Good, unoffensive anime for women

[Flower]

Fifth'ing of twenty seven'ing or whatever the following:

Saiunkoku Monogatari
Twelve Kingdoms
Kemono no Soujo Erin
Ghibli movies in general - hafta agree with Haak that Only Yesterday is also my fave Ghibli movie....

[cabbagefox]

Originally Posted by Haak

You might prefer Studio Ghibli films. My favourite is Only Yesterday.

I've seen most of Miyazaki's stuff in various Japanese classes over the course of my education. I agree that they're nice ^^

Originally Posted by MUAHAHAHAHAHA

Hoho, Saiunkoku Monogatari is exactly what you are looking for. Very little ecchi stuff, and the primary protagonist is the first female government officer in ancient Saiunkoku (looks like China to me). She wants to be an officer, but meets many challenges. There are 3 seasons, each season being 39 episodes long. It has got drama, humour, romance, friendship, etc,etc, but more importantly, we could see how Shuurei grows to become a competent officer, in an era where female officers are looked down and males dominated. This show is perfect for a feminist (coming from a fellow feminist).

Sounds good I like the premise.

Originally Posted by Kirarakim

I think Air is the exact opposite of what the OP is looking for


Anyways I strongly second recommendations for Saiunkoku and Twelve Kingdoms both have excellent female leads.

As for my own recommendations I am going to say Princess Tutu, again great female characters, a fantastic story, and one with beautiful music.

I will also recommend Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. For me it has the most rounded cast of great characters of all ages from both genders.

Finally give Natsume Yuujinchou a chance, a great male lead but the all the female characters are treated with respect and it's a really heart warming series.


Only Yesterday and all the Ghibli films are in fact great film recommendations as mentioned below. As for a non-Ghibli films I also recommend The Girl Who Leapt Through Time & Millennium Actress

I've seen some of Air I think,, back when it streamed on Winamp. Yeah, not my cup of tea.

Originally Posted by Eragon

Going to second Saiunkoku Monogatari, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Ergo Proxy, Clannad and Nodame Cantabile.

I would really like to recommend Berserk but I don't think you will be able to stand the last episode.

Apart from that............Blood+, Durarara, RomeoXJuliet.

Now, if you want prim proper ladies then watch Maria Watches Over Us

I've actually watched like half of Berserk over the past twoish years, lol. One of my friends owns it and we occasionally pop it in, but I always feel bad because they've seen it before. It's OK but I was never really motivated to acquire it myself, mainly because I only started watching TV again recently after I got a tablet I can put on the treadmill. Now you've got me curious about the ending though :P

By the way, I don't see why you're apologizing for being "kind of a feminist." I suspect many of us here would put ourselves in that category.

Sadly, it offends a lot of people -__- I wasn't sure what kind of forum this was but some are very antagonistic towards women. It wasn't really an apology, just a disclaimer basically.

Again, thank you all for your advice. I don't have time to reply to everyone atm but I'll definitely check all these series out!

[jedinat]

Originally Posted by cabbagefox

Sadly, it offends a lot of people -__- I wasn't sure what kind of forum this was but some are very antagonistic towards women. It wasn't really an apology, just a disclaimer basically.

I doubt many forums are antagonistic towards women, lol. Maybe antagonistic towards a feminist agenda.

[Random32]

Male dominant communities tend to be misogynistic without realizing it.

A lot of people have suggested CLANNAD, its one of my favorites, but I don't think it meets OP's requirements and suggest AGAINST it. I would say its the most likely of the KEY/KyoAni works to be okay with you, but it still is based on a romance visual novel and that shows through for the first 3/4 of the series.

And a new suggestion, K-On!. You might find it offensive, but there is a decent chance you might not.
It's a moe show, but it has a 30% female fanbase which is a huge percentage for a late night anime, and its being re-aired by Disney channel Japan. Might be worth a shot. Especially K-On!! (with 2 exclamation points) since it was made knowing a large number of viewers were girls.

[Eragon]

^ I find it funny that you would recommend against something which has actual plot and rather recommend something that's clearly in stark contrast to the OP's requirements.

Just because K-ON has a female fanbase doesn't mean the show was created to be that way.

[Kotohono]

Originally Posted by Random32

Male dominant communities tend to be misogynistic without realizing it.

