CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

First off, I should note that this is a girl friend, not girl-friend, i.e., a "just-friend" who happens to be female. Anyways.

I want to get this girl into anime (myself being the ONLY ONE IN MY ENTIRE CHURCH who watches anime at the time being) and I was looking for good titles to ease her into it.

She likes all the Disney princess stuff, so I was going to start with the Kingdom Hearts manga and Fruits Basket DVDs. Anything else sufficiently girly? For some reason I doubt she'll enjoy Sailor Moon. I'm drawing a blank on the rest of the shoujo.

I'll confess I have ulterior motives here: as I've stated in another thread, 5 friends and I are planning to attend AX2007 as all the Homonculi from FMA, and we're missing a Lust. So the goal here is actually to ultimately convince this girl to cosplay. (Because just saying, "Hey Angela would you do me a favor and dress up as Lust?" sounds weird out of context.) So we have about 10 months to complete this mission. Anyways. All suggestions welcome.

Depends on her likes. Princess 9 is a great girl-focused sports anime, although its target is more high-school girls. Escaflowne is also really good for members of both genders, as is Azumanga Daioh. You could also try Haibane, which is intriguing and really good, so it might attract her as well.

Animus Seed wrote:First off, I should note that this is a girl friend, not girl-friend, i.e., a "just-friend" who happens to be female. Anyways.

I want to get this girl into anime (myself being the ONLY ONE IN MY ENTIRE CHURCH who watches anime at the time being) and I was looking for good titles to ease her into it.

She likes all the Disney princess stuff, so I was going to start with the Kingdom Hearts manga and Fruits Basket DVDs. Anything else sufficiently girly? For some reason I doubt she'll enjoy Sailor Moon. I'm drawing a blank on the rest of the shoujo.

I'll confess I have ulterior motives here: as I've stated in another thread, 5 friends and I are planning to attend AX2007 as all the Homonculi from FMA, and we're missing a Lust. So the goal here is actually to ultimately convince this girl to cosplay. (Because just saying, "Hey Angela would you do me a favor and dress up as Lust?" sounds weird out of context.) So we have about 10 months to complete this mission. Anyways. All suggestions welcome.

Introduce her to the Hayao Miyazaki films of course! That's a no brainer. Between films like Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, Nausicaa, etc. you'll have a readily passable bridge.

I highly recommend Full Moon wo Sagashite (although it's not fully released yet, bummer!), second the Fruits Basket nomination, and also suggest Angelic Layer.

Animus Seed wrote: I'll confess I have ulterior motives here: as I've stated in another thread, 5 friends and I are planning to attend AX2007 as all the Homonculi from FMA, and we're missing a Lust. So the goal here is actually to ultimately convince this girl to cosplay. (Because just saying, "Hey Angela would you do me a favor and dress up as Lust?" sounds weird out of context.) So we have about 10 months to complete this mission. Anyways. All suggestions welcome.

well, if you want her to dress up as Lust, then why not try introducing FMA to her.

What, FMA? That would be too obvious! "Hey, check it out, we want you to come to a convention with us and dress like that chick." "Uh, are you insane?"

LOL. ok, forgive me, but the general evil plot(evil?) behind this plan is hilarious to me. good luck though!

and hm....HONEY & CLOVER. just dl the fansub series for her & give her the disc as a present. otherwise i'm not sure. i try to resist over-cute stuffs, unless the cuteness is of the unresistable kind.

Interestingly, the girls at my school seem to be like in love with Naruto lol. Guess it speaks to both genders.

My suggestions are: Angelic Layer(very cute)
Pretear(you said she liked Disney Princesses and it's sort of a very loose retelling of the Snow White fairy tale)
Kaleido Star(cute, inspirational, and other words along those lines)
Finally, I concur with everyone who said Fruits Basket, and I second the Miyazaki films, especially My Neighbor Totoro and The Cat Returns( as they probably rate highest for cuteness factor).

Azumanga Daioh
Stellvia
Sailor Moon
lot of good shojo out there.

As for Miyazaki films... now that I think about it, she might have seen Spirited Away. I don't remember. I'll ask her.

I'll look into Azumanga Daioh and Pretear, and the rest too, though the two I just mentioned were the only ones I was familiar with offhand. Maybe DNAngel, too.

