Suggestions

[BrightHeart76]

My friend is not into anime...yet.  But she really wants to find an anime she can enjoy.  She keeps asking me what she should watch and so far I've had no luck.  Now, honestly she just might not be an anime fan, and that's ok.  But I thought I'd ask here and see if anyone had some good ideas.

She's a HUGE vampire fanatic.  Loves Buffy and books about vampire and their love lives.  Also loves fairies and pixies.  Watches a lot of soap operas, still watches Beverly Hills 90210 reruns. 

Her boyfriend tried Helsing with her...that was a big no go.  I've thought about trying Karin, but I'm afraid it won't go over well because of the whole "reverse Vampire" thing.   Any ideas?  It doesn't have to be vampire related, I think it's the "romanticism" of Vampires that she likes.  I'm just at a loss on what to try next.

Please let me know if you have any ideas.  Thank you in advance.

[Leviathan]

Well from what I can tell, she doesn't like the overly violent Vampire shows. That's kinda tough to work with, cause they all have violence in there somewhere. I say still try Karin, it is adorable and romantic. Other vampire series to try out would be Tsukiyomi Moon Phase (or just Moon Phase), Trinity Blood (can be bloody but it is a gorgeous series and sticks with the romanticism), Lunar Legend Tsukihime (although very sad at the end it still is a great series) and for a new show coming in January 08, Rosario+Vampire (a supernatural school comedy).

Manga (although you didn't ask about manga still here's a thought), have her definitely read Vampire Knight. I think she would really love that series.

Hmm, others besides vampires. Well if she likes magical girl shows (since she likes pixies and fairies), I would recommend Card Captor Sakura. And of course, good old Sailor Moon. Maybe not the entire series, but parts of it or even just the movies.

I hope this helps.  :)

[Nyxyin]

I'm not sure what she likes about vampire stories, but I tend to like American vampire stories and not at all Japanese ones.  Vampire anime just isn't the same as American vampires at all.  Except maybe Vampire Princess Miyu.  That one might possibly carry the feel of American vampires.  Other than that, for the most part, Japanese vampires just don't have the same level of intrigue for me.

If she likes soap operas, maybe she can get into the very popular shoujo like Fruits Basket and His and Her Circumstances?  Peach Girl and Paradise Kiss might do it, but I personally think they're over the top.  Or maybe the older ones like Hana Yori Dango and Marmalade Boy (which also strike me as totally over the top)?

For Japanese horror that more closely resembles American vampire stories in feel (although not vampire content), maybe try the Mermaid's Forest series, Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl), and Hundred Stories.  I'd also recommend the Petshop of Horrors manga.  Definitely read the manga first.  The anime just doesn't have the charm of the manga, and I think it can totally ruin the manga if people see the anime first.  I think, once people get into the manga, the anime isn't so bad.  Also, I'd recommend some shounen ai titles too...  Oh!  Try Yami no Matsuei (Descendants of Darkness).  Maybe also try Loveless too.

If she doesn't like those, try asking her what about them she doesn't like and if there are any elements in them (no matter how small) that she does find appealing, and that would give more of a basis for making suggestions.

[PyronIkari]

Jigoku Shoujo only makes sense(in terms of what the writer wanted to portray) if you have a strong grasp of the Japanese culture and mentallity. They showed Jigoku Shoujo at an anime club my friend runs, and most of them are new to JP cartoons, ala Adult Swim and what not.

None of them got it. They understood the basis of the series, but they didn't understand why people made choices they did, and why people acted the way they did, because of the Japanese cultural influence that takes place. Why a bullied girl just didn't take it up with the teachers, or why she didn't fight back. The understanding of how bullying works in Japan is so very different than in the US that it was lost on them.

Western vampire stories vary vastly according to where the story originates from(and none of them are actually American). Blood/Blood+ story take two different traditional vampire types.

As for suggestions. Vampire stories are a dime a dozen, but the appeal of romanticism is found in Blood+ though, not until the latter half of the series. Vampire Hunter D(both the original and remake) also carry that same appeal, but expand more than just that and create a strong action series as well. The basic series that are well known are good.Trinity Blood, I would say is good, but again, not until the latter half of the series when it becomes more about the vampires than 5 people running around and shooting up vampires.

But show her Fushiigi Yuugi. Girls eat it up for some reason. It's long, it's drama, it's got action but isn't too action based, it has sexy boys... and she'll fall in love with Tamahome just like everyone else.

