{"id":1038,"date":"2014-04-30T15:16:04","date_gmt":"2014-04-30T19:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/?p=1038"},"modified":"2014-05-02T15:58:03","modified_gmt":"2014-05-02T19:58:03","slug":"getting-your-friends-hooked-on-anime-part-1-finding-the-perfect-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/getting-your-friends-hooked-on-anime-part-1-finding-the-perfect-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Your Friends Hooked on Anime, Part 1: Finding the Perfect Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

As with any other hobby or interest, being an anime fan eventually leads to the desire to share the things we love with our friends.\u00a0 We can\u2019t help but want to talk about our favorite shows with our favorite people.\u00a0 The trouble is, there are so many barriers to entry when it comes to much of the anime world: different language, different culture, different visual style, and on it goes.\u00a0 Getting your friends hooked on anime can sometimes be a tall order.\u00a0 The purpose of this series of articles will be to cover all the necessary steps for making a new anime fan: finding the perfect show, getting your friend to watch it, and turning an experience into a hobby.<\/p>\n

\"AniIntroCover\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One of us. ONE OF US.<\/em><\/p>\n

A vital first step that tends to be forgotten by many eager anime evangelists is the selection of a good introductory movie or series.\u00a0 Our natural instinct as fans is to start with our favorites, or perhaps the works we feel represent the best of what the medium has to offer.\u00a0 You\u2019ll want to fight this instinct as if it were a hungry titan invading the walled city of your brain.\u00a0 The Evangelion<\/i> films may be awesome, but they\u2019re also damn near impossible for a newcomer to understand on their first viewing.\u00a0 Sure, Madoka Magica<\/i> is a great deconstruction of the magical girl genre, but it only truly works if you know the shows it\u2019s critiquing.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of great anime out there, but not all of it makes for a good first experience.\u00a0 Thankfully, there are a few easily identified qualities to look for when choosing a starter show.<\/p>\n

First of all, look for something with a low time commitment.\u00a0 I love Space Brothers<\/i>, but it currently consists of 99 episodes.\u00a0 It\u2019s tough to get someone to agree to give up dozens of hours to humor your interests.\u00a0 Movies are a great option in this regard, since they\u2019re meant to be watched in one sitting.\u00a0 \u00a0A good 5- or 6-episode OVA series is also a relatively easy sell.\u00a0 If all else fails, look for a series that\u2019s mostly composed of standalone episodes, like Space Dandy<\/i> or Mushi-shi<\/i>.\u00a0 Not having to sign on for a full season will make anime an easier sell.<\/p>\n

Next, find something accessible.\u00a0 By this, I mean you should avoid picking something that you\u2019ll have to pause every thirty seconds in order to explain a cultural reference or visual metaphor.\u00a0 Anything steeped in decades of self-referential anime culture is probably a poor choice.\u00a0 Also, and some of you are going to hate me for saying this, English dubs are your friends.\u00a0 Subtitles can be an annoying hurdle for first-time viewers, and they distract the eye from all the beautiful, stylish animation that you\u2019re trying to show off.\u00a0 An easily understood story and a good dub make it easier for newcomers to get immersed in a series, which is exactly what you want.<\/p>\n

\"Bakemonogatari\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Good series? Yes. Good first series? HELL NO.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve cleared out all the scary, complicated stuff, the last step is to make a selection based on your friend\u2019s tastes.\u00a0 As the saying goes, give the people what they want.\u00a0 Think about all the movies and TV shows that the person in question enjoys, and try to find something from the world of anime that matches those genres and styles.\u00a0 If your friend loves action movies, find something where things blow up spectacularly.\u00a0 Turn to the world of spaceships and giant robots for the sci-fi fan, and find a good love story for the rom-com enthusiast.\u00a0 Chances are you know your friend pretty well, so use that to find something they\u2019ll really enjoy.\u00a0 If you\u2019re stumped, here are a few universally solid choices.<\/p>\n

Cowboy Bebop<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

They call them \u201cclassics\u201d for a reason.\u00a0 Bebop<\/i> offers a combination of compelling characters, excellent writing, and visuals that stand the test of time.\u00a0 Throw in a great dub, self-contained episodes, and an iconic opening theme and you\u2019re all set.<\/p>\n

Wolf Children<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are plenty of good, accessible anime movies out there, but this universally appealing film is one of my favorite fan-makers in recent memory.\u00a0 It looks absolutely beautiful, and offers a surprisingly smart take on the subject of family.\u00a0 Wolf Children<\/i> will make even the most stoic viewers cry buckets, but it earns those tears the hard way through believable character development.<\/p>\n

Black Lagoon<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

This deceptively clever action series makes a strong, explosive first impression.\u00a0 Any fan of classic Hollywood explosion-fests will be hooked by the end of the second episode.\u00a0 As a bonus, its strong female cast puts most macho American films to shame.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never shown Black Lagoon<\/i> to a girl who didn\u2019t enjoy it.<\/p>\n

Just about any sports series<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all have that one friend who dedicates his or her life to playoff brackets and fantasy leagues.\u00a0 Conveniently, anime has a weird habit of making shows about American sports.\u00a0 Find the best series about your friend\u2019s favorite sport and watch the magic happen.<\/p>\n

Now that you\u2019ve short-circuited your brain trying to make the ideal selection, it\u2019s time to move on to the hard part.\u00a0 The next step is getting your friend to sit down and watch the darn thing, which we\u2019ll cover in the next part of this series.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can read Part 2 here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Kawaii Overthink is written by Paul Jensen. You can follow his ramblings about anime and manga on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As with any other hobby or interest, being an anime fan eventually leads to the desire to share the things we love with our friends.\u00a0 We can\u2019t help but want to talk about our favorite shows with our favorite people.\u00a0 The trouble is, there are so many barriers to entry when it comes to much [Read more…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1038"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1054,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038\/revisions\/1054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}