★~ Guide to Watching Anime ~★
We all know that watching anime is pretty simple and straightforward. But there is also an essential "art" to it. As we grew, Anime did aswell. Different factors, genre's and even features are added into a plain canvas that was once a form of entertainment for children. I know that alot of people would think "I don't really care about this, I just watch what I want to watch." That's totally fine, but this guide will show you how to find a good anime so you can enjoy it fully. In this guide, I will be teaching you steps on how to find a good anime!
(You can use this as a guide for reference on manga too).
This guide will be broken down into different factors, I'll be adding other things to this guide overtime.
(You can use this as a guide for reference on manga too).
This guide will be broken down into different factors, I'll be adding other things to this guide overtime.
---
1. Story
2. Characters
You can't watch an anime that doesn't have a good plot or story-line. Stories are the key to a good anime. Without a story that makes sense, is interesting and has a good vibe, It probably isn't that good. Series's that have alot of episodes and are on-going tend to change the story and plot from what the original story was. One series for example (not going to say the name) had the original story about a teenager named ______ meeting _____ and her giving him her Shinigami Powers to defeat the mysterious Hollows, but as the story went on; It changed each arc with a different concept in each one. These stories are not bad; in fact, they are probably the most interesting. Some people (sometimes me) Don't like to watch anime that always stay at what the original story was, but like to see it evolve as the progression continues each episode. If you like series that tend to go in one path, then look for some short episode anime. You can find alot of those if you look around. Series that tend to change from the original plot are hard to find, so look for some Anime that have alot of episodes. And most of all, find a story that seems interesting to you. 
Does the story make sense?
Does the story make sense?
I wasn't going to do this, but I guess I'll do it because alot of the newer anime's seem too not make sense at all. This isn't really because of solely the plot, but because the Characters, Animation and Plot are all mixed around and don't make an atmosphere and mood at all. For these types of anime you need to really think deep and hard about everything in it, but of course it's up to you if you choose to watch them or not.
2. Characters
What's a series without characters? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Characters are a key facotr in a successful anime. Even if the story and plot of the series isn't that good, if a character is well written, you can always resort to liking the series because of a character in that series, which is a trick alot of authors tend to use, personality and appearance and other things are things characters are supposed to have.
Character Development
Character Development
Character Development is probably one of the most important ones. I don't really like to watch an anime with characters who never had a bit of a change in personality as the story progressed. Characters are the main people that make a series, I am a huge fan of character development myself; and finding series that have a mixture of a good plot and good characters that may change as the plot goes on, can make one masterpiece of a series. Characters can change anytime in an anime, so don't freak out if you see a random change in a characters personality. The author knows whats best for the character and the plot, so that's why he/she would decide to tweak the personality of the character a bit.
Different forms of Character Development:
Experiences before or after the series:
Prequel to Sequel:
Different forms of Character Development:
Experiences before or after the series:
If the character went through something traumatic or life-changing before or after the post-series, this can also be seen as a form of a character development.
Prequel to Sequel:
A character that was in a sequel of a franchise can also be a form of development aswell. If the character that was in a prequel of a series makes an appearance in the sequel, he can be shown to be older, a wiser personality a few changes to heart, and maybe a few quirks of him in a prequel here and there.
3. Animation
4. Genres
5. Number of episodes
Of course, it all matters on your preference of how you like your anime, but this is just a guide to give you some information before watching it.
I hope this guide helped you all, I'll be adding more to this guide too, so stay tuned. ^^
Animation has evolved alot through generations. If this factor didn't evolve, we would still be watching animation from the 90's by now! In all seriousness, Animation all depends on the atmosphere of the series. If you were watching something shounen or action-y, you would want something like Studio Pierrot or any studio that specializes greatly in the atmosphere. But what really matters is how you take the art and different colors in the anime. For all we know, we could be watching Naruto with art like this each episode!
(Don't take that seriously. xD)
This factor isn't really about preference, because it mostly blends in with the story of what you're watching. Think of animation as a mood maker, some of the art can make feel like laughing (not referring to the above one. xD), some can make you look serious if the situation looks really tense, some can make you feel down because that's what the plot and animation was combined to be made into. It really is just about the atmosphere and mood of what your watching.
