How to Watch Anime: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

By Yoshi | Japan Unveiled

Someone asked me recently how to start watching anime. They had seen a few clips online, read about Studio Ghibli, heard their friends talking about specific shows, and wanted to find the door in. But every time they tried to research it, they found themselves in recommendation lists that assumed prior knowledge, forum threads full of jargon, and a sheer volume of available content that made starting feel impossible.

This guide is for that person.

I am going to tell you where to watch anime legally, how to choose what to watch first, what order matters and what order does not, and what the basic vocabulary means. Nothing here requires prior knowledge. By the end, you will know how to start.

Where to Watch: The Legal Platforms

Crunchyroll is the largest dedicated anime streaming platform internationally. It carries an enormous catalog — thousands of series, including most currently airing shows — and simulcasts new episodes within hours of their Japanese broadcast. The free tier is supported by ads; premium removes ads and adds simultaneous broadcast access. If you want to watch anime regularly, Crunchyroll premium is the practical choice.

Netflix has invested significantly in anime, both licensing existing series and producing original anime content. The Netflix anime catalog is not as comprehensive as Crunchyroll but is curated for quality, and the production values of Netflix’s original anime are typically high. Netflix is the right choice if you want to start with a smaller, higher-quality selection rather than an overwhelming catalog.

Amazon Prime Video carries a significant anime catalog, including some exclusive titles. Worth checking if you already have Prime.

Disney+ carries Studio Ghibli films in most regions — if Ghibli is your entry point, Disney+ is where to find them.

Funimation (now integrated with Crunchyroll in most regions) was historically the dominant dubbing studio for anime and its platform carries extensive dubbed content.

What to Watch First: The Starting Problem

The most common mistake new anime viewers make is asking “what is the best anime?” rather than “what is the best anime for me right now?”

The best anime for a complete beginner depends on what kind of story you respond to, what tone you enjoy, and how much investment in a long series you are prepared to make. Here are starting points organized by what kind of viewer you might be.

If you want something short and contained: Start with a film. Spirited Away (2001, Studio Ghibli, 2 hours) is the single best entry point for anime as a medium — it is self-contained, internationally acclaimed, visually extraordinary, and emotionally resonant for viewers of any age. Your Name (2016, Makoto Shinkai, 1h52m) is the alternative: a contemporary romance with stunning animation and a story that rewards full attention. A Silent Voice (2016, Kyoto Animation, 2h9m) is the choice if you want something emotionally demanding and genuinely moving.

If you want action and a long series: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (64 episodes) has the best reputation for quality-to-length ratio among long action series. Complete story, excellent characters, satisfying ending. Start here rather than any of the longer ongoing series.

If you want something gentle and slice-of-life: My Neighbor Totoro (Studio Ghibli, 1h26m) is the gentlest possible start. For a series, Yotsuba&! (manga only, no anime) — or Non Non Biyori as the anime equivalent.

If you want something funny: Konosuba (10 episodes per season) is the most consistently funny anime I am aware of — a parody of fantasy RPG conventions that is genuinely hilarious rather than just clever.

If you are already a fantasy/RPG reader: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for quality, or Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon, 24 episodes) for originality.

Does Watch Order Matter?

For some series, yes. For most, no.

The series where watch order matters most are those with significant prior seasons or films that provide essential context. The major examples:

Fate series — notoriously complex franchise with multiple timelines, parallel versions, and required prerequisites. Do not start here. If you eventually want to enter the Fate universe, the recommended entry point is Fate/Zero (2011–2012) followed by Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014–2015).

Monogatari series — publication order and broadcast order differ. The established recommendation for new viewers is to follow broadcast order rather than chronological order.

For most other series, start at episode 1, season 1. The franchise complexity of the Fate series is unusual.

Basic Vocabulary

Anime (アニメ) — Japanese animation, regardless of style or genre.

Manga (漫画) — Japanese comics. Many anime are adaptations of manga source material.

Light novel (ライトノベル) — a format of Japanese illustrated prose fiction, often the source material for anime adaptations.

Shonen, shojo, seinen, josei — demographic categories for manga and anime. I have written a full article on these categories. The short version: shonen is marketed to young males, shojo to young females, seinen to adult males, josei to adult women.

Simulcast — episodes broadcast in Japan and simultaneously made available internationally on streaming platforms.

Cour — a 12–13 episode block of a series, corresponding to one broadcast season (roughly three months). A series described as “two cour” has 24–26 episodes.

OVA (Original Video Animation) — episodes released directly to home video rather than broadcast, often containing bonus content or side stories.

Season — in anime, a season typically refers to a cour (12–13 episodes) rather than a Western-style full season.

Sub vs. dub — subtitles (original Japanese audio) versus dubbed (English-language audio). I have written a full article on this. The short version: start with subtitles, try dubbing if you find a show where it is available.

Managing Your Watch List

The volume of available anime is genuinely enormous, and the tendency to accumulate an unwatchable watchlist is real. Some practical management:

Finish what you start before adding new titles, at least for the first few series you watch. The habit of sampling the first episode of many series and committing to none is the most common reason people feel overwhelmed by anime without having actually watched much of it.

Use a tracking site. MyAnimeList (MAL) and AniList are the standard tracking databases for anime and manga. They allow you to track what you have watched, record scores, and receive recommendations based on completed titles.

Trust quality over quantity. A list of five completed series that you genuinely loved is more valuable than a list of fifty half-watched shows. Be selective.

It is acceptable to drop a series. If a series is not working for you after three to five episodes, stop watching it. Not all anime is for all viewers. The drop is not a failure.

One Last Note

The question “is anime for me?” is one that I think can only be answered by watching it. The medium is broad enough to contain something for almost everyone — the challenge is finding the specific entry point that shows you what anime can be.

The series or film that makes you understand why people love this medium is called your entry point by the anime community. It is different for everyone. For some people it is Ghibli. For some it is Dragon Ball. For some it is A Silent Voice or Your Name or March Comes in Like a Lion or Konosuba.

You will find yours. Start with one of the things I listed above. Watch to the end.

The door is smaller than the room behind it.

— Yoshi 📺 Central Japan, 2026

Enjoyed this? You might also like: “Sub vs. Dub: The Great Anime Debate” and “Where to Start With Manga: 5 Series That Are Perfect for Complete Beginners” — both available on Japan Unveiled.