It was a couple of months ago watching the clips from Britain’s Got Talent on YouTube when I stumbled across their “shows” feature. It was intruiging seeing that there were all these TV shows now readily available to watch anytime on the Internet without having to resort to iffy websites, overuse of ads, or just plain dodgy stuff. While a lot of the good stuff is still geo-restricted to the US, there are a few fine gems in the rough.
On another note, I had always been a bit of a lie-low fan of anime and manga. Most of my prior experiences with the genre had been with… Pokémon. Yes, that. In all fairness, it was all that ever showed on the basic TV packages you could get when I was young…er. So, when I browsed to the animation category of shows on YouTube, I was quite surprised to see the amount of anime that was available to watch.
When you are a bit of an anime virgin, as I considered myself at that point, you do feel a bit lost in a sea of shows you have no idea what they’re about and what to watch. It may seem intimidating, but the only real answer is to jump in, have a look, and see what you fancy. It might take a bit of jumping from one to another to find one that suits you, but it’s all worth it in the end. One main thing to consider with most anime though, is that the series generally doesn’t last all that long. A lot of series are written for a 26 episode run and that’s it. So expecting just one to keep you entertained for a good while is not the best of ideas.
Anyway, after having a quick browse around I did indeed dive in. Mock me if you must, but I really did enjoy my first pick: Angelic Layer. While it quickly came to mind that it was a bit more shōjo then shōnen, I quite enjoyed it. Maybe it’s the fact that the main plot of the series - the game of Angelic Layer is played by two people controlling robotic angels and must fight for victory - is very similar to the Pokémon games that drew me in, or the odd slapstick humour bit that literally had me LOL’ing (actually, it was that very first bit of slapstick in the very first episode that really drew me in). But, I really enjoyed the series. Kinda wish it didn’t have to end…
Currently I’m in the middle of watching the series Ouran High School Host Club. I don’t want to give away too much otherwise I’ll ruin it for everyone else, but the depth of the plot, and ease in which it can change from humour to love to fantasy at a moment’s notice is really very well created and executed. Also, it’s one of the less modified anime out there. While a good few anime from what I’ve seen are mostly ruined in English dubs, Ouran is kept remarkably intact. I would definitely advise any anime virgins out there to watch it!
Even now though, I’m starting to consider where to I’ll be lead after I finish watching Ouran. Finding a new anime to enjoy can be tough, generally getting recommendations from other anime lovers is a good way to go, or you could just stumble across a good one here or there. One thing I can say though is… HOLY SWEET MOTHER OF CRAP! 
