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Otaku Lounge: Family-Friendly Anime

 There are many other similar articles like this scattered around the net, but this one is written with a couple of specific things in mind, other than simply being G-rated and thereby ‘child-safe’.

First off, they’re all anime which I would consider to be of decent quality.

I didn’t want to get stuck creating yet another list of shows based on card and video game franchises or heavily-censored fighting anime (i.e. Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, etc. etc).

Secondly, they’re anime that can hopefully be enjoyed not only by kids but also by their parents or older siblings, since I think it’s important that people who prefer to watch with their children can do so without feeling like the show is insulting their intelligence.

And finally, I wanted to include a variety of anime that wouldn’t appeal to only one demographic.

There’s often a big difference between what a 7-year old will love and what a 12-year old will, and of course whether a series will attract mainly boys or girls. Needless to say, this can be tricky since most anime tends to target a particular audience; that’s simply how the medium is marketed.

However, I’ve tried to include a range of shows that are hopefully not exclusive of any particular age group or gender. (Note that I am deliberately leaving out films for this list – mostly because I feel that they generally receive a lot more mainstream attention than television series, while my aim is to cover titles that are less likely to be considered.)

Aria (2005-2008)

Spanning three seasons and a film, Aria is a science-fiction series (sort of) set on a terraformed Mars (now named Aqua) sometime in the 24th century. I say ‘sort of’ because while the setting does indeed categorise this anime as sci-fi, Aria is a utopian fantasy that focuses on nothing more serious than a young woman named Akari as she undergoes her training as an apprentice gondolier. Essentially, the setting is a version of Venice in which nothing truly bad ever happens, since there’s no villain to speak of and no evil in existence. What we have instead is some lovely artwork, a good-quality soundtrack, and a large cast of women who really, really like to row boats. And when you come right down to it it’s the characters that are most important in this series – their hopes and dreams, their friendships and rivalries, and their everyday life as gondoliers. Clearly this won’t keep the action-only fans entertained, but despite the tranquil pacing I think that many people will find this title to be surprisingly addictive.

Cardcaptor Sakura  1998-2000)

This is a magical-girl and CLAMP classic, and despite me classifying it as a children’s show, it’s actually one of my favourite anime of all time. The series follows Sakura and her adventures after she accidentally sets free a set of magical cards, which she is then charged with recollecting in order to stop an unknown catastrophe from befalling the world. The story sounds relatively simple and it is, although the sophistication with which it’s told means that there’s a lot here for adults to appreciate. There are hints of both male and female homosexual relationships, and many of the characters are far more complex than they appear, but nothing that I would consider unsuitable for kids (even if America/Canada apparently disagreed and censored the crap out of their version, Cardcaptors). In all honesty, I have yet to come across a more charming magical-girl anime.

Dragon Ball (1986-1989)

I’d prefer to think of this show as being in no way related to its successor, Dragon Ball Z, because in all the important ways it really isn’t.

While the latter is a long-winded action/explosion-fest involving plenty of heavy grunting and staring contests, the former is a primarily an adventure series that follows Goku during his childhood years. The comedy aspects of the series are actually funny for the most part, and while there’s a lot of good guy vs. evil villain in both shows, Dragon Ball’s focus is more about the people than random monsters or aliens, and thematically speaking has much more to do with friendship and journeying than fighting. It has its darker moments but usually remains light-hearted; even the uncut version, which features a few naughtier moments (i.e. Goku running around starkers, making comments about Bulma’s bust, etc.) is nothing particularly offensive. Overall, the anime has aged quite well and shouldn’t be overlooked just because of what came afterwards.

Princess Tutu (2002-2003)

Out of all the anime listed here, this one is the title I’d personally consider the most ‘adult’.

Not because of the violence (pretty much nonexistent), not because of any kind of sexuality (again, not the focus of the series at all), but because it’s a bit of a mind-trip. Nearly everything is a metaphor for something – it’s like a classic German fairy tale got mixed in with a less creepy version of Black Swan before being thrown into anime-form and then gleefully subverted by its creators. As a result, the story about a duck who was transformed into a young girl and attends a private ballet academy has numerous layers and can be looked at from any number of viewpoints. It’s a magical-girl series that uses dancing in place of fighting, yet it’s also an allegorical fantasy and a startlingly intense drama if you’re looking in the right places.

In other words, it’s perfect for all age groups, and is one of the most intelligent children’s anime I’ve seen to date.

Stellvia of the Universe (2003)

An easily digestible but relatively serious science-fiction series, Stellvia mostly takes place in the year 2356 AD, where our heroine Shima has newly joined a space academy.

While naturally this later involves saving the world a couple of times, much of the story is about Shima herself as she acquires new skills and grows as a person, and about her relationships with and between her circle of friends. There’s a little here for everyone I think, since the more standard fare you’d expect to find in a sci-fi anime set in space such as mecha are combined with a healthy dose of drama, romance, and coming-of-age themes. The animation is solid as well, making Stellvia a good visual experience, particularly for those not already familiar with the anime medium.

Some other anime you may like to consider: Usagi Drop (2011), Natsume Yuujinchou (2008-2012), and Black Jack (2004-2006). Usagi Drop is actually an anime designed for adult women, but it’s absolutely gorgeous – the only reason I didn’t add it to the above list is because I feel that many children might become a little bored with a more dialogue-heavy and introspective show like this. Natsume Yuujinchou, like Usagi Drop, is heavy on the introspective moments, and while there’s nothing at all graphic about the show, some of the supernatural beings that feature in each episode could potentially be a little scary for the youngest viewers. And finally, I’m a little unsure of Black Jack because although I’ve watched the OVA, I’ve never seen the series. I enjoyed the OVA very much but since it’s the series that’s the family-friendly version of the two, I can’t give it a recommendation based on my own experience. That said, I absolutely think it’s worth investigating.

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