Ask Someone Who Has Never Seen An Anime Before In Their Life Anything!!

[Davidizer13]

I've caught glimpses of both Maya the Bee and Adventures of the Little Koala as a kid, in two separate incidents, both on VHS long after they were broadcast. If I remember right, Maya the Bee must have been on Nickelodeon in the early '90s or so, based on the ads/bumpers and such for shows I had seen of that vintage. The Koala one, I'm less sure about because I was younger then, but looking it up on Wikipedia, it looks like it was also on Nick around that same time.

Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, though, I haven't seen, nor do I know much about. But I do know that the original, Star Musketeer Bismarck, has the incomparable MIO belting out the opening theme. Whether the rest of the show is as good as that is to be seen, but there it is.

[Ante Bellum]

Arguably the biggest difference between the "classic" and "modern" examples is the animation medium. Cowboy Bebop was created using painted cels, and Fullmetal Alchemist is digital. A better distinction is "traditional (or cel)" and "digital." The art style can also be tacked up to different designers and, again, the medium.



Evangelion's not really a fair comparison, seeing how it went from cash-strapped TV series to high budget movies. Even newer (digital) TV series face budget issues and poor animation. Movies, naturally, are shorter and have much higher budgets. There are also OVAs, which are generally shorter and can have better animation than the average TV series (though rarely as good as movies). There aren't really any shot-for-shot remakes out there as far as I know. Rebuild 1.0 and I think 2.0 have some scenes reanimated, the Macross opening was reanimated in 2012 (and looks pretty awful, in my opinion) and I think there are some Gundam shots that are either really similar or are redone? Those are all I'm really aware of, though.

Generally, when I hear "classic," I think something like...AKIRA, Ghost in the Shell, Lupin III, Mobile Suit Gundam. And Cowboy Bebop, of course. I don't think it's really an indicator of age or even popularity, more like something that has stood the test of time. There are a lot of (as I've heard it aptly put) "flavor of the month" series that gain large followings in a short time but are really not that great and fizzle out when the show's not actively airing. There are also a lot of shows that get largely forgotten, through age or lack of licensing, but ARE good. Of course, I can really only speak of what I've observed in the Western market.

As for my personal recommendations? Giant Robo is quite accessible to casual or new viewers and, for what it's worth, it's been dubbed (twice!). Its main, glaring issue is its incompleteness. Thanks to a lack of budget, it only has seven double-length episodes and covers the penultimate arc out of what was supposed to be a much longer series. Still, it deserves all the love it gets, and I know a number of forum members can back me up on this. In a similar vein, perhaps you might like Big O. It's basically what would happen if Giant Robo and Batman: TAS had a sexy lovechild. Memories (Otomo Katsuhiro's Memories) is a set of three forty minute films. They're not connected at all and differ quite a bit in style and theme, so you can watch one at a time or consecutively.
I'd also highly, highly recommend LoGH. Between its length and its complexity, it can be rather hard for some people to get into (which didn't stop me from charging headfirst into it when I'd never so much as finished a series before, so it really shaped my tastes a lot). Still, it's the series I'd recommend to everyone.
It all depends on what you can handle. If you're not one to get squicked out by violence or fanservice, I can recommend others/second a number of titles already listed.

[randomuser2349]

For these, when did they air, because as of until this day I have heard of none of these.
Moomin
Adventures of the Little Koala
Saber Rider & The Star Sherrifs
Fables of the Green Forest
Maya The Bee
Maple Town

Moomin - 1990 in Japan, 1991 in English (never aired in the USA except Hawaii, but a phenomenal hit almost everywhere else)
Adventures of the Little Koala - 1984 in Japan, 1987 in the USA on Nick Jr.
Saber Rider & The Star Sherrifs - 1984 in Japan, heavily edited into a new series and story and broadcast in 1987
Fables of the Green Forest - 1973 in Japan, 1978 in Canada on TVO
Maya The Bee - 1975 in Japan, 1990 in the USA on Nick Jr
Maple Town - 1986 in Japan, 1986 in USA on Nick Jr

[mechana2015]

That explains it!

