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I feel like a lot of the fan service I’ve encountered in recent anime has been at best something to sit through and overlook, and and worst something that detracts from experience of watching the series or, as you had pointed out, limits who you can watch a show with/around. Very good article over all, especially appreciated the spectrum you’ve outlined.

this anime has been a pleasant surprise, I especially love the character detail of Takeo and Suna alongside the tale of the red and blue ogre.

Not that I have a problem with the anime at all, but I’m not sure Cowboy Bebop is a fantastic “Gateway Anime”. As the section made many disclaimers about, a part of what fans love about that show is the nostalgia of it, an aspect that someone completely new to anime would not be able to share in. I think that rather than throw a bunch of disclaimers, it’s alright to say that, while the anime is great, it might not serve best as someone’s first real anime experience. Some of these other recommendations are great though!

This show has really impressed me. When it first started airing I really didn’t expect much from it since, as it’s been pointed out, the series starts out a little off-putting with heavy “fan service” elements. That being said, if you stick with the series, the focus quickly travels away from straight up fan service, and more towards competition, good natured comedy, and delicious looking food. Also, speaking in reference to how far along the manga has gotten, we start to see a bit of character reflection on Soma’s part. Initially, he’d been trying to follow in his dad’s footsteps to the point where he was stuck standing in his shadow, but now he is looking to forge his own identity through cooking, not just emulating his father (for those of you up to date with the manga, can we sense some parallels to be used as we begin to approach the issues regarding Erina, her father, and her sense of self in relation to him). All told, I came into this anime without high expectations, and now it’s second season is one of my most anticipated continuations. Give this one a few episodes, I don’t think you’ll regret it.