is there a general order of animes i can watch before i start the critically acclaimed ones?

Hi frankiezapp1449, it seems like you might be looking for an anime's watch order!

On our [watch order wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/watch_order) you can find suggested orders for a ton of shows (hopefully including the one you're looking for), as well as information that will help you decide on what to watch for the more complicated series *<cough>* Fate *<cough>*.

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Hi frankiezapp1449, it seems like you might be looking for new anime to watch!

The users of this subreddit came up with [a chart of anime recommendations for newcomers and veterans](https://i.redd.it/0w1v880jtq661.png) and [an awesome longer flowchart](https://i.redd.it/vdzlkodz19c71.png). Maybe you can find something there that you'll like \^.\^

[](#bot-chan "Urban s-s-s-senpai made me do it!")

You might also find our [Recommendation Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/recommendations) or [daily thread](/r/anime/search?q=flair%3Adaily&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=week) helpful.

The following may be of interest:

* [List of legal streams and downloads](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/legal_streams)

* [A useful website where you can enter an anime and see where it's legally streaming](https://www.livechart.me/search)

* [List of currently airing anime](https://www.livechart.me)

* [A useful wiki page with watch orders for many anime.](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/watch_order)

* [A list of tracking sites so others can more easily recommend shows you haven't watched.](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/related_sites#wiki_tracking_sites)

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I don’t see an issue with having high standards if you start with better made anime’s.

Imo, you should just watch what you want to watch.

I wouldn't consider any of those to be anime that really necessitate watching other animes first. And even of the shows I think are enhanced by knowledge of common anime tropes, I still wouldn't consider them so essential that you need to watch other stuff first to enjoy them.

It'll probably take you years to exhaust all of the universally "great" anime. [MAL's top 500 anime](https://myanimelist.net/topanime.php?limit=450) is still a 8.14 / 10, which is a universally well liked rating.

Nah thats the best way to consume anime. The first few dozen you watch is going to define your whole anime experience for the rest of your life.


Besides its a time consuming hobby. Don't waste time on mid

Sounds like stupid theory. Even after watching amazing anime I still enjoy good one. I am more critical when it comes to rating, but its still good. If you just want to wait for it, then just maybe watch different types of anime. Only realy bad anime for newbie is Konosuba, but beacuse its parody so newbie wont get as many references as veteran and would "waste" experience.

>i'm almost graduating college 

Maybe this is the problem, if you start watching realy good one its hard to spend time on school, especially when its longer one.

Watch whatever you feel like watching. There's no correct or incorrect order to watch anime (unless we're talking about anime in the same franchise, in which case there might be a recommended watch order).

Personally I started with shorter anime, because it allowed me to explore a variety of genres and figure out which genres I like. In the amount of time it takes to watch Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, you can watch 20-30 shorter anime.

If you're confident that you're going to love DB/DBZ, you can go ahead and watch it, and you can always explore the other genres later.

There are some great classics, and as you 'get into it' more you'll find yourself maybe wanting to watch some of them - same way if you enjoy modern super hero movies you may want to watch the original superman movies

So maybe a year or 2 down the line you'll find yourself watching Neon Genesis Evangelion or the original Gundam series, or sitting down to watch Legend of the Galactic Heroes from 1988

There's no 'required watching' other then parodies won't land - so avoid them, The Eminence in Shadow for example doesn't hit the same until you've seen a few power fantasy isekais

You want to watch it, watch it, unless it's part of a series

And enjoy!

First, your younger brother is wrong. Watch what you want to watch.

Second, throw out your worries about having had the cream of the crop too early. It's like with any medium, there are tons of things to discover and come to love that are far, far from the most popular around. You just have to branch out.

My favorite anime at this point include a ton of series your brother likely never even heard of such as Aoi Hana or Rolling Girls or Yama no Susume.

The quick answer imo, not really.

Watch what you're interested in. If you and up not enjoying what you're watching, you can just stop and switch to something else.

I think AoT could be overwhelming if gore puts you off to something, but you said you enjoyed JJK, so I don't think that's the case.

I think AoT is a fine anime to start with, but personally, my number one recommendation whenever this is asked is Death Note.

Some other recommendations would be FMAB, Naruto, My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100, Dandadan, Hell's Paradise, Darker than Black, Gurren Lagann, Code Geass, Boku no Pico, Haikyuu!!, Blue Lock, Wolf's Rain, Cowboy Bebop, Samuria Shamploo, Ruroni Kenshin, Madoka Magica, Magi, Baccano, Durarara, Hinamatsuri, Violet Evergarden, Fate Zero, Re; Zero, Reincarnated as a Slime, Stein;s Gate.

Honestly, just go to MAL and look at anything rated an 8 or above, look for a thumbnail that catches I your attention and then read the synopsis.

