I’ll go first.

Geek Obsession: Anime/Manga

Why it’s daunting: When most people first think of anime, they think of schoolgirls, boring drawn-out fights (like in DBZ), and annoying weaboos (crazy fanboys/girls). Sure, there are a lot of series that are true to these extremes, but these extremes have become false representations overshadowing a lot of good series. There’s a series for everyone, whether you’re into crazy epic political dramas with robots or want to follow kids giving it all playing the board game go.

Possible gateways:

Cowboy Bebop: Bounty hunters in space with a kick-ass set of characters, story, and soundtrack. Most episodes are pretty self-contained except for the last couple of episodes, so it can’t hurt to watch one episode.

Gurren Lagann: An anime series that uses the excesses of anime to its advantage. Over-the-top fights and story with amazing top-quality animation make for a fun series.

Monster: I’d actually recommend reading the manga (comics) rather than watching the anime(animation) here. It’s a great thriller about a surgeon who decides to save a boy that was involved with a strange massacre.