Moomin - 1990 in Japan, 1991 in English (never aired in the USA except Hawaii, but a phenomenal hit almost everywhere else)

Wasn't in Hawaii. Never saw VHS.

Adventures of the Little Koala - 1984 in Japan, 1987 in the USA on Nick Jr.

Was 3.

Saber Rider & The Star Sherrifs - 1984 in Japan, heavily edited into a new series and story and broadcast in 1987

Was 3.

Fables of the Green Forest - 1973 in Japan, 1978 in Canada on TVO

Not alive, or Canadian. Xp

Maya The Bee - 1975 in Japan, 1990 in the USA on Nick Jr

Probably during a time I didn't have cable tv.

Maple Town - 1986 in Japan, 1986 in USA on Nick Jr

Was 2.

Though in being kind of, jokey/blasé about this, I might dilute my point, I'm one of the older members on the site and, save for VHS or recordings, I doubt anyone born anytime after me will have any recollection of these shows. This site tends to skew high teens to mid twentys, and our youngest members were born in 2000(!), so you might be disappointed at how little recognition these shows get here.

[KNightNinja87]

Superhero- Tiger and Bunny
Crime Fiction- depends on what you mean, but if you mean mystery solving like a Sherlock or csi, there's loads of that, With nearly any setting you like. One of the longest anime in existence, Case Closed, is an anime/manga about solving episodic murder (usually) mysteries in a Sherlock Holmes sort of fashion. (The show has currently aired 743 episodes and has 17 theatrical films and one team up theatrical film!)

Other than that if you like more serious, psychological crime fare in the vein of The Fugative, Monster is a good piece though I highly suggest the manga... The anime drags something dreadful.

Are there any settings you prefer?
What is your take on supernatural contents?
SciFi?

Probably something set in the 1700s or 1800s, or it could take place in the present. I was a fan of The Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy boys, and Sherlock Holmes mystery novels when I was younger. to tell you the truth, I still am. Hmm....My take on supernatural content....I don't hate it, but It's not really my bag of chips, I'm more of a Sci-Fi guy.

Ok. Well for one thing, the art style/animation is different between classic and modern anime.
Example:
Classic

Modern

Really Classic


Also there are some slight differences in plot structure and pacing just like in live action American movies/shows. I can't really pinpoint what those differences are but there's definitely a difference in feel. When I watch an older anime it makes me feel nostalgic and gives a little bit more of a relaxed feeling yet still containing complexity. If that makes sense. Hehe

As far as genres there's a certain set of anime specific catagories like...

Shounen- Stories aimed primarily at teenage boys. Are generally action. Can be pretty long. Usually has a male protagonist though sometimes female. Nearly everyone has some sort of super power and they fight each other in epic duels or in some war.

Shoujo- Stories aimed primarily at teenage girls. Are generally romance but some contain supernatural, fantasy, or sci-fi elements. Can vary in length. Pretty much always has a female protagonist. Most of the characters are drawn to be pretty or real cute and the stories generally focus on strong emotional relationships (romantic, friendship, etc.#

Seinen- Stories aimed primarily at adult males. Can be action, romance, comedy, sci-fi, etc. Can vary in length. There's usually special emphasis on the female characters. These stories typically have more mature themes and sometimes content and generally focus on emotional relationships more than Shounen.

Josei- Stories aimed primarily at adults females. Can be action, romance, comedy, sci-fi, etc. Can vary in length. There's usually special emphasis on the male characters. These stories typically have more mature themes and sometimes content.

Hentai- Anime porn.

Ecchi- Highly fanservice-y though have a little more plot and are less explicit than Hentai.

Shounen-ai- Stories about the strong bond between two guys. Can be interpreted as friendship or homosexuality depending on the viewer/reader.

Shoujo-ai- Same as Shounen-ai only with two girls.

Yaoi- Gay romance aimed towards women.

Yuri- Lesbian romance aimed towards men.

Mecha- Stories with giant fighting robot suits operated from the inside. Usually involve some sort of war and lots of epic battles.

Kodomo- Highly moralistic anime/manga for children.

