We all have that one friend (only one if you're lucky) who is constantly reminding us just how meaningless our lives are as we have not watched their favourite anime yet. With this constant nagging in the back of our heads coupled with the huge surge in popularity of anime in recent years, you've probably considered getting into this wonderful world. With this thought however, comes the challenge of finding the perfect anime to start with. 

Shows like Attack on Titan, Cowboy Bebop, Fruits Basket, Full Metal Alchemist are all popular answers to this question. However I believe that the perfect anime for a newbie to start off with is Death Note. To explain why this is true, let's look at what makes a good starter anime.

One underrated aspect of a good gateway anime is the anime's popularity. The more popular the anime, the better. As as soon as you're done bingeing the entire show in one sitting, you can immediately jump into discourse with the huge fanbase. Death Note is one of the most popular and well known anime of all time. Whether your allegiance lies with Light and his idea of the perfect world or L and his fight for justice, it is extremely easy to get immersed in discussions with the community.

The high quality of the show is quite obvious when it comes to being a criteria for a good starter anime, yet its importance cannot be understated. When someone is watching their first anime, it is a good idea to show them the best of what the genre has to offer. As the integration into the world of anime continues, we can explore more and more into what it has to offer. The high quality of the anime consists of strong visuals, unique character designs and the high animation quality. Death Note has stunning visuals which hook the viewer in and all the characters are designed beautifully with Light Yagami the protagonist being one of the most iconic characters ever.

Another underrated aspect of a good starter anime is that it should not need a strong understanding or knowledge of Japanese traditions. It can be intimidating to introduce a new medium with many unfamiliar cultural elements. Death Note avoids this problem as it does not require any knowledge of Japanese norms.

An amazing opening/theme is also a huge plus for any anime as it gets the viewer hyped for the episode they are about to watch. Death Note's opening theme is one of the most recognisable in all of anime. The visuals for the opening are just as stunning, with layers of meaning along with beautiful imagery and good editing.

Anime is a vast world with lots of stories to offer, but it is also easy to deter a newcomer's interest by introducing them the wrong way. Most of us remember our first anime very fondly. Death Note would surely be memorable to any first-time watcher.