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”?
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…
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)
I think many people would consider erased, magi, and made in abyss to count for this meme.
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
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 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
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.
Thank you. Saved, as I know some of these are great, so might be others. (Going through top posts in my feed, hence late comment. )
Np
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
[Redacted]
Baccano
Deca-dence (I think)
Trigun
Akudama Drive
ACCA: 13 Territory Inspection Dept.
Fullmetal Alchemist
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
Thus concludes the exhaustive list of animes I watched where I didn’t have to put up with any sexualization of minors
If you only take one anime from this list, let it be Mushishi
I wish I’d seen Haibane Renmei by the time I initially made this list. Watch that too!
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.
Mushishi is honestly just beautiful, definitely one of my favorites.
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
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
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
Samurai champloo
Moomin
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.
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
Durarara!!
Now try and find that but not somehow linked to high school.
Easy: Legend of The Galactic Heroes.
I see the legendary Yang Wen-Li truly lives up to his strategical genius
Romantic Killer on Netflix. Sorry, I thought you meant linked to high school.Than I suggest Nana, Aggretsuko and Emma A Victorian Romance.
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.
Romantic killer was a lot of fun, but isn’t that about high school?
Anybody else mistake this subreddit for antimemes
I have a bunch of antimemes that I never share.
Me too, most of them in the “Selfie” album
Missed opportunity for Animememe
I’m subscribed to both and the names indeed look identical.
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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?
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.
If you like that one, Yona of the Dawn is my all time favorite. :)
Added to my list, thank you :-)
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.
So… every hentai?
I would say that NTR is quite unhealthy, and not every hentai exclusively has adult characters
Does ReLIFE fit the bill?
And if you want some fan service that fits these requirements and is still wholesome I give you Goldenboy.
Goldenboy is what got me into faces in anime. It’s also just gloriously perverted and hilarious and just really very heartwarming at the same time. The first time I saw it was about 20 years ago and I’m pretty sure it’s still in my top 5 favorite anime, however it is no longer the funniest - Asobi Asobase is the funniest fucking thing I have ever seen in my entire life and is gonna be hard to beat as my favorite anime in the future.
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.
“glorify unhealthy relationships” what does this even mean, western shows are full of this. The first one makes sense but most anime that have that are trash. Good ones are:
-monster
-ghost in a shell
-legend of the galactic heroes
-parasyte
-texhnolyze
-ergo proxy
etc…
Monoga-
Link click
They exist? Recommendations please
Legend of The Galactic Heroes. Either the OG or the remake (Die Neue These). Complex characters who hold totally different perspectives and philosophies trying to outthink each other in a giant galactic war.
Polar bear cafe was pretty good. Cat soup too, but that is only one short. Also I like the old ones like Devilman (1970s not reboot), Mazinger Z (ROCKETU PUNCH!), Galaxy Express 999, etc. The Batman Ninja thing (2018) was surprisingly good (and I’m sick of superheros!), man I know I have more but I’m blanking, I may come add more later.
Oh! Hare and Guu!
