Bolded titles are my top recs. Series listed in chronological order of my seeing them:
Steins;Gate (correction: episode 8 unfortunately has >!Okarin!< grope >!Luka!< because he doesn’t believe that they’re actually >!a girl in this worldline!<. Everyone rightfully calls him out for being a creepass)
Castlevania (shut up yes it is)
Vivy: Fluorite Eyes Song
Violet Evergarden (edit: NOT THE MOVIE)
Hyouka (skip the ova)
Belle
A Silent Voice
Baccano
Deca-dence
Trigun
Akudama Drive
ACCA: 13 Territory Inspection Dept.
Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Spy Family
#Mushishi
5 Centimeters Per Second
Afro Samurai
Your Lie In April
Nichijou
Odd Taxi
Cowboy Bebop
Canaan
Sk8 the Infinity (arguably I guess because Adam is a creepass)
A Place Further Than The Universe
Supercrooks
Bocchi the Rock
House of Five Leaves
Weathering With You
#Haibane Renmei
Samurai Flamenco
BNA
Redline
#Planetes
Last Exile
Witch Hunter Robin
Noir
Wolf’s Rain
Boogiepop Phantom
Boogiepop And Others
Ghost In The Shell (all timelines)
Niea_7
Serial Experiments Lain
Megalo Box
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto
Thus concludes the exhaustive list of animes I’ve watched where I didn’t have to put up with any sexualization of minors
I just finished Fullmetal Alchemist for the fourth time, and ED3 sexualizes Winry. I guess they had to get the creepy anime viewers to keep watching.
But it doesn’t fit at all. It’s just plain weird. If I had one complaint, that would be it. The rest is fantastic!
Yeah, if it were live action, it would be pretty uncomfortable to watch. That being said, when I think “sexualization,” I think of A Certain Magical Index or Gate. If the worst a show has to offer is a few seconds of bad camera angle in one of the end credit sequences, it’s miles ahead of the norm
I am exercising extreme control to not create a couple of dozen extra accounts across multiple instances to create an apparent wave of support for your dicision to include Mushishi because #OMG MUSHISHI IS THE GOAT.
My wife once described it as a “Warm hug and a heavy sigh during a tough season of your life.”
Can be super melancholy at times and emotionally challenging but as soon as you either catch your breath / dry your tears / re-evaluate your life / heavy sigh a couple dozen time / sit in the dark in complete silence (episode dependent you immediately want to dive into the next episode. Even if you are unsure why.
Music: Beautiful Story: Beautiful Art: Beautiful
If you are looking for an anime that will make you think, feel, and wonder, then Mushishi is the one for you. It is a rare gem that deserves to be watched by anyone who appreciates the beauty and complexity of life. Mushishi is not just an anime, it is an experience.
Caveat: Mushishi may not be for everyone. Some people may find it too slow-paced, episodic, lacking in action or prefer more character development or continuity between episodes. Valid criticisms all, but I think they are outweighed by the strengths of the anime. Mushishi is not meant to be a typical show with a linear plot or flashy attention grabbing sequences.
It is meant to be a slice of life with a touch of magic. It is meant to be enjoyed at your own pace and with an open mind. If you can appreciate that, then you will love Mushishi as much as I do.
And if you want to get emotionally destroyed, go with Grave of the Fireflies.
WARNING: read imdb reviews first.
It’s ok I wasn’t using that soul anyway
Okay, okay, you’ve convinced me, jeez.
(A slice of life that actually makes me feel things? You sold me from line 1!)
It is so good, but don’t expect it to be overwhelmingly amazing. The first word I would use to describe it is calm. I think the reason they’re so extremely excited to see it mentioned is because it’s so very rarely talked about, because the calm and deliberate atmosphere doesn’t lend itself to a lot of clip compilations or “Favorite Moments in Anime” discussions.
Yes, it absolutely does it justice.
It even does a good job of capturing a bit of the Mushishi vibe in and of itself.
And yes you are spot on the nose with why I got so excited. It is RARE that Mushishi pops up in conversations.
Have you seen Haibane Renmei? I just finished it the other night and it seems to fit in with everything you listed about Mushishi. I absolutely adored it, and it hit exactly the same strings in my heart that Mushishi did. Just know that it’s a lot more emotionally heavy than Mushishi. You never have to linger on the depression that Ginko comes into contact with, but you have to go through the depression in Haibane Renmei right alongside the characters. It also doesn’t explain every mystery like Mushishi does. It’s very Ico/Shadow of the Colossus/The Last Guardian.
