trainer Satoshi/Ash Ketchum as he leaves home to travel the countryside and collect creatures known as Pokémon in order to battle against other trainers and their own creatures. It sounds a little brutal and like something PETA would be mad about, but the show’s focus on friendship and encouraging relationships between trainers and Pokémon alike make this an easy recommendation. And it doesn’t hurt that Pikachu and his pals are so darn cute.
Another 90s anime that took the West by storm is the prototypical “magical girl” series,Sailor Moon. One of the few anime (or just animated) series to focus on “girl power” and feature female protagonists, this series sees an ordinary teenage girl learn of her destiny as the legendary title character. She teams up with her friends, the Sailor Soldiers/Scouts, in order to defend the Earth from the Dark Kingdom and other evils. WhileSailor Moonreigns as one of the best girl-centric anime action series out there, it wasn’t afraid to feature the love story between Sailor Moon and the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, a relationship that cementedSailor Moon’s status as an iconic anime series that paved the way for future female-focused stories.
Naruto, a relative newcomer in this list arriving in 2002, is a smash-hit anime series that brings the pages ofMasashi Kishimoto’s bestselling manga to life. It focuses on the title character, a bratty ninja-in-training who harbors some incredible power but often runs afoul of fellow ninja due to his nature as a prankster. At the heart of things, Uzumaki Naruto just wants to be accepted as a ninja, a rival, and a friend, so if you can get past his impish nature early on, you’ll find yourself along for a wild ride that follows him through his childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Sure, there are some filler episodes and arcs throughoutNaruto–the same can be said for just about every long-running anime series ever made–but this is one franchise that’s truly worth the commitment and rewards viewers' devotion with 720 episodes' worth of content. (Not to mention the franchise follow-up seriesBoruto, aka “Naruto’s Dad.")
Anime Movies for Kids
Oh hey, it’sPokémonagain! The only reason we’ve doubled down on the anime franchise here is because not everyone wants to jump into a TV series for their first trial run, so movies are the logical place to start. As of this moment, there are 21 animePokémonmovies in existence, though the latest one,Pokémon the Movie: Story of Everyone, will open in Japan this July. (And we’ll mention the live-actionDetective Pikachumovie opening next May in the U.S., but clearly that’s not anime.)
This franchise remains one of the easiest ways to get kids interested in anime, so while the features have suffered some rather odd and misplaced criticism over the years (especially the early movies), they’re a great place to start yourPokémonadventure. Again, they’re tailor-made for kids and they offer plenty of tie-in material for viewers who are also playing the games and the TV series, especially those keeping up with the many iterations of both. Simply put,Pokémonoffers up the easiest transition into anime and does a solid job of entertaining you along the way.
It’s impossible to leave Studio Ghibli’s contributions to anime off of this list. The iconic studio, co-founded byHayao Miyazaki,Toshio Suzukiand the lateIsao Takahata, is basically the first thing people think of when it comes to anime movies. From 1986’sCastle in the Sky, to 2013’sThe Wind RisesandThe Tale of Princess Kaguya, to the studio’s new generation of filmmakers still making movies today, you can’t really go wrong with a Studio Ghibli film. (Though, I’d probably avoid the much-malignedTales from Earthseafor your first entry into Studio Ghibli goodness. I’d also wait until the kiddos were a bit older to let them watchGrave of the Fireflies, which will come up in a bit.)
Feature films likeMy Neighbor Totoro,Princess Mononoke,Spirited Away,The Cat ReturnsandPonyoremain iconic a decade or more after their initial release. Any of these options and more are solid introductions to Ghibli’s particular take on anime, featuring gorgeous animation, sweeping landscapes and otherworldly settings, charismatic and iconic characters, and Japanese cultural touchtones that make the experience deeper for Western audiences who want to dig into the subject material a bit more. If anime movies are where you want to start, just about any Studio Ghibli movie will do!
Anime TV Series for Teens
Let’s say you missed out on the early stages of anime as a kid but you want to get into now as a teenager. This is actually the perfect age to start digging into anime: The characters tend to be in this age range, making them easier to relate to; the plots tend to start off as fairly easy to understand, increasing in complexity and maturity over time as viewers watch along with the characters; and the series and movies themselves act as no only an emotional outlet for turbulent adolescence but as a community-building anchor for fans of similar content.
