Recommendations Please recommend me what you consider good feminist or female friendly animes.

My favourite Examples:

• Ghibli Movies by Miyazaki
• Princess Knight
• The Rose of Versailles/Lady Oscar
• Sailor Moon (90s + Crystal S1 & S2 anime have problems)
• Revolutionary Girl Utena
• Princess Tutu
  
• The Twelve Kingdoms
• Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
• Claymore
• Boogiepop (Phantom + & Others)
• Land of the Lustrous
• Hakumei to Mikochi
• Shadow House

The Criteria:
No oversexualizations, child grooming or too much melodrama (over a man).
Doesn't have to be perfect fitting since every writing has its flaws and weaknesses.
It just has to be in a way 'progressive' enough.
I didn't mentioned Card Captor Sakura because this story has many weird romantic relationships that are just too messed up for my taste.
And please tell me your reasons why you like it.
Thanks!

 

Maybe something like:
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
BOFURI
Flying Witch
Yuru Camp
K-ON
Aria series & Amanchu (same mangaka)
Azumanga Daioh

Also, since you've mentioned Claymore, which means you don't mind Seinen ones, then maybe:
Youjo Senki
Black Lagoon
Jormungand
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

PS: the POV of both Lagoon & Jormungand may be from the male chara, but the real bad asses are the ladies of the series

 

I really like the altruism of Yuna in Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. Prefer the manga over the anime though. Feel kinda bothered about the MC unintentionally attracting a harem of little moe girls.

Appreciate that in BOFURI there are no dramatic high stakes, only people having lots of fun together in an online game world.

I had no idea that the Gundam Franchise finally features a female main protagonist. Since you watched it, how would you describe/rate this series?
Hoping that it doesn't have hidden or subtle misogyny like in Gunbuster or Dragon Pilot - Hisone and Masotan.

I know/grew up with Black Lagoon and Jormungand.
I agree these two series have a very masculine manly touch but the anti-heroines are crazy female badasses.
I stopped reading Black Lagoon because I don't want consume the dramatization/glorification of any mafias (made of ruthless mercerneries anymore + real life example Russia's Mercernery Group Wagner), the CIA AND I lost patient with the floating timeline/ongoing arcs of this fictional world.
And about Jormungand..... Sacrificing/Endangering about 700000 people/lives by deactivating all large electronic computer-operated devices, vehicles and transportations to end war and achieve world peace... decided by a white/fair skinned privileged elite arms dealer girlboss + daughter/heiress of a shipping magnate... Did not aged well for me. I am done with the myth of heroic billionaires or philanthropic filthy rich criminals.
The Saga of Tanya the Evil is definitively not my taste.

I think K-ON was inspired by the 2005 movie LINDA LINDA LINDA

Thanks for the recommendations!

 

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (early on, it's sometimes also called Suisei no Tanuki )
One could argue if Suletta (G-Witch main protagonist) is the first Gundam female pilot protagonist (in comparison w/ Christina McKenzie (0080: War in the Pocket) and/or Misa Satsukino (Gundam Breaker: Battlelogue)), but we'll be off the topic here
Score, I'd say 7-8 out of 10
Plot wise IMHO, it's pretty much Gundam ZZ plot (funny & all at the beginning, turn bloody later on) mixed w/ GBF (no blood, except S1 last ep), Utena (hence the first Gundam series w/ Yuri theme) & a bit of Meteor Garden

Spoiler

For the last ep of S1, I'll recommend not eating anything w/ tomato and/or chili sauce watching it. It's famous among the fandom as Suletta's "Mosquito Swat" and/or "Tomato Crush" (^^i)

In any case, here's Aerial Gundam first battle epic moments & the series 1st OP for you to enjoy

Spoiler

 

