Anime 101: Top 10 Titles for Those Who Never Watched Japanese Animation

It would seem that if you want to start watching anime, you just have to start. But in this world of crazy animation from Japan, things are not so simple. The abundance of different titles from different genres could confuse anyone, and we get it.

To make immersion into the world of anime as painless as possible, we have chosen these ten anime series.

1. Cowboy Bebop, 1998-1999

A classic and incredibly stylish anime. If you want to get aesthetic pleasure from visuals and a noir story, this is the anime for you. The main thing: do not confuse it with the Netflix series.

In Cowboy Bebop, almost every episode is a separate mini-story about the adventures of space bounty hunters in the distant future. Each episode is made in different genres, from comedy to horror.

The main storyline is a love drama in a criminal organization, and the backstory of the main character is revealed in flashbacks, which not only do not interrupt the pace of the story, but also make it faster.

2. Serial Experiments Lain, 1998

Serial Experiments Lain looks like it was directed by David Lynch. The story revolves around the quiet schoolgirl Lain Iwakura. One day, the girl receives an email from a deceased classmate and becomes involved in strange and dramatic events. Gradually, the boundaries between the digital, real, and other worlds begin to blur.

The anime contains a lot of information about real scientific, social, philosophical and psychological discoveries, theories and experiments.

3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, 2009

Edward and Alphonse Elric are the sons of the great alchemist. They decide to use "scientific magic" to bring their dead mother back to life. The brothers are confident that they will be able to outsmart alchemy's prohibition against bringing back the dead.

But the resurrection ritual fails. The boys pay a heavy price for their attempt: Edward lost a leg and an arm, and Alphonse lost his entire body. But the brothers did not stop, and now their goal is to find the Philosopher's Stone. But powerful and dangerous people are after it.

Fullmetal Alchemist needs no introduction or praise – it's simply one of the best anime series in history.

4. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, 2012-...

In every generation of the Joestar family, from the 19th century to the present day, there has been someone proudly called JoJo, sent to protect humanity. He fights vampires, the resurrected dead, and other insidious monsters and evil spirits.

All the stories here, which are almost unrelated to each other, are about different JoJos and villains, so if you don't like a certain character, you can just skip that story and move on to the next one.

5. Dragon Ball Z, 1989-1996

For a large number of hardcore anime fans, Dragon Ball Z was the unforgettable first title. According to the plot, there are seven magical artifacts in the world that can grant any wish. The main character Son Goku, a brutal guy with an overwhelming amount of testosterone in his blood, is searching for these magical things.

Dragon Ball has inspired anime creators for many years. Without Son Goku, there would be no One Piece, no Naruto – and indeed, anime as a whole would be different.

6. Samurai Champloo, 2004-2005

What happens when you mix hip-hop, samurai aesthetics, drama, lots of humor and charismatic characters into one pot? The result is Samurai Champloo – a bright anime series from the creator of Cowboy Bebop.

The main characters are a trio, two boys and a girl. Mugen is a freedom-loving, daring and emotional swordsman whose fighting style is similar to breakdancing. Jin is his complete opposite, a cold-blooded and calculating young man who prefers to think before he acts. Fuu is a determined young woman who has persuaded the boys to join her in search of a mysterious samurai.

7. Dororo, 2019

Medieval Japan. The ruler of one of the regions makes a deal with twelve demons: in exchange for body parts of his newborn son, they will grant his people prosperity and security.

But baby Hyakkimaru miraculously manages to survive. He is found and placed under the care of a doctor with unique skills. After 16 years, a young man, deprived of almost all feelings but with the ability to see energy, sets out to travel across the country to find demons and regain his body.

During a battle with one of the enemies, Hyakkimaru rescues an orphan named Dororo, and the boy decides to help his savior destroy the demons.

8. Berserk, 1997-1998

The main character of Berserk is the unsociable hunter of evil spirits Guts, called the Black Swordsman. Instead of an arm, he has a fighting prosthesis with a cannon and a crossbow built into it, and behind his back is a huge sword that an ordinary person cannot wield. When Guts arrives at a settlement, it means that demons live there and a bloody massacre is about to happen.

The world of Berserk is cruel and dark, and Guts must constantly confront his own conscience in order to survive. The hunter overcomes himself, and state conflicts and confrontations with his sworn friend make the life of a mercenary almost unbearable.

9. Parasyte: The Maxim, 2014-2015

One night, several people around the world were captured by intelligent parasites of alien origin. The aliens try to subjugate the host's brain in order to completely control his body. But one high school student was lucky: the creature got stuck in his hand.

In addition, the student received superhuman powers and the ability to resist other parasites. And a selfish parasyte decides to help the teenager kill other aliens.

On the one hand, this is an anime about what it's like to be a growing teenager in the modern world. But it is also the creator's statement about man's place in the universe and his relationship with nature.

10. Puella Magi Madoka Magica, 2011

14-year-old Madoka Kaname was an ordinary school girl with no talents. But fate brought her face to face with the mysterious creature Kyubey, who offers her to become a sorceress and destroy terrible witches in exchange for the fulfillment of any wish.

However, Madoka, who has not even agreed to fight the witches, is being pursued by the mysterious Homura, who clearly knows more about the deal.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica has a stunning visual style – many sequences look like watercolor paintings of medieval engravings.