I will have to check that one out! Thanks for the recommendation.
You should add Kino’s Journey to that list (both the old one and the 2017 remake/sequel).
Very similar chill traveler vibes to Mushishi
I definitely second Kino’s journey. Fantastic little slice of life.
Vinland Saga
They only unhealthy relationship is the one Thorfinn has with himself.
His relationship with Askeladd is not very healthy either.
Monster.
IMO one of the best stories out there, not just anime.
Psychopass?
One of my favorites…. Just… avoid season 2
Treat it like a fanfic
Since you included movies I’m gonna drop Paprika right here.
Cory in the House
Airplane instruction videos from the 80s
Never visit bocchi the rock fan pages tho
I learned my lesson way back when I watched Gate. I went into the forums expecting other people to share my opinion that the show would have been much better without the 970 year old demigod trapped in the body of a 12 year old girl. I did not expect that character to be everyone’s favorite. Made me feel sick.
I haven’t heard Mushishi from anyone else in a long time and that’s a shame because that shit is art.
3gatsu no lion
Durarara!!
I’ll add my favorite, Ergo Proxy to your list
Mushishi is honestly just beautiful, definitely one of my favorites.
A Silent Voice
Is this not regarded as glorifying unhealthy relationships?
spoiler
The deaf girl falls in love with a boy who bullies her so much that her mom takes her out of the school because of the bullying - which includes her bleeding and having a permanent scar, and the repeated destruction of her expensive medical equipment. She confesses her love to the creep even before he apologizes (which he only does after he’s been ostracized for years for bullying her). She also chooses to hang around (even alone) with another girl who is actively still bullying her.
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I recently watched it. The
spoiler
“moon” scene happens very early, while the main character is still extremely creepy. Bullies are vastly more likely to commit partner violence: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/1107602 The idea that bad-boys can be fixed by a loving girlfriend or wife, is toxic.
The psychotic girl is allowed to hang around almost all the time, by everyone, even after the video.
Man I left reddit to avoid these long drawn out internet arguments
Fuck everyone who’s ever been a bully because any relationship they’re in is necessarily inherently unhealthy, and fuck A Silent Voice I guess
Samurai champloo
Moomin
I can’t be the only one that’s bothered by the fact that this list is not sorted alphabetically
It is sorted chronologically, in the order that I watched them
Chainsaw Man
One Piece
Jujutsu Kaisen
Mob Psycho 100
Attack on Titan
Spy x Family
Lycoris Recoil
Haikyuu
Aoashi
takt op. Destiny
Kabaneri of the iron fortress
Kaguya-sama
Horimiya
Black Clover iirc
Eighty Six (86)
Fruits Basket
One Punch Man
Fire Force
One Punch Man is one of my all time favorite animes but Tatsumaki is absolutely sexualized. It doesn’t matter that she’s technically legal, she’s still drawn and portrayed as a little girl, definitely doesn’t belong on this list.
I guess, yeah. Haven’t watched it in a while.
Fire force definitely sexualized tamaki. The whole ‘lucky lewd’ skits and everything.
Another very good one that I don’t recall anything questionable from is Aldnoah Zero, which I frequently recommend to folks
Now try and find that but not somehow linked to high school.
as always, we must look to Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop is such a grift, making everyone think so highly of anime as a whole.
(Just kidding, kind of, Cowboy Bebop is an awesome anime and I hope one day they make a live action version as that will surely be awesome.)
Iirc they did make a live action version with Harold from Harold and Kumar as Spike. I refused to watch it personally because I don’t have high hopes for it.
That sounds terrible. I bet they’d make a complete joke of everything and hardly follow the source material. I’m glad they never made that show, Netflix would never make something so rubbish.
Lmao oh I understand. Yes, glad they never made that!
I gave it a try as a huge Bebop fan and couldn’t last 10 minutes before decrying it an abomination and moving on.
That was my feeling exactly. I’m not sure if I could bear to try it again.
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Yeah. I have faith it will be better than One Piece we got a few days ago!
One Piece? No I don’t think they’ve done that yet either.
I’m hoping first they’ll do a live action adaptation of Avatar, the Nickelodeon cartoon. They can’t possibly ruin that one.
