With a genre as large as anime, it can be jarring for newcomers to figure out where to start. So, knowing where to find anime from my previous article, here are five recommendations that I believe are good for beginners.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
Shortened as FMA:B or FMA, the story is about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric. Alphonse’s soul is bound to a suit of armour, and Edward has two prosthetic metal limbs. These afflictions happened to them because they attempted human transmutation, or making a person through alchemy. Together, they become state alchemists, with Edward being given the title of “The Fullmetal Alchemist.” The two search for the Philosopher’s Stone, a powerful object which negates the cost of doing alchemy, to get their old bodies back. But, not all is right in their country of Amestria…
Where: Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, and Funimation Now
Length: 64 Episodes
Options: Sub and dub are both available. I would recommend the dub, as it is very well done, and with it being an action-filled show, a dub will allow you to focus more on what’s going on.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012-)
One of my personal favorites, shortened as JJBA, is difficult to explain overall. This is due to the fact that it’s divided into several parts, going up to 8 parts in the manga. Being adapted up to part 5, known as Vento Aureo or Golden Wind. Each part is very different to each other with the first 2 parts being more so than the rest. Overall, it tells the story of the Joestar family and each generation. The most recent part, Golden Wind, follows Giorno Giovanna as he joins a gang and tries to stop the Italian drug trade. Here is a teaser trailer that was released for the part 5 english dub trailer.
Where: Netflix (Part 1 and 2), Hulu(Parts 1-4), and it’s all on Crunchyroll subtitled. The dub of part 5 is airing now on Toonami, as of Oct 26th.
Length: 155 episodes
Options: The dub is only available for season 1 (parts 1 and 2) on Hulu and Netflix, with Netflix only having Season 1 and Hulu up to part 4. Overall Crunchyroll is the best service to watch JJBA on, as Crunchyroll has the entire series subbed. The only other way to watch the dub version legally would be buying the Blu-Rays/DVDs, or watching as it airs.
When it was released, ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’ became one of the biggest hits of 2019. Manga sales almost defeated the number one manga in Japan.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019, Movie 2020)
Shortened to Demon Slayer or KNY, this series tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado, who joins the Demon Slayer Corps after his family was killed by a demon. Only his sister, Nezuko, survives, but she became a demon herself. Tanrijo tries to cure his sister and return her to being human.
Additionally, the visuals are amazing. Done by Studio Ufotable, which is known for blending CGI and 2-D hand-drawn scenes, KNY looks amazing. One scene in episode 19, in particular, made the author of the manga cry because the animation was beautiful. If you don’t care too much about spoilers, here’s an excellent clip showing it off (Sub only right now). Demon Slayer finished a month or so ago, with a movie with the next arc in the story announced at the end of the final episode. Also with it being immensely popular, a season 2 isn’t a false hope to cling to! If you prefer a English dub, then you would be happy to know that one is currently airing on Toonami as of Oct. 26, 2019.
Here is a sub and dub trailer for you to choose which one you’d want to watch.
Where: Crunchyroll, Funimation Now, Hulu and Toonami(airing)
Length: 26 with a movie coming in 2020
Options: Sub streaming and dub airing
My Hero Academia (2016-)
Being one of the most popular anime series out there, I couldn’t not mention it. My Hero Academia, often shortened to My Hero or MHA, is set in a world where 80% of the population have something known as a Quirk, which is an ability or power. With such quirks, people commit crimes with these powers Because the standard police was unable to cope, people rose up and became heroes, which later become a full-blown profession. It follows Izuku Midoriya who was born without a Quirk and wants to be a hero no matter what. When the #1 hero, All Might, tells him he wants him to be his successor and inherit his power, Izuku takes the power and joins the hero program at UA high school. He faces villains and hurdles as he learns to control his newfound powers. The show has 4 seasons, with the 4th airing right now. If you like superhero movies or comics, like Marvel or DC, then you’d really like MHA. Here are trailers for season 1 sub and a dub trailer done for the Blu-ray release.
Where: Crunchyroll, Funimation Now, Hulu and Toonami when it airs.
Length: 71 episodes, with 7 of them in season 4 right now. There will be a total of 88 episodes by the end of season 4, and there are two movies, Two Heroes which came out in 2018 and Heroes Rising, coming out soon.
Options: there is a dub option, which is simul-dubbed by Funimation, so the dub is available when the sub version comes out every Saturday (unless delayed for any reason). Hulu and Crunchyroll get the show subbed every week when it airs. But Hulu, which is partnered with Funimation, will most likely get the dub version a few months later from when it came out, as Hulu has in the past. The English dub version will air on Toonami starting on Nov 9th, 2019.
Cowboy Bebop (1998, Movie 2001)
The oldest anime on this list coming out in 1998. Can be best described as a space western with some jazy noir thrown in for good measure. Set in 2071 where humanity has colonized much of the Solar System, the Earth was devastated by an accident 50 years prior. With crime on the rise and the police forces unable to keep up, bounty hunting has become a profession. Onboard there ship know as the Bebop, Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Edward and Ein go out and complete bounties, confront there pasts and get paid and lose there money. It has a movie as well, released in 2001 as Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heavens Door set between the 22 and 23 episodes where the crew of the Bebop are trying to prevent the destruction of the human population on mars from a pathogen. All with a cowboy, jazzy noir vibe to it. To get a vibe of what i mean by cowboy, jazzy noir here is the opening for it.
Where: Hulu and Funimation Now
Length: 26 Episodes +1 Movie
Options: Cowboy Bebop has both a dub and sub available for it. I’d recommend the dub as it is extremely well done and fits like a glove for the characters and being fast paced a dub is good as you can pay more attention to what’s going down.
So with some recommendations from yours truly, you can start off on some good shows in the vast overarching genre that is anime. You may not like what I recommend when you watch it, that’s okay, everyone has their own tastes. Comment what you like in the comments section on our website here, and I’ll read ‘em over and see what Lancer Nation is watching!
