Supa's Anime Guidebook

Author: Vader

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#1
Vader
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As an anime fan, I'd like to share some of my guidebooks on anime and what I would recommend. I will be giving lists of best starter for shonen and romance (starter meaning shows that are quality, but also don't set the bar too high) and then will be giving my must watch and should watch, while also stating which shows to avoid. The difference between a should watch is that the series itself is a series that isn't great IMO, but you should definitely form your own opinions about.

Starter Shonen
A starter show is a show that sets a bar for what to expect in a certain category. It isn't amazing so the bar is too high, but it is not a bad show

My Hero Academia
Verdict: 7.3/10

My Hero Academia is one of the best Shonen starters. For one, it has a lot of the tropes that you typical see in Shonen series that get you interested in the show without a doubt. There are definitely arcs that executed well and there are some great moments in MHA, and I think while it is cardboard, I think it is the best for new people

Starter Romance

Toradora!
Verdict: 7.6/10

Toradora sets up the basis of some of the romance aspect well. It isn't the best by any means, but there are some great moments in Toradora. I'm still watching it, but it is definitely a great start romance.


Must Watch

Steins;Gate
Verdict: 9.8/10

Steins;Gate is a masterpiece without a doubt. It's tackling of time travel and it's intriguing, likeable, and fun characters make this show entertaining. I also think the plot is amazingly executed and overall does really well at creating twists, moving the plot forward, and being an interesting story

Attack on Titan
Verdict: 9.3/10

Attack on Titan is a must watch. It is the most popular series right now and for a great reason. It's dramatic fight scenes, it's plot twists, it's epic fights, it's concept that is unique, and the dialogue of each character, make this one of the best series' out right now. While I do think S1 was slower paced, I think it picks up quickly for a thrilling show with great characters

Bunny Girl Senpai
Verdict: 8.6/10

BGS is a great romcom that tackles many of the issues that plague us in an unique way. There are likeable characters, interesting plots, and very great interactions of characters that really move you

Should Watch (anime's that I may/may not have liked but you should watch to formulate your own opinion)

ReZero
Verdict: 8.5/10

ReZero is Isekai done right. While I found this show annoying for some parts, the show picks up later on and becomes an interesting character dive exploring characters in interesting ways and lights, also leaving behind a hint of mystery. I think it's great series to watch, but the criticism's I hear are valid as well

Fairy Tail
Verdict: 5.8/10

I thought Fairy Tail was stale at times with repetitive plots and very little character development and a poorly executed plot. However, I enjoyed the bond each character had, the extreme likeability of each characters, some of the arc, and the feeling of brotherhood. I thought this anime was ehhh, but the points for it's favor are valid.

Quintessential Quintuplets
Verdict: 7.3/10

Quints take some time to develop the characters. The plot itself is pretty cardboard harem, but the character develop of the girls and the quirks of each are funny and really enjoyable. I do think the animation is worse in S2, but this show I think is good at what it does. However, this is a harem genre and is somewhat of an acquired taste and also the criticisms of this show are valid

AVOID THESE

Highschool DxD
Verdict: 7.4/10

Make no mistake, I think this series is great and unique for the harem genre, but this show has nudity and lots of sexual references. It is a 17+ show. This really does not appeal to newer anime fans who have a fresh taste and may not enjoy that type of stuff in their shows. It is perfectly OK and I WOULD recommend this once you grow older and more diverse in anime, but this series is not for starters

Sword Art Online
Verdict: 3/10

Make no mistake. This show is popular, but it isn't good. The main characters are dull, the plot is poorly executed, arcs are repetitive, no power system. There are better isekai's to watch

Gintama
Verdict: Haven't Watched

Veteran anime watchers should watch this. It has a lot of anime references and jokes only seasoned vets can understand and won't cater to newer audiences such as yourselves. I haven't even watched it yet, and I was told to wait to watch it


With this guide, I hope this can help you on your anime journey. 


