Serial Experiments Lain is a popular show but I don't think it's a good introduction to anime for someone unfamiliar with the rhythms of the genre and culture that produced it. If you find it weird, try something else.
That is a touchy question for some. Some shows are animated by Korean animation houses, for example. Anime is definitely grounded in the cultural norms and society from which it sprang, Japan.

I think in terms of overall quality that Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Cowboy Beebop reign supreme though my personal favorite is Black Lagoon.

Really though this is all on personal taste, depending on if you like comedy, slice of life, sci-fi, mecha, drama, etc, etc. These all have series that I'd consider top of their genre but it can be so hard to answer when someone wants a recommendation. So many different ways of answering!

If we are simply tossing out favorites as suggestions, I'll throw in:

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Steins; Gate
Angel Beats!
Spice & Wolf

Eden of the East seems like another possible option considering your tastes. It's a short single season but does live on after with two movies.

Here's the new DVDTalk review for Attack On Titan:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/64121...-titan-part-1/

Now I have too many suggestions Thanks!

I think general "Everyone would enjoy this" stuff definitely includes Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Full Metal Alchemist, etc and those have been recommended enough for sure.

Personally I'm a huge fan of Berserk and Crest/Banner of the Stars but they're more specialized tastes IMO.

Ergo Proxy for those who like philosophical rambling.

I got this email from Netflix today that Death Note is now available on streaming. I haven't check it yet.

It's a wild and addictive ride, prepare to clear out a few hours at a time.

I know, I have seen it.

Well the first 3/4 or so of Death Note are pretty good but the final eps are rather a letdown imo.

Claymore.

Still one of my faves.

That's one of those series I would not recommend to a new anime viewer. Someone raised on current Western entertainment will have a real tough time with it if they haven't prepared themselves.

Absolutely, 100%, disagree. The point, I would argue, is to have a cultural introduction...

Oh, I dunno, I'm guessing that once GatorDeb sees that cool opening with that great song, she's gonna want more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9CXmEUwvgM

"And you don't seem to understand /
A shame, you seemed an honest man/
And all the fears you hold so dear /
Will turn and whisper in your ear..."

Anime is just the shortened word the Japanese use for animation. But with all the studios popping up everywhere, I think the general consensus is that it's supposed to be produced for the Japanese audience (lines are blurred a bit because of stuff like Big O where American interest resurrected the show). But stuff like Transformers or GI Joe, which was originally animated in Japan, but was intended for US audiences (and then brought over to Japan) aren't considered anime by most.

But who cares? Watch what you like!

By the way, for the one who liked Claymore, have you ever tried the manga? Like most adaptations of long running manga, the animation caught up to the story and they had to tack on an ending, but the manga has gone much much further into explaining who the Claymores are and why they really exist.

I don't think a person new to anime and Japanese society could even fully understand some of the undercurrents running in Serial Experiments Lain.

Some series set inside Japanese high schools work much better if you understand the educational system in Japan and the different cultural expectations placed on it than American society. Something like K-ON! is much more accessible to a new viewer.

The reason I suggested it is because of GatorDeb's previous statement:

I don't think she knows what she is getting into.

Can we all agree that Legend of the Overfiend is probably not the best introduction to anime, to toss out one example?

I love Ergo Proxy.

If I was to recommend one for a first timer I'd say Steins;Gate.

Heck I'm pretty new to anime myself. I've probably only completed 10-15 series. I'm shocked at how many amazing shows there are. One thing is off-putting to me though- I can't get over (fortunately not in most shows I've tried to watch) when the faces go all weird for comedic effect I guess.

Biggest disappointments so far is with FMA:B because that stuff popped up immediately and seemed like it was a slapstick comedy which I wasn't expecting at all. I didn't finish the first episode but if I ever get used to that particular quirk I'll revisit it.

Oh the one other thing I don't like is watching them subbed. I watch movies subbed all the time and has never been an issue. But with anime I can't. I don't know if I hate the way Japanese sounds spoken or just the way they are acted. But the acting seems weird and wayyyy overdone compared to the English dubs I've heard in comparison.

That's because the Japanese voice actors actually, y'know, act. They create characters and explore the nuances of those characters with their voices. It's called voice acting for a reason. Whereas American dubbers tend to just read their lines. Japanese cast members will get in the recording studio together and do the recording as a group. So they react to each other. In the U.S., the actors go in one at a time and read all their lines all at once, with no one to react to! It makes a big difference to me. The only English dub I can stand is Pokémon, but that's only because I'm so used to it.

Or overact .

I once prowled around various anime websites late at night, and someone mentioned that film. I was curious, and used Google. I have never fully recovered from the horror.

Totally agree. It is so overdone that it is distracting. Plus Japanese just doesn't sound natural to me coming from the characters in most of the shows I watch.

I'm a long-time anime watcher and I'm right there with you. They're usually referred to as "chibi" or more accurately "super deformed". Its partly for comedy and partly due to the difficulty of drawing emotions. If its used sparingly I'll still watch, but in general I avoid anime that uses it and don't see that ever changing.