Most kawaii anime

[Raxial]

i liked gunslinger girl... although the killing made them a little less cute, but still

[aahhsin]

I found rizel from Rizelmine pretty cute

[Za Paper]

Earth Defender Mao-chan. Once you see Kikuichimonji III (sp?) on his little skis you will melt.

[Sakuba]

yumeria, ccs, Dacapo, To Heart, ai yori aoshi, chobits, are the best and most kawaii anime that i have ever seen

[animedudematt]

Call me stupid but what exactly does kawaii mean?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Sakuba

yumeria, ccs, Dacapo, To Heart, ai yori aoshi, chobits, are the best and most kawaii anime that i have ever seen

That's a very nice list - all very good suggestions.

Originally Posted by animedudematt

Call me stupid but what exactly does kawaii mean?

The closest English word to kawaii would be cute, and, in anime, is typially associated with child-like innocence, mannerisms and looks. kj1980's preferred Japanese word would be moe~, which is a newer word that's very similar in meaning.

(I hope I got that right - feel free to correct me anyone!)

[Hellychan]

All the cuties are in Bottle Fairy! ^__^

[momojigari]

gotta agree with the CHOBITS series.

[Melazoma]

Originally Posted by kj1980

"kawaii" is such a lame word....I suggest "moe~."

All the above mentioned titles are very "moe~" animes that are very "ha~ ha~"

....my head is dead right now...hm.

kj when you say "moe~" do you mean "もえ~" as in "萌え~"?
or some other Kanji configuration(bad, bad choice of word but oh well) for "もえ~"?

The only other one I came up with is 燃え as in burning which is...

Thanks

[OutPhase]

Anything with chibeis. Lots and lot of sugary too-cute-for-your-own-good.
(See Happy Lesson TV ending for more chibies at once then you can handle. There's 9 at once!)

Overall I have no idea (Azumanga Daioh is a suggestion.)

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Melazoma

kj when you say "moe~" do you mean "もえ~" as in "萌え~"?
or some other Kanji configuration(bad, bad choice of word but oh well) for "もえ~"?

The only other one I came up with is 燃え as in burning which is...

I knew I had seen the answer to this question on these boards somewhere before, and with a quick search I found it (actually it's two quotes)! I'm going to put the whole thing in spoiler tags, though, just so I don't interrupt the topic too much. (Don't read the spoiler unless you want to learn something!!! )

Spoiler for the definition of moe~:

There are apparently two definitions for "moe", and they can be used as puns.

Originally Posted by kj1980

The former "moe" is otaku terminology for "sprouting love for a cute character"
The latter "moe" is by definition, a verb to mean "to burn." It is also used as a adjective for anime fans to mean "to burn with excitement for something that is cool"

In this case, a "moe~" (former) anime would be Maburaho
where the "moe!" (latter) anime would be Gundam

(source)


And here's a definition of moe~ (the cute girl version), including it's origin.

Originally Posted by Illuminatedwax

Moe comes from the verb "moeru" which means "sprout" or "bud," as in a tree or plant. "moe" is used to refer to the attractiveness of a young girl just sprouting into womanhood, her innocence, etc, etc. Its real meaning is probably more subtle, but you get the idea. Perfect example of "moe" is Shinobu from Love Hina. Comic Party Revolution has a great translator's note on this.

(source)

A dictionary definition posted is also posted here.

Now you know! ("Today's lesson brought to you by..." Yeah, I was bored! )

[LoveHinaOtaku]

Kawaii eh..

Chobits, Digi Charat, Risky Safety, Ai Yori Aoshi (Aoi sama!!), Love Hina ( Only Shinobu lol, Shinobu Sama!!) Fruit Baskets (Tohru Honda and her lil pets of Soumas ^o^).. Not sure what else there is.. Nai..nai.. Nai!!! OMG I realized I don't own much cutey cutey anime.. how can my niece and nephew watch them.. noooo... Must get more..

[babbito2k]

Kawaii also means dear, darling (as adjectives), precious. It doesn't automatically translate to cute.

I don't think cute characters make a series cute. I think the whole story has to be light 'n' fluffy as well. Cute characters + fanservice = a certain fetish best not discussed in this thread. That leaves out Popotan or Chobits. Chibis alone aren't enough either.

Kokoro Library - yes, it really is cute. The manga is so sweet it will give you a toothache...

Di Gi Charat - not cute. Cute characters, yes, but also Abarenbou, the Hell Shop, Iron Leg Johnny trading cards, Bukkimi (so not cute), animal feces getting blown into Digiko's lunch...

Mahou Shoujo Neko Taruto - strange little fantasy with cats running around making mischief. Quite cute.

Risky Safety is very cute. A cute devil even.

Ocha-Ken - escaped notice in this thread so far... if Ocha-Ken isn't cute, nothing is...

Card Captor Sakura has a cute heroine, cute costumes, cute enemies, a cute mascot, a cute dad, cute classmates, cute school uniforms... I would say it qualifies.

Magical Angel Creamy Mami is cute.

[Melazoma]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I knew I had seen the answer to this question on these boards somewhere before, and with a quick search I found it (actually it's two quotes)! I'm going to put the whole thing in spoiler tags, though, just so I don't interrupt the topic too much. (Don't read the spoiler unless you want to learn something!!! )

Spoiler for the definition of moe~:

There are apparently two definitions for "moe", and they can be used as puns.
(source)


And here's a definition of moe~ (the cute girl version), including it's origin.
(source)

A dictionary definition posted is also posted here.

Now you know! ("Today's lesson brought to you by..." Yeah, I was bored! )

Thank you!! That is exactly what I'm looking for

So Moe~ in terms of a "harem-ish" anime/game/manga is 萌え--and I was just wondering what "sprouting" is doing in a phrase supposedly describing romance, it seem to fit better now post-explaination

[deedlit]

Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar is sooooooooo cute!! The colours are sweet too. And the settings are very cute. But nothing compares to the 3 little fairies. Waffo~~

[baka]

azumanga daioh and peace maker kurogane just for Ichimura Tetsunosuke

[Sethi]

I'll go with Chobits, it's the cutest show i saw that i can remember.

[Taboo]

I absolutely have to vote Fruits Basket. Every character in it needs a good pouncing for being so cute. Di Gi Charat was a little too sickeningly cute for my taste. Chobits was very cute with Chii and Sumomo. I have to say Ai Yori Aoshi too. My fav part of Aoi is the scene thats in my avatar at the moment. Too sweet!

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Taboo

I have to say Ai Yori Aoshi too. My fav part of Aoi is the scene thats in my avatar at the moment. Too sweet!

Yeah, that's a great scene, and very cute (great avatar!)! I'm not sure that I'd classify it as a "kawaii anime" overall, but it definitely had it's fair share of moments!

Overall, I think I agree with babbito2k - a "kawaii" anime is probably about more than just cute characters and cute moments. Deedlit mentioned Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar - I haven't actually watched the show yet, but it just looks like the epitomy of cuteness. Everything about it is cute! I also agree that CardCaptor Sakura should qualify - even the bad guys are cute!

[baka]

azumanga daioh not because they're will be probably 10000 who haven't seen shows on their own and choose this because its known but its my opinion and i saw it years ago so ^^