I feel like the popularity of anime has skyrocketed in the last couple of years along with other "nerdy" things. I remember when I got made fun of for watching it. Now people don't really care. I thought that this nonchalance would be kind of good, but it seems that there are quite a large amount of people don't really care for it. I believe that the reason behind it is ignorance. They believe that all anime is about spiky haired, brightly colored, incredibly annoying adolescents.

To be fair, he does go hard by the end of the series

Or they think its all weird tentacle porn. No pictures for that one. The thing is, there are all kinds of anime for all kinds of people. Rom Coms, dramas, Sports, whatever you need its there. Its the most friendly addiction. Here are 5 anime that i think would be good for someone who doesn't like anime to watch.

Ghost In The Shell, AKA: 24: The Anime

I think that an anime like Ghost In The Shell is perfect for newcomers. Its premise is familiar enough to draw in people who like police dramas, and its nuances are interesting enough to set it apart from other films and television shows. Ghost In The Shell concerns Mokoto Kusanagi and her counter-terrorist organization, and it follows their exploits. Sounds like 24 right? The catch is that she and many of her team are cyborgs.

Despite being military themed, Ghost In The Shell doesn't rely on constant action and escalating tension. It is mostly philosophical, and it tackles concepts like trans-humanism, and the implications of living in a world where cybernetic enhancements are commonplace. Mokoto, being almost completely robotic, frequently questions whether or not she was even human to begin with. Of course, there is alot of action as well

pew pew pew...

Not to sound pretentious but this show is very complicated. There are some things that I can't quite understand as it tends to draw from ancient philosophers. There's a gazillion movies and like, five TV shows if you're interested.

It's also kinda creepy

Afro Samurai, AKA: Samuel L. Jackson In Japan

The title says it all about this one. Afro Samurai is about a samurai (wait for it..) with an incredibly large Afro. The plot is as follows. A kid (Afro) witnesses his dad get his head cut off by a gun toting cowboy wearing a headband. He then takes the dad's headband and gives his to the kid. The kid then becomes a samurai and kills everyone.

That's a gross oversimplification but to be honest the story is only a vehicle for the large amounts of blood being spilled on screen. Afro, voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, speaks very little and most of the dialogue comes from his sidekick Ninja (yes, the names are dumb), also voiced by Sam Jackson. Newcomers will probably enjoy this because the setting is absurd and believable at the same time. All of a sudden its not weird for a black man to be a ronin in Japan. All of a sudden its okay for a samurai to be riding a motorcycle down a mountain, and for a gunslinging cowboy with a third arm to be a terrifying villain.

Let me be clear and state that you shouldn't watch this for the plot. There are some good bits in the show about the price of revenge and all that good stuff, but the violence is the main take away. And there is an unholy amount of violence

Because the plot itself calls for wanton violence, the fights are required to be entertaining to look at. The animation of this show is absolutely stunning and, despite the obscene amounts of gore, there are some very beautiful scenes as well

Death Parade, AKA: Seventh Seal: The Anime

This is probably the weirdest entry on this list. The story concerns Decim as he runs a bar known as the Quindecim with his lovely goth assinstant. Of course, there's always a catch, the premise is already too simple. The catch is that their bar is where dead people go to be judged. Two people enter at a time and it is up to Decim to decide who will go to heaven and who will go to hell

I quite enjoyed this show's explanations on the cosmic machinations which, as it turns out, is soul-crushingly (pun intended) depressing. I can't say too much without going into spoilers but just know that this show will definitely make you question the meaning of your existence and the futility of life. In that sense its definitely a horror anime.

The human characters that appear are very believable, and its pretty cool how fleshed out they are considering that they usually only appear for one episodes. For the record, I advise you not to binge watch this show. i don't want to be held responsible for anyone's descent into nihilism.

Hajime No Ippo: AKA: The Boxing Anime

This is definitely a favorite of mine as someone who dabbles in MMA. Its a bout a young man named Ippo who, if we're being honest, is a pansy. He takes up boxing to help protect himself from bullies and because he feels his life is going nowhere. I think newcomers wills enjoy this is because it deals with something familiar.

One of the draws about this one is the characters. Like Death Parade, they are very fleshed out, and their motivations are made clear. Sometimes you want the opponent to win over Ippo because you can't help but feel for them. This show is also surprisingly funny. Eastern humor doesn't carry over well to the west, but I found myself genuinely chuckling sometimes.

As someone who knows about the sport is question, I can say that the bouts that are presented are not realistic at all. But I'd be lying I i denied that they are fun to watch. The animation is spectacular and there is a lot of internal dialogue as well as strategy. One of my complaints with this show is that Ippo doesn't really show any more development after he's gotten into his stride. It becomes a bit formulaic: He trains, he fights, he gets beaten up, he pulls a strategy out the cut, he beats the other guy's ass, they become friends. Not gonna lie, even though is repetitive, I still enjoy it

One Punch Man, AKA: Deity Posing As A Superhero

If you've spent a decent amount of time on the internet you've probably heard about this one. I was a bit skeptical about it at first but it's definitely the truth. It concerns a man, Saitama, who has become a superhero so strong that he can kill anything in one punch. My reason for being skeptical was that I thought it was trying to be serious. Its not. This whole anime is a parody on American style superheroes and anime itself.

The anime parody part of the show comes from the constant power-ups that are used by the enemies, preceded by unending dialogue, as well as how Saitama acquired his powers. It's an intense, but pretty normal work out. Newcomers will probably get a kick out of how the show parodies anime. This is another show whose humor doesn't seem weak along with Hajime No Ippo. I found myself actually dying at some of the jokes.

The fighting mostly consists of Saitama pretending like he's getting his ass beat before he throws a punch. Its funny to watch the enemies get boosted because they're landing a few hits. Because their isn't really much at stake during these fights, the creators have to make up for it with the scale and grandiose. Let me tell you, these fights are a visual treat. They've got great animation, story-boarding, and all that jazz

And there you have it. If you don't really like anime i sugest you watch one of these and see if you have a change of heart. If none of these interest you, you're weird. Just kidding. Not really