Anime, short for animation, has been on a rise lately. Some of these Japanese animations have hit the top of the watchlists in the US. While many people are still hesitant about starting anime, most people who have watched it would recommend it to anyone indefinitely. The first anime started in 1963 with Astro Boy and today the most popular anime is My Hero Academia 

All anime watchers have an anime they start out with. This is referred to as a starter anime. Everyone has a different starter anime as well as a different way of coming across it. For junior Jaiden Tobin, his starter anime was “Naruto.” 

“I was super bored one day and my friend told me that I should watch an episode of ‘Naruto’. I loved it,” Tobin said.

“Naruto” is one of the most popular anime in the anime community. The fanbase for the show is endless. Millions love the show and many are emotionally attached to the show because of the great characters. 

“My favorite character is Obito Uchiha because of his abilities and stories from his past,” Tobin said.

Some people like junior Ellie Houston, run into their starter anime by pure luck by finding across it on the internet. 

“Well when I really got into anime, it was because I was watching YouTube and this one show called “Fairytale” was recommended. I watched it and that’s how I started,” Houston said.

While anime watchers have various choices of what types of anime to watch, they all have their one favorite anime that they prefer over all others. It could range from one of the more popular ones to ones that aren’t as big as others are.

“My favorite anime is “Attack on Titan” because of all the action,” Tobin said.

Attack on Titan is another one of the more popular anime. IMDb has Attack on Titan with the most 9.9 or above rated episodes. Making the show have more perfect rated episodes than shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Friends”.

Many newcomers of anime are really hesitant to start watching. It’s a different type of show and it’s difficult to get into sometimes. Some people may feel overwhelmed because so much happens. 

“I was also hesitant at first to start anime because it looked overwhelming,” 11th grader Vitor Labegaline said.

Newcomers to anime often don’t know where to start. The most popular are “Naruto”, “Attack on Titan”, “HunterxHunter”, “Demon Slayer” and “One Piece.” Many anime fans would recommend starting with one of these because of how many people enjoy it.

One should also take art styles into account. If someone doesn’t enjoy the art of one anime then it’s more than likely that they won’t enjoy watching it. Anime is an art at the end of the day.

“My favorite thing about anime is definitely all the different art styles,” said Houston.

While anime is on the rise, it wouldn’t be surprising to see anime be normalized one day.