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Gateway Series: Difference between revisions
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A [[Gateway Series]] is a series that introduces a significant niche of viewers to a genre that is new to them, and that is a positive enough introduction for them to hunt down other examples of the genre.
[[Trope Namer]]: In the drug world, a ''gateway drug'' is a drug that entices you or makes it easier to try other drugs. This name is mostly used by anti-drug programs, so there is debate about whether gateway drugs are real. But ''gateway series,'' series that makes you start watching new genres you never used to watch, are definitely real.
If you don't grow too passionate about the genre after watching a [[Gateway Series]], after a few years you'll still end up with a vast knowledge about it and maybe a big pile of DVDs. If you do become passionate, then your room may be devoted to your new addiction. It all depends on how strongly you embrace your new tastes.
Someone's personal Gateway Series will be granted immunity from criticism thanks to the [[Nostalgia Filter]].
Gateway series often have some things in common, mostly anything that causes a good first impression, both from the series and the entire genre. Each genre has a certain pattern, so to enjoy it you have to grow accustomed to those unique quirks. Thus, many Gateway Series blend styles or cross genres together; you [[Come for the X, Stay for the Y|are attracted to the series by quirks you already have and so get used to the new ones that way.]] Thus, Japanese Anime that has Western-style storytelling makes for good gates.
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Gateway Series must be good in some sense, and must not have much more squick than normally comes with the genre. Otherwise, you would be [[Genre Killer|turned off.]]
Contrast [[It's Popular, Now It Sucks]]. Not to be confused with [[Heechee Saga|this]] or its [[Gateway (video game)|video game adaptation]]. See also [[
{{examples}}
* The classifying of anything as being a 'gateway something' does not in any way imply that it is less good than the less accessible material it leads on to. All that we're saying is that for a lot of people, these examples lead on to discovering and enjoying other things. Its not a value judgement, just an observation of how fans tend to start from common points.
== [[Anime]] ==
* Virtually anything aired on [[Toonami]] and/or [[Adult Swim]] has been a gateway anime for many viewers. Of course, [[Cartoon Network]] seems to have been pretty careful about selecting shows with mainstream appeal -- and clearly they've been successful. This makes it even more alarming that both daytime CN and Adult Swim have drastically decreased their amount of anime programming over the last year or two. Many have pointed at Cartoon Network's...[[Network Decay|controversial changes]] [[Screwed by the Network|as the reason why]].
** [[Toonami|And we're]] [[Uncancelled|back.]]
* Anime reached France en masse at the end of the 70s, and for a good part of the 80s, almost the most programs on children's television were anime. Also, due to [[Animation Age Ghetto]] syndrome, some totally non-suitable for kids series were broadcasted. It backfired spectacularly in the late 90s (until [[Cardcaptor Sakura]] then [[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]] made their way). Let's just list the biggest ones: ''[[UFO Robo Grendizer|Goldorak]]'', ''[[Magical Princess Minky Momo|Gigi]]'', ''[[Captain Harlock|Albator]]'' (this one being extremely well-beloved. [[Interstella 5555|Did you wonder how]] [[Daft Punk]] knew [[Leiji Matsumoto]]?), ''[[Space Adventure Cobra]]'' (which main character was explicitly modeled after a French actor), ''[[Candy Candy|Candy]]'', ''[[Lady Oscar]]'' (there even was a movie by a famous French director), the furry version of ''Sherlock Holmes'', ''[[Cat's Eye]]'', ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' and ''[[Dragonball Z]]'' of course, ''[[Saint Seiya|Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque]]'', ''[[Mahou Tenshi Creamy Mami]]'' (provided the [[Magical Girl]] page picture), ''[[Hokuto no Ken|Ken le Survivant]]'' (Sadly, not kidding. The dub deliberately [[Macekre]]-d and [[Gag Dub|Gag Dubbed]] it to tone down the violence.), ''[[Maison Ikkoku|Juliette je t'aime]]'', ''[[City Hunter]]'', ''[[Kimagure Orange Road|Max et Cie]]''. And so on.
** ''[[The Mysterious Cities of Gold]]'' and ''[[Ulysses 31]]'' weren't seen as anime series, since they are [[International Coproduction|french-japanese]] shows.
** In short, [[wikipedia:Manga outside Japan#France|French really LOVE anime and manga]]. Many series featured below in Latin America were broadcasted a little bit earlier or simultaneously in France.
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*** Actually ''Eva'' was first aired in the US by KTEH, a ''[[PBS]] affiliate'' in California uncensored in Japanese!
* The pilot anime for [[Adult Swim]] was ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'', a series great for getting people interested in the medium.
* One of the first well-dubbed series imported into the United States was ''[[Ranma ½|[[Ranma
** Having a good dub helped, but the manga was a breakout hit too. Pretty much any [[Rumiko Takahashi]] series functions as a gateway series, thanks to her impeccable skills of characterization that transcend cultural boundaries. Just look at how many people in more recent years got hooked on anime after watching ''[[Inuyasha]]'' on [[Adult Swim]].
* The films of ''[[Studio Ghibli]]''.