[phoenixphire24]

For vampire anime, I've only seen Trinity Blood, but it was pretty good. For soap opera/comedy anime I'd recommend Ouran High School Host Club, Fruits Basket (I don't think I've ever met a person who didn't like Fruits Basket), and Saiunkoku. For magical girl, I'm a big fan of Cardcaptor Sakura and Princess Tutu.

[BrightHeart76]

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone! 

I have to admit Fushigi Yuugi is one of my all time favorites, and I hadn't even thought to introduce her to that.  (Silly Me)  I hadn't put a lot of thought into the difference between Western Vampire stories and Eastern Vampire stories, I'm simply not a vampire fan myself.  Thank you for the insight, I'll definately keep it in mind. 

I think Fushigi Yuugi and Fruits Basket may be the way to go.  Thank you again for the ideas.   :D

[PyronIkari]

I don't think she'll like Fruits Basket from the way you present her. It's much to childish(I loved FuruBa, so don't assume I'm looking down on it).

The series, and the emotions presented are shown in a very childish way. Though the anime cuts it short and doesn't even show anything, It just feels too childish for most people to want to accept. Hmmm... similar to FuruBa, but presented in a more adult way.

LOLOL Angel Sanctuary. Dunno why I didn't think of it before. That's all kinds of dramas, with gothic references and sexy girl boy incest.

[Jun-Watarase]

I don't think she'll like Fruits Basket from the way you present her. It's much to childish(I loved FuruBa, so don't assume I'm looking down on it).

From this, I don't think showing her Karin or Tsukuyomi Moon Phase is a good idea, either. She might have a bad impression on anime if she's a fan of traditional vampire stories. XD;

Though, Vampire Princess Miyu and Fushigi Yuugi really doesn't seem like a bad idea. I liked Trinity Blood, but I'm not sure if she'd stick around long enough to be interested, otherwise, it'd be sort of confusing. And uh...

LOLOL Angel Sanctuary. Dunno why I didn't think of it before. That's all kinds of dramas, with gothic references and sexy girl boy incest.

As for just drama, I'd recommend Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. It's full of drama, and it's not too hard to understand.

[phoenixphire24]

I haven't had a chance to see it, but I hear Red Garden is good. It's not a typical vampire show, but she might like it.

[BrightHeart76]

The only problem with Trinity Blood is...I don't own it.  lol.  What I've seen of it is beautiful but I've never broken down and invested in it.

Fruits Basket is amazing.  And yes it does come off childish, but in my humble opinion, there always seemed to be something deeper lurking just below the surface.  The characters and stories are cute, but at it's base it's a story about an orphan girl creating a home surrounded by a seriously troubled family.  If I can help her see some of those factors she may enjoy it.  But you do have a point, it's not your traditional soap opera and she may not appreciate it. 

I've never heard of Red Garden.  I'll have to look into it.

(Please pardon my grammar, it's been a long day and I can't seem to structure a sentence to save my life.)

[PyronIkari]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I love FuruBa. I read through it twice. The cartoon however is misleading in a lot of the things the show tried to portray, in that Tohru's story was about choosing between Kyou and Yuki. The comic goes so much more about meaning in people and worth. The major theme of the story was about seeing people for who they are, beyond impressions, beyond how they act, or what they say, and finding meaning in each person. Uo and Hana, both of them were such amazing catalysts for Tohru's character and how they describe her in the later pages of the comic, compared to how Yuki describes her, compared to how Kyou describes her.

I didn't like the end result of the comic personally, because I thought it should have happened a different way XD.

But to someone that isn't used to the feel of JP stories, or even just the art, they usually miss out on all those things. They aren't looking for a deeper meaning, because they aren't used to the media. All they recognize is the surface. A while back there was a thread about "good shows to show new comers" and I stated in that thread that... Extremely good shows, aren't always the best thing to show a new comer. New comers rarely understand the culture, and the basis of the media, so starting them out with something more simple to follow is better, and after a while when they become more understanding of the media, showing them more complicated stuff is okay. It's why most people you talk to got their "start" from the same set of series'. In the 90's, Slayers, Eva, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Bubble Gum Crisis, almost everyone saw those in the early 80's, and that's how most started. In the 90's, Naruto, Bleach, FMA(though honestly, I think this is a bad series to start with), Cowboy Bebop, Trigun. All of them are simple and easy to follow along with. They explain the cultural nuances that you need to know within the story.

FuruBa doesn't explain the story of the Lunar Zodiac very well, it tells you only the basic, but you need an understanding of it to fully grasp the characters. As well, the culture of schools, student types(the fact that her mom is a gang member and what that ensues), what kind of character Ayane really is, and the "homosexual circle" between the three guys. FuruBa is a good show to show her after she's already seen a bunch of different things.