A lot of people have suggested CLANNAD, its one of my favorites, but I don't think it meets OP's requirements and suggest AGAINST it. I would say its the most likely of the KEY/KyoAni works to be okay with you, but it still is based on a romance visual novel and that shows through for the first 3/4 of the series.

And a new suggestion, K-On!. You might find it offensive, but there is a decent chance you might not.
It's a moe show, but it has a 30% female fanbase which is a huge percentage for a late night anime, and its being re-aired by Disney channel Japan. Might be worth a shot. Especially K-On!! (with 2 exclamation points) since it was made knowing a large number of viewers were girls.

In which way, I don't think it's a great suggestion for it is decent, but it's Romance/SoL with some fantasy elements that I would argue generally isn't really dropping in pure just moe range, and it isn't ecchi and fits their requirements beside genre.

And despite the female fanbase K-On! is much heavier in Moe and Ecchi range than Clannad(and I liked both) and is purely SoL unlike Clannad, imo.

[Archon_Wing]

My top pick is Kemono no Souja Erin.

Another one that is good is Wandering Son that takes its gender issues seriously and doesn't throw anything insulting at you.

[Last Sinner]

12 Kingdoms - High school girl is transported into a 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' like world. Turns out she is marked to be a ruler of one of the realms and bring peace to a war-striken world. Fantasy - definitely. Mature - definitely. Think this is one you would like.

Asatte no Houkou/Living For The Day After Tomorrow - An adult woman and a pre-teen girl have their ages swapped. They cope with it in intriguing ways that are handled an a more matrure way than one usually sees in anime.

Aria - You did say you weren't into SoL that much. But since you like fantasy, I think you'd find the concept of Mars being terraformed into Aqua, an oceanic planet with Venice-style cities and female-run gondolier services to be interesting. If you can handle the fact it's slow, you'll have a ball.

Brother Dear Brother/Onii-sama e - About the turbulent life of several females in a prestigious all-girls school. Looks at class issues, revenge, coming of age, love (in a more mature sense, not the typical shounen or shoujo stuff) and other issues. From one of the mothers of shoujo/josei, Riyoko Ikeda.

Crest of the Stars - Space, except there are space elves. And Lafiel is the type of female that is hard not to admire because she exemplifies what is good about them with tact and an amusing approach to it all and life in general. Not your typical space show. If you want something deeper with a female that is rarely seen, watch this.

Haibane Renmei - A version of purgatory where people are reborn as a variant of angels in a rustic settic and tackles the notion of raison d'etre and other aspects of life.

Kino's Journey - Girl travels around countries on a talking motorcycle. These countries have some very bizzare issues/scenarios that make you think 'For all that's wrong with reality, at least it's not like this.' With a 'survival of the fittest' belief system and an exploration of the concept 'This world is not beautiful - therefore it is', it's one to give a great deal of thought about life and what we take for granted sometimes. Kino is a fairly unique type of female character - some of the choices she makes will surprise/shock you.

Mushishi - Rustic somewhat fantasy-like world where Mushi - microbial organisms - have a very profound effect on those living around them. Through the journey of Ginko, a person who posseses the rare knowledge on how they work and how to handle what they cause, you'll see some heartwarming tales, some utterly heartbreaking ones and some in between.

Noein - Mature sci-fi with a variety of mature themes. But definitely not your average sci-fi by any stretch of the imagination.

Rose of Versailles - One of the very first titles created by women for women. About a female soldier in the French Revolution and her struggles with gender issues, the imminent political/social issues, love and Marie Antionette. This was from the 70s but since you said you liked older material too, I do recommend it. Ikeda's major title.

Slayers - Pretty much the best Japanese take on fantasy ever. And it has Lina Inverse. Aka one of the spunkiest feministas ever to hit the screen. It is somewhat wacky but since you like fantasy and female characters, please try this one.

The Tatami Galaxy - Groundhog Day-like scenario where the male protagonist makes different choices on how to live his universtiy life each time, with differing results but having similar outcomes. Very adult take on it, very different art style, mature/admirable/intriguing adult characters aplenty and no kids whatsoever. Most unique title I've seen in a long time.

[Kirarakim]

Originally Posted by Eragon

^ I find it funny that you would recommend against something which has actual plot and rather recommend something that's clearly in stark contrast to the OP's requirements.