Watch what you want. Keep in mind that anime covers all genres with specific genre’s to anime. You won’t like everything and that’s perfectly fine, it’s YOUR experience. IMO, one of the biggest charms of anime is that it opens up certain genres that you might not even know was appealing to you. For example, I didn’t think I liked romance stuff till I saw “Your Name”. Now I crave a nice light hearted romance series. Anime as a whole has so much to cover you just gotta explore.

Did you forget how to capitalize? This is hard to read, brother.

Anyways, My personal opinion is that this sounds like silly advice. You should watch what sounds and looks interesting to you. The most common way to get into anime in the first place is people watching the big hitters like Attack on Titan, and branching out from there. You will learn what you like better and learn to home in on the series that speak to you.

Furthermore, the idea that you would run out of even just the anime that receive universal praise anytime soon is slightly laughable. I don't know how much free time you have, but AoT is 35 hours of content alone. Long running shonen like Dragon Ball or One Piece will be hundreds.

With all that said, in my opinion, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the best starting place for anime. It has a little bit of everything, and is a complete story which is lengthy but not overly so. AoT is good, but imo it does less to represent the anime-ness of anime (it's more western, part of the reason it blew up over here).

Also, if you are interested in Berserk, do yourself a favor and read it. Every page is a work of art. None of the adaptations can truly capture it.

Taste is subjective. I personally feel the shows your brother mentioned are like an 8 out of 10? However, I’m not too big on battle shounen, but for a lot of people they’re peak. I just don’t have time to watch 100+ episodes of characters getting progressively more powerful by breaking their limits so they can beat the big bad guy.

If that is indeed your thing, maybe wait until after school? If it’s not that distracting for you, just watch them anyway. I like shorter shows about judeochristian robots and depressed cyberpunk girls hacking reality to kill god. Can clear most of those over a weekend.

So really, watch whatever tickles your fancy. Be it a romance, some trashisekai, Shonen, yuri, mystery, whatever.

But here are my first anime, in the order I watched them… I started like 7 years ago, and I’m over 900 watched, so they clearly did something right:

Assassination Classroom

Sword Art Online

Konosuba

Re;Zero

Chunnibyuo

Toradora

Fire Force

Kaguya Sama

Overlord.

Again, over 600 series watched now, 10,421 episodes, 171 days of anime, so they clearly worked and got me into it.

I also found that the top anime on MAL, were infact very bad (for me) to start with, FMAB for example, I didn’t touch that until I was around 100 series watched, because longer anime are more of a commitment… *cough* One Piece *cough*

But really, scroll through, find one that you feel you might enjoy, and just give it a whirl. Whether you start with the absolute pinnacle of anime, or the trashiest of trash, there are so many, that you aren’t gonna run out, and hey, you might find some hidden gems.

Just watch the good stuff. You won't run out. I can see maybe pacing yourself, but the antidote to watching too much too quickly isn't to watch more mediocre anime. If you find yourself burning out, just take a break. Anime enjoyment is not a skill to be developed. It's just entertainment.

Media literacy is a skill though, but it's not specific to anime. Just be mindful of the things you watch and try to understand what you like about them, and then form your own opinions about what works and what doesn't.

No, it's not the 00s anymore. There's enough great shows and films that are easily accessible that there being a "starter pack" isn't really a thing anymore.

Starting with high rated stuff is fine.

Eventually you will discover your taste, and you will start to sense when it diverges from the majority opinion, and you may find way more enjoyment from specific lower rated stuff.

Or maybe not, that is OK too!

Yes.

Its called watching whatever looks appealing to you

Peak is a oppinion. Most will say that those your brother recommended are fine but not peak.

Many will advice Deathnote, Vinland Saga or Code Geass first.

Just watch what appeals to you.

As for personal recommendations: Gundam 00, Record of Grancrest wars, Claymore and Akiba maidwars are pretty good anime to watch.

Honestly, the best way to get into anime is just trying different shows until you find a genre that really clicks with you. If you’re starting with **fantasy**, that’s a solid choice. **Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World** is great if you like dark stories, time loops, and emotional twists. **The Eminence in Shadow** is perfect if you want something edgy and funny with an overpowered main character who doesn’t take things seriously. **Mushoku Tensei** is another strong pick for deep world-building and character growth, while **Overlord** is ideal if you’re into villain-type main characters.

If fantasy isn’t fully your thing, you can branch out into other genres too. For **action**, try **Attack on Titan** or **Jujutsu Kaisen**. If you want something more **psychological or dark**, **Death Note** or **Tokyo Ghoul** are solid choices. For **romance or drama**, check out **Your Lie in April**. And if you’re just looking to laugh, **Konosuba** is an easy watch.

Trying a mix of genres like this makes it way easier to figure out what kind of anime you actually enjoy.

Watch whatever you want!! What sorta genres do you enjoy? I could recommend some that might interest you.

i think the reason why your brother said to you what he had said was because he knows you and your behavior pattern when it comes to getting into new interest or hobby. so i would recommend you to start watching short series with only 1 to 3 seasons and 13 episodes each. some top rated and popular ones are death note, erased, your lie in april, and demon slayer. those, i think, are the beginner-friendly ones. but i still won't discourage you from trying the animes you brother is watching.

