For those who are just starting out being interested in Japanese media, anime is a great place to start. There are tons of different genres to check out and enjoy with thousands of new series, a lot coming out every season. There is an abundance of wonderful art styles and stories following romance, adventures, paranormal, horror, comedy, and about anything you can think of! But if you have no previous experience with anime it can be a struggle to know where to actually start. There is an array of amazing anime to start you off and peak your interest in Japanese culture. One particular show to start off with is “Tokyo Ghoul” which is about a boy who gets attacked by a creature known as a ghoul before turning into one himself. It starts off as a very realistic story and slowly turns crazier and more bizarre. The anime is great to watch together with your friends or by yourself. Pierrot is the studio behind the anime, which can be found on many websites and channels. It was personally one of the first anime I watched, is a very interesting story and has a nice downfall of the protagonist.

Another good one to begin with is “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”. It follows the story of two brothers who ruin their lives through the act of The Forbidden alchemy. It was created by the studio Bones as a remaster of “Fullmetal Alchemist” which has a similar plot but isn’t as realistic. If you’re looking for something with a good plot, action, and comedy it’s a great pick to lean you into those genres. The anime has a sub and dub, meaning it can be watched in both English and Japanese with subtitles depending on your preference.

Another anime created by Madhouse is “Death Note” which is about a boy who finds a book that can kill people by writing their name in it. The plot is a bit more serious and would be categorized as a thriller or drama. If you enjoy true crime or media surrounding  murder cases you may be interested in it for your first anime. It includes supernatural creatures such as Shinigami who are gods that lead humans towards death in Japanese religions.  It’s a more realistic and serious anime which correlates with western shows and can be a good base to start with before you truly dive into other anime.

There is a large variety of anime you can choose to watch in the beginning of the experience, though if you’re looking for less realistic or serious genres fantasy or Isekai are great options. One specific example is “That Time I got reincarnated as a Slime” which shows a man transported into a magical world where he starts a new life as a lowly slime, building up its power to become a Demon Lord. Bandai Namco Entertainment is the studio behind making the anime. It is a very fascinating story with a good amount of episodes and seasons, a new one coming out this fall. Because the anime is still currently coming out,` the fandom for it is very active and can be a good way to gain new friends and find even more shows to watch and enjoy.

Another anime with a pretty active fanbase is “Boku No Hero Academia” which is a fictional show centered around a world where people are born with superpowers called quirks. The main character, Deku, looks up to and wants to become a superhero even though he does not have a quirk. The top hero in the country finds him and gives the boy a power before he’s sent off to learn to become a true hero. It’s a good watch or read to get you into more anime, there are many superhero or super power based fiction pieces to consume and this anime can be a good gateway into finding them. This anime is another recommendation from Studio bones, the company makes a lot of good anime and could be good to search on Google. It could lead you to a lot of shows to watch from Japan.  There are thousands of wonderful shows to start you off and increase your knowledge in Japanese culture. These are just a few recommendations to get you started on anime, so get watching!