How to Get Your Friends into Anime – How to Get into Anime

how to get your friends into anime

So you’ve waited an entire week for the latest episode of your favorite anime.

The show just hit the streaming site!

You click on the anime as fast as you can. Finally, you’re watching it. Twenty minutes of pure ecstasy and excitement.

The episode has just ended and you can’t believe what just happened. So what do you do? You immediately load the friends’ group chat and begin to type.

WHEN SUDDENLY…

…you realize that none of your friends watch anime.?

So instead of talking to the people close to you about the thing you love. You load up a forum and begin to talk about it with strangers.

Although there’s nothing wrong with talking on forums, it’s just not the same as talking to people you actually know.

Anime is like hot chocolate…

…it’s best enjoyed with friends.

DON’T WORRY…

…today, I’ll be showing you, step-by-step, how to convert your friends into anime fans. Don’t believe me? Well then, make sure you read the entire post.

[quiz-cat id=”2229″]

#1 Dip their toes in

https://www.techanimate.com/which-anime-character-are-you-quiz/

You can’t just drop your friend into a show like One Piece. Sure, One Piece is a great anime, but remember…

…you’re introducing them to anime. They want a show that hasn’t got a ton of episodes, your friend[s] will become bored and flustered by A long anime.

You want to introduce your friends to a show that hasn’t got a lot of episodes. But a the same time, it has to have a great beginning, middle, and end.

#2 What Type of Person are They?

anime genre

Which genres do they like?

Does your friend enjoy horror, comedy, action or adventurous shows?

How about a modern, fantasy, cyberpunk, Victorian or medieval setting?

These are questions that you’ve got to have an answer to, in order to give yourself the best chance to convert them into anime fans. And let’s be honest…

…you’re trying to get your friends addicted to anime out of self-interest.

You want someone to talk to about your hobby and laugh with them on that particular subject.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re trying to get your friends to like anime.

#3 Remember They’re not an Otaku… yet

Otaku
Behold… The Otaku King

Your friend doesn’t know how anime culture works. They don’t understand the memes or habits picked up from anime.

CONTROL YOURSELF…

…don’t go shouting about how hot a character is or stuffing their face full of ramen noodles. By doing this, you will only confirm to them anime is for weirdos and not something they’d want to watch.

Instead, you can just casually bring up a character’s appearance and how you want a physique like that. Or go out for dinner and casually eat some ramen noodle.

This is a great way to slowly get your friends into anime culture, and even Japanese culture in general.

#4 Help with Confusions

Anime is simply a shortened way to say “animation”, but the short-term “anime” has been tied into Japanese animation.

Japanese animation is very different from Western animation and your friend[s] will be confused by the animation style. If you can, watch a series with them. This way they have their own handy anime expert to throw questions at.

nose bleed

Your friends could get confused or even creeped out by fan service. They may even consider it too explicit for children which is a huge red flag. You’ve got to explain to them, the animation is not simply for children.

The best way of explaining a lot of bare-skinned characters in anime is to mention Western animations that also have animated characters bare skinned.

Family Guy and The Simpsons is a good example. Both of those shows have barely skinned characters in episodes.

Over time your friends will become use-to fan service.

Although, fan service can sometimes ruin an anime because it changes the tone of a show. Unfortunately, this happened with shows like High School of The Dead. Some anime creators fight against fanservice, but they have to eventually give in to it. Since fan service can increase the popularity of an anime which equates to funding.

Nosebleeds is a habit in anime and it can get confusing. They may not realize that gushing of blood is just a cliche in anime. When they see a character get punched and blood spewing everywhere, your friend may not realize it’s a joke.

These are things that beginners to anime can get confused on and you have to be there to answer for these common misnomers like fan service.

#5 Begin the Process with a HOOK

hook
No, not this hook

This is quite possibly the most important step in this ultimate guide.

You need to treat your friends like animals and no…

…I don’t mean lock them in a cage and force them to watch anime.

You need to lure your friends in with something they absolutely love, this will serve as a hook. Find something they love like a movie or game and tell them you will watch/play it with them.

PRO TIP: the best hook is food.

Cheesecake
Irresistible hook…

Food works every time. Tell them you’re ordering pizza or cheesecake to make them come running to your place like a titan.

You have now crafted (been given) a brilliant hook and they’ve taken the bait. It’s now time to reel them in.

At this point, your friend is at your house and enjoying his/her pizza and cheesecake.

Casually mention to them, you’re going to put on a show. Once the show starts they may say “Is this anime?”

Make sure you reply back and confirm to them, “Yeah, it’s an anime and you’re going to love it”.

And they will love it! Since you’ve carefully analyzed and picked a show they’ll certainly enjoy because you’ve followed “step #2“.


At this point, they’ve converted or never will

funny anime
Don’t blame me if your friend ends up looking like this.

After following the above steps, it’s up to them to indulge in some more anime.

Give it a few weeks and they will or will not be into anime.

You can’t force someone to watch anime… (well you can but none of those ways are legal).

Trying to get someone to like Tokyo Ghoul…

You can keep giving them sweet and short anime recommendations like One Punch, Attack On Titan and Code Geass. The are many good anime for newbies.

Give it some time, your friends won’t switch to watching anime overnight.

If they don’t eventually start watching anime, you’ve not followed these steps properly or they just don’t like anime. And that’s okay, not everyone is into the anime medium.

Conclusion

Converting your friends into a fan of anime can be a tough but rewarding task.

By following this guide, you will have the best chance of making your friend an Otaku.

We’ve gone over:

  1. Short series is the best for beginners
  2. Picking the right anime show in step #2
  3. Answering common questions beginners may have in step #4
  4. Crafting a hook to lure them into watching an anime in step #5

Do you have any tips on converting a normal person into an anime fan?