How to get your girlfriend to watch Anime

Ok, I used to be the type of person that dismissed Anime as something childish. It just didn't pique my interest. After several failed attempts from my husband to get me to like it, he nearly gave up.

But one day, he got it just right and I was hooked. I never looked back. I think the key was to add some Shoujo in there to demonstrate the diversity that Anime can have. Here's the personal guide of Animes that converted me into an otaku.

Attack on Titans

This was my initiation. I was willing to try and watch an episode after being told that this was one of the best Animes ever, and it wasn't just fighting.

The plot is centered around the last of mankind living an island that is surrounded by 3 walls in order to protect itself from titans (giant human-looking creatures that eat normal humans). This barrier is broken after a 100 year period of "peace". With the chaos that ensues, the population attempts to save itself and its army raises to kill the titans.

While Attack on Titans has its fair share of fighting and killing, it also has an extremely interesting storyline, full of plot twits and thought-provoking points.

The final part of the final season seems to be close to launching in North America soon; with the Japanese release dates being November 4th.

Spy x Family

After I got started, I felt like I needed my own show to watch. I ran into Spy x Family and really enjoyed it. It has a lighter feel to it and is very cute, but is still full of adventures.

The story focuses on a spy that needs to pretend to have a family for a mission; so he adopts a quirky daughter who hides her telepathic powers. As for the wife, he proposes to a random woman (who turns out to be an assassin, but he doesn't know that either).

The second season release date (October 7th) has just been announced, so it's a good time to start watching it now!

Hunter x Hunter

This is one of the classics. Since this is a longer series with some arcs getting quite dark, I'd recommend this being in the middle of the watchlist.

The story revolves around Gon, a kid who aspires to become a Hunter so that he can find his father, who's also a Hunter. Gon goes through many adventures in the process of becoming a licensed Hunter and meets friends along the way.

Gon and Killua captivated me with their contrasting personalities and yet similar traits, like being stubborn and not being scared of (almost) anything.

Studio Ghibli classics: Kiki's Delivery Service

It's hard to choose from Studio Ghibli films, but this is one of my favourites so far. The story is dynamic and full of energy.

Kiki's Delivery Service portrays the journey of a young witch leaving her home into the unknown, accompanied only by her cat and broom. She ends up in a seaside town and faces many ups and downs while trying to make her new home.

Fruits Basket

This is another cute-packed series with some mysteries involved.

The plot revolves around a special family with Zodiac powers, who become their spirit animal when embraced by someone from the opposite sex. One of their classmates, Tohru, haphazardly ends up living with a group of the boys. I was surprised by the depth of Tohru's character, which is revealed slowly throughout the series.

And there you have it! I can guarantee you that it will be a lot of fun to watch Anime together with your significant other. It feels like a whole new world has opened up for me and it's so refreshing to discover it. I'm always looking for tips on what to watch!

After my initiation was done, I went on to watch many other titles like Death Note, Code Geass, Chainsaw Man, and so on. My interest in Japanese culture piqued and I went on a self-imposed challenge to learn Japanese in 30 days; my husband and I went to Japan and it couldn't have been more exciting to be there. We went scavenger hunting for some specific Anime merch and it was quite fun!