TakeFullmetal Alchemist, for example. Arriving in 2003 as an anime adaptation ofHiromu Arakawa’s hit manga, this series checks all the boxes for traditional anime while also extending into some non-traditional areas. Influenced by the setting and style of the European Industrial Revolution (a rather unique look when it comes to anime),Fullmetal Alchemistfollows two brothers who seek the legendary Philosopher’s Stone in order to correct a tragic mishap with the use of alchemy. It’s got characters who range from wacky, to pervy, to super-serious, sometimes in the same scene. It’s got incredible displays of heroism, visually stunning alchemy magic, and interesting intersections of mysticism and science. But boy oh boy does it have some really tough emotional baggage it asks viewers to carry, like the fact that both the Elric brothers have been physically and psychologically changed by their disastrous experiences with alchemy.Fullmetal Alchemistis a perfect gateway for teenage newcomers to anime because it offers an entertaining action adventure while also asking its audience to deal with some tough questions along the way; we can’t recommend it enough.
The most recent addition to the anime style on this list so far is the hitMy Hero Academia. Now airing its third season, this series is perfect for those of you who may never have watched anime before but absolutely love anything to do with superheroes.My Hero Academiamakes the best of this pairing by hitting both anime and superhero tropes hard, and then elevating them to all new levels through the use of fantastic narrative arcs, bold storytelling decisions, and characters you actually care about.
My Hero Academiacenters on Deku, a very average boy who is powerless in a world where superpowers are actually pretty common. One day, his heroic sacrifice proves to the world’s greatest hero that Deku is worthy of inheriting his own super-powered abilities. What follows is an interest exploration of Deku coming to grips with his new powers, the drama that comes from training alongside his fellow heroes, and the life-or-death fight for his friends and allies against equally powerful and deadly villains.My Hero Academiais incredibly easy to get into and, with very few exceptions, every episode is a winner.
If you want some downright dark and gritty drama to add to your anime plate, look no further thanAttack on Titan. While it’s for a slightly older crowd due to its gruesome violence and body horror, the psychological trauma presented inAttack on Titanis some of the best among popular anime series. It takes place in a world where human survivors live in walled cities in fear for their lives from mysterious Titans, humanoid beings of anywhere from 9 to 200 feet tall who have a particular fondness for feasting on humans. The only line of defense besides the walls themselves are teams of dedicated scouts and soldiers who do their best to cull the population of Titans and protect the last vestiges of human civilization
Short on answers but heavy on incredible action and intrigue,Attack on Titanhas become a massive hit. Unfortunately, the demand is outpacing the supply at the moment since only 46 episodes of the anime have been released since 2013. However, a new season of 24 episodes has been confirmed to start in July 2018, so now’s a perfect time for you to get going onAttack on Titanbefore the new season arrives!
Anime Movies for Teens
Though the TV section was rather on the action-heavy side, our first suggestion for teen-appropriate anime movies is anything but that. The hit romance/drama movieYour Nameswept through international cinemas just a couple of years ago, but it’s one of the best introductions to anime movies outside of Studio Ghibli fare.Makoto Shinkai’s epic tale crosses a lot of boundaries: Cultural divides, differences in family classes and career tracks, and historical events that impact space and time can’t keep two star-crossed strangers from finding each other.
Your Namedefies the conventions of what one expects when they hear the word “anime” while also adding new wrinkles to body-switching stories, time-traveling tales, and teenage romances. It’s a fantastic story of what makes us human and the lengths we’ll go to hold onto that in the midst of abject disaster and lost. If you never watch another anime movie again, watchingYour Namewill have been worth your time.
I promised you more Studio Ghibli and here you have it. One of the best of the bunch from the acclaimed anime studio isGrave of the Fireflies, a particularly tough watch for audiences who are not yet at their teenage years. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Isao Takahata’s tale follows a young brother and sister in Japan who are struggling to survive in the closing months of World War II. It’s one of the most heart-breaking tales you’ll ever experience, a fact made tougher to bear when you learn that it’s based on the 1967 autobiographical tale ofAkiyuki Nosakaand his experiences during the firebombing of Kobe in 1945.
From the outset it’s clear thatGrave of the Firefliesdoes not hold audiences' hands in the telling of the tale, a storytelling decision that makes Seita and Setsuko’s ultimate fate all the harder to swallow. It’s a timeless tale and one that bears repeat viewing, but it also happens to be one of the best examples of just what anime is capable of as a style.
Let’s lighten things up a bit with some good old-fashioned martial arts action, shall we? Just like the aforementionedPokémonfranchise,Dragon Ballhas been going strong sinceAkira Toriyamabrought it to life way back in 1984. For almost 35 years,Dragon Ballhas been bringing us incredible action not just on the small screen but on the big screen as well. The first movie arrived way back in 1986 and the 20th film is set to arrive in December of this year. (If you even bring up the live-action movieDragonball: Evolution, you are no longer welcome in this discussion.)
