Anime 101? A Beginner’s Guide to Anime.
By Sakshi Maheshwari
Heard about anime being all the rage recently but have no idea where to start? Fear not, for I am here! (Bad pun, but I tried my best, okay?)
Anime is a style of Japanese animation ranging from movies to television series that’s well received by both children and adults globally. With intricate storylines, engaging plots, inspiring characters, and gorgeous animation styles that will reel you in and leave you wanting for more, it’s not a surprise that it’s become more popular recently.
But when you’re just getting into anime, it might be hard to decide where to start because of the huge variety you can find. There was a time when I felt like that as well. As someone who started off with series like Death Note and Assassination Classroom, my benchmark was definitely high, and I did struggle with finding what I’d enjoy watching. And after years of spending too much time watching new series when I should’ve studied (sorry, mom), I thought it’d be nice to share some anime recommendations that are beginner-friendly for people who might be confused too! I’m hoping this will help you :)
Anime can typically be divided into categories on the basis of the age groups it's targeted at as well as the genres it covers. I’ll try to cover the five categories based on the age group they typically target and list genres that particular anime cover in the recommendations section.
Note: The age rating does not mean other age groups can’t watch these. It just means that that was the targeted demographic, and they can still be watched by other people. The typical elements I’m listing are just to give a brief overview of what you can expect. That does not mean every anime listed in that category will have all those elements. And the recommendations are just a great place to start, and you could find a lot of series and movies that might interest you more than these!
Have fun watching!!
#1: Kodomomuke
Age Rating: aimed at children between the ages of 3 and 10 years old (but well received by an older audience as well).
Typical elements: Kid-friendly, cute and fantastical character designs, simplistic plots (episodic in nature), usually give moral lessons, are about staying on the right path, educational at times, and have young protagonists (most of the time).
Recommendations for beginners: Pokemon (Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy), Beyblade (Action, Sci-fi, Adventure), My Neighbor Totoro (Fantasy, Family, Adventure), and Kiki’s Delivery Service (Magic, Adventure, Coming of Age).
#2: Shounen
Age Rating: 12-18 years old (aimed at young teen males but a fun watch nonetheless)
Typical elements: Usually have male protagonists, high action and intensity, focus on friendship and self growth, might have a comedic element, and are usually light-hearted but possess darker elements at times as well.
Recommendations for beginners: Assassination Classroom (Action, Supernatural, Comedy, School), Haikyuu! (Sports, Friendship, School), Naruto (Action, Adventure, Fantasy), Death Note (Psychological, Supernatural, Crime), and The Disastrous Life of Saiki K (Comedy, Supernatural, Slice of Life).
#3: Shoujo
Age Rating: 12-18 years old (aimed at young teen female but a great watch nonetheless)
Typical elements: Usually have a female protagonist, huge focus on friendship and romance, emotional storylines, bishoujo (beautiful girl) and bishounen (beautiful boy) characters, slice-of-life, slow-paced, and a lot are based in high school.
Recommendations for beginners: My Little Monster (Romance, Comedy, School), From Me to You (Romance, Slice of Life, Drama), Sailor Moon (Magical Girl, Fantasy, Romance), Banana Fish (Crime, Drama, Thriller), and Yona of the Dawn (Action, Adventure, Fantasy).
#4: Seinen
Age Rating: targeted towards young men over the age of 18
Typical elements: More mature themes than shounen anime, from the male perspective, graphic depictions of violence, darker and intense, and realistic depictions of death, politics, conflict, etc.
Recommendations for beginners: Steins;Gate (Science Fiction, Mystery, Psychological), Black Lagoon (Action, Crime, Thriller), Vinland Saga (Action, Historical, Drama), March Comes In like a Lion (Drama, Slice of Life, Psychological), and Death Parade (Mystery, Psychological, Thriller).
#5: Josei
Age Rating: targeted towards young women over the age of 18
Typical elements: Mature female perspective, more mature concepts compared to shoujo, realities of relationships, sex, drug use, abuse, and other serious aspects of life, romance, drama, and typical, everyday life topics in a more mature way.
Recommendations for beginners: Wotakoi (Romance, Comedy, Workplace), Uramichi Oniisan (Comedy, Slice of Life, Parody), Nana (Drama, Romance, Music), Princess Jellyfish (Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life), and Kaguya Sama: Love is War (Romance, Comedy, School).