Just because K-ON has a female fanbase doesn't mean the show was created to be that way.

Not sure about K-ON but I think a lot of guys on here might not realize that some women (myself included) might not like the representation of women in Key series. (and perhaps some men too, I shouldn't stereotype)

That being said Clannad doesn't sound as bad to me as the other ones but it wouldn't be the first thing I would recommend based on the OP's requirements.

[Sackett]

Clannad isn't a bad choice, especially After Story. Although it is primarily a story of a boy becoming a man. Some people feel the main heroine is too childish/weak/passive, but personally I think Nagisa is just a more traditional feminine character whose strength is there, but in a quiet background sort of way. Very Yamato Nadashiko.

I tend to prefer more assertive female characters myself, but I think Nagisa gets a bad rap when people label her weak.

K-On! isn't a bad choice either. It's not ecchi (a couple off color gags at most- I mean this is literally playing on the Disney Japan channel). It's mainly a nostalgic look back at highschool and being in an all girl band together. I know a feminist who loved it. ( Of course she does play the bass so...) I think it depends on how much you like nostalgia.

I don't think either are what the OP is looking for. But I wouldn't recommend against them either.

[Proto]

Oh yeah, forgot Kemono no Souja Erin. Excellent series altogether about another strong female protagonist. Seirei no Moribito also fits the bill as previously mentioned.

[0utf0xZer0]

Been lurking this thread because I do have some interest in how women see various anime trends, but given my experience analyzing moe shows I feel I should chime in on the K-On/Clannad/Air debate.

First, let’s be honest: all we know about the OP right now in regards to her thoughts on moe is she doesn’t like female characters who come across closer to Pokemon than real people. Which I get because I as a moe fan have a limited tolerance for the type. However, for me personally, none of the characters in K-On cross that threshold, even the childish and airheaded ones.

Would I recommend it to her? Eh, not sure. The show is cute, funny, and fun… but being a straight slice of life it’s not really the OP’s cup of tea, and I think she’d get annoyed with the excessive emphasis on the girl’s personality quirks in season 1 (season 2 is better in that regard).

She wouldn’t like the TV version of Air. Too much pokemon-girl syndrome. The movie version probably wouldn’t fit the bill either for various reasons but I think she’s have less issues with it, as the movie version of Misuzu is far more credible as a teenage girl who happens to be a bit innocent and childish.

In regards to Clannad, Nagisa is very traditionally feminine and a bit childish, but doesn’t suffer from Pokemon-girl syndrome like her predecessors. I don’t think Kotomi suffers from it either for the most part, despite being eccentric and a little childish. Fuko, however, has a bad case of it. Whom you may recall is a very prominent character early on.

(For reference, I think that Kyoto’s adaptations of Key’s work might amplify whatever “Pokemon Girl Syndrome” the original characters had. I get the impression Key’s approach is to start it’s girls with a bad case of PGS - childish personality + excessive quirks – then gradually humanizes them as the player gets to know them better. The anime has a lot less time to let that process work and I suspect the original games are more effective in this regard.)
Realistically though, even among cute and/or romantic shows there are better recommendations that can be made for the OP given her preference for fantasy over SoL - I second Madoka Magica, Otome Youkai Zakuro, and Spice and Wolf.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

By the way, I don't see why you're apologizing for being "kind of a feminist." I suspect many of us here would put ourselves in that category.

I’m wondering if there’s a generation gap here… I know very few people my age I know are comfortable identifying as feminists. I think that’s because some of the more established feminist positions are established to the extent that none of us reallyy thinks of themselves as feminist just for having them, and hence the word feminist becomes associated with a more radical agenda with much narrower support.

Also, personally, my positions on various feminist issues are so all over the place I wouldn’t know what to call myself.

