I know nothing about anime. My brother (30 years old) has watched some of the more popular ones out there (bleach, full metal alchemist) and has expressed interest in watching others. So I want to get him a gift for Christmas, so I want to get him a dvd of a good and not too obscure anime series. I know the names of a bunch of animes probably, by virtue of hanging out in this forum and IRC, yet I don't really know anything about them. Like, I've heard that fate/stay night and neon genesis evangelion or supposedly good, but I have no idea if they are good, or appropriate for someone like my brother.

So, ideas? I'm not looking to slog through and read a 1200 post thread.

 

He hasn't watched that much. I asked him if he's heard of fate/stay night and evangelion, and he said no. So I probably know more animes than he does and I've never watched any.

I just had a friend suggest gurren lagann - I've never heard of it. My brother's tastes are fairly wide open I'd say, but I don't think anything with heavy nudity/sexual content would be an appropriate gift. Sci fi or fantasy or modern doesn't matter too much, just has to be good.

 

Cowboy Bebop is a show that seems to get a lot of people into anime, in my experience. I couldn't say for sure whether your brother would like Evangelion, but I'll recommend it anyway.

 

Does he prefer a story or constant action?

Generally speaking, you can't go wrong with Cowboy Bebop. A little slow, sometimes, but still one of the best.

 

He's probably seen it. I remember a lot of animes were on cartoon network back in the day. Cowboy bebop, Outlaw Star, Gundam Wing. I wouldn't safe definitely that he's seen it in it's entirety, but chances are he's seen a decent amount of it.

 

If he enjoyed Bleach and hasn't seen Naruto, then Naruto is the way to go.

Claymore is a very good one he might enjoy and if he's seen that then you can't go wrong with Hellsing Ultimate.

 

I would definitely recommend Cowboy Bebop or Code Geass. You can't go wrong with either.

Edit: Code Geass is much more recent (2010-ish), so I doubt it's been aired on Cartoon Network.

 

I'll second the Code Geass recommendation. It's only two seasons, but the story is tight and done extremely well. My only complaint against the series is that it sometimes tries to be a bit too high school oriented. They could have done a lot more with the main protagonist in a more political realm, but nonetheless Code Geass is in my top five anime. Number two when it comes to a strong storyline (Death Note takes the cake on story).

I'll also throw in that there is a small amount of fan service which really serves no point, but it's a great show.

 

I think it was on Adult Swim for a while.

The first season of Code Geass is good, but most people I talk to agree that the second season quickly became a train wreck.

I for one don't like Death Note, but it's fairly popular so maybe your brother will like it.

 

That's a difficult question. Your main problem is that anime spans just as many genres as regular TV/Movies, so you really need to find out what your brother has seen and is specifically interested in, then get back to us. There are a great many anime out there that I would define as masterpieces of their genre, but if he solely likes westernized shounen action series, then he's probably not going to enjoy a feel-good comedy/romance like 'Toradora' or something as heart-wrenching as 'Anohana'.

If he hasn't even heard of the fate series or Evangelion, he's probably only been exposed to the most popular shonen series that are airing regularly on American TV (naruto, full metal, bleach, Dragon Ball, pokemon etc).

He might have already seen Cowboy Bebop, as it gets played on adult swim constantly. You should ask him if he's seen it in its entirety. If not, then that is definitely your #1 choice.

Bebop is always a good rec for newbs because it sort of transcends any definable genre. As a kid, it was the series that stopped me thinking about anime as just another form of saturday morning cartoons. My anime experiences before Bebop were limited to all the kid-focused toons that got played to death in the 90s (pokemon, sailor moon, gundam, dbz).

Other series that aren't nearly as good as Bebop but have elements of that same genre-breaking feel:

• Attack on Titan
• Durarara
• Samurai Champloo
• Eden of the East
• Bakemonogatari (perhaps too fanservice-heavy for a Christmas present)
• Mushishi
• Baccano (this one is highly enjoyable and helped ease me into more traditional anime)
• Star Blazers 2199
• Welcome to the N.H.K
• Black Lagoon (one of my absolute favorites and basically as close as you can get to Bebop without BEING Bebop)
• Steins;Gate

Edit: You also need to ask if he wants dubbed or subbed. A ton of really great series that we'll rec here will have absolutely horrible dubs.

 

I'll second Hellsing Ultimate. Mirrai Nikki is also fantastic, some sex and nudity but none of it is really a focus. Both are pretty fucked up and gore heavy, though.

 

Bakemonogatari... god, I can't remember the last time an anime had me laughing so hard.

Then, Attack on Titan for crazy good visuals and an action packed story.

Death Note could be an option, too, and if your friend is into games, you might want to take a look at Sword Art Online.

Also, so far I brought two friends into anime with Steins;Gate, so you probably wouldn't do wrong with that one either.

 

I have confirmation that he has actually seen Cowboy Bebop.

-edit- As for tastes, pretty similar to my own, so that's how I'm gauging it. If it's something I would like (if I watched anime in any significant amount), then he would like it. So, I'm definitely passing on Naruto. Samurai/ninja things aren't to my liking. Series with mechs, or sci fi in general, are usually safe, as well as actiony ones. I don't mind fantasy if it's not generic asian stuff (claymore seems like it's normal medieval fantasy stuff?). Also, hybrid genres are fair game.

-edit- Mostly, it just has to be good, and appeal to a wider, more generic audience.

 

Did he like it? If so, Black Lagoon, Outlaw Star, and Samurai Champloo are your go to recs.

If not, then it sounds like he's a fan of westernized shounen. Naruto / One Piece / Blue Exorcist / Magi / Ruroni Kenshin / Inuyasha are all safe bets. Some of those aren't great, but if he liked Bleach, he'll probably like those. The Fate series would also be moderately appropriate.

 

Then I point you to Star Blazers 2199, Code Geass, Guilty Crown, Eureka 7, Evangelion, the Evangelion remakes, and Ghost in the Shell for widely appealing mecha and sci-fi.

Black Lagoon, Attack on Titan, and Psycho-Pass for widely-appealing action.

I wouldn't go near most fantasy series if you're looking for something free from japanese tropes. Fate series is a victim of this at times. Sword Art Online is particularly moe heavy.

 

Death Note.
Akame ga Kill.
Ergo Proxy.

 

Trigun. You heathens.

 

I would go with Black Lagoon. One of the more adult themed animes (that avoids pointless ecchi scenes) full of action and interesting characters.

It is also short enough to allow you to actually gift your brother the series (or at least the whole 1st season) with bankrupting yourself.