Bakuon! (Ever watch Top Gear show? Well this one is similar, except it's a girls motorcycle club)
Do It Yourself (girls club, making stuff like chairs, wall hooks, etc)
Kiddy Grade (not much known, my friend recommended it)
Moretsu Pirates (space pirates, though they're more into being hired for entertainment i/o serious pirating business)
Queen Emeraldas (spin-off/side-story of Captain Harlock)
Gunsmith Cats
Bakuretsu Tenshi
Bubblegum Crisis & Bubblegum Crash
Noir
Mai-HiME
Haifuri
Tokyo Mew Mew & Mermaid Melody (IMHO it's kinda like downgraded ver of Sailor Moon. Didn't watch entirely, lost interest somewhere)
Breakwater Club Diaries (girls fishing club)
Read or Die & Read or Dream (same franchise)
Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san
I Said Make My Abilities Average!
Kumo Desu ga, Nani Ka? (non-human FMC)
Girls und Panzer
Kancolle
SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online (alternate to SAO's Phantom Bullet arc w/ different writer & characters)
Little Witch Academia (all-female Hogwarts)
Maou-jou de Oyasumi (sleepy princess tried to sleep in the demon lord's castle, lots of hilarity due to her efforts to improve her sleeping conditions)
Joshikausei (played in silent movie/no talking way, similar to Mr. Bean)
Joshikausei no Mudazukai
JJBA 6th, Stone Ocean
Long Riders & Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu (girls cycling club)
Hanayamata
Blood+, Blood The Last Vampire & Blood-C (horror/supernatural & gore)
Cross Ange
Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo
Kaibutsu Oujo

 

Highspeed Étoile
Not sure of when this would be aired (no info yet both on myanimelist & ANN)
My 1st thought is Cyber Formula series

 

1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica - This magical girl anime deconstructs the genre and explores themes such as sacrifice, hope, and despair. The female characters are complex and the story subverts expectations.
   
   
2. Kill la Kill - This action anime has a strong female lead who fights against a corrupt school system. The show critiques objectification and the male gaze while also being fun and entertaining.
   
   
3. Michiko & Hatchin - This anime follows two women on a journey across a fictional South American country. It explores themes such as family, identity, and independence.
   
   
4. A Silent Voice - This movie explores themes such as bullying, redemption, and forgiveness. The female lead is deaf and the movie portrays her struggles and experiences with empathy and sensitivity.
   
   
5. Violet Evergarden - This anime follows a former child soldier who becomes a ghostwriter. The show explores themes such as trauma, healing, and empathy. The animation and soundtrack are also beautiful.
   

I hope you find these recommendations helpful!

 

Arte.
Ancient Magus Bride.
Earl and Fairy.
Maoyuu.
Snow White with the Red Hair.
Yona of the Dawn.

 

how about natsume book of friend? it's a very good female friendly anime, guarantee u will like it!

 

Thanks for the recommendations, but I already know them.
And there are some things that personally bothers me about these stories.

I get the impression that Puella Magi Madoka Magica has too many Sequels. When does this story actually end?

Yes, Kill La Kill is fun.
Fun fact: This anime was inspired by campy cheesy 80s Sukeban/Delinguent Girl Shows like Sukeban Deka, Gana no Asuka-gumi!, The Sailor Suit Alliance and Shoujo Commando Izumi.
Check out the youtube Videos of kenny lauderale

I really can't stand the deceptive playboy deadbeat despicable shit father of Hanna/Hatchin Hiroshi who is the focus of this story. Instead of actually raising/taking care of his little daughter after Michiko lets herself to be caught/taken by the police so they can escape, he bails in her and runs off with some woman at the end...

In A Silent Voice I hate that the bullied deaf girl Shoko develops feelings for her former bully/tormentor Shoya.
Other examples: HABA YORI DANGO/BOYS OVER FLOWER + KIMI NNO SEI (KIZUTO)/IT'S YOUR FAULT.
https://www.reddit.com/r/manga/comments/6veouj/manga_where_the_bullied_and_the_bully_fall_in_love/
And what really makes me mad is the fact that the cunt NAOKA UENO doesn't suffer any logical realistic consequences by anyone and by the narrative itself!
https://forum.novelupdates.com/blog...bully-bakugou-naoka-ueno-flash-thompson.7942/

In Violet Evergarden I wanna see someone like navy captain Dietfried Bougainvillea really suffer.

Thanks. Already read & watched these stories.
Even though I really like the mythology and world of The Ancient Magus' Bride, I still find the relationship between Chise and Elias Ainsworth very questionable.....
By the first look of it, an ancient old being buys a slave, frees her, makes her his magic student and grooms her to be his bride........
I find the concept of Maoyuu very interesting but it is male gazey (The Demon Queen Mao's boobs) and that more than one female character is in love with Hero/Yuusha.
I prefer THE TWELVE KINGDOM over Yona of the Dawn that has this melodrama conflict + logic.

