What anime would you suggest

[iinnkk]

To someone who's never seen one before, and is interested in getting into it?
(Can include movies)

[rtil]

depends a little on what they like, but some safe bets in my book are Cowboy Bebop, as well as most Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon films (lately i have also been considering Mushishi). I have convinced a couple people who irrationally hate anime to give things like Bebop, Spirited Away or Paprika a try, and they have never let me down. I think the main reason why they are so successful at pulling in new anime fans is because they are so atypical of what someone's preconceived notion of what anime would be like, while at the same time being accessible to a wider audience without sacrificing intellectual appeal. i honestly think a lot of anime fail in some of these departments, even some of my favorites, and so there are not many that i'd recommend to a "novice" anime viewer, for the fear of scaring them off.

that being said, there are a lot of animes i would NEVER suggest to someone who has never seen anime before because of this, including many classics. only because in this country there's still a sour aftertaste of xenophobia and the notion that animated things are only for children, and it can be very difficult to shake off that stereotype without first blowing them away with something timeless. seeing an adult oriented "serious" animation right off the bat may weird them out, whether it be adult themes, suggestive content, etc.. you just have to be really careful because you never know how someone might react. it sounds silly but i'm always afraid i might turn someone off to anime and that would really disappoint me if i ever did.

[Flash]

That's a good question!

I'd probably recommend Cowboy Bebop, as I think it is an easy show to get into for Western audiences. This has a lot to do with the music being Western-influenced and being such a central aspect of the show, and the overall lack of stereotypical tropes commonly associated with anime.

As for movies... Fuck, you really got me. I mean, for me it was so easy to get into the Ghibli stuff as a young kid, but there are so many people who don't care for their almost-inherent cuteness (and paradoxically, they don't care for the seriousness of The Wind Rises either) that it's just... Mind-boggling. I've given up on getting people to like the stuff I like a long time ago, both because it's pointless and also because it made me annoying at times. These days I'd honestly just say "WATCH MIND GAME AND FLCL, FUCKER" and fly off on my private jet.

[Bamyasi]

Boku no Pico.

(crowd goes wild)

[Alta Don]

Yea, I would go with Cowboy Bebop, as well as Samurai Champloo & maybe Michiko To Hatchin. As for movies, Akira or Redline would be great to start off with and Tokyo Godfathers (actually any Satoshi Kon related project is a safe bet).

[Bamyasi]

Violence Jack.

(roses are thrown on stage)

[zwimmy]

Yucky Star

[rtil]

Steins;gate

there are two reasons i wouldn't recommend this show as a starter piece - the setup takes 11 episodes, and the "@chan"/nerd culture humor that people unfamiliar with anime aren't going to get (like stein and daru teasing kurisu for being tsundere).

that being said s;g is easily in my top 5 best anime series.

[michaell]

paranoia agent

[cipher]

Pretty much everything I would suggest has already been hit, so now you can read it again!

Cowboy Bebop
Baccano!
Redline
Samurai Champloo
Mushi-shi
Ghost in the Shell (depending on who viewer is)
Paprika

[bd648]

for ghost in the shell i'd say go with stand alone complex. still my favorite anime. (not to say the movies are at all bad but they are harder to get into)

[rtil]

the original ghost in the shell film is WAY better intro to anime material than SAC. it's a sci-fi classic

[Gilthwixt]

the original ghost in the shell film is WAY better intro to anime material than SAC. it's a sci-fi classic

This. It's also much more accessible than Akira and a bit less confusing to a general audience.

Cowboy Bebop's been mentioned a billion times and really is probably the best bet, but it really depends on the person's taste. Most everything mentioned is Sci-Fi and/or violent, which might not help if the person doesn't like these things to begin with. For some alternatives, consider Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (adventure), Kids on the Slope (music/slice of life), or possibly even the Sailor Moon reboot depending on how that goes.

[lasse]

keion

[redmongoose]

paranoia agent

[Bamyasi]

You might even call it... exit level.

(crickets chirping)

[crackers]

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

[zwimmy]

You might even call it... exit level.

(crickets chirping)

Touhou is exit level

[redmongoose]

paranoia agent

lol what? this show is so beyond entry-level it's not even debatable. enjoy showing the average TV-watcher this show and having them not understand it at all

I don't think a show having complex meanings that can't necessarily be easily followed without a bit of thought automatically makes it inaccessible to someone unfamiliar with a genre.  The fact that paranoia agent has an excellent english dub and a unique style to the art that doesn't lend it to look like the other 99% of anime, along with near perfect cinematography and pacing leads me to think it would be an excellent first exposure for anybody that is looking to start watching other shows in the genre.  It's true that it's deeper meaning is very rooted in japanese culture (i.e. the younger generation and its infatuation with american culture vs. the older generations inhibitions to accepting these western infatuations relative to leftover anxiety from hiroshima) but I don't imagine this would keep someone from enjoying it, because it's not the type of show that has to make absolute perfect sense as youre watching it to be enjoyable.  I guess I could understand why you feel the way that you do, because the show can be a little unnerving the first time you watch it and that type of thing can turn certain people off from stuff really fast.  However, on the contrary, I also have had many instances where I've introduced people to paranoia agent and they have been grown up enough to move past these feelings and take the entertainment for what it is only to regard it as one of their favorite shows of all time (anime or not) upon completion, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.

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[Bamyasi]

I agree with the goose.

Also, [spoiler]M.D. Geist

(women are thrown on stage)[/spoiler]