Many of the classics are still hard to find online, but Netflix is beginning to step its game up and get a few of the big names – and some weird, interesting alternatives – up on its streaming service. But there are tons of smaller, quirkier shows that have become iconic cultural artefacts for reasons you might relate more to as a nascent weeb. Big shounen anime such as Dragon Ball, Naruto or One Piece – basically serialised adventures for young boys – are intimidatingly long-standing (and filled with “filler arcs” so the manga could get far ahead enough for the anime release schedule). This is where we can step in to give you a bit of help. But you might also be a bit disillusioned: after all, anime has reached most people via Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon, brilliant shows in their own right but which are the anime equivalent of big blockbuster cinema or Saturday morning cartoons.
So maybe – just maybe! – you’re beginning to wonder if anime is something worth watching. Proliferous in its homeland of Japan because it's such an affordable way of showing spectacle, anime is an art form of endless complexity: even the cheapest, tackiest stuff is filled with specific ideas, terminology and artistic processes that are born from the conventions of decades of anime and, at times, centuries of Japanese artistic tradition. Once so maligned you couldn’t even pick up a dubbed VHS without knowing someone who knew someone, anime has now become one of the most influential art forms in the world. The last few years have seen a surprising art form become a major inspiration for fashion labels, musicians and filmmakers: anime.