The Earl and the Fairy + Snow White with the Red Hair are decent.

Natsume is nice but I dislike how Takashi Natsume is kinda too forgiving towards those who harmed him.
https://forum.novelupdates.com/thre...shing-shitty-people-that-wronged-them.162361/
His late grandmother Reiko Natsume is a very interesting and fascinating character.
She personally appeals to me more than the eponymous MC Natsume.

 

I don't watch anime anymore but I feel that my taste for girl-oriented works match the OP very well - I've watched most of the shows on that list and I love all of them! (Except for Moribito) So here goes:

Full Moon o Sagashite
It's a children's show about a young girl, but it's one with a lot of heart and it goes to a surprisingly dark place. It's about what one is willing to do to accomplish one's dreams, and about dealing with heartbreaking loss. This is also one of the most emotional shows I've ever watched. It's also sort of cool that the story is about singing and the protagonist's voice actor sings most of the songs in the show.

Brother, Dear Brother (aka Oniisama E)
This is old school shoujo that feels like it came out in the '70s. It's from the same mangaka who made "Rose of Versailles" and there are some pretty strong parallels between the two. It's another emotion story about the politics and cliques in high school and the associating drama. This show takes place in an all girl's school so there's no messiness with men in it.

Maria Watches Over Us
Another story that takes place in an all girl's school. It's another highly social story revolving around the student council and the relations they form with the younger students. Unlike the previous title, it's mostly a very laid back show, but there are the occasional moments of heightened drama. The relationships the heart of this story and they are very varied, without too much of the romance stuff to interfere.

Girls Und Panzer
I'm sneaking this one in here because I really like tanks! This is an absurd sports story about teenage girls fighting one another in World War II era tanks. It's just a bundle of fun that comes from the characters themselves, and the sheer energy of the action. Der Film is especially worth watching because it has some of the best shenanigans to be found in anime action.

SuperGALs!
This is a title that I doubt very many people have ever heard about. It's a girl-power story that has a lot of that Sailor Moon energy minus the super powers and fighting villains part. It's just a lot of fun and filled with positive messages.

Crest of the Stars (and Banner)
This is the one to watch for great world building. It's far into the future and the known galaxy is split into two major power blocs: the various nations of humanity and the unique nation of the Humankind Empire of Abh. The Abh are a people bioengineered by humans to be deep space explorers who broke off into independence. They are the stars of this story, and much of it is about how their society works and the kinds of conflict that arise from it.

 

What's wrong with Moribito?

Full Moon o Sagashite Manga is much better than the Anime.
The Anime Adaptation disappointed me but I really like the songs by Changin' My Life
The age gap between the 12 year old Mitsuki Kōyama and Takuto Kira is very questionable... Even considering Japan's age of consent!

Isn't Girls Und Panzer kinda Loli?

This is the first time I heard about Maria-sama ga Miteru.

Love the beautiful soundtrack and animation of Dear Brother (Oniisama E)
The story is melodramatic but also deep and genuinely emotional.
Kinda wished that the character Rei "Saint-Juste of the Flowers" Asaka had a more mature deeper androgynous voice in the anime.

Oniisama e...(Dear Brother) Original Soundtrack [Disc 1]

Oniisama e...(Dear Brother) Original Soundtrack [Disc 2]

 

It has a lack of friction that makes everything feel non real. What I mean by this is that everyone is entirely too reasonably to make the story believable. Just look at how quickly the king went from murder mode to eh, nevermind. I still like "Moribito", but it's not as strong as the other shows in your list.

I don't think of "Full Moon" as a romance. It's a story with vastly deeper feelings and the romance part is a minor sideshow in comparison. I think that the anime is a lot better partly because it feels more aimed at children and because it generates far stronger feelings than the manga does.

Not really. There are a bunch of character designs that can be considered as loli, but the fanservice is squarely about the tanks instead of pretty girls. The OVAs are a bit of a different story, but the show and Der Film are all tank all the time.

The official trailers are very revealing as to the kind of fanservice this franchise is interested in.

That's because I have the best taste.

