New to the Anime world

[Steel]

Now, I'm not necessarily new, but....I've grown up a lot and am not interested in anime that falls under the hentai, ecchi, or other sexual forms of entertainment and fanservice. I know the more popular ones (Shakugan no Shana, Gundam, FMA, DB, etc.) but I am curious about other anime that I could watch and share with my Christian friends. Blood and gore is okay, but I don't want nudity, inuendo, bouncing boobs everywhere you look, or any other sexual content....I guess an inuendo here and there is okay, but nothing excessive. Please help!

[jedinat]

Some of my favorite anime:
Juuni Kokki
Haibane Renmei
Trigun
Kamichu!

Those have none of the concerns you listed, though the shinto religious stuff in the last might bother your friends perhaps... (one translation stupidly translates kami as "God" with a capital G... where they should really just leave it kami with a translation note)

[SuzushinaYuriko]

Seconding Haibane Renmei. It's a beautiful and mainly slow-paced anime that explores its world and has a lot of themes that you and your friends would like.

If you want to start off with something classic, go with a Miyazaki film. My recommendation is Spirited Away.

For humor, there's Azumanga Daioh, Arakawa Under the Bridge, WORKING!!, Ouran High School Host Club, Kuragehime, Shinryaku! Ika Musume, and Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu.

For great action, there's Kara no Kyoukai, Black Lagoon (english dub preferred), CANAAN, Code Geass (with minimal fanservice), To Aru Majutsu no Index (which has some fanservice, yes, but its setting is excellent and is another take on science vs. religion)

For romance, there's ef - a tale of memories and it's second season ef - a tale of melodies, Nodame Cantabile, and Toradora!.

For a dark type, there's Jigoku Shoujo, Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed, Kuroshitsuji, and Shiki.

For a story of survival, there's Tokyo Magnitude 8.0.

For beautiful masterpieces that can't just fit into one category, there's the famous Key trio including CLANNAD and its second season CLANNAD ~After Story~, Kanon 2006, and AIR, with Angel Beats! following close behind. Other masterpieces include Dennou Coil, Baccano! (english dub preferred), Wolf's Rain, Higashi no Eden, and Durarara!!.

[Sackett]

I find Cross Game is the prefect one to introduce non-anime watching friends too.

Clannad might also work.

Crest of the Stars if you want more action and adventure.

[Steel]

*furiously writes down titles* Thanks guys! Keep 'em coming!

Another thing I'm doing is I'm starting Anime reviews on my website. It's a site for nerds who are into Role Playing, Anime, and just general nerding around. Feel free to come and check it out. It could always use new members, and I would love to have more anime nerds on there other than ONLY having myself, my girlfriend, and my webmaster. Check the signature for the site.

okay...so my signature doesn't seem to be working. If you're interested, send me a PM. And thanks for giving me some non-fanservice anime, I really appreciate it.

[TinyRedLeaf]

It seems redundant, but I'd strongly third Haibane Renmei, especially since you're looking for something to share with Christian friends. It's highly unusual among anime for its themes of dealing with guilt and sin, and of finding forgiveness and redemption — themes which would undoubtedly be familiar to Christian audiences, despite the show's Buddhist/Shinto-inspired philosophy.

Similarly heartfelt and thought-provoking anime include Kino no Tabi and Mushishi.

The former follows the journeys of Kino, an androgynous character who rides on a talking motorcyle called Hermes. Together, they visit different "countries" in a fictional world where people live according to vastly different moral and ethical systems. Through their travels, Kino and Hermes challenge the viewer to ask several questions about his or her own worldviews, and about why we believe in the things we do.

Mushishi, on the other hand, focuses on more subtle, elemental themes. The series revolves around the main character, Ginko, who has the ability to see "mushi", microscopic creatures that are the building blocks of all life, and which are frequently mistakenly perceived as supernatural phenomena. Ordinary people are affected by mushi in different, and sometimes malign, ways. They hire people like Ginko to help deal with the mushi when required. It is through such encounters that the series takes viewers through many human — sometimes happy, sometimes tragic — experiences.

