Hello, my name is Emily and I am an anime noob. Sure, I watched Pokemon for years after school, but as a 90's kid, that was more of a lifestyle and less of a casual watching experience. So I grew up ignoring my friends' requests to watch this or that anime. Why did I do this? I honestly don't know, except I thought that watching anime and reading manga just wasn't for me. Newsflash: it's for everyone. For multiple reasons.

Incredible Characters

First of all, when I read or watch a story, having "well-rounded characters" is perhaps my number one need. I want characters that are interesting and different from me, but also feel so personal to me. Sure, Deku from My Hero Academia is a young man with insane strength, but he's just trying his best. Diane from Seven Deadly Sins might be a literal giant woman, but she would do anything to protect her loved ones. Nothing makes me happier than realizing a character is more than they seem.

Character-Driven Plot

This comes from sitting through lots of writing classes. Nothing drives me crazy like a plot device because I want characters to do things, not have things happen to them. And as with other well-written stories, I've found that the animes I like the most does this. For instance, Light from Death Note is making a conscious decision to write a person's name down in the Death Note and what follows is the direct result of that action. 

Great Concepts

The ideas behind some of the most well-loved animes are stunning. What if someone lived in a world where animals had special abilities and you caught those animals? What if humans were born with special, scientifically-correct abilities? What if there was a teenage ninja? The world building in anime and manga is incredible to me, and for people who love books like Harry Potter and Hunger Games, anime isn't a big jump to make. The fact is, you probably like all of things that make anime what it is, but you just haven't tried it out.

So watch a few episodes or read a few books! I promise it's worth a try.