Here is some Anime i would recommend starting with, the first two are classics but the rest are fairly new. I would throw in some more classics but for beginners you need quick attention grabbers. BEWARE most are action filled with a lot of gruesome/kick ass killing going on.
From Left to Right- Top to Bottom we have: Spirited Away, Howls Moving Castle, Attack on Titan, Akame Ga Kill, Promised Neverland, Fruits Basket, Demon Slayer, Seven Deadly Sins, Parasyte , Erased and Your Name.
CAN I JUST START BY SAYING COVID BROUGHT OUT SO MANY ANIME LOVERS. IM SO GLAD PEOPLE ARE BECOMING COMFORTABLE ADMITTING A GENRE OUTSIDE THEIR CULTURE MAKES THEM HAPPY<3
YES, I am an African American girl who is obsessed with anime and i don't care what anyone thinks. I've been called weird, Looked at differently and even threatened to have my black card revoked LOL. But honestly don't knock it until you give it a chance. As i will keep stating this Blog is to open your third eye, the one to see past things your only comfortable with. You can be curious of the world and all the different cultures that reside in it but in a respectful manner . I always want to know more which leads me into so many things that I accept arms open no judgement. I mean besides the obvious difference in plots what is the difference between Japanese animation and you watching SpongeBob ?! or Family Guy. They all are literally animations but because anime is not in English with characters that may look a bit unusual its not given the time of day. Anime originated from Japan its only right anything that comes from it is influenced by its culture.
As i stated most times the show or movie does come in their native language but there's a thing called subtitles which i promise does not affect you watching it that much. A Quiet Place is literally an entire Horror movie based on subtitles so find another excuse why you cant watch anime !! Quick hint : Usually you see these phrases "Sub" and "Dub" next to the episode title or name of the show/movie these will help pick how it will be displayed. Subbed anime is basically the Japanese version with English subtitles. On the contrast Dub anime is the anime translated automatically to English and yes no subtitles needed. For beginners advice i would start with anime shows/movies that are dubbed but once you've become a pro, you just want that original feeling.
Most anime shows or movies are inspired from Mangas/Books, the same process just like anywhere else in the world does. WARNING - a lot of these shows can be very dramatic or VERY gruesome. There is anime with romance, school life , drama etc so before i scare you away everything anime is not scary. The genres for anime are so endless sometimes i cant even imagine how they come up with it. Anime is legit a whole different world. The best thing about anime, if you love the jumpy feeling of the unexpected this is for you. It will have you in such a rollercoaster of emotions but unable to truly express what you just watched and how you feel about watching it. They will sometimes leave you with cliffhanger after cliffhanger but this chaotic method will keep you going for more. THEY TRAP YOU IN LOL BUT YOU JUST ACCEPT IT. Now you can find anime anywhere on Netflix, Hulu, Funimation, Crunchyroll and even YouTube. If you need a source i got you or just google it! I wish I can go into more detail or explain each show I’ve listed but what good is that. Sometimes you just have to dive in to feel out if it’s for you or not. GIVE IT A TRY AND LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES.
Now that I've shared another piece of me not much know about. I hope you take my advice and try it. Maybe anime just might be your new thing.... if these shows don't work out for you trust me i have PLENTY more :)