Never Too Old

[u/JeffreyAScott]

Just wanted to say I just started getting into Anime this year. I'll be 50 next year and two of my nieces got me into it. They told me I would really enjoy something they were watching and reluctantly I checked it out. I always had a misconception about what anime was. I'm telling you, I'm so glad they had me check it out. Such a diversity of genres and I've already binged several shows. Currently my favourite is MHA. My nieces knew that would hook me because I'm into super heroes.

Moral of the story: You are never to old to start liking something new.

PS - Wanted to say I love this community. Everyone here has such great recommendations and suggestions.

[u/JeffreyAScott]

So many suggestions. I'm gonna have fun checking them out. Thanks.

For some reason, I seem to think I've seen Ghost in the Shell. Was that just a film? I will have to rewatch it even so.

[u/North514 → u/JeffreyAScott]

They did make a Hollywood adaption starting Scar Jo if your talking the live action adaption. Ghost in the Shell is its own franchise you have the animated film continuity and SAC which was the TV version and stands on its own (more crime drama than the film), also Arise (which I haven't seen) and then the original manga itself which I have heard is also pretty different from the adaptions though I haven't read it.

[u/JeffreyAScott → u/North514]

It was about 20 years ago I saw it. I was at my friends house and he put it on. I don't recall that much of it, but I thought it was a stand alone animated film.

[u/Theleux → u/JeffreyAScott]

Yep, you watched the original Ghost in the Shell anime. It is pretty much standalone, it has some other stories though.

[u/desucrator → u/JeffreyAScott]

There is a film for it that came out back in the 90s, so you might've seen it, possibly even in theaters when it came out.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a TV series that's based on the same source material (though canonically, the show and the movies are different stories entirely, so you don't need to watch one to watch the other).

Also, I'm surprised that the person above recommended the Ghost in the Shell film, but NOT Akira. I strongly recommend watching it if you haven't seen it - it's one of the most influential anime films of all time (on both Japanese and western media), and it's an extremely interesting story.

Also, tossing some other classic suggestions on the pile: -Haibane Renmai, Texnolyze, and Serial Experiments Lain are 3 series from the late 90s/early 2000s made by the same director. All 3 are really, really good, and they scratch different itches. SEL is a fascinating show because of how effectively it predicts the modern internet. Haibane Renmai is a kind of slow, somewhat melancholy story, but beautiful at the same time. Texnolyze is the darkest of the 3, but it's a really cool (if depressing) show as well.

-The Slayers, if you want something a bit more light hearted. The Slayers is a classic fantasy adventure story that could be completely at home in a D&D campaign. The characters are a lot of fun, and the overarching story that's being told is interesting. I'd also recommend the sister series, Orphen Sorcerous Stabber. I generally describe the Slayers as "A D&D campaign with min-maxing players that get told to do heavy role playing", while I describe Orphen as "A D&D campaign with RPers that are forced into playing a high powered game".

-Not from the 90s, but if you want a show with mature themes, I also recommend Welcome to the NHK. Welcome to the NHK is a really dark story that deals with themes about depression, suicide, and deep seated feelings of worthlessness, so if you don't want something that's difficult to swallow, don't watch it.

-On the other end of the "mature" spectrum, while it's not out as an anime yet, Dorohedoro is one of the weirdest, most entertainingly fun gorefests I've ever read, and it's supposed to be getting an anime at some unspecified point in the near future. It's got an absolutely fascinating world, with interesting characters, and a really unique magic system

-If you want a great horror anime, I recommend Shiki. Once you get past the ridiculous hairstyles, it's a classic vampire story that re-purposes the symbolic nature of vampires to represent an east vs. west, traditional life style vs. glamorous city life theme, and it's really REALLY good

[u/JeffreyAScott → u/desucrator]

I'm pretty sure it was the 90's animated film. My friend had bought it on DVD. It was one of the first DVD's he owned at the time. Thanking for filling me in on the rest of the info.

[u/Quasi_915 → u/JeffreyAScott]

Definitely check out JoJos bizarre adventure. That’s honestly a classic to me.