Heard about anime? Seen some on television from where you live? Want to watch more of these kinds of cartoons? This may just be the right guide for you.
This is a guide for anyone who has heard of anime and wishes to know more about it, or perhaps even start watching it themselves. However, if you already watch anime, you can use this guide as a reference for some animes to watch, which will be later on in this post.
What is Anime?
Anime is short for animation, and to anywhere outside of Japan stands for "Japanese Animation." The more mainstream anime tends to revolve around one kind of character structure - the hair and the eyes being the most important part of the character. Over the years, Anime has become a lot more popular across the world, as in contrast to English or American animation, the story lines and drawings are a lot different - seeing as the Japanese culture varies completely from ours.
Legal Notes
As anime originated from Japan, a lot of the shows are not English dubbed or even subbed by the owners of the anime, whether that be Shounen Jump etc. This means that a lot of the anime you see on the internet is an illegal rip and has been posted on the internet, most of the time, for free. In this guide I shall recommend many types of anime films, series, but please bare in mind that if you choose to stream them or download them, you are watching them for free.
If possible, do try to buy the anime when it is released in your area to support the producers.
Phrases You May Come Across
Dubbed - The series has been voiced over by the producers for viewing in different countries. Meaning instead of having Japanese voices, it would be English for example.
Subbed - The series or movie has subtitles for a variety of users, whether that be French to Portuguese, English to Italian.
Fansub - A fansub is where the fans have added subtitles to the raw episode
Raw - A raw episode is what you would see if you watched it in Japan. No subtitles, no dubs, just the raw episode.
If you come across any other words you do not understand that I have not listed, Google is your next bet.
Shoujo - Aimed at girls.
Shounen - Aimed at guys.
Dubbed vs. Subbed
Dubbing and subbing an anime legally takes a lot of time and money for the producers, so unless they don't think the anime will sell well abroad, most of the time they will not bother. This is where the fans come in - the fans would fansub the animes themselves to release on the internet for those who do not understand Japanese to view.
The majority of the animes uploaded by fans are fansubbed, as this is the easiest and most effective method of uploading anime. Dubbed are easy to follow for someone who may be newer to the genre, so that may be where you want to start.
Beginner Anime Recommendations
A lot of peoplee start with similar animes, mine being
Death Note. It had a dub, so it was easy to follow and the story line really got me hooked. Here, I will list various animes that may interest anyone new to anime out there, or even people who aren't.
Action
Action animes involve lots of action. (lol duh)
Full Metal Alchemist - This anime follows the story of Edward and Alphonse, a boy in an armoured suit, who are looking for the philosophers stone, an item that allows. Edward is a very talented alchemist and has been trying to bring his deceased mother back to life using this. Due to an accident, Edward lost his leg and Alphonse his whole body - Edward, however, preserved Alphonse's entity in a suit of armour, sacrificing one of his legs to do so. Will they be able to find a way to revive their mother?
One Piece - A fighting anime... With Pirates! Young Monkey D. Luffy has a dream, a dream to become the pirate king! To do this, he will have to hunt down the infamous One Piece... a treasure left by the greatest pirate who ever lived.
Naruto - Many years ago, in the hidden village of Konoha, lived a great demon fox. When it swung one of it's nine tails, a tsunami occurred. The fourth hokage sealed this demon fox inside a boy in exchange for his own life. Naruto was that boy, and he grew up with no family, and the villagers hated him thinking that he himself was the demon fox. Naruto's dream is to become Hokage, and have the villagers acknowledge him. (taken from IMDb)
Slice of Life
As the title explains, Slice of Life animes follow a certain person's life. Most of the time, it is set in school.
K-On! - A happy, bubbly anime where a young girl named Yui is trying to form the Light Music Club (K-On). Will she be able to accomplish this, however? She doesn't have enough members for the Student Council to be satisfied! What will she do?
Lucky Star - Lucky Star is another good example of a happy, bubbly anime. Following the day to day life of Konata, a young girl who's only interests are anime and playing dating sims. She and her three friends are experiencing new and exciting things every day! This series never fails to make you smile.
Romance
Do I really need to explain this one?
Toradora - Ryuji is a adolescent boy who has inherited quite a mean looking face from his father who used to be a gangster type-person. During one fateful day at school, he bumps into one girl that everyone fears.. her name is Taiga Aisaka. She just so happens to be friends with the girl Ryuji likes, where will this take their relationship?
Comedy
With no doubt, these will make you laugh.