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** The games too are like this. If you've never played arcade racers competitively before, ''[[Initial D Arcade Stage]]'' will help you break yourself in.
* ''[[Kannazuki no Miko]]'' could be considered a Gateway Series, or an attempted one, for mixing robots and the standard young male robot pilot that could get the girl...but really leading into [[Seinen]] about [[Schoolgirl Lesbians]].
** It's the gateway ''[[Girls Love|yuri]]'' series.
* ''[[Death Note]]'' was a gateway series for many into anime period, though for most it was a gateway series into a specific genre (not necessarily bound to anime either) containing darker themes, intense character interactions, strong dubbing, avoidance of the more obvious anime cliches and a decidedly anti-hero for a protagonist, leading many people to search for more "gray-area" genre series like the aforementioned ''[[Code Geass]]''.
* ''[[Trigun]]'' is another common gateway series, based on the mix of action and humor, and the particularly memorable characters. This, along with the aforementioned ''Cowboy Bebop'' was one of the first anime to premier on Adult Swim and one of the first to get a strong fanbase.
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* ''[[Sailor Moon]]''. Best said here:
{{quote|[http://movies.ign.com/articles/103/1036651p4.html One also has to recognize Sailor Moon's massive impact on American anime fandom. Hers was the first show that managed to draw in a measurable audience of real, live girls, who became genuinely hardcore fans thanks to shows like Rurouni Kenshin and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Which led, by a long and twisted trail, to a number of fanboys unexpectedly finding a way to lose their virginities at conventions some years down the line. They may not quite know it, but they owe you one, Sailor Moon.]}}
* The first Yu-Gi-Oh series. A lot of younger tropers probably grew up with it before even knowing what anime was.
** Heck, this is perhaps [[4Kids! Entertainment|4Kids']] sole redeeming grace, via their dubs of the Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh anime. It helps that both franchises were wildly successful fads as well.
* Over the years, ''[[The Castle of Cagliostro|The Castleof Cagliostro]]'' has been used by anime fans as a jumping-on point for the [[Lupin III]] franchise. This can get very ironic considering [[Characterization Marches On|the titular character's actions and personality in the movie]] [[Casanova Wannabe|don't quite match up with any of his other incarnations]].
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* ''[[Iron Chef]]'' was a gateway series on two levels, one for the [[Cooking Show]] genre and two, for Japanese Game Shows in general.
* ''[[Firefly]]'' can be this for those who don't know or didn't pay any attention to [[Joss Whedon]], particularly those who were a little too young to be into ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' in its heyday.
* ''Rescue911'' has been this to Crime, Survival, and rescue shows. Not to mention, a couple people who watched the show in [[The Nineties]] were inspired in part by this show to become Police officers, firefighters, emergency dispatchers, and paramedics.
* [[Babylon 5]] seemed to attract a certain segment of viewers who weren't otherwise sci-fi fans.
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** Since Woodstock and through much of the 80's, Sha Na Na occupied the same position as gateway group to ''a cappella'' singing, sharing it with The Manhattan Transfer. Which group was your gateway primarily depended on your age and whether your preferred musical style was doo-wop rock-and-roll or swing/jazz.
** In the 60's and early 70's it was The Swingle Singers.
* The music composed for shows such as ''[[Doctor Who]]'' or ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'' can be a gateway for more classical music and famous composers.
* For many, [[Daft Punk]] have been a gateway into the world of House Electronic music.
** Similarly, [[Aphex Twin]] is one of the most well-known electronica artists in the world, and is often the first one people listen to before exploring others.
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* ''[[Ace Combat]] Zero: The Belkan War'''s usage of Hispanic-styled music has led many to look into the style.
* [[Enya]] serves a gateway to both Celtic music and New Age music
* [[Nirvana]], and to a lesser extent [[Pearl Jam]], serve as a gateway to grunge at first, and then to alternative music in general. Sometimes this also leads to non-mainstream music of other genres in general.
* [[Joy Division]] often serves as a gateway to all manner of 70s and 80s punk, post-punk and goth bands.
* [[Pink Floyd]] could be this for [[Progressive Rock]].
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== [[New Media]] ==
* [[TV Tropes|Look no further than the very website which you happen to be browsing]] at this [[Tropes Will Ruin Your Life|(probably) late hour.]] How many books, TV shows, etc. were ''you'' blissfully unaware of before coming here but [[
* [[Youtube Poop]] introduces many younger people who weren't able to watch them when they first aired to cartoon adaptations of popular video games such as ''Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog'', to the ''Philips CD-i'' as well as ''Volvic'' mineral water, ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' and since the rise of the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwoOWTABYbk #71519 fad] to ''[[The Critic]]''.
* [[Fan Vid|AMVs and fanvids]] in general.
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*** With a few exceptions; Jonny-Come-Latelies joining at the height of 3.5 (Or now since 4th edition groups are rather rare) would probably find themselves ''swarmed'' with dozens upon ''dozens'' (if not even a hundred or more) of the various kinds of books, including but not limited to the player's handbook, monster manual, magical items, expansion books, class-detail books (Like ''Complete Divine''), update books, and more.