Just pick what interests you.

Way back when I thought samurai and ninja were cooler than pirates and that defined my anime taste in ways I can't imagine.

I agree with what most people have been saying, but just to give an alternate viewpoint, you can try to start with an array of shows, some “peak”, and some that are popular but considered “overrated” in some circles, that way you get some more variety and perspective without stacking the deck too hard right at the start. I can give you a list of what I would suggest, and I will strictly try to keep it to shows that are on the shorter end (let’s say around 50 episodes max), that way you can focus on developing a solid watchlist first and then based on what you like you can take on a longer series in the style/genre that you gravitated to. Here’s what I would suggest; they’re all shows that excel in at least one particular category (ie. story, animation, hype, etc.):

- Death Note (classic thriller that still holds up to this day with its story)

- Mob Psycho 100 (simultaneously tongue-in-cheek and genuinely moving, also an example of world-class animation despite its perhaps unconventional art style)

- Code Geass (I personally love this one a lot and think it does a great job in blending a lot of classic genres together)

- Jujutsu Kaisen (excels in: hype, aura, fight choreography/design)

- Fate/Zero (Fate is a whole can of worms; there are a lot of related works and most diehards would suggest a different one to start, but I really don’t think it matters that much and Zero is the best one IMO)

- Cyberpunk:Edgerunners (incredible dub if that’s something you value)

- Solo Leveling (mindless power fantasy that is nevertheless very fun to consume)

These have been mostly action because that’s what I believe most people are interested in consuming, but if you want something a little different then I would also suggest:

- Kaguya-Sama Love is War

- Frieren

- Oshi no Ko (maybe? The premise is VERY anime but maybe that won’t turn you away)

Don't worry, there are dozens of amazing shows out there. Just maybe try to mix things up? Like, sure you could go Attack on Titan--> Chainsaw Man --> Made in Abyss --> Takopie's Original Sin --> Grave of the Fireflies and you would have watched only amazing shows, but you would probably need therapy afterwards

Just watch what you want to watch. If you put something off, it will likely become a permanent member of your plan to watch list. Don't worry about not being to appreciate the critically acclaimed ones, there's so much good anime these days that you probably won't run out.

One piece of advice I can give is if you don't know what to watch, try to branch out of your comfort zone. Watch some slice of life, sports anime, cute girls doing cute things, etc.
For example, one of my favorite "genres" of anime is people looking for what they want to do in life, and I feel that college age is definitely where you should watch those. When I was in college, I didn't know what the fuck I was doing so I really liked stories about people discovering what they were good at, going through a journey of self discovery, making friends, etc. These are not your typical action anime.

A few of my favorites of this "genre" are:
March Comes Like a Lion

Space Brothers

Ping Pong the Animation

Barakamon

This is not a list of anime to watch first, just some anime that you might appreciate if you want to expand beyond the typical battle/action anime that kids these days typically watch.

No.

I’d say just watch what you want to. When you get really caught up with recommendations in the way you’re describing, you’re starting to watch anime for how others will see you—not for things that truly interest you. For me, I just started with random magical girl animes like Lucky Precure because I was really into girly stuff. Albeit, I used to be embarrassed as a kid to admit it was my first anime ever instead of something like the Fate series or Code Geass—but now, I don’t feel bothered by it because it unintentionally introduced me to more dark/psychological horror anime like Madoka. Overtime, my tastes changed and I could start or stop liking an anime whenever I wanted. So honestly, I’d just pick whatever title or cover art interests you and let your opinions naturally form. Usually, if I’m indecisive, I just read the series synopsis, and if it amuses me enough, then I give it an episode or two to see if I actually want to invest my time and interest into it. Don’t sweat about looking ignorant—those who judge you for that (when you’ve just stepped into the community) are probably just being unnecessarily snobby about it.

just watch what's interesting to you, a show being a masterpiece doesn't mean you'll like it (although it obviously has statistically better odds) and a show being trash doesn't mean you can't enjoy it

there's some meta stuff that needs you to have some knowledge about other anime to work due to a lot of references like lucky star or gintama but those are outliers

>attack on titan, berserk, dgz

Those shows aren’t really critically acclaimed. They’re extremely popular, which makes them easy entry points.

That’s how it usually goes with anime, films, or hobbies in general. People start with the mainstream and work their way down, not the other way around. You don’t begin with niche or divisive stuff. Like bikes or cars, you start with a popular, reliable brand, then dig deeper once you know what suits you.

Watch what you're interested in it's the best way to enjoy the medium dont worry about 'taste' or quality the only real way to get I to anime is to find stuff you enjoy trying different genres etc

If you want a really old school elitist answer. Dont talk to me until Evangelion, Full Metal Alchemist, Akira and Trigun (it's a silly take but I remember getting shut down in forums in my youth because I hadn't watched em)

No watch the best because there's alot of garbage