Talk to strangers about anime

Anime is one of those interests where the people around you either get it completely or not at all. Talking to a stranger who already speaks the language skips all the explaining, and fans in other countries follow different seasonal shows to the ones filling your timeline.

• Currently airing seasonal shows and what is worth starting
• Sub versus dub, and when the dub is genuinely better
• Series that made you cry, and the ones that earned it
• Manga that outclasses its adaptation
• Underrated shows that never got the audience they deserved

• “Sub or dub — pick a side.”Use this
• “An anime that made you cry?”Use this
• “Most underrated series more people should watch?”Use this
• “What are you watching this season?”Use this
• “Best opening theme ever made?”Use this
• “A show you dropped and later regretted?”Use this

• Ask what got them into anime. Almost everyone has an origin story, from a childhood TV slot to a friend who would not stop recommending something, and it tells you what they look for in a show.
• Talk about a character rather than a whole series. Favourite characters reveal far more than favourite shows, and the reasons usually lead somewhere unexpected.
• Ask whether they watch subbed or dubbed, or read the manga first. It is a friendly debate with no wrong answer, and you both get something to defend.

Manga spoilers for shows that are still airing are a reliable way to annoy people, so ask how far along they are. Avoid dismissing popular series as “basic”; plenty of people are just getting started. And if a conversation drifts toward explicit content, it is completely fine to steer it back or hit Next.