Cheap gift idea: beginner anime binge list
The holidays are here! If you’re finding yourself scrambling to get those last-minute gifts and you’re strapped for cash, I may have a solution for you. Well, only if you’re looking for an inexpensive gift for a pretty specific person: your anime-curious friend.
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You know who I’m talking about. That friend. They’ve heard all the hype and may be interested in giving anime a try. The one who has possibly asked, “What are the essential anime series to watch?” Perhaps they don’t know where to start, which is super valid.
Enter: the beginner anime gift—the Super Amazing Anime Binge List in a jar!
Similar to the ever-popular “date night” jars, anime beginners simply choose which series to watch by drawing one lucky slip of paper from a jar (or your receptacle of choice). In this way, the choice is out of their hands and all they have to do is watch!
If you’re an anime lover like me, and you’ve had conversations with friends who are anime beginners, I know it’s sometimes really hard to recommend what to watch next. Don’t get me wrong! There are TONS of series to recommend, it’s just so hard to pick ONE.
That’s why I created this free printable list featuring many really great anime series for beginners.
How to Prepare the Beginner Anime Gift
Print the list and the included jar label. Cut the list along the dotted lines to create the slips of paper that will be drawn from the jar. Crumple up those slips of paper and dump them in a jar, a box, or another container of your choice. Feel free to add more shows to the list! Type up or write down some of your favorites and stick them in the jar too.
Slap the premade jar label onto the container. Better yet, make your own custom design to make the gift extra special! Canva is one of my favorite design tools; it’s free and very easy to use.
After you give the gift, lay down a few ground rules:
If you draw it, you MUST watch it.
The majority of the series I picked for this checklist have a moderate amount of episodes. That said, I did include Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden because I truly believe any anime lover has to see it at least once in their lifetime.
Side note: I didn’t include One Piece because I didn’t want to scare your friends away from anime. ? Include it if you must, and godspeed to your friend.
Yes, you can skip the filler.
Speaking of long series, you can totally show them sites like Anime Filler List when they do happen to draw a longer show. As we seasoned anime lovers know, shows like Naruto are notorious for their filler episodes. As much as I love the #1 most unpredictable ninja, I did NOT watch all 700 episodes. ? I thank Anime Filler List for that. ♥
Sub or dub?
I’m in the “both” camp, sorry people. On one hand, I really love the Japanese language and personally think that the original Japanese dubs are usually better. There are some really awful English dubs, but there are also some fantastic ones. Make your recommendations to them and leave the choice up to them. You can always watch both. ?
As far as where to watch anime, you can use sites like JustWatch to search for each show. It’ll tell you which streaming services carry it and how many seasons they have available. Not every platform carries all the episodes of one show, so just double-check your service once you pick your favorite.
And that’s really all there is to it! You can have so much fun with this beginner anime gift idea. Watch the anime your friend pulls from the jar together! My kid sister lives 1,000 miles away, so we video call each other so we can watch new episodes of our favorite anime together. Any anime fan knows that seeing a beginner’s reactions to iconic anime moments is half the fun.
Let me know what you think about this super simple beginner anime gift idea! Which anime series should definitely be added to the list? (I am just now painfully aware that I left Sailor Moon off the list…) What about anime movies?
Leave your favorites in the comments!
P.S. I included ATLA and The Legend of Korra because they definitely deserve a watch even if they aren’t anime.