#april has lots of initiative in it too which well u know thats something i appreciate. she drives the plot forwards + gets some really funny

[hazamacore]

top 5 funky phantom episodes are whos chicken, ghost town ghost, we saw a sea serpent, the forests prime evil + mudsy joins the circus

[stimyulus]

INTRO TO ANIME: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

want to get into anime? well, you’ve come to the right place BUD. below, i have some personal recommendations for people who don’t know where to start/wondering where to go from x, y, or z

ESSENTIALS (these shows are classics/must-watches in order to be ‘initiated’ into anime. once u watch these, u can start branching off into ur personal taste more):

COWBOY BEBOP - a space odyssey. beautiful, tragic, and groovy as hell -inspired by jazz, specifically bebop (hence the name) as well as western culture, bebop is a perfect entry level anime for someone not fully used to anime tropes and whatnot. i would recommend the english dub for THIS anime and only a handful of others, mostly because of stephen blum’s amazing job at voicing spike. if you really dig this anime and want more like it, i would watch samurai champloo. it is bebop’s spiritual successor in some sense. both have a trio of misfits each on their own individual journey, and both are inspired by western culture and music. champloo has more of a hip-hop spin, which is pretty cool. 

AKIRA - this is a movie, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a classic. it actually inspired 2012′s chronicle. this movie is important in multiple aspects, one of them being the animation, which was insanely impressive given the time period it was made in. they also spent hella money making it, so ig thats the tradeoff. i dont rly wanna say much about the movie, just go watch it for yourself. (i watched the sub for this)

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD - this one is kind of an investment. clocking in at around 64 episodes, its pretty daunting, especially for someone just getting into anime. however, i promise you, it is most definitely worth its time. an expansive, yet intimate story, fma:b is the perfect blend of action/adventure and all the warm & fuzzy shit that makes u wanna listen to blonde while laying on ur bed. it also has significantly more “anime” tropes than the first two i’ve mentioned, but it’s not to the point where it is overpowering or annoying, which can be the case for some recent shows dropping these days. fma:b is set in a world where alchemy is the main form of science. it’s basically magic, though. the way the uncover the story is really interesting and the payoff is really great. this one is a keeper, and a great gateway drug to “real” anime.

also, i would just watch a handful of ghibli movies. princess mononoke, castle in the sky, kiki’s delivery service, spirited away, nausica valley of the wind, howl’s moving castle

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (this is the stuff you want to start watching once u finish the essentials. some of them might be a bit lower quality than the essentials, but MOST of them are AS good, or if not better than some of the essentials. the only reason i have them in here is because they usually are more enjoyable after getting ur feet kinda wet in the anime world first.)

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE - i don’t even know where to start with jojo. just do yourself a favor and watch it. part 5 never.

MOB PSYCHO 100 - this one is fire too. made by the same artist as one punch man, this anime is short and sweet. art style is hella dope

GARDEN OF WORDS (KOTONOHA NO NIWA) - same studio who made kimi no na wa. the animation is suuuuuuuper fucking sexy. it’s classified as a “movie”, but its only like 40 something minutes long. its a pretty relaxing watch, although i will admit its more shine than substance, at least in terms of story. 

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (AND THE END OF EVANGELION, MAKE SURE TO WATCH THE EOE RIGHT AFTER THE SHOW) - nge is another anime for the CULTURE. this show shaped many character archetypes still seen today, and is highly praised for its topics and dark, psychological tone, mostly seen in the second half of the show, which hits the fucking rails. ive also noticed this show is quite polarizing, but you’ll find more people in the love camp than cynical camp on this one. also, do not watch this unless ur depressed or want to be depressed, bc it will fuck u up 

BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA (MY HERO ACADEMY) - this is a rather recent show (actually, probably the most recent one on this list), and despite the large amount of garbage being put out these days, this one is something really special. think anime sky high. or anime harry potter for kids w superpowers. that’s pretty much all you need to know. there’s two seasons and they are currently making a 3rd one i believe. this anime gets me hella fucking hyped, so if u like fights, check this one out. fighting isnt a main aspect of the show, but when they do it, they fucking execute it really well.

PARASYTE - i havent seen this one in a while, but i remember really enjoying it. its about these parasites than land on earth, one of which infects the main character, who manages to isolate it to his right hand. he then goes on a bloody rampage.  its also kinda creepy but the payoff is pretty decent iirc

THE TATAMI GALAXY - i watched this one a couple months ago. its 11 episodes long, but it packs in a lot of content, mainly due to the supersonic dialogue. seriously, you’ll need to get used to how fast everyone talks. once u do though, it’s decently manageable. tatami galaxy is about a 3rd yr college student who wonders what his life would’ve been like if he joined x y or z club during freshman year. its a great coming of age story, and also really fucking quirky. the art style is unique and really dope. soundtrack is fire too. 

STEINS;GATE - this is a TIME TRAVEL ANIME. and its a giant mindfuck. iirc, it was based off of a visual novel. the main character is hit or miss in terms of tolerability. main girl is a super queen. some people i’ve talked to dropped this show before getting to the second half, which is kinda understandable, but i promise you, keep sticking with this anime. once shit hits the fan, its really hard to put this one down.

YOUR LIE IN APRIL (SHIGATSU WA KIMI NO USO) - your lie in april i watched pretty early on in my “anime career”. its inspirational and heartbreaking. watch if it u want something different from action/adventure. obviously, the music in this show is really on point. i dont know much about classical, but they were playing some slaps

HAIKYUU - SPORTS!!!!! haikyuu is about a high school volleyball team trying to get to nationals. seems like a simple story, but the games get hella fucking hype and all the characters are super likeable in their own way. watch this one if u want some mega bromance vibes

well, that’s all i have to offer. i hope you got at least a decent idea of where you want to start. if you have any other questions/recommendation requests, pls feel free to msg me