[quote=Joegreenbeen]
What anime should I start watching to see if I like the genre?
[/quote]

Please allow me to interject for a moment. Anime is more like a medium than a genre. It's kinda like saying you want to start watching movies, and then asking what movies are good.

Personally, I'd have to second Samurai Champloo, and add Trigun myself. If you're into more serious stuff, then Lain Serial Experiments and Ghost in the shell are pretty good, too.