Nerdy Bloggers | Y0uC4n7kn0w | Star & Luna

Hey everyone! I, Star, have decided to write a blog for all the parents who don’t have a CLUE what anime is. All you know, is its animation with big eyes, round faces, sparkles, with crazy weapons, weird creatures mostly in Japanese. I’m here to clean up the confusion and point parents in the right direction on anime that could relate to them and/or be appropriate for their children. Let’s get started!

To clear the air, Anime is pronounced, (aw-knee-may) or in American English (ah-knee-may). Its origin is Japan. But there is a longstanding argument about animation in the style of Anime and if that categorizes as Anime or not. Purists would say if it isn’t Japanese, it isn’t Anime. While more forward-thinking weebs would say Anime has been produced by multiple countries, like China, Korea and America. (Examples can be popular titles like Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel Korra, that came out in America.)

So Anime over the years has gotten its reputation from some of its absurdities. But not all Anime should be treated the same. For most Anime, there is a suggested rating for its audience. This should be taken at your own discretion but it often relates to the content of the Anime like language, drugs, alcohol, the complexity of plotlines, sexual content, blood, gore and action. Like most TV shows there are ratings and genres that relate to the interest of the viewers. In Japan, they have titles for specific age groups typically relating to sex or gender. Shonen, is for boys. Shoujo, is for girls. Seinen, is for adults. Then there are terms that seperate sexual orientation. Yaoi, which is sexual content between two men and Yuri, which is sexual content between two women. Boyslove is a step under Yaoi that focuses more on romance and Yuri which is the same concept but for women. It gets slightly more complicated with Bi-Shoujo and Bi-Shonen but it’s a part of anime culture that shouldn’t be ignored and also shouldn’t define the art either.

Anime is a different way of storytelling that favors all audiences, as a viewer you just need to learn what kind to look for. Below, I list recommendations using genres and it’s ratings:

Action

Spy X Family

(PG-13) Told from the eyes of a young telepath she is adopted by a spy who marries an assasin in a Mr. & Mrs. Smith like situation.

Drama

Princess Jellyfish

(PG-13) When a model meets a designer they become an unstoppable team.

Mystery

Shadow’s House

(PG-13) Immersed in a world where Shadows have souls and personalities just like humans, a young pairing discovers the secrets behind their strange world in efforts to keep their indiviuality.

Historical

Appare-Ranman

(PG-13) Based after the great coast-to-coast car race in the early 1900s a team from Japan builds friendships with teams all over the world.

Coming-of-age

Kotarou lives alone

(PG-13) Kotarou is a young boy who lives alone but becomes the heart of his community.

Adventure

Digimon Adventure 2020

(TV-12) This one almost needs no introduction but recently had a reboot in 2020 that changes the plot from the early 2000s.

Horror

Hozuki’s coolheadedness

(TV-14) This is a story about a Devil who’s job is to keep the shinto/buddhist hell running. It’s funny, colorful and quirky.

Sports

Angelic Layer

(PG-13) A cute story about a young girl who is discovering who she is while playing a popular new sport.

Fantasy

Little witch Academia

(G) About one young witch’s journey in her quest for magic.

Folklore

How to keep a mummy

(PG-13) A heartwarming story about a group of highschoolers who find themselves taking care of miniture creatures.

Musical

Healer Girl

(PG-13) In a world where choral music is a tool in the healing process like a scapel is to a surgery, three girls train to be certified healers. It’s filled with music and vibrant colors connecting music with healing.

Scifi

Gargantia on the verdurous planet

(PG-13) A story of two cultures coming together and an underlining message of how an enviroment can shape a community and vice versa.

Comedy

Kodomo no Omocha

(PG-13) An oldie but a goodie, kiddos can grow with the characters as they watch a young child star juggle family drama, celeberity life and school friendships.

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Although some of these ratings are PG-13 I have faith that children under the age of 10 would enjoy these beautiful stories. I hope this helped clear up misconceptions and give a more embrasive understanding of this foreign art. My advice… Watch it with them 😛

AishiteLOVEru,

Star