And Samurai Champloo and even Carole and Tuesday. Basically all of Shinichiro Watanabe’s work
Samurai Champloo was awesome, missed the other two.
Since we’re throwing them out there, I’ll add Mushishi to the mix. Although it’s so incredibly chill and relaxed some people might find it boring.
Coybow Beebop is super overly sexualised though 😕
Easy: Legend of The Galactic Heroes.
I see the legendary Yang Wen-Li truly lives up to his strategical genius
It’s for sure my favorite show, and I am similarly a very lazy person who still somehow meets all of my obligations, so it felt like a good call for my avatar.
Romantic Killer on Netflix. Sorry, I thought you meant linked to high school.Than I suggest Nana, Aggretsuko and Emma A Victorian Romance.
Romantic killer was a lot of fun, but isn’t that about high school?
AHH “not linked”. I just read over that word.
No seeds on the public ones I found :/
Edit: Nevermind :D
Nana
Is this not regarded as glorifying unhealthy relationships?
spoiler
Hachi cheats on her boyfriend with a famous, rich, sociopath. She has unprotected sex with the sociopath, then chooses to have his baby and marry him.
How is that glorified in the manga? I don’t know the anime, but the manga is about how people grow out of their unhealthy relationships. I didn’t have the impression they are shown as a good example, but the opposite.
Kaiji.
Snow White with the Red Hair is my favorite hidden gem.
- main character is a strong, independent, brilliant woman. She isn’t abrasive or obnoxious, just confident in who she is. Her success in the story is entirely from her own efforts.
- love interest is a well rounded character, not an Everyman stand in. His own strengths and weaknesses are plot relevant and he grows independently of the mc.
- the romance progresses at a steady pace and isn’t a will they/won’t they for two seasons.
- romance is one of many plot lines, not the only one. It’s also slice of life and medieval politics.
- and of course, everyone’s adults. Everyone has normal body proportions and healthy personalities.
I didn’t even realize anime like this existed, maybe I can get into this. Thanks!
Seinen and Josei are genres targeted at young adult men and women respectively. They both tend to be more realistic and actually mature in their writing, as in having complex character motivations, realistic toxic relationship problems, etc.
Added to my list, thank you :-)
If you like that one, Yona of the Dawn is my all time favorite. :)
Tbh, this is why I don’t tell people I like anime.
I have the same apprehension, but anime is a medium. There’s a lot of disgusting books and Western movies around, and we don’t shame people for liking books and Western movies.
The problem with anime is that some of the most popular ones suffer from the issues described in the meme. Take death note for example, immensely popular. But the female characters are mere props with one massively problematic female character’s infatuation with the lead driving half the show. It’s just unwatchable if you don’t like that kind of thing.
Agreed.
Everyone has a comfort level and/or tolerance on what they can watch. Generally speaking, they’re free to look away from content that they’re uncomfortable, like the aforementioned example of Death Note with how the women are portrayed there. I have my own categories of content that I’m too uncomfortable to watch, and I’m sure it’s different from what you find uncomfortable.
Again, it’s not exclusive to anime. Personally, I find James Bond movies’ (massively popular with quite the cultural cache) portrayals of women more problematic if applied to real life, but it’s a work of fiction and we’re supposed to know better. My comfort level does not preclude me from watching those as well as Death Note, nor I’m supposed to assume watchers and fans of those endorse all the themes involved in there.
Some critical thinking from us should be employed as we watch those things especially if sensitive themes are included. Where does it lie in the prescriptive vs. descriptive writing spectrum? Is it meant to teach the audience that something is good or bad (the should/shouldn’t)? Does it describe a particular situation within the internally-consistent rules of the in-universe world (the what, where, when, how, and why)? etc. This applies regardless of the medium.
True. To me, it’s the popular perception of anime that’s the problem. Most people associate it with the op’s topics, even if that’s not everything. There’s some critical point where there’s enough weird stuff that it gets rounded up into “all anime is weird”.
Would that be one of the legacies of guidelines like the Hays Code? That Western media is not seen as “weird”?
Yup, the most popular visible anime most people think of, I don’t want anyone to associate me with…
Avatar?
I honestly think it’s just a good reason to always qualify your preferences. There are dozens of anime for which, if the conversation turned to that anime specifically, or even a major theme, I’d happily talk about it. But most of it really is complete trash. Honestly you can say that about most media which isn’t “Christopher Nolan films.”
