For me, it’s gotta be none other than Cowboy Bebop!

• It’s a fantastic sci-fi series that’s gritty and realistic without taking itself too seriously.
• The world-building is top notch, the cast of characters are extremely likeable, and the dialogue is memorable.
• It’s truly got something for everyone–kung fu, gunplay, ship battles, western, noir, comedic moments, drama, supernatural elements, immaculate vibes, etc.
• One of the best soundtracks of any show ever, famous for “jazz” but actually mixing a wide variety of genres and styles.
• Some of the best cel animation and painted backgrounds from the legendary studio Sunrise, with tasteful uses of early CG.
• Only 26 half-hour episodes, plus one optional film and one optional bonus episode.
• Mixes stand-alone episodes with a extremely satisfying longer story arc that will certainly leave you feeling something.
• Good performances in both the native Japanese, as well as the stellar English dub that was ahead of its time.

Cowboy Bebop seems to be the anime that transcends the genre more than almost anything else, and appeals to people even if they don’t typically gel with more tropey anime. I really think that Bebop is a triumph of the medium and one of the best television shows period, so I really can’t recommend it enough to everyone!

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I think if someone wants an easy introduction to a large chunk of what anime is like, FMA:B delivers while standing alone as a very solid piece of media regardless of medium.

Your Name is always a good choice.

It’s a movie so newcomers don’t need to invest a lot of time to finish it. It’s visually stunning, the soundtrack sticks with you, the narrative starts simple but becomes increasingly complex and memorable. It fits into most age brackets and its not marketed toward one gender only.

I think it’s still widely available for streaming too so it should still be pretty accessible.

I’m gonna say Frieren (woa big surprise). It appeals to a lot of people, doesn’t have odd anime tropes, and has a great dub. It also has some action scenes so someone can see if they want to watch more action animes.

I think Death Note is the most recommended entry point because it’s not too long, the plot isn’t hard to follow, and it happens in a “realistic” world.

There is no one must-watch I’d recommend, because it depends on the person.

Can’t go wrong with just about any Studio Ghibli film.

Your favorite slice of life anime, since this is a genre an anime newbie is unlikely to be used to. I’d personally nominate City: The Animation, but I understand Nichijou would also be a popular recommendation.

My Neighbor Totoro.

Frankly speaking I expected a lot of Boku no Pico recommendations. Where are they?

It’s not in my top 5 or near it, but I genuinely feel that Erased is such an amazing series for a first time viewer. It’s darker and explores darker themes, but I think a lot of non-anime viewers have an opinion that most anime is childish or nonsensical. I think the seriousness of it can show a new viewer that anime is a medium and not a genre. I’m a romance and slice of life enjoyer, so I’m definitely putting aside my preferences with that recommendation.

There’s sooo many things in anime that I believe take a bit of time to get comfortable with for new viewers: fan service, weird relationships between adults and children, tropes and metas, just the kind of gross way women are often portrayed, different character archetypes, the loudness of certain characters etc. I think after enough time with the medium you kind of develop a better understanding of certain things and it becomes easier to recognize why characters and themes that seem insufferable are part of a story.

If I get to force them watch whatever I want, and my goal is to introduce them to the medium as a whole, I’d be tempted to show them Code Geass. It’s one of the MOST anime anime shows, if you know what I mean. It’s got:

• high school students!
• magic powers!
• giant robots!
• a mysterious girl who immediately moves in with the main character!
• political intrigue!
• an evil empire!
• frenemies!
• scenes you’d be embarrassed to watch in front of your parents!
• taking philosophy too literally!

If my goal was to show them something that I think they’d like, I’d probably pick Frieren. Partially because it’s one of the best recent animes, and partially because it doesn’t have any scenes that are going to make them ask “What the hell are you making me watch?”

Honestly, everything that isn’t a (battle) shounen should be great. The most important thing is to firmly establish that anime is a “medium” and not a “genre”. And since almost every outsider thinks every anime is a battle shounen, it’s important to correct that misconception early on.

AnoHana would be my recommendation. It’s short for a series, it doesn’t take any Japanese cultural knowledge to enjoy it, and the themes are universal regardless of personal background, age or gender.

Dragonball Z.

It’s pretty much the epitome of the genre. It has all the tropes. It even crosses genres of anime depending on the episode. Most of the time it’s action, but they throw in plenty of comedy, romance, even slice of life.

My non weeb friends liked Frieren, Cyberpunk Edge Runners, and Deathnote. I’d also recommend Serial Experiments Lain if you want something that forces you to think about it to understand it.