Ouran High School Host Club - Fujioka Haruhi won a scholarship to attend Ouran High, a school reserved for the rich and prestigious. Despite what other students may think of her, Haruhi cares little for physical appearances or the fact that she's a commoner. Unfortunately for Haruhi, her high school days took a turn when she stumbled upon the Host Club, a group of guys who use their specific traits and charms to entertain the women of Ouran High. Even worse was that Haruhi had accidentally broken an 8 million yen vase in the club. Unable to repay her debt with money, Haruhi found herself with no choice but to work for the Host Club, becoming a male host herself. (taken from MyAnimeList.net)
Working!! - Set in a family restaurant in Hokkaido, the northern prefecture of Japan, 16 year old high school student Takanashi Souta works part-time along with his strange co-workers: Taneshima Poplar, a high school girl who's a year older than Souta and easily mistaken for an elementary/middle schooler, and Shirafuji Kyouko, the 28-year old store manager who doesn't bother to do any work at all. (taken from MyAnimeList.net)
Shoujo
Animes more aimed at girls are listed here.
Fruits Basket - Tohru Honda is 16 year old orphaned girl who gets invited to live in the house of her classmate, the handsome boy Sohma Yuki, and his cousins, 16 year old Kyo and 27 year old Shigure. However, these young men and parts of the rest of their family (both close and distant) hold a curse; if they are hugged by the opposite gender, they transform into animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Everyday is an adventure for sweet Tohru, as she gets to know everyone in the large family better (especially Yuki and Kyo), in both common and bizarre situations. But, the Sohma Family curse is certainly no laughing matter... it also holds horrible cruelity and heartbreak. (taken from MyAnimeList.net)
Shounen
Animes more animed at guys are listed here.
Death Note - During just another normal day, Light Yagami stumbles upon a black notebook known as the Death Note. This notebook belongs to a shinigami, Ryuk, having the ability to kill anyone who has their name written in it. As the new owner of the Death Note, Light's true desires surface, yearning to cleanse the world of evil by murdering a large number of criminals. When the world begins to notice the existence of this unknown killer, legendary detective L is brought onto the case; starting a war between "Kira" and L. Whoever is able to find out the other's identity first will be the one to survive. (taken from MyAnimeList.net)
Chaos;HEAd - In a world constantly haunted by demonic predators known as "Youma", the everyday life of humans is full of fear and suspicion, as these monsters easily blend into human society to hunt their hapless prey. However, in this world, there is also a mysterious organization, employing half-human, half-Youma warriors to effectively track down and kill the demons. Called "silver eyed witches" or "Claymores" after the huge Claymore swords they carry, these female warriors are eyed with suspicion and distrust by most because of their inhuman powers.
When the young boy Raki meets Clare, a Claymore sent to kill the Youma haunting his hometown, he is eventually caught in a story of love, revenge and treachery, as Clare's past meets with her future...
Downloading vs. Streaming
Whether you download the anime to watch it or view it on a website via streaming is completely up to you. There are upsides and downsides for both, you just have to find which one suits you best. Downloading anime can take up a lot of space but can make the quality exceptionally high. In addition to this, you may need to download and install additional programs to help view these videos. Streaming, on the other hand, takes up no space but can be in very, very low quality. In addition to this, they could be taken down at any time.
Downloading Resources
Programs
uTorrent - A free peer to peer file sharing program. This program is used to download torrents which download multiple files at once.
DivX Video Player - This player allows the viewer to watch .mkv files, which the majority of downloadable animes are saved as. The subtitles might not show up at first, so right click and go down to subtitles and select your language.
Useful Websites
Baka-Updates [baka-updates.com] - A great website that shows recently released shows by Fansub groups.
BakaBT [bakabt.com] - This site is a tracker, like Baka-Updates but more reliable for older anime and manga.
Google [google.com] - Just by searching "download --- English sub" you can find many websites linking to downloads, whether it be through MegaUpload or by torrents.
If you have any further queries about torrenting, please check this guide written by one of our members,
Old Speckled Hen. Please click
here to be taken to the torrenting guide.
This is only a small introduction to the vast variety of anime there are out there. Everything I listed helped me get into anime, and I hope it helps you get into it too! Please remember just because something is for girls/boys, doesn't mean it's bad if you're from the opposite gender! Don't knock it till you try it.
If you have any criticisms or would like to recommend your own anime, please do so in this thread.
Today's Toppers
The Beginners Guide To Anime