Also, that’s not to say complete trash can’t be entertaining or have some marginal value. But anime does have a serious problem with sexualizing children, and that definitely keeps it at arms length for me as a general topic.
I qualify mine by saying I like giant robots. That’s not 100% restricted to anime (and neither are my interests) but leaves the door open to discuss anime shows.
Umm … Evangelion
And Victory Gundam and Char’s Counterattack and…
souske bouske!!!
OP you just wanted anime suggestions by creating this post didn’t you?
(Me too that’s why I saved this post hehe)
If you want more then check my comments here: https://lemmy.fmhy.net/post/308162
Gonna go through my mal and find all the ones I’ve seen. “?” means I’m not 100% sure:
- 5 cm/s
- place further than the universe
- a silent voice
- aldanoah zero?
- Another?
- AOT
- baby steps?
- blood blockade battlefront?
- bocchi the rock
- carole and tuesday
- death parade
- deca-dence
- erased
- fmab
- golden time
- grave of the fireflies
- great pretender
- haikyu
- Howl’s moving castle
- I can’t understand what my husband is saying
- i want to eat your pancreas?
- japan sinks 2020
- jojo (except one episode)
- jujutsu kaisen? (Only seen first season)
- k-on?
- kaiji
- keep your hands off eizouken
- kingdom
- kuroko’s basketball
- link click
- made in abyss? (Haven’t seen the latest season)
- magi?
- 3-gatsu no lion
- megalo box
- mob psycho 100
- nichijou
- odd taxi
- patema inverted?
- ping pong the animation
- psycho pass
- ranking of kings
- revenger?
- sk8 the infinity
- spirited away
- spy x fam
- star wars visions?
- steins gate?
- the boy and the beast?
- saiki?
- promised neverland (just watch s1 and pretend that’s the end of the story. Never watch s2)
- the way of the househusband
- tonikawa?
- tsuredure children?
- vinland saga
- violet evergarden
- vivy
- weathering with you
- wolf children
- Wotakoi
- yona of the dawn
- your lie in april?
- your name
- yowamushi pedal? (only seen the first few seasons)
Made in Abyss season one has that one scene where the main, underaged character is suspended naked in public as a punishment. I’ve heard that there are a few other questionable moments in the manga.
i mean there’s also the erection scene and the sexual tension between the very young main characters over it.
I think many people would consider erased, magi, and made in abyss to count for this meme.
I was debating adding Your Name to my list, but there is the scene where the boy first wakes up in the girl’s body. The way I filtered it, if there are any scenes that would be uncomfortable to watch in live action, I didn’t add it
So happy to see Wotakoi on here. I need more non-highschool romance anime in my life.
Adults having healthy adult relationships is such a rare commodity in anime.
K-On! is pretty safe. mostly just a wholesome slice-of-life to vibe to.
i’m pondering wether i should argue for Re:Zero on the list or nah. it does feature some very bad relationships caused by the protagonist, but it isn’t pictured as anything positive… actually it’s pretty debatable in some scenes involving the character Rem, or the very last episode of season 1.
i’d rather keep my distance from No Game No Life though
Death parade is such a beautiful commentary on death and what it means to be alive, while speaking on the complexity of being simple emotional creatures with complex motivations.
It’s what I think makes a good anime. A story bigger or wilder than someone could tell simply through text that manages to get the audience a new feeling or perspective.
But that same thought process is exactly why for every death parade we get at least 1 Eromanga Sensei. When throwing everything against that proverbial wall you get some wild shit too.
- *Steins;Gate*
- Death Note
- Eve no jikan (short TV series/movie)
- Yuru Camp△+Heya Camp△
- Hunter x Hunter
- Hunter x Hunter (2011)
- Koe no Katachi (movie)
- Tamako Market+Tamako Love Story
- Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho
- Hibike! Euphonium
- Shelter
- Tsurezure Children (/Tzuredure Children)
- Usagi Drop (anime only - don’t read the manga)
- Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru
- Akagami no Shirayuki-hime
- Cardcaptor Sakura
- Flying Witch
- Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku
- Odd Taxi
- Tsuki ga Kirei
- Violet Evergarden
- Amagi Brilliant Park
- Baccano!
- Barakamon
- Cat Shit One
- Death Parade+Death Billiards
- Horimiya+Hori-san to Miyamura-kun
- Hotarubi no Mori e (movie)
- Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai (movie)
- Plastic Memories
- Tonikaku Kawaii
- Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu
- Hoshi no Koe
- Pale Cocoon
What? No
ONE PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuunch !?
