Getter Robo

Adding to this, I think New Getter Robo is the perfect entry to the Getter franchise.
The first Getter I watched / read was Armageddon and still I enjoyed it because it was clearly ambiguous for the sake of being ambiguous so you should just focus on the action.

That's what I thought, I just wanted to be sure before I completely ruined the series for myself. I'm sure there are purists who insist I watch Robo before Armageddon, but which is honestly better? I've been trying to get into mech anime for a while, and I feel like Getter has the best chance of doing that. I started with Armageddon because it's short, but should I try something else first? I'll look into the manga.

Mfw (actual spoiler) The getter rays turned him into a series of disposable clones
Fucking Ishikawa.

Not many will suggest you start with the original anime even on /m/. It's old and doesn't follow the manga very much at all. Any of the OVAs are good as a start, but Shin vs. Neo is the shortest with 4 30 minute episodes. The only detriment to watching any of the anime before reading is you'll miss references and callbacks, but that kinda works as a nice rewatch bonus after reading.

Depends. Do you want to watch mecha anime depicting the robots as military hardware or giant robots having bullshit adventures?

Gotcha. Glad I hopped in this thread. Definitely going to give Getter another shot.

>spoiler
Easily my favorite part of Arc! That and the "Getter-copters" from the same chapter

I like them both, as long as they're depicted well. For reference, my two favorite mech anime to date are TTGL (I know) and 08th MS Team. I like crazy hotblooded shit and more serious war drama, just as long as the writing doesn't make me want to kill myself.

Tell me where you end up starting. All the series do their own kind of thing with tone and direction that make them good compliments to the original manga

For modern shows, watch Shin Mazinger and Gundam Thunderbolt.
If you're willing to watch old anime (like, latter 70's and early 80's) I can't recommend the original Mobile Suit Gundam TV show and Armored Trooper VOTOMS enough.