Top 3 Starter Anime
The world of anime is an already vast and continuously growing one. It has always been popular in Japan and in other Eastern countries, but thanks to shows like Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, and Jujutsu Kaisen, the US and other Western countries have started enjoying it at a much faster rate.
That being said, you are here now because you are looking to dip your toe into the anime world with some starter anime, or to at least make sure you have seen some of the basics.
While I don’t want to give away the three, I will give you some of the criteria that I used to select them.
- Not too long (Sorry One Piece)
- Not too intense (Sorry Attack on Titan)
- Not too… anime-ey (Sorry many other animes)
This list is supposed to be for people who are interested in dipping their toe in, not diving headfirst. So while there are a tremendous number of anime’s out there, I picked three that I’ve found to be the most accessible and enjoyable to newcomers.
Hopefully that explanation satisfies you. Let’s get into it.
Cowboy Bebop
There is a reason that Cowboy Bebop has remained so popular for so long. Despite airing its first episode in 1998, it still holds up as a must-watch anime of today.
Cowboy bebop is a story about two space bounty hunters who continuously run into people from their troubled pasts. They pick up some other friends along the way with their own very unique backgrounds for an incredibly entertaining story, with each 20 minute episode feeling like its own movie.
If you are a fan of cool characters, great music, awesome action scenes, or lots of feels, it has it all. And because it doesn’t hit a lot of the standard anime tropes, Cowboy Bebop may be the best anime to start with.
Add on the fact that it’s only 26 episodes, and it’s hard to argue its ease of entry into the world of anime.
Death Note
Death Note is undoubtably one of the best starter anime there is. It’s not your typical popular action based anime, but rather an incredible cat-and-mouse psychological thriller.
Death Note follows an incredibly bright high school student and gives him an unbelievable power. What he does with that power and the lengths he goes to to uphold his “values” will give you a great idea of what anime storytelling is all about.
While intense, it is not particularly violent and doesn’t hold the typical anime tropes that may turn others away from anime. On top of that, Death Note is also relatively short at only 35 episodes.
If you’re not particularly into action but enjoy human psychology and interaction, Death Note may be the right start for you.
Hunter x Hunter
I’ll start out by saying that Hunter x Hunter is the most “standard” anime of the three. It is more action-based and has more fantasy elements that are more typical to anime.
That being said, Hunter x Hunter is one of the most appreciated and enjoyed anime ever created. It has incredible characters, an intriguing story, and a number of unforgettable moments.
And while the picture above may seem more kid-friendly, it most certainly is rated TV-14 for a reason. So for younger viewers, I would suggest a different list than this one.
One other note with Hunter x Hunter is it is the longest by far at 148 episodes. Once you get hooked though, you will not find it difficult to very quickly get through the entire series in a very short period of time. Unlike the other two as well, it is not technically finished and new chapters continue to be written. So there is hope that more will be released at some point.
Conclusion
There are a tremendous amount of anime that could be selected as part of this list. These three though are some of the best, most accessible anime that I’ve found in my many years of watching.
Thanks for reading!