As for getting her into FMA right away... my love for FMA cannot be overstated; it is, in my personal opinion, the greatest of all anime (though many disagree with me). However, it is a very emotionally taxing series for someone new to anime, with such things as

[spoiler="Fullmetal Alchemist"] the deaths of Nina Tucker and Maes Hughes, the creation of Wrath, Roy Mustang killing Winry's parents,[/spoiler] and so on. I don't think she'd be able to handle it quite yet. Better to stay with the lighter stuff, such as Fruits Basket (which might be emotional, but at least it's not always life/death situations). No, FMA must be the final step in the overall plan, the one that firmly cements her into otaku-ness (though hopefully not Rabid-Fan-Girl-Syndrome)

I would recemmed Fruits Basket also. It got my sister into manga any way.

wave.

I'd second the possibilities of Azumanga Daioh and Kaleido Star. Also if she's into more relationship-based dramas, you might want to check out Diamond Daydreams.

One that I don't believe has been mentioned yet is Cowboy Bebop. For many of us, I think it played a major role in introducing and hooking us into anime, and as far as more adult-themed anime, is probably one of the most accessible to the mainstream. If you don't feel you quite want to use it to introduce her to anime, you may still be able to use it as a "bridge" anime, something to fill the gap between Azumanga and FMA.

Animus Seed wrote:No, FMA must be the final step in the overall plan, the one that firmly cements her into otaku-ness (though hopefully not Rabid-Fan-Girl-Syndrome)

In my experience, otaku-ness, at least for us females, always comes with at least a bit of the fan-girl syndrome. lol

I just thought of another anime series that may be good for your ebil scheme, and I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet: Scrapped Princess. Although, it does have some pretty emotional eps. near the end of the series, and it focuses on a church's quest to kill the main female character, because of a prophecy. It's not a Chrisian church(their god's name is Mauser), but the whole 'evil religion' thing might turn some people off to the show.

Ah, so that's what Scrapped Princess is about. Personally speaking, I am perfectly okay with false religious or even demonic elements in my entertainment, so long as it's all obviously on the bad-guy's side (the original Stoker novel Dracula is a good example), it's when the same elements are on the side of "the good guys" that I have a problem (as a parallel, I won't watch Hellsing)

EDIT: Uh, didn't mean to offend any Hellsing fans.

Animus Seed wrote:Ah, so that's what Scrapped Princess is about. Personally speaking, I am perfectly okay with false religious or even demonic elements in my entertainment, so long as it's all obviously on the bad-guy's side (the original Stoker novel Dracula is a good example), it's when the same elements are on the side of "the good guys" that I have a problem (as a parallel, I won't watch Hellsing)

EDIT: Uh, didn't mean to offend any Hellsing fans.

To each his own and all that. I liked the Hellsing anime okay, but then again I'm a bit of a vampire fan and there aren't that many vampire oriented anime to choose from. There was really only one scene that bothered me religion-wise, and it was in one of the later episodes. I would never recommend Hellsing as an introductory anime for anyone though. Well, not unless the person you were trying to get into anime was vampire obsessed. Sorry for getting a bit off-topic.

Back on topic, I really do recommend Scrapped Princess. When I watched the first DVD, I didn't think it was a series I could really get into, but I decided to give it a bit more time, and in the end my first impression was proved completely wrong, and I ended up really liking it.

I was under the impression SP was about King Arthur or something, somehow. Maybe I was thinking about something else.

Anyways.

Progress Report: So far, Animus is busy trying to figure out how he can have an excuse to give said friend DVDs as a present to begin with, since, as I said, this is a "just-friend," and if I just start giving her stuff out of nowhere, she's going to think I want to be more now. It's a non-issue at the moment anyway, as every cent of AS' paychecks are going to pay forgoing on his church's mission trip to Chicago (yet he still does not have enough! It's up to you, Lord!). Trying to figure out how to get her to borrow my Fruits Basket vol 1 DVD to start with.

I've seen "Petite Princess Yucie", and while it wasn't my thing, it seems like the sort of anime you might be looking for. It's a lot like what an anime would be like if Disney made one. XD;;

Animus, what does she like as far as live action shows?

If she liked things like X-Files, X-Men and Buffy, I'd suggest Witch Hunter Robin.

OK. Maybe not the FIRST anime to show her, unless she's really in that scary paranormal fantasy/scifi stuff.

