For someone new to the genre, the endless list of popular Animes can be incredibly intimidating. For those who don’t know, anime refers to “a style of Japanese film and television animation.” Within this, there are multiple different genres – anyone can find their own niche of the wide range of anime films and series available. That being said, here are the top recommendations I have for those who have never watched anime before!
- Anything by Studio Ghibli
-
Even those who know very little about anime will likely have heard of Studio Ghibli. This is the studio responsible for Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle. Naturally, Ghibli films are a great place to start for any anime newbie. Personally, my favourite Ghibli films are Howl’s Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke – both being utterly spectacular.
However, I would recommend Howl’s Moving Castle for those looking for a fun and romantic introduction to anime. If you like fantasy epics along the lines of Lord of the Rings with extensive worldbuilding, Princess Mononoke is for you!
In addition, you can’t go wrong with watching Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro – both are highly acclaimed and beloved by the community.
- Violet evergarden
-
Violet Evergarden is a series following Violet, an ex-soldier who takes on the role of an “Auto Memory Doll” – writing letters for a vast variety of clientele. The animation and music are gorgeous and immersive; the world is lush and easy to get invested in. The show strikes the perfect balance between light and reflective – while featuring some more morose themes, they don’t overwhelm the plot and only add to the show’s appeal. I encourage anyone curious to give it a try.
- Death Note
-
If you loved BBC’s Sherlock or love murder-mystery series in general, you’ll love Death Note. One of the most well-known anime series, Death Note follows Light Yagami, a high school student who finds the death note – a notebook that allows the owner to kill any person whose name they write in the book. Naturally, this leads to chaos. Light must constantly avoid being captured while continuing to use the notebook, constantly working to outwit the mysterious Sherlock-like detective L.
Death Note will hook you from the very first episode – it’s a master class in writing a good murder mystery and while the second half of the show isn’t as strong as the first half, it still is worth watching overall.
Armed with these recommendations, I hope you give anime a try. As an enthusiast, the incredible films and series available in the genre have changed my life and inspire me daily to look into them further and engage with the anime community. Due to the popularity of anime, now is a great time to try out a film or series! You might just find another staple to add to your list of favourite films and TV series.