Best anime for beginners: 5 (+1) unmissable titles

It is never too late to discover the world of anime: I entered this tunnel at the ripe old age of 26 and I still wonder how I managed to ignore their existence all this time, considering them cartoons for children (yes, although it is practically impossible to find a saga in which there is no one killing or beating himself heavily).

In the last few days, the hype for the debut of Part Two of the fourth season of Attack on Titan (in Italian The attack of the Giants). There are those who wait and continuously look forward to see when the episodes will come out and there are those who have already signed up to strange Japanese platforms to watch the last season in one breath.

The attack of the Giants is just one of the many titles now present on Netflix and on other streaming sites that have now contributed to making anime so popular even in the West and to no longer be considered as the younger brothers of the animation world.

It is very difficult to know where to start when you are a beginner, so to avoid getting caught by the Sliding Syndrome here is a top five (plus one) of the classics to start delving into the world of Japanese animation.

THE ATTACK OF THE GIANTS

The aforementioned cannot be missing from the list Attack of the Giants, which counts four seasons. A dark fantasy that throws us into an alternate universe, in the year 845, where humans live with the terror of being attacked by giants. A mix of twists, political intrigues and fights against monstrous calamities, the Giants, who live outside the city walls.

FULL METAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD

Fights, politics and human dramas that accompany the brothers’ adventures Elric, two alchemists in search of Philosopher’s Stone. The series is long (64 episodes) but it will be difficult to find a title capable of keeping the level so high for its entire duration.

COWBOY BEPOP

People shooting, beating, killing each other, a crazy soundtrack and two bounty hunters wandering around the space chasing criminals aboard the Bepop, their spaceship. Ah, there is also a Corgi. A dysfunctional family of space, made up of different members but united by a common feeling: loneliness.

DEATH NOTE

A student, while walking in the schoolyard, finds a notebook and collects it, coming into possession of a black notebook with supernatural properties capable of killing anyone. For lovers of psychological thrillers, the fantasy and gothic world.

And then I’m sure that each of us has had that middle school mate who pretended to have a Death Note on which he actually wrote his afternoon homework.

HUNTER X HUNTER

Hunters are incredible adventurers who, once they pass the admission test, can dedicate themselves to their research around the world. The story follows the events of Gon, a young boy who sets out in search of his missing father and who turns out to be one of the most powerful Hunters around. Forget the classic chaotic battles where everyone is hit with blows: the clashes become real choreography.

FOOD WARS (for those who don’t want to try too hard)

Culinary, comic and quirky anime shonen that doesn’t require a great deal of attention but will grab you right away. The protagonist is a fifteen year old belonging to the ninety-second generation of chefs of the Totsuki that will have to survive the prestigious elite cooking school. A challenge until the last filleting.

Enough, I have to stop here or the list would grow out of all proportion.

Once you understand better if you like megarobots, monsters or everyday life stories more it will be easier to choose which new anime to start watching. Almost.