Start off with FY, it's super long, so it'll take her a long time for her to finish, if she gets hooked you can try Ayashi no Ceres, and from there, you can start branching out. She'll catch on to different themes just from those two series' alone.

[LordKefka]

To the topic creator:

Try out Moon Phase.

[PyronIkari]

But Tsukiyomi... is seriously, nothing close to what her friend would like. If her friend likes the romanticism of vampires, and drama...

Tsukiyomi is NOTHING like that. Tsukiyomi is extremely cute, childish, fluff. Her friend would reply with something like "Why are you showing me a little kids show" or something to that extent, which was the whole thing I said about why I think FuruBa wouldn't be that good to show to her.

G'uh, this is why I don't like suggestion threads like this, most replies are "well I like this series, they will too!" and put no real thought or explaination into why they're posting what they do. Tsukiyomi would probably turn her off to JP cartoons and only push the idea "Cartoons are for kids".

[LordKefka]

Actually, no, I didn't like the series. It is more fun than serious for the most part and it has drama, vampires, and a slight touch of romanticism.

[PyronIkari]

And if you read the description she offered, it's a HORRIBLE choice to show her. It's a cute show, written for guys. Moe-ani are horrible to show a girl whose is unfamiliar with JP cartoons.

[LordKefka]

I did read the description, but I was not willing to recommend bloody, violent things like VHD: Bloodlust, Blood: The Last Vampire, Tsukihime, Blood+ etc etc.

Either way, I would think it's reasonable to take a look into this Anime regardless of to whom the Anime is targeted for. And obviously not knowing the age of her sister, the latter recommendations were felt like they needed to be held back by me anyways.

[PyronIkari]

Because those four series are the only possible series to choose from right?

She's got a boyfriend, and she's seen Hellsing already. You can gauge already that she doesn't really like action series, which is why I stated what I did when I presented my selection. Tsukiyomi is very cultural based... hope she understands JP superstition to get a lot of the jokes and what not.

If not, OH WELL.

XXXHolic would be a good show for her as well.

[LordKefka]

Considering she stated Hellsing wasn't a good choice already was another reason Blood+, VHD: Bloodlust, Blood; The Last Vampire and so forth wouldn't be suggested by me. Which is why it wouldn't hurt to try something new and get accustomed to the ideas Moon Phase lay out. And since there have been no objections from the actual viewer or representative of the viewer, I would assume trying it doesn't hurt.

You have your opinions and I have mine. Don't act like yours are more important since we both are talking out of ignorance of what she could potentially enjoy. So live with what I say as I live with yours.

[PyronIkari]

Only what you say is stupid, because it doesn't make sense to present.

The reason why she is asking for suggestions, is because she is asking people that know the subject, and know different things that might her friend might like, then gave us a little description of her friend. No reply, is better than a stupid reply. You gave a stupid reply, one that was already mentioned and shown why it wouldn't really be a good thing to show by Jun.

Not only that, you didn't even give a description or reason why you suggested the title.

So basically, you did what I said... put virtually no thought into the title you suggested, give no explaination as to why it would be good, or how it would fit in,

You can't just throw out titles and be like "LOL she should watch this". A girl, that has no real anime experience, that's in probably her teens to early early 20's. Likes drama series, and romance.

Using that, a comedic series written for teenage boys to look at cute girls containing a whole slew of fetishes... WOULD NOT be the likely choice to show this girl. But no, that would take knowledge on the subject of anime, which despite your proclaimations, you seem to always be wrong about.

[LordKefka]

Her boyfriend tried Helsing with her...that was a big no go.  I've thought about trying Karin, but I'm afraid it won't go over well because of the whole "reverse Vampire" thing.   Any ideas?  It doesn't have to be vampire related, I think it's the "romanticism" of Vampires that she likes.  I'm just at a loss on what to try next.

Please let me know if you have any ideas.  Thank you in advance.

Yeah ok. All I have to do is quote. I don't even need to respond anymore, Mikey.

lol...oh, and I just realized you said my opinions are wrong, Mikey. Funny stuff. I can't even begin to comment how much of a hypocrite you are with what you posted as your recommendations and the reasons with what I have said with Moon Phase. Keep at it Mikey with your incoherent rants about random crap and your 3rd grade English skills. You impact me a lot and everyone else around you with your ideals and objective like opinions. All hail you who knows more just because you can wiki information and post it on here. Lol internet.