Family-friendly, interesting anime?

[TamarB]

Well, I've been looking for some really good, interesting anime for a while now. Sci-fi, action and fantasy are great. Romance is uninteresting, but fine as long as the entire plot doesn't revolve around it and nothing else.

Here's the catch - I want something I can share with my family. It needs to be PG max. We've already seen Sailor Moon, but it had a pretty heavy scattering of dirty jokes and nudity (at least in the original version), and we'd also like something a little more on the sophisticated side. Do you have any recommendations?

 

[Rei]

I would recommend Cardcaptor Sakura. It is a magical girl anime. It has a lot of action and some romance but it has a very good storyline to it.

Pita-ten is also very cute - but it is hard to get a hold of in DVD form. I only own a cheap knockoff of it - not even sure if it has been officially released in the USA or not...

Also, as previously mentioned, the Studio Ghibli films are quite good and most are family friendly. They aren't 'dirty' or anything as such, but some have mature themes - e.g. Grave of the Fireflies is a story about a brother and a sister in Japan in WWII so you can imagine the content of the film. Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, Ponyo and Howl's Moving Castle are excellent for a family ^^


Also, just to note, I wouldn't recommend Azumanga Daioh just because its dirty joke content is much more than that of Sailor Moon... I would know because I am a religious fan of both series. (e.g. there is a 'paedophile teacher' next door who watches the main girl characters while they're swimming and there are lots of jokes about breasts and what not - it is very very funny... but not for children)

 

[shadowfoxza]

Starship Operators - short space-opera type - 13 eps, but it has a very compelling storyline, some good action sequences - and it isn't as far out as is typically the case with sci-fi series.

DNAngel - romance and fantasy elements - the romance is kinda central to the plot, but it doesn't dominate it.

Kanon & Clannad - Dramas - heavy on the emotional elements - might just end up making you cry if you're not careful

Full Moon wo Sagashite - I loved this anime - about a girl with terminal cancer who reaches for her dream of becoming a singer - fantasy elements in this one as well - and it has an awesome soundtrack - definitely a family number.

School Rumble & Azumanga Daioh - Both are slice-of-life comedies - School Rumble has a romance element only in as much as it makes fun of school romance anime. Azumanga Daioh is funny, witty, and devoid of romance. Another one that falls into the same category as Azu is Lucky Star.

Hope something in that list helps But there are tons of anime out there that might fit your requirements.

 

[jimwhiskey69]

inuyasha, naruto , spirited away movie, howls moving castle another movie but really good family movies ,