[kitten320]

Hate when females are looked down on to so here is what I recommend:
Angel Beats
Baccano! - males are stronger but females are not whimps
Bamboo Blade
Claymore
D. Gray Man - not so many female characters but most of them are good. It also has one of rare female characters who is a cry baby but an entertaining and useful.
Dennou Coil
Full Metal Panic
Fullmetal Alchemist
Ga - Rei Zero
Mai HiME
Madoka Magica
Mirai Nikki - though main heroine was my least favorite
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
Senjou no Valkyria: Gallian Chronicles
Soul Eater

[Darthtabby]

I'll second Mai-HiME, assuming we're talking the anime and not the alternate universe manga. The show has some fan service and ecchi hijinks and it takes a long time to get to the meat of it's storyline, but Mai Tokiha is an exceptionally strong and well developed female lead. Plus it's my all time favorite series and I'll recommend it just about any time I can find a good reason to do so. :lol:

[EroBotan]

I support:

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (it's made by Urobuchi Sensei)
Shoujo Kakumei Utena (legendary yuri anime)
Fate/Zero (it also made by Urobuchi Sensei)
Sengoku Basara (badass, totally badass!!!)
Heartcatch Precure (fluffy mahou shoujo with good action, deep story)

Read or Die (both OVA and TV series are highly recommended)
Dennou Coil (scifi, this one is underrated though, but if you like ghibli stuff and ghost in the shell. This one is a must!)

Usagi Drop is slice of life, but I think you should give it a chance. It's about a guy suddenly has to raise an underage girl, very touching

[creb]

All the following, I highly recommend, and none of them demean women or throw moe-blob at you incessantly. There are no panty shots, 12 year olds using kissing and drinking juice as allegories for sex and getting drunk, etc, etc.

Twin Spica - Girl dreams of becoming an astronaut.

Dennou Coil - Near future where the internet has brought augmented reality (think Google Goggles). Main characters are two girls investigating a virus.

R.O.D. the TV - Read or Die. Group of women who've adopted each other as family. Have power over paper in various ways. The dub is actually one of those rare older dubs that was good.

Nana - Coming of age story of two Nanas who meet on a train. One the girly girl who wants a husband blah blah, and the other....a budding rock star. One of the better Josei (entertainment for women) out there.

Red Garden - Four teenage girls find themselves in a strange afterlife, 'alive', but stuck in a brutal game of sorts. Wildly differing personalities and social strata involved.

Cat Shit One - Just because everyone loves rabbits killing terrorist camels.

Honey and Clover - Another classic slice of life/coming of age Josei anime centered around a bunch of art students as they struggle with school, love, and adulthood.

The Third - Oldschool adventure series starring a girl with a third eye, set in a dystopic future/other world where the masses of humanity are watched over by an elite ruling class. Another older anime that shockingly has a good dub.

Niea Under 7 - Young woman (or maybe teenager, it's always hard to tell in anime) is a dirt poor student living with a low-caste alien (oh, btw, it's the 21st century, and aliens live alongside humans now). Another slice-of-life.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - If you're a feminist without a sense of humor, you will hate this. If you're a feminist with a sense of humor, you will laugh your ass off (sometimes).

Flag - Female photographer embedded with the military in a warzone.

Turn A Gundam - Possibly the only Gundam series that I'd ever recommend to someone who didn't like big-robot anime. Set in a Victorian-era-like setting, it plays more like a steampunk adventure, then the usual over-the-top war-is-bad-but-we're-gonna-show-that-by-glorifying-violence schtick most Gundam series adhere to.

Planetes - Very realistic vision of the near-future and the state of space exploration. Another solid dub.

Time of Eve - A look at human-like androids, and their role in the near future of Japan. Comes as both an OVA and movie. The movie cuts some content, but has a better ending. So...watch both, but watch the movie if you're only watching one.

[cabbagefox]

Hey guys, just thanking you again for the recs ^_^ I recently watched Shoujo Kakumei Utena and loved it (even though I dislike the Akio character type). I also watched Escaflowne (which I downloaded because it was a 'classic') and it was so good that I'm now in sort of a post-amazing-anime funk and can't find anything comparable. Yeah it's pretty Shoujo but I thought that the romance between Van and Hitomi was adorable, and they both relied on each other for help so not much inequality.

DLing Nana now and I'll probably hit up Mai-Hime next because it comes so highly recommended.

[synaesthetic]

I'm a feminist but not a "feminist" in the typical colloquial definition (not a man-hater here) and a lesbian so I have a lot of your similar quirks, plus I get annoyed when het romances are treated with dignity while lesbian romances are played for laughs/scary/sexy.

