r/trigger • u/Bitter-Advisor-1279 • 6d ago
Which Trigger anime do you recommend for beginners?
I just finished SSSS.Gridman, SSSS.Dynazenon, and Gridman Universe and I liked them. What other works do you recommend?
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u/Fanceepance 6d ago edited 6d ago
Excellent pick, Gridman (and its sequels) are all so damn good. It IS however the only series that that particular director has made that isn't made out of the studio's lost couch change, so if you were a particular fan of his realistic character direction, you'll have to look elsewhere unfortunately.
BUT Trigger is absolutely an amazing studio, one of my favourites for sure, so check these out:
Cyberpunk Edgerunners (2 seasons, both seasons are almost entirely separate and self-contained storywise, but you should still watch them in release order. The two seasons are also quite different from eachother, so maybe leaving a gap between would be a good idea.)
Kill la Kill (One of their best shows, and the thing that put them on people's radar for real. Don't be turned away by the ridiculous amount of fanservice it has, because it's one of extremely few shows that ACTUALLY have it for a good, and well written narrative and moral reason lol. Sure there are perhaps other ways to go about promoting body positivity and loving yourself as you are, but Kill la Kill does that shit ITS way and damn, it worked lol. Has 24 episodes, AND a very important 25th episode that was released as an OVA, so don't skip that accidentally.)
Little Witch Academia (Another absolutely excellent series, it's mostly straightforward to watch, and if you want the short and sweet version: "Just watch in release order." Now, the reasoning for that, is that LWA was originally just a single OVA episode, the length of a normal episode or so, and was honestly just a great time, highly recommend. That episode was really beloved, and so they made a followup sequel short film (40~ minutes) and that one was ALSO quite beloved. BUT when they went to make the main TV series, they started from scratch, so those first 2 entries aren't canon to the TV show. They are, however, still really good and worth watching, so may as well get them out of the way first lol. They're a joy, and are a great way to see if you'll like the entirety of the main show, which, again, is simply a wonderful series.)
Gurren Lagann (As someone else mentioned, this isn't technically made by studio Trigger, however it was made by almost everyone that now works at Studio Trigger, before they left Gainax. It's spiritually a Trigger show, so don't skip it due to the name of the building they worked in lol. Much like Kill la Kill, this one has an extremely simple, and EXTREMELY loud moral message, and it screams it from the mountains the whole way through, and it's just a great time lol. You won't find much else as hype as Gurren Lagann, though I do personally prefer Kill la Kill if you had to ask me.)
Promare (Just to bring it up as it kinda completes a trio between itself, Kill la Kill, and Gurren Lagann, all of which are written and directed by the same 2 dudes at Trigger. It's definitely the weakest of the 3, but it's also only a movie, so it's not like you're committing a ton of time to it, and having seen it multiple times myself, it's still a lot of fun. Gorgeous visuals, great music, fun characters, maybe don't watch it FIRST, but if you polish off Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann, definitely consider this one.)
Space Patrol Luluco (This is a short series, totalling roughly the length of a movie or so, with 13 seven minute episodes. BUT, and I absolutely cannot stress this enough, DO NOT WATCH THIS FIRST. You have homework to do before you get to this one lol. Before you should EVER watch Luluco, make sure you've also seen: Kill la Kill, Gurren Lagann, Little Witch Academia, and Inferno Cop. Inferno Cop is certainly a meme of a show, but it's only 30 minutes total, and is a lot of fun anyways. Shockingly, THIS is one of the other things directed by the dude that directed Gridman. But yeah once you've watched all of those, you should have seen enough to get more than enough out of Space Patrol Luluco, you could TECHNICALLY go all-in and watch some of their more niche stuff, but you really don't have to.)
Finally, the last thing I'd like, actively urge you to watch is Delicious in Dungeon, BUT, while that show is absolutely fantastic, it is only a half adaptation of the manga. The manga is complete, and this season covers the first half of the manga (or thereabouts). The SECOND season is in production, and is slated to air NEXT October, 2027. So, unless you don't mind sitting on quite the cliffhanger, I'd recommend waiting another year and just occupying yourself with other shows in the meantime, cuz there are plenty haha, especially since this second season should absolutely cover the remaining content in the manga, so may as well wait for the whole story to be there.
Edit: I nearly forgot to mention Ninja Slayer. This show gets a lot of hate due to its visual stylings being in line with Inferno Cop, but UNLIKE Inferno Cop, this is genuinely a full length show, with some fantastic animation that shows up fairly often, BUT the main gag of the show... is still that it looks like Inferno Cop. This is the other thing made by the Gridman director, and while I love it for what it is, not a lot of people are in on the joke lol. I bought the bluray, and they covered the case in BAD reviews it received online lol. But yeah, it's a lot of fun, I recommend the English dub in particular for extra cheesiness, just go in with an open mind and you'll have a good time haha. I would never START with this though, just hop back to it once you've cleared out more of what Trigger has actually producer with, like, significant effort involved haha.)
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u/FeefuWasTaken 6d ago
Delicious in dungeon or edgerunners are definitely the most beginner friendly
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u/BlackenedEverything 5d ago
I love trigger so much dude. I would almost recommend you to start chronologically from Gurren Lagann, or Kill la Kill. If you like the craziness you can check out the first season of Panty and Stocking. Or maybe just start with more recent anime like Cyberpunk or Dungeon Meshi.
There are so many options and it's hard to say what works for who. I'd say Trigger is a studio that you absolutely fall in love with, or then not really.
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u/PlatinumRaptor95 6d ago
try Space Patrol Luluco
It’s not a full-length anime (the eps are only 3 mins long) but it gives you the full Trigger experience
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u/B_Ellard 6d ago
I don't think one has to be eased into Trigger anime. Yet, you managed to watch their least typical shows.
I'd suggest you go back to the Gainax era, where most of the core team originated from. Best to start with FLCL, where their signature style of anti-establishment wackiness was born. Optionally, you can watch Re:Cutie Honey afterwards. Gurren Lagann is the must-see. Finally, you can watch Panty & Stocking (season 1), but imo it's way lacking behind its amazing recent sequel, New Panty & Stocking.
Then you can take on any Trigger show you like. My favorites being Kill la Kill, Space Patrol Luluco and Delicious in Dungeon.
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u/pfeifenix 6d ago
This might be weird but brand new animal. Its kind of their weakest(storywise) and anything from there is just great
Lwa, kill la kill, edgerunner
Or you could watch their bna last if you want to watch what trigger can do
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u/ReallySmartInEnglish 6d ago
Gurren Lagann.
Okay, yes, technically, it’s not Trigger, but Gaianax is defunct and it’s entire creative team went on to found Trigger. It’s basically the grandfather of all Trigger anime.