The Rec List
I tend to get asked about anime recommendations more often than I care, so I've tended to get a pretty good system down on questions and a good core of shows to watch. My "core" list right now comes down to these shows:
Code Geass and/or Death Note (likes shows like 24)
Eden of the East (mystery lover, wants something easy to watch)
Fullmetal Alchemist (they ask for something "good")
Ghost in the Shell (they like Wachowski films)
Mushi-shi (the safe recommendation for someone that doesn't push me any way)
Outlaw Star (the "I don't know, what got you into anime?" response)
Spice and Wolf (the safe recommendation for someone that wants to see something "different", the flip being Elfen Lied)
The interesting flip to this, though, is what should someone with a sizeable knowledge base recommend for someone that is already into anime? The nice thing about someone whose already dipped their fingers into anime is that they've learned to expect there to be differences from what you expect, and to just take things as they come. Usually I base recommendations on just how dipped their fingers are into anime. If it isn't that much, I might suggest something a bit more zany like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Bakemonogatari, or FLCL. I may also push them into the more "Japanese" genres of shows and suggest shows like Madlax, Haruhi, and Clannad. (I also like giving out Tsubasa here, but that doesn't usually get a good reception)
The two main suggestions I give, though, are pretty consistent. The first is to see the classics you haven't seen; things like Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, (which I recommend despite hating it) Azumanga Daioh, and Rurouni Kenshin. But, the series that I tend to recommend for the anime enthusiast want-to-be is the When They Cry superarc of animes: Higurashi/Kai/Rei and Umineko/Chiru. It's a great overarching story that becomes more enthralling with each series, and there is a level of detail to the entire thing that engages and rewards the viewer much more if you are already familiar with anime and can look beyond just what you are watching.
The thing that sets Higurashi/Umineko apart from other anime, though, is that it is about the only anime that I will not openly recommend to someone coming into anime. Mostly because they'll stop at ep.12 of the first season of Higurashi, but also because it is the only series I have seen where there is meaning in static, and the inexperienced anime viewer most likely will not see beyond the static.
静
Code Geass and/or Death Note (likes shows like 24)
Eden of the East (mystery lover, wants something easy to watch)
Fullmetal Alchemist (they ask for something "good")
Ghost in the Shell (they like Wachowski films)
Mushi-shi (the safe recommendation for someone that doesn't push me any way)
Outlaw Star (the "I don't know, what got you into anime?" response)
Spice and Wolf (the safe recommendation for someone that wants to see something "different", the flip being Elfen Lied)
The interesting flip to this, though, is what should someone with a sizeable knowledge base recommend for someone that is already into anime? The nice thing about someone whose already dipped their fingers into anime is that they've learned to expect there to be differences from what you expect, and to just take things as they come. Usually I base recommendations on just how dipped their fingers are into anime. If it isn't that much, I might suggest something a bit more zany like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Bakemonogatari, or FLCL. I may also push them into the more "Japanese" genres of shows and suggest shows like Madlax, Haruhi, and Clannad. (I also like giving out Tsubasa here, but that doesn't usually get a good reception)
The two main suggestions I give, though, are pretty consistent. The first is to see the classics you haven't seen; things like Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, (which I recommend despite hating it) Azumanga Daioh, and Rurouni Kenshin. But, the series that I tend to recommend for the anime enthusiast want-to-be is the When They Cry superarc of animes: Higurashi/Kai/Rei and Umineko/Chiru. It's a great overarching story that becomes more enthralling with each series, and there is a level of detail to the entire thing that engages and rewards the viewer much more if you are already familiar with anime and can look beyond just what you are watching.
The thing that sets Higurashi/Umineko apart from other anime, though, is that it is about the only anime that I will not openly recommend to someone coming into anime. Mostly because they'll stop at ep.12 of the first season of Higurashi, but also because it is the only series I have seen where there is meaning in static, and the inexperienced anime viewer most likely will not see beyond the static.
静
posted by bradleyjx at
7:40 PM
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