Well basically, anything you can find in live-action you can find in anime/manga (including Superheroes and Crime Dramas). That includes content too.

As far as how I got involved with it, I used to watch Pokémon as a kid and loved it but I don't think I ever really viewed it as anime though. It wasn't until about 2011 when the Last Airbender movie came out that I got really into Avatar: The Last Airbender (which is technically an anime inspired American cartoon). Afterwards, I was desperate to find something else to obsess over and I stumbled across Vampire Knight, started watching it, and now, three years later, I'm still watching anime.

I'll watch just about anything but I really like anime that's either really sweet and nostalgic or really exciting and unique Wow that narrows in down.... My favorite genre of anything including anime is probably Fantasy.

I think I covered everything. I think. That was waaaaaaaaay longer than I had planned. Sorry. And I hope I didn't scare you away and hopefully I helped.

Oh no! You didn't scare me away. I'm glad that you took the time to give me all this info, for all of you at this forum really. Thanks you so much!

Somehow I doubt that you have never seen an anime in your life before, unless you are from the 60's and before. So many animated cartoons that were broadcast are actually anime.

Did you ever watch any of the following cartoons:

Moomin
Adventures of the Little Koala
Saber Rider & The Star Sherrifs
Robotech
Fables of the Green Forest
Maya The Bee
Pokemon
Digimon
Yu-Gi-Oh
Dragon Ball Z
Ronin Warriors
Maple Town

I've only heard of Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z. I never watched them because My Mother wouldn't let me watch those shows when I was a kid, as i grew older, I got involved into the wonderful worlds of Illustration, Superhero comics, and video games. So, I wasn't very concerned about watching them.

I seen episodes 2-4 of the Wolverine one back when it was on YouTube. It seemed pretty good, though Wolverine's voice was a little weird on him. I plan to watch all 12 episodes eventually.

Another question: What are some non-anime shows you enjoy?

The TV shows I have enjoyed and am currently enjoying are Stargate SG1 & Atlantis, Smallville, The Mentalist, The Dead Zone, Strange Days at Blake Holesly High (I might be spelling it wrong, its been so long) The Cosby Show, The Wayans Bros., annnnnnnnnnd.......Oh! i enjoyed watching Wishbone, Arthur & Clifford the big red dog as a small child. (Man, that was a lifetime ago...)

[Xeno]

The TV shows I have enjoyed and am currently enjoying are Stargate SG1 & Atlantis, Smallville, The Mentalist, The Dead Zone, Strange Days at Blake Holesly High (I might be spelling it wrong, its been so long) The Cosby Show, The Wayans Bros., annnnnnnnnnd.......Oh! i enjoyed watching Wishbone, Arthur & Clifford the big red dog as a small child. (Man, that was a lifetime ago...)

Yeah, you need to watch Gundam. Like, all of the Gundam. Except SEED, SEED Destiny, and Age, those were bad.

[PLCDreamcatcher14]

Ok. Well for one thing, the art style/animation is different between classic and modern anime.
Example:
Classic

Modern

Really Classic


Also there are some slight differences in plot structure and pacing just like in live action American movies/shows. I can't really pinpoint what those differences are but there's definitely a difference in feel. When I watch an older anime it makes me feel nostalgic and gives a little bit more of a relaxed feeling yet still containing complexity. If that makes sense. Hehe

As far as genres there's a certain set of anime specific catagories like...

Shounen- Stories aimed primarily at teenage boys. Are generally action. Can be pretty long. Usually has a male protagonist though sometimes female. Nearly everyone has some sort of super power and they fight each other in epic duels or in some war.

Shoujo- Stories aimed primarily at teenage girls. Are generally romance but some contain supernatural, fantasy, or sci-fi elements. Can vary in length. Pretty much always has a female protagonist. Most of the characters are drawn to be pretty or real cute and the stories generally focus on strong emotional relationships (romantic, friendship, etc.#

Seinen- Stories aimed primarily at adult males. Can be action, romance, comedy, sci-fi, etc. Can vary in length. There's usually special emphasis on the female characters. These stories typically have more mature themes and sometimes content and generally focus on emotional relationships more than Shounen.

