Anime is for everyone. In the past decade, the hype around anime has grown a lot. And there are so many people now that want to start the journey of watching anime. Since there are thousands of anime to watch, it is hard for newbies to choose one. It can get discouraging to start watching anime without knowing which one to start with.
Another issue gate-keeping new anime enthusiasts are “anime tropes”. First-time watchers often do not understand certain ways or genres that have been already developed in the anime world. Also, there are some anime that they might find trashy. It leaves a bitter taste in their mouths. They stop watching anime because of the negative experiences they might face initially.
These beginner anime are based on popular genres. So here are 5 anime that have no (or few) anime tropes and are reviewed to have great first episodes:
Action- Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan, also known as Shingeki no Kyojin, is a post-apocalyptic fiction anime. In the world of this anime, the surviving humans reside inside the three walls. The wall protects them from giant creatures called “titans”. These titans are giants and eat humans. The story follows the life of Eren Yeager whose life falls in taters after two new types of titans breach the first wall and ravage his village. He vows to take revenge on them and the mysterious story of the titans unfurl from his perspective.
Attack on Titan is an ongoing anime with 75 episodes (3 seasons) and the final season is underway.
Romance- Your Name
Your Name, also known as Kimi no Na Wa, is an animated movie. Mitsuha Miyamizu is a high school girl who resides in a boring Japanese town. Tired of her boring life she wishes that she was a boy living in Tokyo. So the story starts when she wakes up one day as a boy named Taki Tachibana, who is a boy of the same age as her and lives in Tokyo. Their bodies inexplicably swap during sleep (and swap back again!) and they have to negate the other’s life. The story of their little adventures continues until a horrible event occurs.
Your Name is a movie so you can watch it without having to commit to other episodes.
Thriller/ Mystery- Death Note
The title “Death Note” itself encapsulates the core element of the story. The anime is about a highly intelligent high-school boy- Light Yagami. Light Yagami stumbles across a mysterious notebook called the Death Note. The notebook as he finds out has the ability to kill anyone whose name is written upon it. Subsequently, Light tries to rid the world of crime by killing people who he deems are immoral. His story progresses when he meets Ryuk, a creature that previously owned the Death Note. However, his powers are under threat by an enigmatic detective named L.
Death Note is a complete anime and has 37 episodes with 23 minutes each.
Comedy- Haven’t you heard? I’m Sakamoto
Haven’t you heard? I’m Sakamoto is also known as Sakamoto desu ga? The story follows the coolest high-school boy named Sakamoto. Sakamoto is the perfect man who can do no wrong. Almost everyone in the high school admires Sakamoto, including his classmates and school faculty. Because of his cool persona, Sakamoto is envied by the many male peers and faculties. But however hard they try to prank Sakamoto and bring his popularity down, he always seems invincible and rises to the top.
Haven’t you heard? I’m Sakamoto is also a complete anime and has 13 episodes.
Fantasy/ Adventure- Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, also known as Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, is a second anime based on manga. The story follows brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric who are abandoned by their alchemist father when they were young and raised by their mother. After their mother dies, the two boys bring back their mother through alchemy but this leads to younger brother Al losing his body (not soul) and Ed’s leg and hand. The boys then set out on a mission to become alchemists and bring back their bodies.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a complete anime and has 64 episodes. This anime is consistently ranked #1 on My Anime List.
