Full Metal Alchemist:Brotherhood (or even the original anime that decided to go in a completely different direction than the manga) is probably the best gateway anime.
Just stay away from crap like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece.
English
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out of interest, what is it that you dislike about Naruto, Bleach and One Piece? (this is not a defensive comment, as I know nothing about them. I merely want to understand)
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I love Naruto and Bleach, but its just so damn long and slow at times
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This shit has been done to death so I'll just use a copy pasta. [quote]Naruto is a gateway anime of the worst kind. It's a bad series, a cluster-blam!- of story and characterization that isn't very well done by any aspect, but which attempts to compensate for its weaknesses by adding in excessive shipping -blam!-ry and DARKNESS. The normal anon can see this as the shit it is, and may enjoy it, hate it or be indifferent to it, but all the while recognizing that the series itself, regardless of their opinion, is plain bad. However, these very aspects that try to smear over the shit of its core make it a breeding ground for aspie, unsociable underageb& -blam!- who engage in every kind of -blam!-ry both online and in the real world. The superpowered characters all trying their hardest to look cool, the jutsus, peculiar, colorful clothes, the whole ninja -blam!-ry and everything about the Naruto world fuels their escapist fantasies, while the pity-party character backgrounds, emphasis on revenge, and overall preachiness of the series make it fit just right with the mary-sueish drives of your average preteen and his sense of unwarranted self-importance towards the world. Exactly the kind of shit that makes little kiddies and underageb& retards eat this shit right the -blam!- up. Naruto is basically THE series to attract the most hated anime fanbase known to /a/, which is why, regardless of individual opinions, it is the responsibility of every anon to troll the -blam!- out of this show and everyone who likes it, and ensure that no Naruto threads ever encourage the newfriends to show their faces here.[/quote] This is just one part of a very long copypasta that explains just how fucking stupid and just plain horrible Naruto is. Bleach and One Piece are pretty much the same shit in a different setting.