#2
Theweakeredge
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@Vader
My Hero Academia
Verdict: 7.3/10

My Hero Academia is one of the best Shonen starters. For one, it has a lot of the tropes that you typical see in Shonen series that get you interested in the show without a doubt. There are definitely arcs that executed well and there are some great moments in MHA, and I think while it is cardboard, I think it is the best for new people
I honestly like MHA more than AOT - now - AOT is better than MHA, no question, I just personally like it more, lol. I think that the newer arcs of MHA in the manga make the anime even better, the war arc is probably one of the better war arcs in shounen, and the time-skip with Deku is very good thus far. 
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#3
Vader
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@Theweakeredge
The war is very well done overall and the time skip is handled well, but I still think AoT has better characters overall, a more interesting world, and I think in general, better storytelling. MHA is good, but I don't think it takes an extra step to be great versus AoT
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#4
Vader
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@Theweakeredge
I also think MHA is so baseline and at time repetitive (the war arc was unique). Like every Shonen has that big war arc. I ultimately just found it predictable at time from watching other Shonen since it's so baseline. It does Shonen right, but doesn't add anything unique to it. That's why I have it as a great starter
#5
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@Theweakeredge
I think that the newer arcs of MHA in the manga make the anime even better, the war arc is probably one of the better war arcs in shounen, and the time-skip with Deku is very good thus far.
MHA has come into its own, I’ll give it that. And it’s not like AoT started off as great as it ended up being (didn’t take as long, though - MHA really dragged for quite a while before getting somewhere truly interesting), so I give a lot of leeway to the series, especially given that the upcoming arcs are good and add a lot to the series. That being said, I think it’s early for me to call a solid comparison. MHA went through a big transition and it remains to be seen how well it will handle things.
#6
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@Vader
It does Shonen right, but doesn't add anything unique to it.
Not so sure I agree, though I think it takes a while to add something unique. What makes it not work as well for me is just comparing with other modern Shonen (which, I’ll admit, probably isn’t super fair). Other series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Kimetsu no Yaiba just took the basic shonen formula and polished it to perfection, using their own personal quirks to twist it a little along the way. I feel that MHA lacked meaningful quirks (ironic, I know) and just wasn’t as polished. It’s good, but it feels conventionally good up to a point. It’s finding its footing and polishing itself up, just taking its time getting there.

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#7
Vader
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@whiteflame
I was gonna put Demon Slayer on there, but the animation is beautiful in Demon Slayer, I think it sets a high bar for animation. I definitely think it's a starter show Demon Slayer. but later on.

I agree with your MHA analysis. The only reason I added it is because it's baseline shonen that doesn't add anything unique. It's sort of a baseline representation of shonen, and I feel like that can help people appreciate other shonen more.
#8
whiteflame
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@Vader
I was gonna put Demon Slayer on there, but the animation is beautiful in Demon Slayer, I think it sets a high bar for animation. I definitely think it's a starter show Demon Slayer. but later on.

I agree with your MHA analysis. The only reason I added it is because it's baseline shonen that doesn't add anything unique. It's sort of a baseline representation of shonen, and I feel like that can help people appreciate other shonen more.
Demon Slayer might be where I'd tell someone to go next after MHA, so I agree with that. And yeah, I'd say that if we're only considering what's animated so far, MHA is entirely baseline Shonen. 
#9
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@Vader
I knew you had no clue about Demon Slayer when you said his power is based on Blood as a criticism of my second AMV in the battle vs whiteflame.

His power is based on water and also fire (slight spoiler, he is a hybrid element wielder but wielding fire is very costly and risky for his body).

It is certainly not based on blood.
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#10
Vader
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@RationalMadman
Uh when did I say Demon Slayer was based on blood? I'm pretty sure it's fire and water but Nezuko has Blood Demon Art
#11
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Season 1 of AoT was god tier, definitely superior to Season 2, I'm not sure I agree to these rankings overall, you didn't even mention a mainstream one like Naruto.
#12
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I don't know a lot about the other ones but AOT can basically change a person philosophically. It basically screams "Morality is subjective".

I am glad that it ranked so high. 
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#13
Vader
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@RationalMadman
I loved Naruto, but I wouldn't consider it starter because of the amount of episodes there is. I would recommend watching Naruto as a starter. No one (besides me) would watch Naruto for their first anime because it's pretty long

I argue that S1 was the weakest. It wasn't as bad, but I think S3 PT2 was peak AoT
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#14
Vader
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@Intelligence_06
Attack on Titan is a story with amazing writing with a different philosophy from most Shonen series (besides like Code Geass). I think it executes it's concepts it teaches well with interesting characters
#15
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lol - I actually started with Naruto - I finished all the way up to the middle of the Land of Waves Arc in my first session of Naruto
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#16
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@Theweakeredge
Nice. It's a solid intro arc