The great thing about theDragon Ballmovie franchise is that it pairs up well with the TV series that was airing at the time. So if you got intoDragon Ballin the 80s, there are four films to choose from, while those of us who got intoDragon Ball Zin the 90s or the much more recentDragon Ball Superarc get to enjoy the remainder of the movies. These features are solid standalone action-adventure flicks that allow the anime’s heroes to go up against some iconic and original villains without impacting the TV series' arcs. While the power levels between the two might get shuffled around from movie to movie, it’s still a blast to watch Goku battle for the title ofThe World’s Strongestor to fight alongside his friends inThe Tree of Might. As a bonus for those of you who don’t have the time or inclination to get caught up on all ofDragon Ball Super, the moviesBattle of GodsandResurrection ‘F’will get you caught up in no time, at least to the point of the Universal Tournament arc. You’re welcome!
Anime TV Series for Adults
Okay, you’re an adult in the eyes of the law and those around you. You’ve made it this far without experiencing anime but you can’t help but feel like you’ve missed out on something along the way. You don’t want anything too silly and you don’t want to waste your time; you want something you’d be proud to be a fan of.
Enter:Cowboy Bebop. Often cited as the gateway anime to end all gateway animes, this classic 1998 Sunrise series didn’t even have the benefit of a strong manga following to base its success on. Instead, the show’s mature themes, noir sensibilities, and complex characters drove it from cult icon to international classic in just 26 episodes. (Yoko Kanno’s incredible and inseparable music was undoubtedly a big part of this success and it’s worth watching the series just for this.)
Following a ragtag team of space-based bounty hunters attempting to scrape together enough Woolongs for their next meal and to patch their aging spacecraft,Cowboy Bebopfeatures action-packed episodic arcs alongside deeply emotional character stories that will have you invested in just about everyone who pops up on screen. There’s the tormented, too-cool-for-school, former spy-assassin, Spike Spiegel; the hard-nosed former detective with a heart of gold, Jet Black; the cursed femme fatale with a heartbreaking past, present, and possibly future, Faye Valentine; and the wildcard hacker extraordinaire Ed (along with pooch pal, Ein) who’s hard not to love. Despite some silliness played for levity along the way, this one’s at it’s best when it’s super-serious. IfCowboy Bebopdoesn’t at least make you just a bit more interested in this thing called anime, not much else will.
WhileGundamdoesn’t exactly scream “anime for adults”, the franchise remains one of the best at tackling more mature thematic stories like the use of military might; sovereignty of nations, people, and worlds; and the many interpretations and viewpoints on what “freedom” really means. On top of that, this long-running mecha sub-genre puts a focus on more “realistic” giant robots, factoring in engineering specs; mechanical failures, repairs, and upgrades; and the importance of a talented pilot in control of a high-tech piece of machinery. (There’s a reason that Gundam model enthusiasts take their hobby so seriously!)
Having been around for nearly 40 years at this point,Gundamhas enjoyed more than 40 adaptations for both the small and big screens. For yours truly, myGundamgateway was the mid-90s series,Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, a show that combined super-cool/nerdy mecha tech with the incredibly complex and well-developed characters who piloted them. Each pilot carried a chip on his shoulder for a variety of reasons, mostly owing to their various upbringings and place of origin.Gundamisn’t limited to terrestrial battles or storylines; it sprawls across colonies, planets, moons, and the vastness of space, and the narrative asks audiences to keep up with it or get left behind. This franchise might just turn you from anime novice to anime-obsessed, so be careful!
If we’re talking about anime series that are truly meant for mature, adult audiences, we have no further to look thanBerserk. There is sometwistedstuff going on in this story and that’s the way it’s been since writer/artistKentaro Miurastarted crafting his story back in 1989, a story that continues to this day. (Some clarification here: We’re suggesting the 1997 anime series or the 2012 anime filmsBerserk: The Golden Age Arc. We’re going to go ahead and pass on the current CG-animated series and we advise you to do the same if you’re just starting out.) We won’t get intospoilershere except to say that holy crap doesBerserkgo dark, twisted, violent, sexually explicit and abusive, like almost no other anime series out there. (And the manga is worse still. Yikes.)
