One of the main reasons Anime.about.com exists is to give people new to anime some sense of where to start, and how not to get lost along the way. To that end, I'm starting a new series of articles, starting with "Anime 102" for beginners.
(The only reason I didn't name it "Anime 101" was because we already have an entire subdivision of the site with that name, and the Department of Redundancy Department would have sent me a sternly-worded memo.)
The whole thing arose out of a discussion I had with friends where I thought it would be useful to classify anime based on ease of uptake. A show that didn't require an understanding of Japanese culture (pop or high) would be an easier bet than one that did. Also, a show that wasn't aimed at existing fans and didn't bank on their knowledge of existing anime to be worthwhile was another plus.
Armed with a few such directives, I sat down and drafted a first list for newcomers. The shows I picked had to satisfy a few basic criteria:
- They need to be relatively short. One or two of the entries were over 26 episodes, but the vast majority were less than that. It doesn't seem wise to ask newcomers to commit to, say, all 200+ episodes of Naruto. I bent this rule for shows that were self-contained, or where you could watch the opening arc and leave off there without leaving too much hanging.
- They need as little acquaintance with Japanese culture as possible to be watchable. Granted, it's Japanese culture that gives anime so much of its distinctive flavor. That said, newcomers may have a harder time with a show that draws on it extensively (xxxHOLiC) or assumes a nuanced understanding of modern Japanese life on the part of the audience (Princess Jellyfish).
- They need to not force the viewer to do too much heavy lifting. That means cult favorites like FLCL, heady headtrips like Evangelion or gruesome endurance tests like Gantz or Shigurui are off the list. (I did bend this rule once, but only because the item in question hewed so closely to existing Western action films.)
- They need to represent the diversity of anime as a whole, within the limits outlined above. Anime isn't any one thing but a panopoly, and the more properly represented that panopoly is the better.
Keep in mind this list is a work in progress, with many possibilities for expansion. For instance, the list needs more lighthearted fare -- romantic comedies, for instance, but many of those tend to be either heavily aimed at existing fans or require foreknowledge of Japan that can be distracting. Suggestions are welcome.
I'm also worried that the list may be too heavily biased towards recently-produced shows, but that's often hard to work around. Many anime have gone out of print and not returned, making them difficult to track down even in the age of NetFlix and Blockbuster. I had trouble listing a couple of shows that I know are becoming scarce -- Vampire Hunter D, for instance, may no longer be in print (both the movie and OAV) due to its distributor apparently going out of business. I do have that title listed elsewhere, but I was leery about putting it here for fear of sending people on a goose chase.
If you don't see your favorite show on here, don't panic -- there's a good chance it'll be added to one of the 201, 301, or 401-level lists that I'm preparing for publication as well. Look for those soon.
In the meantime, check out the Anime 102: Beginner's Course list, and pass it along to your fellow future-fans-to-be.
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