Lately, Tegan and I have been playing the odd anime episode just as a thing to fall asleep to. It’s fun to fall back into old habits, like ignoring the five minutes of recaps that old Naruto episodes loved showing.
But it’s also reminded me of many classics I loved growing up. So, let’s talk anime.
The first anime I remember catching a glimpse of was back when Ghost in the Shell aired on SBS. It’d be nice to find out how all of those great shows got aired back in the day.
It’s because one of those shows that my favourite anime is Neon Genesis, even though I wouldn’t rate it as the most enjoyable from everything I’ve watched. The original series ran out of steam — and budget — towards the end, and the pacing is all over the place.
But it was wildly different than any of the other shows on TV at that time. I also had a family friend who managed to record the entirety of every Neon Genesis episode on VHS tapes, and they gracefully lent it to me to rewatch over and over. I probably watched the full TV series about six or seven times as a kid. I couldn’t get enough of it.
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a better series, but sometimes it’s your first taste of a genre that stays with you.
Similarly, Naruto is probably the first “major” series that I binged and kept watching and reading until the end. I was following Bleach for ages, but I eventually cracked the shits at the stupid filler arcs faster — and consequently gave up on the manga sooner. (I’ve since finished both, and did a quick re-read of the last 100 Bleach chapters the other week.)
But rewatching it has been fun, and seeing Tegan get hooked on Naruto of all things is pretty funny.
So, what’s your favourite anime — and why? And if you had to recommend a few anime for someone to get started on, what would your picks be?
For me: Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop and Trigun are good picks. They’re also not your shonen regulars. It’s a lot easier to get into something when you’re not trying to catch up with 10+ seasons.
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