Pretear is a great lighter fantasy series, and short (it's only four dvds). And the original Oh My Goddess OVA is like two DVDs (at least I think it is...maybe its four).

And how about Last Exile? I've known at least two people that weren't "typical" anime fans that totally got into Last Exile.

Someone else mentioned Cowboy Bebop. It really has been a gateway anime for a lot of fans, basically because of how often AS has shown it, and it really is for adults (I think only Ed could be mistaken for a kid's cartoon character). It's also more episodic then a lot of anime series, so easy to get into. And I have to mention the soundtrack. FANTASTIC soundtrack.

If "serious" is going to appeal to her, maybe stay away from the older and more typically-goofy styled anime WHR is definatley the more serious approach, and of course Ghost in the Shell: SAC is as well. Perhaps if she likes scifi, shed like GIS:SAC.

I second Full Moon wo Sagashite. The anime has only been released up to volume 1 (vol. 2 is out in...Septemeber, I think?), but the manga has been released up to volume 6, with the 7th and final volume coming out soon. Whisper of the Heart might also be a good choice; it's a Miyazaki film. I'm sort of suddenly drawing a blank on all the shoujo titles I know...XD; Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch might me a good title to start her on, though it's only availiable (in anime form) via subs and downloading. Hope those suggestions helped, though!

I was thinking, what about Carpators or Sakura Wars. athough, cardcaptors isn't really christian.

Cardcaptor Sakura isn't a Christian anime by any stretch of the imagination. However, what it has going for it is it is pretty clean. There is minimal swearing (I can remember like, three uses of the d-word, that's it), no blood, and no sex/nudity. It's also a really cute and fun series, with a plot twist that you probably will never see coming.

lj1958 wrote:Animus, what does she like as far as live action shows?

Her favorite live-action movies are Grease and Napolean Dynamite.

And by the by, Miyazaki produced Whispers of the Heart, but did not direct it.

Progress report:
I loaned her my Fruits Basket DVD, though I haven't seen her since to find out if she liked it. Will call her later today.

Also browsed through the Pretear and Full Moon... manga at Borders. I liked Pretear, slighly reminded me of CCS. But I enjoyed Full Moon... so much, I actually slipped into a bit of Rabid-Fan-Girl-ness myself a bit. Fortunately, the moment has passed, and Animus Seed's masculinity remains intact.

Grease and Napoleon Dynamite... 2 very specifically American shows... Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but if I were to base things on her favorite entertainment choices entirely (disney princess stuff, grease, and Napoleon Dynamite) she sorta sounds like an "all american girl." Unless she's into some movies that aren't so... American (though at least Napoleon Dynamite is weird, you do have that going for you) you may have a hard time breaching that barrier...

I know, I'm a pessimist. Some of the suggestions on this page sounded good. Too bad very few people going into anime can get it through their heads that it isn't all the same... If you start by showing someone grave of the fireflies, they'll think all anime is sad and maybe morbid. If you start with pokemon, they'll think it's all kiddish and annoying. If you start with Akira, they'll think it all has to be super violent. If you start with Ghost in the Shell, they'll think it's all very R rated. If you start with a number of anime TV shows, they'll think it is all about fantasy, or is all fanservicy (though they won't know what that word is) and if you start with something like piano, they "won't get it" and will wonder where the punch line is, and complain because it "isn't funny." I just hope no one here would still introduce their friends to anime through DBZ... *gag* I still have to put up with people who were introduced to it through DBZ, and that's as far as they went.

As for Sailormoon, the chances of getting someone over the age of, perhaps, 13 into it are slim to none... I only got into it because I had friends who were into it, and they showed it to me right at the end of season one, when the plot started to pick up... I like it out of a sense of nostalgia, and I would only watch it subtitled... Subtitled anime is not likely the way to bring a newbie into it...

Animus Seed wrote:First off, I should note that this is a girl friend, not girl-friend, i.e., a "just-friend" who happens to be female. Anyways.

I want to get this girl into anime (myself being the ONLY ONE IN MY ENTIRE CHURCH who watches anime at the time being) and I was looking for good titles to ease her into it.

She likes all the Disney princess stuff, so I was going to start with the Kingdom Hearts manga and Fruits Basket DVDs. Anything else sufficiently girly? For some reason I doubt she'll enjoy Sailor Moon. I'm drawing a blank on the rest of the shoujo.

