What sort of films/books/TV shows do you generally like? There's so many, of so many different genres.
Death Note and Melonchloy of Suzumiya Haruhi seem to be popular choices to start with, but popular doesn't necessarily mean you'll enjoy them. If you haven't watched any Studio Ghibli films, I'd definitely recommend any of them.
Loads of my friends like anime/manga and they're trying to get me into it, so what's a good one to get me into it?
This post outlines some good introductory anime. As anime is a very big medium encompassing a lot of different genres, it's all very dependant upon your own tastes.
Elfen Lied is a terrible example of a 'mature' anime.
Maturity does not include tits and body parts flying everywhere.
I didn't say it was "mature," I simply implied that it is not intended for children.
I could have given any number of animes involving all sorts of topics that children would find difficult to understand, but EL is infamous for being violent and is popular (possibly for the aforementioned reason).
I'm into comedy's with a weird twist and a bit of mystery, so what would be good for me then?
Comedy: Ouran High School Host Club - Totally wacky and so much fun The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya - if you're a fan of sarcasm the main male character is just too funny Princess Jellyfish - it's about a NEET nerdy girl and a pretty transvestite boy. Hilarily ensues. Quite touching as well.
Mystery: Death Note - it will keep you guessing and makes you think twice about what "evil" is. Baccano! - set in New York in the 1930's. The english dub is brilliant to this and there's a mafia feel to it.
Comedy: Ouran High School Host Club - Totally wacky and so much fun The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya - if you're a fan of sarcasm the main male character is just too funny Princess Jellyfish - it's about a NEET nerdy girl and a pretty transvestite boy. Absolutely lovely.
Mystery: Death Note - it will keep you guessing and thought provoking Baccano! - set in New York in the 1930's. The english dub is brilliant to this and there's a mafia feel to it.