[Urzu 7]

I second Ouran High Host Club, just beware of the "twincest" moments. There are twin characters that are two brothers (Hikaru and Kaoru) that make adoring fangirls squeal with behavior that suggests twincest, but it is just a ruse. It is meant to be seen as comedic, and never goes too far. If you think your friends will be fine with that (which I think they will), check out Ouran High Host Club. It is a great anime. One of my favorites. Very funny and a 'feel good' anime. It is like rated PG-13, if it were to have a U.S. rating. No nudity, some humor involving sexuality, but it isn't too bad with it, and again, it wouldn't warrant an R rating.

Well, I blabbed enough about those details. I highly suggest that one. I honestly have never read someone say they disliked that anime whenever I saw someone talk about it; just seen plenty of praise.

Check out Azumanga Daioh. Really cute, 'feel good' anime.

I also recommend Wolf's Rain (was mentioned already). Very good dramatic anime. It is interesting in its premise. Different from the typical anime.

Another series I recommend is the Full Metal Panic series. There is Full Metal Panic, Full Metal Panic: The Second Run, and Full Metal Panic Fumoffu, which is the comedy spin off. Suitable for ages 14 or 15 and up. Most of it is fine, but there is some violence in the first season, even more violence in TSR (some of it is rather graphic, but it doesn't show up all that often), and there is some risque material in the comedy spinoff, but none of those three seasons of the show are rated R.

Also, as mentioned, check out Haibane Renmei. I also recommend Last Exile.

Other series I recommend:

Scrapped Princess
Utawarerumono
Ah! My Goddess seasons 1 and 2 (this one is real light-hearted, 'feel good' anime)

If you watch Ah! My Goddess and like it, check out the movie. Also, for movies, Spirited Away was mentioned and that is a good one. Check out Princess Mononoke, very good film. I also recommend The Place Promised In Our Early Days. Superb animation in that film. All four are rated PG-13, I believe. None of them are rated R.

[Steel]

This is extremely helpful and I am very grateful. I will certainly be checking these out. Now, one thing they would like me to share is this: "It doesn't have to be thematically childish. It can have violence, gore, swearing, etc. We just don't want sex of any kind." They are familiar with the Devil May Cry series since the game was one of their favorites, and they really enjoyed that, so I guess gratuitous amounts of blood is fine with them.

I must say that I am thrilled I found this site, I feel like I belong here....I'm going to be using these suggestions to expand my very limited anime library. Again, thank you all for taking the time out to suggest such things to me.

[EnchantingPrincess]

Originally Posted by yukirosuzuka

If you want to start off with something classic, go with a Miyazaki film. My recommendation is Spirited Away.

For great action, there's Kara no Kyoukai, Black Lagoon (english dub preferred),Code Geass
For romance, there's ef - a tale of memories and it's second season ef - a tale of melodies, Nodame Cantabile, and Toradora!.

For a dark type, there's Jigoku Shoujo.Shiki.

^I also recommend these
here are some of my favorite anime
Shugo Chara
Soul Eater
Ballad of a Shinigami
Claymore
Inuyasha

[signorRossi]

I also recommend Mushishi, Kino no Tabi and the Miyazaki movies mentioned. I'll add Tokyo Godfathers for the 'fun', Lupin: Castle of Cagliostro for a 'great classic still great' and last but not least the last arc of Ayakashi: Japanese Horror Stories and the whole series of Mononoke for something 'different'.

[Hooves]

I second these

Shugo Chara
Soul Eater
Toradora
Otome Youkai Zakuro
Clannad
Angel Beats!
Code Geass

[SeijiSensei]

First, I'd suggest reading this thread at Amazon. It's a bit tendentious at times, but you'll find a number of series to watch.

That said, I don't think any of the shows in my signature would be viewed as offensive, save perhaps for Kure-nai which has

Spoiler for Kure-nai:

an incest theme.

and perhaps Welcome to the NHK!, which has ecchi themes even though it's not especially explicit.

Move your mouse over the images in my signature, and you'll see the shows to which they're linked in the status bar at the bottom of your browser.

I'll add House of Five Leaves and Cross Game to that list.

[Steel]

I appreciate the warnings on those particular anime, SeijiSensei. And that is a good point to bring up, is there any "borderline" or "fenceline" anime that I should be aware of? For instance, if there is a scene where it is suggested that something.....dirty....happens but is never actually shown?? Again, I really appreciate all the help you guys are offering.

