You may ask yourself, "What makes this guy qualified to tell me what titles are best for introducing my friends to Anime?" Hmmm, good question. I've been watching anime since the 70's, yes I'm that old, so I've been exposed to a huge amount of it. I've watched well over 300+ titles and movies. I can't even fathom how many episodes that is but I'm in the process of trying to calculate it using Anime-planet. I'm married, have two kids(who love Pokemon and anything made by Hayao Miyazaki) I'm not a computer geek (but I am working on my A+ Cert.,so maybe I am)nor an avid gamer(Unreal or Quake only). I manage a business and don't live with my parents. I've introduced people of both genders and all ages to anime and have even got some into the Subbed versions. My picks and reasons for them aren't flawless but a good starting point. If you know of other titles that have worked for you please let me know. If you introduced a friend give us the scoop or tell me what got you into it. I'm all eyes.

Introducing Manly Men to Anime

Hey, this is my first post to this Guide I've started so you can take it or leave it but I will do my best to justify my opinions. If you are trying to introduce a guy friend of yours to anime then I would recommend "Elfen Lied." This anime is not for children! There is nudity and extreme violence which is why most guys love it! I started showing this anime to my cousin who is 23 and in the military. After watching the first episode at my house he asked if he could borrow it. I said "yes" 'cause I could see the gleem in his eye. That night he and some friends stayed up until 3am watching all the episodes. When he brought it back he asked if I had anything else I thought he might enjoy? Of course I said yes and an anime fan was born. Since then, his taste has broadened and he has watched other series like "Full Metal Alchemist" and "Bleach" just as examples. I'm sure there is other stuff out there like "Berserker," which I don't have copies of to hand out, that could also be used to get a guy into anime. Let's face it, a naked Lucy dismembers some 50 people in the first few minutes of the story. Blood is every where. If that doesn't catch a persons attention nothing will. The story line is also a great guy tale. Even much of the nudity is not there to tantelize but to anger the viewer. most of the nude scenes are shot while the girls are in a laboratory getting experimented on. At no time did I ever think, "Man that chick is hot!" Instead I was further sympothetic to the girls and angered at those trying to control them. The background of all the characters is quite interesting. In fact, at least in my opinion, one of the main background stories is not on the US release but is in an OVA (Original Video Release, not shown on TV)in the the Japanese release. It has to do with why Lucy doesn't kill the chief of the group chasing her. It is a must see if you like this series. OK, enough about this series. There are a lot of them out there like "Boogiepop Phantom" that can be used to get guys into anime but you would be surprised as to how many girls like violent anime too.