Great anime, but you won't recommend to a newcomer

[PictureGuy]

This one is a twist. What anime series or movie would you NOT recommend to a newcomer? For the purposes of this thread, a newcomer is someone who has never seen an anime, or who has only seen one or two.

And I am not talking about some piece of crap anime either! I want you to list a good anime or two. One you really, really like. Maybe it is even a classic. But for whatever reason, you would never recommend it to a newcomer.

And please let us know why you would not recommend it.

I have two choices:

Elfin Lied. Yes, this is a classic. I did enjoy it, though enjoy may not be the correct word. It mixes comedy and darkness very well. But let's face it. The series is extremely bloody, even depicting violence by and against children. And the nudity is very detailed. The depiction of child sexual abuse hides little. I would be afraid a newbie would get the wrong idea about anime in general and be scared off. Best they leave this one to after they become hooked on anime.

Boogiepop Phantom. Let's face it again. This series, where the story is told out of chronological sequence, is hard for anyone to follow. It is one of my favorite anime series, but again the confusion from the first watching (you need at least a half-dozen viewings), may scare the newcomer away, especially if they are into light entertainment and not that which would make them think. Not that there is anything wrong with light entertainment or not thinking. Its just if you are trying to relax your brain cells after a hard day, this is not the anime to watch.

Your choice?

[La Féline]

I cant really add to your topic, but i gotta say... Boy, were you right about Elfin Lied. Like, i guess its good they dont tone it down, but it was way too much for me, even if i was looking for weird shows.

[ritatata]

It depends on the 'profile' of the newcomer, some people might disregard otaku contents in anime like mecha, ecchi, jokes, etc, so I probably wouldn't recommend for example Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, panty & stocking (also elfen lied is indeed a good example).

However, it's actually difficult to answer for me though. I always watched anime so I was quickly used to the components which might be weird for external people. From experience, I can tell sports anime like Kuroko no Basket are a good suggestion for those who are around my ages (~20). If they are serious about discover the "world" of anime, I might suggest them all the classic from all genre, really, though.

[PictureGuy]

Actually, Kill la Kill would make a good introductory anime -- provided you let the newbie know ahead of time it is a spoof not to be taken seriously.

[Yan Chan]

NGE. Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't expect this one. I'm sure the anime (to those who have seen it) is self-explanatory. I feel like it's something that you shouldn't even think too much about. I'm sure your head will hurt after a while.

I can also vouch for Elfen Lied; my friend tried to get me into it. It took a while for me to get used to everything. I still shudder every time I see the first episode.

And then there is Hellsling. I mean unless the newcomer is okay with rivers of blood and gore, then alrighty then.

[PictureGuy]

I wouldn't recommend NGE for anyone. I hated every character.

If you mean Hellsing Ultimate, I agree. The original Hellsing was a little easier to take.

[ritatata]

Actually, Kill la Kill would make a good introductory anime -- provided you let the newbie know ahead of time it is a spoof not to be taken seriously.

You're probably right. I thought about Kill la Kill because some people who are not familiar with anime have sometimes the misconception (because of TV, or other stereotypes) that anime are dumb because they all are childish cartoons with a lot of sexual contents and violence. therefore if you don't really know anime in general or kill la kill you might misunderstood its meaning/purpose. So basically Kill la Kill depending on the person you're dealing with, can be a good suggestion, but sometimes you should also suggest another anime which doesn't corroborate the stereotypes he already has. Well at least in my opinion of course.

[Anime Forum]

How does Elfen Lied make anyone shudder? Its not even that bad content wise. I mean, it has gore and nudity but so do horror movies. Elfen Lied is overhyped with how "bizarre" its material is because there are tons and tons of things more graphic than that show.

OT: Since a lot of people are scared of nudity or "taboo" themes I'd likely say Yosuga no Sora. Animated incest sex may be to much for folks to handle. *shrugs*

[La Féline]

How does Elfen Lied make anyone shudder? Its not even that bad content wise. I mean, it has gore and nudity but so do horror movies. Elfen Lied is overhyped with how "bizarre" its material is because there are tons and tons of things more graphic than that show.

OT: Since a lot of people are scared of nudity or "taboo" themes I'd likely say Yosuga no Sora. Animated incest sex may be to much for folks to handle. *shrugs*

I see what you mean, and given more knowledge of general content of anime and mangas, it is true. Although, speaking for myself at least, it is quite a jump into the subject matter. I dont feel as if (western) horror movies delve as deep. They throw gore and nudity, but they seem to pussy out alot. Few are actually R rated.
Also, isnt kind of a fallacy to say that a newcomer shouldnt be bothered since theres alot worse available?

I will admit though the irony of being put off by that show while being perfectly able to browse things like r/watchpeopledie. "Urgh, i cant watch an animu child be cut in half! This is so wrong! Better put something to cleanse my mind". *puts on liveleak of kid run over by car*

[Anime Forum]

I see what you mean, and given more knowledge of general content of anime and mangas, it is true. Although, speaking for myself at least, it is quite a jump into the subject matter. I dont feel as if (western) horror movies delve as deep. They throw gore and nudity, but they seem to pussy out alot. Few are actually R rated.
Also, isnt kind of a fallacy to say that a newcomer shouldnt be bothered since theres alot worse available?

I will admit though the irony of being put off by that show while being perfectly able to browse things like r/watchpeopledie. "Urgh, i cant watch an animu child be cut in half! This is so wrong! Better put something to cleanse my mind". *puts on liveleak of kid run over by car*

Have you ever watched a "D" tier horror movie? I'd say most of those are heaps more graphic than Elfen Lied. I can grasp some people can't take gore very well because its natural to find it gross, but Elfen Lied really wasn't that bad. It had gore and flying limbs, but it never went further than that. One scene that was lightly - moderatly disturbing was the entire dog scene due to the graphic scene that we witnessed, but the rest underwhelmed.


Also, I'm more saying people tend to overhype Elfen Lied's material. I can't see how it'd make anybody "shudder", but I guess people are different :s. All in all, anime can be seen as weird, but I tend to think a lot of American fans enlarge how weird it actually is. The nudity isn't really that weird since sexualization exist in every medium and the such. The gore as well.


The taboos I guess I can understand, but the incest is just two animated characters having sex that are only related because the creator said so.