Josei- Stories aimed primarily at adults females. Can be action, romance, comedy, sci-fi, etc. Can vary in length. There's usually special emphasis on the male characters. These stories typically have more mature themes and sometimes content.

Hentai- Anime porn.

Ecchi- Highly fanservice-y though have a little more plot and are less explicit than Hentai.

Shounen-ai- Stories about the strong bond between two guys. Can be interpreted as friendship or homosexuality depending on the viewer/reader.

Shoujo-ai- Same as Shounen-ai only with two girls.

Yaoi- Gay romance aimed towards women.

Yuri- Lesbian romance aimed towards men.

Mecha- Stories with giant fighting robot suits operated from the inside. Usually involve some sort of war and lots of epic battles.

Kodomo- Highly moralistic anime/manga for children.

Well basically, anything you can find in live-action you can find in anime/manga (including Superheroes and Crime Dramas). That includes content too.

As far as how I got involved with it, I used to watch Pokémon as a kid and loved it but I don't think I ever really viewed it as anime though. It wasn't until about 2011 when the Last Airbender movie came out that I got really into Avatar: The Last Airbender (which is technically an anime inspired American cartoon). Afterwards, I was desperate to find something else to obsess over and I stumbled across Vampire Knight, started watching it, and now, three years later, I'm still watching anime.

I'll watch just about anything but I really like anime that's either really sweet and nostalgic or really exciting and unique Wow that narrows in down.... My favorite genre of anything including anime is probably Fantasy.

I think I covered everything. I think. That was waaaaaaaaay longer than I had planned. Sorry. And I hope I didn't scare you away and hopefully I helped.

Oh no! You didn't scare me away. I'm glad that you took the time to give me all this info, for all of you at this forum really. Thanks you so much!

You're very welcome!

[Wolfsong]

Yep, what you heard is true, your ears were not playing tricks with you! I'm one of the very few beings on this earth who has never seen an Anime or read a Manga Comic in his life. Ask me anything your soul desires, no restrictions, no limits. And be brutal. So who's curious enough to take the first swing? Any takers?

How are you still alive?

[KNightNinja87]

How are you still alive?

Not sure I understand your question. How do you mean?

[Xeno]

I think she just called you old.

[Wolfsong]

How are you still alive?

Not sure I understand your question. How do you mean?

I was making a joke, mate.

[KNightNinja87]

I was making a joke, mate.

Oh! I get it now. Sorry, some stuff just go right over my head. So, whats your question? You can ask me whatever you want. Actually, I have a couple of questions for you: How did Anime/Manga become one of your hobbies? And what are your other hobbies?

[nillapoet]

I was making a joke, mate.

Oh! I get it now. Sorry, some stuff just go right over my head. So, whats your question? You can ask me whatever you want. Actually, I have a couple of questions for you: How did Anime/Manga become one of your hobbies? And what are your other hobbies?

I've always been into animation and cartoons. I didn't really get into anime until this year though. The problem I was having with cartoons, it the stories were always for little kids, even the 2003 Ninja Turtles never got too deep. My 13 year old step son talked me into watching Fairy Tail and I've been hooked since. I find the stories can be so much deeper, intense, or even funny than most of the cartoons that I had been watching.

Other hobbies are drawing, music, and reading. I used to really love sports but the competitive attitude began to weigh on me and I found myself not enjoying competing or watching anymore.

[KNightNinja87]

I've always been into animation and cartoons. I didn't really get into anime until this year though. The problem I was having with cartoons, it the stories were always for little kids, even the 2003 Ninja Turtles never got too deep. My 13 year old step son talked me into watching Fairy Tail and I've been hooked since. I find the stories can be so much deeper, intense, or even funny than most of the cartoons that I had been watching.

Other hobbies are drawing, music, and reading. I used to really love sports but the competitive attitude began to weigh on me and I found myself not enjoying competing or watching anymore.

I hear ya man. I used to like sports, but just like you, I couldn't stand the competitive environment and how everything became about winning instead of having fun with a great sport. What kind of music are you interested in?