But all ofBerserk’s excess is not just for shock value alone. Kentaro’s storytelling is some of the best around and he puts his characters through all manner of tortures just to see what they’ll do along the way and what kind of people they’ll be like on the other side. Viewers follow along with the nigh unstoppable warrior Guts as he makes his bones in battle as a member of the mercenary group, the Band of the Hawk. Guts brings a complicated history into an even more complicated story as his fate becomes intertwined with his fellow mercenaries, the royals who hire them, and the mysterious and powerful demons who pull on mortals’ strings from behind the scenes. It’s a brutal tale well-told, and it’s only for adults.
Anime Movies for Adults
Berserktold a brutal tale about a lone warrior battling all the evil, supernatural forces stacked against him, set in a medieval European backdrop. The 1993 original anime movie from writer-directorYoshiaki Kawajirihas some similar storytelling, but in a more traditional setting and style that should be familiar to fans of classic Japanese movies. However,Ninja Scrollis just as inspired by Western espionage movies as it is Japanese cinema. Set in feudal Japan,Ninja Scrollfollows a wandering, mercenary swordsman by the name of Jubei Kibagami (sounds normal so far) who is tasked with defeating the supernaturally powered Eight Devils before they can overthrow the local shogun.
Ninja Scroll’s storytelling structure is one of that follows the lone Jubei, who’s occasionally assisted by a crafty spy and a femme fatale, fighting horror after horror as he hacks and slashes his way deeper into enemy territory, ultimately coming face to face with a terror from his past. It’s about as adult as you can get, and not just because of the graphic violence and sexuality on display.Ninja Scrolltwists familiar storytelling tropes while hopping back and forth through time on occasion, asking viewers to connect the dots along the way for themselves; there’s little hand-holding here. Additionally, the love story is a non-traditional and ultimately heartbreaking one, and the way in which the final villain is dispatched is one of the best you’ll ever see, especially when said villain’s abilities are concerned. There’s a reason thatNinja Scrollis one of the few, iconic films regarded as introducing anime to a wider adult audience and showing what the style is capable of.
Now, we could have suggested the absolutely fantasticGhost in the Shellanime movie here, as you might have been waiting for, but since we’ve featured a lot of action-heavy titles, we wanted to change things up a bit. It’s rare to find an anime that deals specifically in the horror genre, rarer still to find one that executes the hallmarks of great psychological thrillers quite as well asSatoshi Kon’s 1997 drama,Perfect Blue. This thing digs its claws into you and doesn’t let go in a way that you don’t often find in live-action movies, let alone anime features.
The story centers on Mima Kirigoe, a pop singer who leaves her super group in order to pursue her dreams of rising to stardom as an actress. IfPerfect Bluewas just a tale about the trials and tribulations of trying to make it as an actress in the cutthroat world of the film industry, we’d still be recommending it. Viewers watch as Mima, despite warnings from her manager, takes on roles posing for nude magazines and portraying rape victims for a film in the hopes that it will lend credibility to her career. But when people involved with the production are murdered and Mima begins to receive threatening messages from enraged former fans and a dangerous stalker, the line between reality and her dramatic work starts to blur in her mind.Perfect Blueratchets up the tension and the uncertainty in every possible way, but the ultimate reveal comes out of left field and it’s one of the creepiest things you’ll ever seen. Seek this one out.
All right, back to the action. you may’t really have a list of beginner anime suggestions without the all-time classic and arguably most influential anime title of all time,Akira. We’re about to celebrate the 30th anniversary ofKatsuhiro Ôtomo’s film this July, a film that adapts his own manga but boils his work down to its core elements and characters. Often imitated but never duplicated, the visceral visuals and violent storytelling ofAkirastill hold up today, and it’s easy to see why it’s managed to boost the popularity of anime to Western audiences during the past three decades.
Akirais set in the post-apocalyptic city of Neo-Tokyo where government corruption and roving bands of criminals run rampant. While it sounds completely insane, which is what makes it so entertaining, the story revolves around members of a biker gang, one of whom develops incredible psychokinetic powers after a freak accident. Those powers put him in the crosshairs of government and military leaders, and others who would prefer to stop him by any means necessary rather than face another event of city-wide destruction like the one that leveled Tokyo years earlier.
ThoughAkiraonly manages to adapt roughly half the story of the original manga, not a frame is wasted. It’s a movie that absolutely has to be experienced at least once in your lifetime. You should be able to easily recognizeAkira’s influence on decades' worth of other cinematic achievements, and hopefully something in the movie’s characters, story, or incredible animation sequences speaks to you. If so, congratulations! You’re an anime fan!
