

As a newer anime fan myself, I figured I’d throw my two cents in here. What started my interest in anime was actually going to an anime convention with some friends a couple of years ago. From there I began watching YouTube reviews like Mothers Basement and Glass Reflections and took their recommendations to find new stuff to watch. I eventually found that I actually prefer watching the seasonals as they come out, so I began doing that as well (and in doing so have really upped my number of watched shows). Beyond YouTube, I also listen to several podcasts (Anime out of Context and Quest for the Best, for example). I’ve hopped into several Discord servers, though I don’t comment very often, if at all. I think there’s no real wrong way to be “in the anime community”. Just find the stuff you like to participate in and do that, though don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. You just might find another part of the community that you really like.
It is fun! I enjoy reading up on what everyone else is thinking of the episodes as they come out. I use AniChart to follow what’s coming up and AniList for tracking what I watch as well as reading threads on new episodes. I also recommend the MAL-Sync extension, which can automatically track what you watch as you watch it.