[Sackett]

Kimi Ni Todoke is an extremely sweet and innocent romance. Rather girly though.

Maison Ikkoku is a really good romance. Only concern is the see-through nightie that is rather prominent in the first episode and then pops up occasionally before disappearing entirely from the 2nd season on till the end.

Big Windup is a good baseball show and a bromance

Full Metal Panic is a fun show. It has one pretty gratuitous panty shot in the first couple episodes. The Fumuffu season is would be clean except for two epsiodes when they shoot the fanservice through the roof, all while being very tongue in cheek about it- having a character ask why a certain prop is there, when it is obviously to provide some concealment. Because of this it's hard to find it as serious fanservice, and more like it's making fun of all the sexy scenes that are used to attract viewers.

K-On is actually pretty low on the fanservice, even in the first season. It's proven to be popular with girls as well as guys. Although it is rather fluffy. "Cute highschool girls decide to form a girl band and have a fun time doing silly things together" is about the entirety of the plot. Still, if you have any nostalgia for that time you tried to form a band with your friends, it's not a bad show.

Neon Genesis Evangelion might merit a special mention. It does have some nudity and such... but it is in no way fanservice or titillating. If you think it is then you're pretty messed up. Cause the nudity is all used very much in the true artistic sense- depicting humanness, inhuman nature, vulnerability, defenselessness. Not the kind of show you'd show to just anyone, but not really something to put on the black list either.

You already know about Fullmetal Alchemist, I'd just like to mention that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is one of the better ones with very low levels of fanservice.

Oh My Goddess is pretty clean. Unless a swimsuit competition in one episode really puts you off. And I guess Urd does really use a lot of inuendo, although that is mostly to show how innocent and pure Belldandy is.

Chrono Crusade has Rosette with thigh high slits in her skirt, but since she wears Victorian underwear there isn't much to see. More people might object to the complete bizarreness of the Japanese understanding of what Nuns do. (Apparently the Japanese think Nuns are Mikos.) But it's so over the top that most people can't take offense at it. (Really? A nun who hunts demons with a gun that shoots Holy Water bullets?)

[Kleo Scanti]

Aria is made of three seasons and an OVA of pureness. It's a very pleasant and relaxing anime, but not a story-driven one. I'd suggest you trying it and seeing for yourself if it suits to your taste.

From already mentioned series I'd like to second Ah! My Goddess! and Claymore.

Oh, and if you or your friends are very religious, I wouldn't recommend watching Kuroshitsuji. It's overall a good series, but some parts may look offensive. And there is plenty of fanservice in the second season.

[Steel]

I wouldn't say we are overly religious by any means. We know how to have a good time, it's just the whole objectification of the human body....well, makes us rather disgusted. I can't believe the response I've gotten, this is great stuff.

[Coruja]

Death Note. Moderately short series (37 episodes), very popular, good plot, good characters, good animation, no fanservice and most definitely no bouncing boobs. It's the series I show it to my friends when I want to convert them to anime watchers, and it always works. It's a good "starter" series, I suppose.

[Kleo Scanti]

Originally Posted by Steel

I wouldn't say we are overly religious by any means. We know how to have a good time, it's just the whole objectification of the human body....well, makes us rather disgusted. I can't believe the response I've gotten, this is great stuff.

Well, I said "if" because you mentioned Christianity, and that series operates with religious things in a very specific way. If fanservice is the only thing that bothers you, the first season of Kuroshitsuji is fine. And there is a character in the second season which is treated in quite an inappropriate way.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Steel

I wouldn't say we are overly religious by any means. We know how to have a good time, it's just the whole objectification of the human body....well, makes us rather disgusted. I can't believe the response I've gotten, this is great stuff.

Here are some issues for you to consider:

Portrayal of Christianity

In general, anime depicts Shinto and Buddhist traditions. Onmyōdō mysticism often appears as well. Events that make sense in those traditions can appear as "pagan" and irreligious to devout believers of other traditions.

Here's a good example, quoted from a posting in the Amazon thread above. It's a later posting from the OP who is trying to find some anime to share with her devout Christian family. They watch Full Metal Alchemist together which provokes this reaction:

One of the first things my step-father says when he sees a transmutation circle is, "oh, they're wiccans?" I tried explaining to him about the alchemy and usage/necessity of the circles in the show that it was "science," but he still said it was witchcraft; and you know what? The more I look at the circles I see that he has a point. The circles DO look like something a witch would use. I mean, you can't really blame him for thinking that, and it doesn't help that the brothers put THEIR OWN BLOOD in the mixture.