** Has also been used [[It's Popular, Now It Sucks|negatively]] by gamers in reference to D&D. Some gamers, for instance, feel that ''D&D'' is a shallower and less "worthy" part of the tabletop gaming industry and that it's so popular ''only'' because it's so easy to get into.
* ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' of the ''[[Old World of Darkness]]'' has been a more recent gateway game.
** Particularly its simplicity compared to ''D&D'' and its modern horror setting has meant that its attractive to a lot of people who otherwise might not be interested in role playing. It also is pretty much focused on letting the players be anti-heros (or outright bad guys) which is definitely more attractive to the angsty teens.
* ''[[Warhammer 40000|Warhammer 40,000]]'' is often a gateway to [[Tabletop Games]] as a whole. You start with 40k after coming across it as a teen, then after a few years you might move along and start playing spin-off game or even ''[[Warhammer Fantasy]]''. If you play at a multi-gaming club, you'll probably end up at the very least being interested in those systems as well and there's no telling just how many you might get into.
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** In fact, let's just say [[Casual Video Game|Casual Games]] in general, though there can also be Gateway Games for certain ''types'' of Casual Games as well (e.g. ''[[Diner Dash]]'' for time management games).
* The ''Tony Hawk'' games are a two-way gateway -- they've gotten a lot of skaters into gaming, but it's when they get gamers into skateboarding that [[Hilarity Ensues]].
* The ''[[Super Smash Bros.]].'' series has a wide variety of Nintendo characters, and some players might become more interested in the individual series if they see a character they'd never heard of before. The appearance of Marth and Roy in ''Melee'' for example, led to the introduction of the ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' series to the US.
** ''Brawl'' even has demos of several of the characters' starring games.
* A variation of this trope: a lot of people become regular readers of [[
* Long-time series such as ''[[Castlevania]]'' -- espeically ''Symphony of the Night'' tend to be gateways for modern players into the world of retro gaming, especially those curious about references to characters from previous games.
* "People who don't like video games like ''[[Myst]]''."
* ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' is the most infamously addictive MMORPG out there nowadays, but those who have played it and quit often try to seek out other MMO's afterward.
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*** This can also work across media -- ''[[Guitar Hero]]'' and ''[[Rock Band]]'' inspire people to buy and get into music from the games.
*** These two games can also turn people on to real instruments. [[Hilarity Ensues]] when they realize a real guitar's nothing like the plastic controller.
** Of course, neither of these games would have been possible if ''[[Parappa the Rapper]]'' hadn't opened up the world of rhythm gaming to start.
* ''[[Street Fighter]]'' does this for 2D fighting games. The series is relatively user friendly and easy to pick up and play, leading many in more complicated games like ''[[Guilty Gear]]''.
** Similarly, ''[[Dead or Alive]]'' does this for 3D fighting games due to its simplistic controls and [[Jiggle Physics|large appeal]].
* Play one addictive puzzle game, and you're bound to wind up hunting for more. ''[[Peggle]]'' is a good example.
** Tetris for older tropers.
* Many gamers' first [[Real Time Strategy]] game was ''[[Warcraft]] II'', and for good reason, too. The graphics are nice to look at, the mechanics are fairly simple compared to other RTS games, and most importantly, it's a lot of fun (including against your friends, even if they do kick your butt in 95% of the games you play with them).
** If your first RTS wasn't ''Warcraft II'', then it was probably ''[[Starcraft]]''.
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***** ''Command & Conquer''? You forgot ''Dune II''.
***** ''Dune II'' may have started the genre, but it certainly was no Gateway Series. ''Warcraft II'' was indeed the first game of the genre that became mainstream (though, as mentioned above, those who missed it simply found ''Starcraft'' first).
****** All these games can be considered Gateway Series depending on your age. ''Westwood Studio'' games like ''Dune II'' and the ''Command & Conquer'' series were extremely popular at the time. ''Blizzard Entertainment'' only became a clear leader when they released ''Starcraft''.
* The ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' series can potentially be a good [[Gateway Series]] for many [[Giant Robot]] [[Anime]], considering that the plot for each game basically takes the plot of every series involved in the [[Massive Multiplayer Crossover]] and shoves them all together.
* Nintendo games almost always serve this trope, but this console generation aiming for this has basically become their entire marketing strategy. The self-proclaimed "hardcore" gamers may lament that women and old people are getting in on their hobby, but it's hard to fault Nintendo when they're clearly getting results -- games and systems, Nintendo and otherwise, are selling better than they ever have even in the economic recession.
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** ''Kichikuou [[Rance]]'' was a [[Gateway Series]] in its native Japan since it is one of the highest selling [[H-game|H Games]] of all time.
* [[Katawa Shoujo]] is one partly because it is English Language [[Freeware]], partly because its relation to [[Image Boards|4chan]] and its concept as a [[Disabled Love Interest]] [[H-game]] made it [[No Such Thing as Bad Publicity|somewhat famous]], and partly because it is well made.
** [[Katawa Shoujo]] is such a [[Gateway Series]] that it made the '''front page''' of [[
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