If you want to get into anime and are looking for recommendations, stop right now and go watch My Neighbor Totoro.

I am tired of seeing list after list of 40 shows that people who don't even know the first thing about anime should watch. If you don't know anything about anime, or are afraid of the idea of anime, you need to start with something that will allow you to wade in slowly enough to become comfortable.<br><br>My Neighbor Totoro is the perfect beginner anime. It is the nearest thing to a *real* animated Disney movie that exists in the world of anime. They just aren't very common, and Hayao Miyazaki is the only person who makes them. It is an innocent animated movie that I would happily show to children.<br><br>I know that many people out there love anime, and there's nothing wrong with that. I love it too, and have been watching it for over 20 years, but this is an issue that I feel very strongly about, and it is something that I think about anytime that I see someone post their "I want to get into anime" chambers post.<br><br>The place to start is My Neighbor Totoro. This movie is as close to a Disney movie as anime gets, and is a good way to bridge the cultural divide.