I'll confess I have ulterior motives here: as I've stated in another thread, 5 friends and I are planning to attend AX2007 as all the Homonculi from FMA, and we're missing a Lust. So the goal here is actually to ultimately convince this girl to cosplay. (Because just saying, "Hey Angela would you do me a favor and dress up as Lust?" sounds weird out of context.) So we have about 10 months to complete this mission. Anyways. All suggestions welcome.

Eh, as a minor note before my suggestion, let me just say that I, being as interested in both anime and FMA as I am, wouldn't be willing to cosplay as Lust due to provacative nature of her costume. Keep in mind that even if she is interest in anime by then, there's a good possibility she won't want to cosplay as such a seductive character.

And, uh, yeah, that advice was for free. XD

Now that I'm done raining on your parade (GOMEN!)-- I'd suggest Honey and Clover. It's not licensed yet, but if you can get a hold of it, it's one of those anime series that I think even a girl who knew nothing about anime would enjoy. Yes, it's anime, but, mre importantly, it's just a great romance/ relationships story. You can read my review of it in the anime reviews portion of the site, but if you don't care to scan through my long winded synopsis, I'll simply tell you that it's my favorite anime ever. I think it's good enough to hook anybody on anime.

coooool my idea exactly, it'll take me sometime to read all you replys but my sugestion would be to look for shojo type anime since they are geared toward girls. I am weird but I like shojo type anime.

I like the really girly anime, so here are my suggestions:

Pretear(so cute, and who doesn't fall in love w/ Hayate?)
Azumanga Daioh(absolutely hilarious and Chiyo-chan is adorable)
Any Miyazaki films, especially My Neighbor Totoro
Chance Pop Session(full of music and extremely girly)
Angelic Layer(it's dolls, what girl wouldn't like it?)

Well, considering that you are a girl, that make sense, also they are called shojo type anime if you didn't know. I am the weird one where I am a guy and I like shojo anime better that shonen anime (more toward guys).

Mangafanatic wrote:Eh, as a minor note before my suggestion, let me just say that I, being as interested in both anime and FMA as I am, wouldn't be willing to cosplay as Lust due to provacative nature of her costume. Keep in mind that even if she is interest in anime by then, there's a good possibility she won't want to cosplay as such a seductive character.

And, uh, yeah, that advice was for free. XD

And extremely welcome. Don't worry, I've kept that in mind. But I'm still hopeful. I will note the following:

1. If she agrees, the Ouroboros fake tatoo will be applied by my sister (who is playing Wrath) and my friend Daisy (Sloth).

2a. Neither me nor my friends would really care about the costumes being 100% accurate (well, my brother is playing Gluttony and wants to get contacts so that his eyes are completely white, but that's just him. You should see my friend Marce, who is playing Envy... he's not androgynous at all ) so if she wants to wear a more conservative black dress than what Lust actually wears, it'll be cool. Likewise, we're not worrying about acting in character. (I'm the only one willing to do that. I'm going as Pride, by the way. And my friend's personality is the opposite of Lust's.)

2b. How can I put this discreetly... my friend is beautiful enough that even the most conservative outfit on her becomes eye-catching, or even, to borrow your word, "provocative." As I said, a simple conservative black dress will do the job perfectly.

3. Whether she agrees to do the character or not is entirely her decision.

Well, as I said, your feminine advice is greatly appreciated, as Animus Seed is both male and stupid.


Progress: the following is an account of a conversation between my friend and I.

(Before church)
Girlfriend: I have your DVD (Fruits Basket)
Animus Seed: Oh. Did you like it?
GF: Um...
AS: (thinks) uh oh...
GF: No, I liked it.
AS: Ah, good. Really?
GF: Well...
AS: (thinks) uh oh...
AS: Well, service is going to start soon. I need to go.
GF: I'll give it to you after.

(After service)
GF: Here you go (hands DVD)
AS: Thanks. So... you did like it, right? You're not just being nice?
GF: Um... um... (fidgets)
GF: (shyly) Do you... do you have the rest of the show?


Summary:
SUCCESS!!

Great!

I would recommend Haibane Renmei (or however you spell it).

And *I* really enjoyed Last Exile, but I'm not certain everyone would. You might have to have a thing for flight and steam tech.