Add Mushishi to that list too.
Very good show that I don’t think gets enough attention
Ikr, Mushishi is also one of my favorites!
To add on a few of my own
- Ascendance of a Bookworm
- By the Grace of the Gods
- Paprika
-
Mob Psycho 100
-
Ranking of Kings
-
Megalobox
-
JoJo
-
Lycoris Recoil
-
A Place Further Than the Universe
Jojo??? The anime with a pedophile baboon? Doesn’t sexualize minors?
Not to mention Nazis
Uh… you mean the orangutan in early Part 3? That’s like one episode and it’s clearly portrayed as creepy, while also not sexualizing the girl at all.
If someone is trying to make a point about how anime sexualizes children and glorifies unhealthy relationships maybe suggesting an anime where a chimp wants to fuck a teenager is counter productive to your argument
…but the minor isn’t sexualized and the “unhealthy relationship” is portrayed as creepy. It’s the exact opposite of what the post is criticizing.
Plus it’s like one scene in one episode out of 190. Most people probably forgot about it after two episodes. Demonizing an entire series for less than 0.5% of it is kinda pointless.
Look, I like JoJo. I’m just saying it does a lot of anime bullshit that makes it bad for the sake of this argument. Irina gets sexually assaulted in pt 1, Joseph pervs on Lisa Lisa in pt 2, there’s a rapist monkey in pt 3 and they try to literally make a baby eat shit. Pt 4 has a stalker who uses “magic” to ensnare her man and by the end of the season we all like her. Basically everyone is creepy with Trish in 5 and the whole Jolyne/Anasui relationship is pretty messed up too in 6. If someone has preconceived notions of anime being weird and gross (especially to women) JoJo is not going to help change that perspective
Well yeah, you might be right in that sense. I was focusing mainly on the “sexualization of minors” part, which is pretty much absent in Jojo, but if you factor “unhealthy relationships” I can definitely see the issue (you also forgot how arguably the most liked character in the entire series had an illegitimate son with a woman 42 years younger than him, that’s not really ok either lol)
Jojo
It’s the epitome of “Unhealthy relationships and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race”
There is no romance in JoJo
Counterexample: Jotaro and dolphins
-
Cardcaptor Sakura heavily emphasises teachers dating students, I really wouldn’t put it up there.
Not to mention the whole sexual tension of Tomoyo making all sorts of dresses for Sakura to wear on her adventures
I mean tbh I was 50/50 on innocent caring friend or very creepy predator.
Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku
There are more than a few here i haven’t seen so I’m commenting to remember to check them out
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I have a bunch of antimemes that I never share.
Me too, most of them in the “Selfie” album
As someone filtering through top recommendations to get into anime, this is what it feels like.
I’m subscribed to both and the names indeed look identical.
Missed opportunity for Animememe
Here’s some genre keywords for a start:
Adult Cast
Seinen/Josei
Chances are if those shows involve underage sexualization/unhealthy relationships, it doesn’t endorse them.
Edit: Also look for anime with kids as target audiences, they should have none of those things. On further introspection, that sums up to “look for shows that ain’t shounen or shoujo” lol.
Thank you!
And if you want some fan service that fits these requirements and is still wholesome I give you Goldenboy.
Watched it, loved it.
The manga is like 100 times longer than the OVA. It eventually develops a meta-plot that’s kinda meh but it’s solid overall.
“So! How do you like my swimming?”
Absolute classic. Just gave the files to a coworker last week lol, hopefully he’s had time to watch at least 1.
There’s like hundreds of good anime that fit the description (as other comments highlight), you’re just looking in the wrong places if you agree with this meme.
You’re obviously going to find sexualization of teenagers in most series aimed at teenagers.
One of the best speeches to lift someone up who feels like they’ve utterly failed at life is delivered by a 17 year old wearing maid fetish cosplay.
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For me it is pop idols, French maids, and school arcs. They have such an obsession with pop idols and French maid outfits they force it in anime that don’t require it and school arcs or series can get tiring with repeated tropes.
I get the school arcs because they’re a lot more relatable for the Japanese audience that is actually going through that experience.
Why do you even want to watch Anime, then?
Okay, now provide the reverse list.
Ha I laughed way too hard at this. Nicely done
Wtf
Monoga-
Redo of a hea-
Musho-