You must be registered for see images
(Don't take that seriously. xD)
This factor isn't really about preference, because it mostly blends in with the story of what you're watching. Think of animation as a mood maker, some of the art can make feel like laughing (not referring to the above one. xD), some can make you look serious if the situation looks really tense, some can make you feel down because that's what the plot and animation was combined to be made into. It really is just about the atmosphere and mood of what your watching.
4. Genres
Genre's are mostly about your own preferences, It's simple and straight forward. Different genre's can be used to describe a franchise; for example: If you're into Action with a hint of Romance, you would want to watch an anime with those two genres blended well together. Don't watch something for the sake of watching it, give it some thought and look to see if it's your cup of tea or not. Don't ever watch anything on impulse, because you may watch the first episode and regret wasting 24 minutes of your life.
I'll be explaining just a few of the popular genres.
Adventure
Romance
Slice of Life
Comedy
Fantasy
Drama
Action
I'll be explaining just a few of the popular genres.
Adventure
Adventure anime are really popular, they are mostly about characters moving around and exploring different places within the universe of the series, Most anime tend to be very long because they show different events within the series.
Romance
Despite what most people may think, Romance is pretty popular aswell. Romance actually builds alot of character development in a series that doesn't have to do with action or of the sort. Relations between characters can be either comedical and lovable, It's actually one of my favorite genres.
Slice of Life
Slice of Life is more on the peaceful side of anime. It can be relaxing, refreshing and great to watch as a stress reliever. It's one my personal favorites because if I feel down after a long day, I can watch something that brightens my day a little more, that's why they call it "Slice of Life" I guess.
Comedy
If you like laughing, give a try to some comedy anime! Comedy is sometimes mixed in Shonen or Action anime, so they are hard to find as a whole. But you can often find them combined with Slice of Life.
Fantasy
Fantasy is actually a very interesting genre it's not a fantasy like "the princess in the castle" or "my knight in shining armor" type of fantasy (Okay, maybe. xD) but Fantasy anime mostly take place around magical worlds that have monsters, powers, etc. It's not a bad genre, but alot of things can be really repetitive because of it. I personally enjoy it though.
Drama
I'm not a huge fan of drama, in my honest opinion some Drama anime get really repetitive. Drama anime's are about events happening everywhere, alot of the characters are filled with emotion, being shocked, sad, etc. It's really a genre to look out for, because alot of development happens in this genre, but I like mine being balanced.
Action
I saved the best one for last. 
I think you all know what this one is, so I don't think I need to go further in detail with this one, but one thing I should say is that, like I said above, do not confuse Shonen and Action as they tend to get mixed up alot.
I think you all know what this one is, so I don't think I need to go further in detail with this one, but one thing I should say is that, like I said above, do not confuse Shonen and Action as they tend to get mixed up alot.5. Number of episodes
This ones a wildcard, so you don't really have to pay attention to this one. but pay attention to the amount of episodes the anime has before you watch it. Most anime tend to go around 12 episodes so, the story can be either rushed and not taking it's time or the anime can be takings it's time and leading to a sequel. Some anime get more than 12, these tend to be around 25 episodes or the odd 50 to 100-200 episodes. These ones tend to be more for anime that are funded more properly. Always be sure to check the amount of episodes before you watch it, so you know how much time you're using to do this. If you're watching a 12 episode anime non-stop, it usually takes atleast a day to finish. 25 episode anime take atleast 2 and a half days, 50 episodes might take another 2 and a half days and 100-200 episodes might take atleast a month.
Patience
Patience
Patience is key to use when watching a anime, Some anime tend to take a while to get into the main stuff in the series, don't drop the series after an episode just because it doesn't look really good, give atleast 1-3 episodes a try before giving a verdict to continue watching it.
Of course, it all matters on your preference of how you like your anime, but this is just a guide to give you some information before watching it.
I hope this guide helped you all, I'll be adding more to this guide too, so stay tuned. ^^
Last edited:
