Family-friendly animes

[SeijiSensei]

Nodame Cantabile might be a good choice. You can watch the first season with English dubbing at Crackle. There are also fansub torrents that include the two sequels.

For a fun, but fluffier, romantic series, give Kamisama Hajimemashita a try.

[oompa loompa]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Nodame Cantabile might be a good choice. You can watch the first season with English dubbing at Crackle. There are also fansub torrents that include the two sequels.

For a fun, but fluffier, romantic series, give Kamisama Hajimemashita a try.

I haven't seen the show in a while, but I don't think Nodame Cantabile is really for kids (as fantastic a show as it is.. made me cry like a baby for dropping playing music). I can't remember exactly, but there were enough 'adult' interactions, and the issues the show deals with are complicated. Wasn't it one of the great(er) Noitamina shows?

To the OP, if the kids-friendly constraint is not important, then definitely, Nodame Cantabile is a show you should watch.

Though really, for romance (especially if its a show aimed at kids) I always thought Inu Yasha was great, especially when I was a kid. And it goes on for hundreds and hundreds of episodes, so you really get a feeling of closeness between the characters. Maybe you should try and float the idea to your mom again.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by oompa loompa

I haven't seen the show in a while, but I don't think Nodame Cantabile is really for kids (as fantastic a show as it is.. made me cry like a baby for dropping playing music). I can't remember exactly, but there were enough 'adult' interactions, and the issues the show deals with are complicated. Wasn't it one of the great(er) Noitamina shows?

This was a response to the request for shows that the OP and mom can watch together. I can perhaps see the material concerning Streseman and his penchant for geisha clubs as fitting your concerns, and some characters do drink heavily from time to time. Chiaki also smokes, moderately. Nodame is not appropriate for the 10-12 boys (they would likely be bored unless they are musicians), but it could enchant the mother and the OP.

Yumiero, I almost always make the point in threads like this that parents must take some responsibility and pre-screen shows. Even a show that targets young people like Kemono no Sou-ja Erin has some difficult material (e.g., episode six) which might easily frighten or otherwise upset some kids. Most times I watched anime with my daughter, or let her watch shows on her own that I had already viewed. Watching together with a parent is pretty important when dealing with difficult moments like that. Since your mom enjoys anime as well, that should be easier to do.

[kitten320]

From the ones I mentioned:

Bakuman

Chihayafuru - slight hints but not much

Hyouka - slightly bigger hints

Shugo Chara!

Bakuman would be the strongest one probably with Shugo Chara as second.

[synaesthetic]

Summer Wars is good for being family-friendly and yes, it does have a bit of romance. It's also a good movie to watch in general.

The other work from the same director, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, is also excellent.

The idea that small children cannot understand complex concepts is a silly one. If you take the time to explain things to them you'd be surprised how much they understand.

[kitten320]

Talking about movies... Spirited Away and Howl's castle could be good ones. Both have hints of romance from what I remember.

[SeijiSensei]

There really isn't much romance in Spirited Away. Howl has more, though I much prefer Mononoke Hime to either of these films. It has more romance as well.

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

Summer Wars is good for being family-friendly and yes, it does have a bit of romance. It's also a good movie to watch in general.

I really liked the main couple in that movie. Neither of them are especially shy, even the nerdy boy. The scene with the two of them talking with her grandmother about their relationship was hilarious. The grandmother might be my favorite character in the film, though I do have a soft spot for the aunt who is a Matsuzaka Daisuke fan:

Too bad he never lived up to his hype after he came to Boston.

[Sackett]

Originally Posted by Yumeiro

Wow that's a lot, is there any of those anime has a little bit of romance? My mom and me are crazy for those!

Thanks Everyone!

Definitely Cross Game then. Adachi is famous for his baseball romances.

[kitten320]

In all honesty, romance in Summer wars was the most forced one I have ever seen.

It made no sense to me at all. They barely ever talked in the movie and none of it was even close to romance level.

But then again, I didn't like the movie either. Personally found it boring.

[Leo_Otaku]

Tiny Snow fairy sugar, ojamajo doremi , Unico, Azukin Chacha and Kodomo no Omocha.

I still remember when my mother showed me and my brother the Watership Down movie when we were around 8 or so XD. Who does that? More violent than most "cartoons" I can think of. You know rabbits killing other rabbits, dying and getting killed a perfect movie for children! I love that book and the movie now, as a kid not so much.

[synaesthetic]

They didn't really need to talk much--they were already decently close friends by the time the movie started. I mean, you don't ask some random stranger to pretend to be your fiance, amirite?

I felt it evolved pretty naturally, especially given their personalities and the way the family took to him after he started displaying significant Awesomeness by Analysis.

[GDiddy]

Originally Posted by Yumeiro

Wow that's a lot, is there any of those anime has a little bit of romance? My mom and me are crazy for those!

Thanks Everyone!

Mom and you might like Uta-no-Prince Sama then....(both seasons).

It's basically a romantic comedy as all of the main cast vies for the female MC. Goofy and campy but pretty inoffensive.

if you had little sisters, they would like it, but your brothers would be bored out of their heads.

[Yumeiro]

You guys rock!! Thanks for understanding! My mom and I are really close, and watching movies, soap operas, and anime are our bonding time!

Thank you guys so much for replying.

[starlol]

Try hataraku maou sama! too

[SeijiSensei]

I have two more suggestions for you and your mother, Yumiero, though both of them are available only in fansubs or on illegal streaming sites. One of these is Hataraki Man, a story about a 28-yo single woman working as an editor for a Japanese weekly magazine. The other is an anthology series called Otona Joshi no Anime Time. So far there are four of these; they all focus on women between 25 and 40.

To find torrents for Hataraki Man, do a Google search for "hataraki man arienai". For Otona Joshi, the first three episodes are here; the fourth is here. These are rather quirky stories, not mainstream romances.

[Yumeiro]

Thanks for the replies! I just downloaded the Girl who leapt thorough time. I haven't watched it thought, but it seems easier to download a movie than a whole anime series. Can anyone suggest movies that is clean romance? I already had watch Studio Ghibli films though..


Arigatou!

[synaesthetic]

Watch 5 centimeters per second if you want to cry.

Actually, pretty much anything by Makoto Shinkai will do this to you.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

Watch 5 centimeters per second if you want to cry.

Actually, pretty much anything by Makoto Shinkai will do this to you.

Yep, the other good one is The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Mostly romance, but it also has this evocative futuristic setting that I really dug.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Yumeiro

Can anyone suggest movies that is clean romance?

How about Millennium Actress?

Originally Posted by Amazon description by Charles Solomon with name corrections

After nearly 30 years of living in strict seclusion, the aged film star Chiyoko Fujiwara grants an interview to journalist Genya Tachibana. As their conversation begins, Kon intercuts scenes from Chiyoko's films with her memories of pursuing the mysterious artist she met as a young girl. Accompanied by his blasé cameraman, Tachibana finds himself within Chiyoko's memories and films, alternately observing and aiding the woman he adores. Kon's skillful direction and subtle use of color strengthen the intriguing story: Chiyoko's memories are rendered in shades of gray, with hints of muted color highlighting the overall composition. American viewers will find their appreciation of this shimmering, spiral narrative deepens with repeated viewings.

Spoiler for warning:

Not a happily-ever-after story, though.

For a more contemporary story, Summer Wars has a bit of romance with adolescent main characters. I'm a bigger fan of the extended family sequences myself.

[sayde]

Hyouka - A disinterested student who has a natural talent for solving mysteries gets reluctantly caught up with a girl and a couple friends into solving mysteries. I don't remember the anime being very suggestive in any way. Though its been awhile since I've seen it. It can be funny, dramatic, and interesting at times. It's also got some slight romance spliced into it.

I'll also second K-ON. That's without a doubt as safe as you can get, though there's no romance at all from what I can remember.

If you wanna give a romcom a chance, I'd suggest Lovely Complex. The exaggerated facial expressions and overreactions the show constantly utilizes might be funny enough (IMO) to keep the attention of little kids, but the romantic plot could be more appreciated by the older viewers among you. I also don't recall it being echhi. It's just supposed to be a very light hearted romcom.