I'd recommend this stuff--they have strong female characters and don't indulge in turning their women into pets with boobs:

Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Deconstructs the magical girl genre in all sorts of horrifying ways. Incredible score by Yuki Kajiura. Written by Gen Urobuch, who is awesome in every possible way.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha/Nanoha A's/Nanoha StrikerS
Similar to Madoka in that it's a deconstruction of the magical girl genre. Very different in its methodology. While Madoka basically is the Neon Genesis Evangelion of magical-girl shows, Nanoha is the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann of magical girl shows. It's epic, hot-blooded, the girls are powerful and capable and kick loads of ass.

Shion no Ou
A girl witnesses the murder of her parents as a child, which robs her of the ability to speak. Later, as a middle-school student, she works to become a kishi (professional shougi player) and also to find out what really happened to her parents. This show is one of my all-time favorites.

The Daughter of Twenty Faces
The daughter of a rich family is rescued from her money-hungry relatives by Twenty Faces, the phantom thief, in a post-WW2 alternate history filled with random 1950s-inspired sci-fi creations. Lots of fun, relatively unloved and will probably never get streamed/dubbed. I don't know how healthy the torrent is but I can seed if need be.

Canaan: 428 the Animation
Uh, Nasu-stuff. It's confusing. About a biological weapon, terrorists and a super-powered female gunfighter called "Canaan." If I had to describe the series I'd describe it as "yuri without actual yuri that goes unresolved at the end, and badass women fight with guns over a biological weapon."

Kara no Kyoukai
More Nasu-stuff, and more confusing, but in the Tsukihime/Fate universe, so it's grounded in a strong modern-fantasy setting. Shiki, the female lead, has a special ability, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception--she can see the lines of "death" in any object and cut them, giving her the power to destroy anything, even the gods. Lots of fantastic battles with magic, super-powers and another amazing score by Yuki Kajiura. The visuals are stunning--loads and loads of scenery porn.

Fate/Zero
Yet again more Nasu-stuff. The prequel to Fate stay/night, Fate/Zero tells the story of the fourth Grail War and follows Kiritsugu Emiya as he fights against the other Masters and Servants in the war. Hard to explain fully, it's best to watch it--preferably after watching or playing Fate stay/night, since it was written mostly with the expectation that you'll know a thing or two about the universe. Also written by Gen Urobuchi, and also has an incredible score by Yuki Kajiura.

Another
Psychological thriller/horror; the main character transfers to a new school, which has a dark secret--the class he's assigned to "invites death" and a curse kills students throughout the school year. In the hospital for his health issues, he meets a mysterious, doll-like girl named Mei, and together they seek to find a way to stop the curse before it kills even more. Art is fantastic and the show exudes quality.

Starship Operators
A starship crewed by recruits, funded by a TV network, filmed as a reality TV show. It's weird, but this show is great because it subverts a lot of the usual "space" tropes--the hardness is quite a bit more than your typical space opera. The main character is a strong woman with a brilliant strategic mind.

FLAG
A female photojournalist gets stuck in the middle of a war zone between the most "real" Real Robots I've ever seen in anime--this is about as realistic as humongous mecha ever get, and it's great. The artwork is good and the story is entertaining--it's just really, really, really, REALLY hard to find.

Wandering Son
One of the most realistic and respectful stories about transgendered characters and gender identity issues in the anime and manga world. It's a bit unrealistic still (things are way too easy for the main characters and they never face violence or death threats) but it's very respectful of its subject matter. Worth watching/reading.

[Kleo Scanti]

There is one series that people tend to overlook, which is El Cazador de la Bruja. It may not have the greatest plot ever, but the characters and relationships are amazing. There are not that many series where most of the major roles are played by women (and that are not a school comedy). Nadie, a bounty hunter, and Ellis, a mysterious young girl, travel together through South America. The more time they spend together, the more they open to each other and grow a very strong bond. They do run from bad guys and in search of a magical land, but it's really not what this series should be watched for. Oh, and the music for this anime was written by Kajiura Yuki which is always a bonus.

Other good choices would be Claymore, Mai-HiME (and Otome, if you like the characters), Read or Die, Sakura Wars. I'd also recommend you to try watching Aria the Animation, even though you're not into Slice-of-life. I know a guy who never watched anything but action series, and he fell in love with it.

[synaesthetic]

I think why nobody recommends El Cazador is because it sucked horribly. The narrative is all over the place, the story makes no sense, very few of the characters are likable and Ellis is exactly what the OP doesn't want--a "Pokemon" girl who acts all dumb/weird/quirky/unrealistically.