"Pagan" symbology like this appears all the time in anime. In Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, for instance, transmutation circles are the method of transport between worlds . That show also includes an appearance by Abe no Seimei, one of the most influential practitioners of Onmyōdō in Japanese history. He appears in a number of anime.

In many anime, Christianity is included to add a sense of the "exotic" for Japanese audiences. To me, Anno's use of Christian symbolism in Evangelion is largely superficial. As someone raised in a Christian tradition, I find it more laughable than insightful. However I can also see how the trivialization or, in some cases, demonization of Christianity could touch a nerve with some devout viewers. For instance, some Catholics might take offense at the portrayal of a nun in Chrono Crusade whose habit looks like this. (There's an interesting comment from the manga-ka on this subject quoted in this thread at ANN.)

If you're not offended by any of these aspects of anime, let's turn to the next and most obvious one...

Nudity, ecchi, sexual preference, and sexual activity

Some anime shows, more often comedies, base their appeal on the exploitation of "ecchi," sexualized scenes usually included for "fanservice." These range from panty shots to boys falling face-first into a girl's (usually oversized) breasts, to long, lingering shower scenes where water vapor strategically obscures nipples and pubic areas. From your original posting, I'd assume you don't want any of this. So if a show's genre is listed as "ecchi", you might want to take a deeper look into what it's about. There are certainly ecchi shows that I've enjoyed because they've been about more than titillation. Abenobashi is classified as ecchi at ANN, but it's also a fun and interesting show. It's not only about the "GAINAX bounce."

Nudity, however, appears often in anime. Bath scenes are pretty frequent with water levels usually high enough to obscure everything below the tops of the women's breasts. Full frontal nudity never appears in shows made for television. Japan censors the portrayal of all "private parts" even in "hentai" (pornographic) anime and manga. Full "rearward" (or whatever the term is) nudity is more common. Harima in School Rumble accidentally displays himself to a young lady for comic effect and to advance the plot. We view the scene from behind. I don't find any of this offensive myself, but your views may differ.

There's perhaps even more controversy about the more relaxed attitudes the Japanese appear to have concerning homosexuality. There are mainstream shows that depict homosexual relationships of both genders. The male genres are "shounen-ai," or "boys' love," or often just "BL". Mature homosexual stories are termed "yaoi." The ladies have "shoujo-ai" and "yuri". These shows don't fall into the category of hentai, since they typically don't depict homosexual acts. Often they're romances where both members of the couple are the same sex. Gravitation and Sasameki Koto are good examples.

Another controversial area concerns "lolicon" material; the term is derived from Nabokov's famous novel, Lolita. Female characters in anime are often portrayed visually as younger than their claimed ages. Since the age of consent in Japan is generally 16, a seventeen-year-old girl could be portrayed as legally having out-of-wedlock sex. Sometimes that girl looks like she's fourteen which raises the spectre of child sexual abuse. More generally, even when these young-looking characters aren't portrayed as having sex, they often drawn and animated in ways that accentuate their sexuality. Here's an example (starts around 3:00).

That said, I think there's a tendency to see lolicon in places where it doesn't exist. In Kure-nai, a sixteen-year-old boy becomes the guardian of a seven-year-old girl. There are some lovely scenes of them together in a public bath which have no sexual component at all. Rather it shows us how they're building a bond over simple events like getting shampoo in the girl's eyes. Some people view this as lolicon; I don't.

[jedinat]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Portrayal of Christianity
....

All that, found excessively in both anime and manga, bothered me for a while until I became desensitized to it I guess, lol. You find utterly ridiculous portrayals of heaven/hell/angels/demons. Like someone is presented with a list of some few Christian terms and definitions, a few pictures of angels and demons, and then set loose to create a fantasy setting with the information. They treat Christianity like it's Greek mythology or something... and use it as a "motif." And in the few instances where I've seen actual Christians portrayed... well, it's a very, very shallow and portrayal... but then that's not much different than what you see in American media I guess.