At this point in time, anime has been around for decades and providing comfort, representation, and attention-grabbing storytelling to so many generations! But what about the newbie weebs out there you may just be starting to dip their toes in the world of anime? Where do they even begin to start when it comes to the already immersive worlds and years-long tales that the medium is so well known for?

Gold Envelope got the chance to attend and cover this year’s annual Anime Expo (North America’s biggest and best anime/pop culture convention), and while we were kiki-ing with the cosplayers of the con about their thoughts on the word “weeb” and which anime they would blip out of existence, we also got the scoop on what many of them think are the best gateway anime to get newbie stans immediately immersed in the world of Japanese animation. (Spoiler alert: there were a lot of Full Metal Alchemist stans in the house!)

“If you are of a younger demographic, Demon Slayer is always great,” cosplayer @BrolicPump says. “For older individuals, Full Metal Alchemist. That’s my, hands down, favorite anime of all time.”

“Full Metal Alchemist I think,” cosplayer Ryan Baudry said. “Brotherhood specifically.”

“Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood,” another cosplayer added. “It has great story, great characters… it’s just a timeless classic.”

“A good starter anime is Attack on Titan,” cosplayer @spacecowgirlyaya said. “That’s a big one for people who have never watched anime. You get them to watch Attack on Titan and that one kinda shows them that you can watch anime and have pretty popular themes, important themes. And it’s not just for kids. The big misconception is that anime is for kids and I think that AOT really shows people that there are richer themes in anime.”

Watch the full interviews in the video above! And for more videos like this, make sure to follow Gold Envelope on TikTok and Instagram!

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