Ok god help me but I’m going to give you tips. I’m a woman, so you better not be lying about not being a Nice Guy I swear to god.
Come with a mental list of things to talk about. Preferably related to your actual skills and interests so you can talk in depth. Do you really only have weeb interests? Then you need to date a weeb not just any random woman.
She’s nervous too. It’s a date. Think of it this way; she’s not an enemy castle you’re trying to breach. You guys are actually two human beings with a shared goal: figuring each other out, connecting. You are natural allies.
Ask her questions. Preferably good ones, but in a pinch anything will do. Ask her what movies she likes, what kind of food, where to get the best of that food? Where did she grow up, what was that like? What’s her career? Why did she choose that (assuming it’s not one of those jobs like ‘cashier’ where the obvious answer is ‘because it pays money’), does she like it?
Be interested in the answers. If you’re actually not interested, she’s not for you. That’s ok. Not every woman will be a good match for you.
If you’re paralyzed by nerves, take some deep breaths. If she catches you doing this, admit that you’re nervous, because you like her and want this to go well. Which is, hopefully, true.
If you think you rush things, let her set the pace and don’t push it.
Do you really, really want to talk about an obscure anime or movie? here’s how that should go. First, if you have no reason to believe she is A) interested in that type of movie B) has seen it, then just flat out don’t bring it up in the early dates. Ask about Marvel or something more generic. If A or B is true then proceed.
You: have you seen x? Her: No, sorry. You: Oh oh well. It’s good because (really brief summary). Do you watch that type of stuff or? Her: Not really. You: what are you into? Her: I really like y. You: (start talking about y, if possible, or maybe ask her why she likes that.)
You’ll notice that everything here is about listening to her, and asking her questions to open new topics. That’s because conversations suck if it’s just you blurting out a bunch of stuff she can’t relate to, as you’ve already painfully figured out. Remember, you’re in this together. If she’s just listening to you talk for a while then stop yourself and bring her back into the conversation with questions or changing the topic.
Hope that helps.