More seriously, I'm a bit miffed when people recommend the same things over and over again so I like bringing up less common titles.

 

Now that you've mentioned it, specific characters in Moribito are kinda weirdly inconcistent and forgiving. The way they changed their attitude/mind so quickly towards somehow or something...

No Script is without its problems/weaknesses.

Yes, you truly have excellent taste.

Always hearing/seeing the same popular titles/stories all over again is very annoying.
I know exactly what you mean.

Would you say Maria Watches Over Us is a much happier version of Dear Brother?

 

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
BOFURI

 

Funny enough, "Moribito" is quite possibly the anime that got me into really examining what I liked and didn't like about a work. I watched the show when as it originally aired, and I thought it was quite good but I couldn't work up as much enthusiasm about it as other viewers seemed to. So I looked deeper into it and realized that it didn't have anything to do with the plot, which is what people were mostly talking about, but that it was about the conflicts and how they all missed a bit of pizazz to make them really good. The ending being man vs. squid was also pretty disappointing.

I've checked out books that people recommend from time to time, and it's shocking how bad some of them are. And it's not bad in the sense that they're not my kind of book, but bad in the sense that the writer can barely put together complete sentences. It's crazy how anyone thinks that stuff like that is worth recommending.

I see these two shows as trying to do very different things. "Oniisama E" is all about milking melodrama whereas melodrama is pretty rare in "Marimite". Most of the time it's really laid back to the point that it can feel like slice of life at times. Both stories are shoujo stories that take place in all-girls schools so they do share a bit of storytelling heritage but the similarities end there. Even the social dynamic is very different between these two.

 

If Ghibli made a REAL Feminist Film

@Stevem
Sources
The Clever Princess
https://wavemotioncannon.com/2017/0...sive-interview-with-director-sunao-katabuchi/
Katabuchi: Otomo-san wanted to make one long film with a single cut, but he didn’t know what kind of technique to use for that. I helped him to make that idea come true. At the time I was working on my own directorial work Princess Arete, but I thought I could still advise him for things like that, thinking that was a challenge for me as well, so I tried.
https://jmaf-promote.jp/en/animation/FeaturingStudios/STUDIO4C.html Princess Arete started because a female chief of an animation coloring company one day asked me that she wanted to create a movie from an original novel, The Clever Princess.
https://web.archive.org/web/20161124040023/
https://catalog.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/handle/2324/18365/p131.pdf
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ollieb...-in-this-corner-of-the-world/?sh=7a4a855f55a0
“In regards to working on Princess Arete, when I got into animation, I thought that I would be able to make anything I thought would be entertaining. However, I learned that there are often many challenges facing a film before it can be finished. I wanted to look at how one person can overcome challenges through the eyes of one main character, Princess Arete. I feel Arete gave me insight on how to overcome challenges. Since then, that experience has been invaluable for my career. “Princess Arete is a film where the main character strives to live a life that they desire. However, in the real world, not everyone can live the life that they want.
https://blog.alltheanime.com/clever-princess/
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2017-08-11/interview-sunao-katabuchi/.120026 Teaches film studies and animation https://blog.alltheanime.com/interview-sunao-katabuchi/
It’s partly a coincidence.
But I guess I have a particular feeling for stories written by women, maybe because I’m a man. Probably the stories written by men are too close to me to really appreciate them. But being a man, reading something written by a woman, creates a sort of distance that allows me to enjoy and appreciate them more. Princess Arete is a very inquisitive girl who doesn’t easily give up once she decides to do something. When her story begins it’s as if her true self is hidden behind a mask, but eventually she gradually manages to express her feelings and find the way to live her own life in full.
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/get-details-sunao-katabuchi-corner-world-152788.html

@Stevem
Interviewer: Nausicaa is actually a really attractive girl. Hayao Miyazaki: She’s got big breasts, hasn’t she? Interviewer: Yeah. Miyazaki: They’re not big just so that she’d be able to nurse her children, and she doesn’t have them to attract guys. When the castle guards and old woman die, Nausicaa holds them as they pass away, so that’s why she has them. They have to be big. Interviewer: Ah, I see… (nausicaa wasnt a ghibli production either)
@aragoonn
@Stevem I appreciate your focus on artist intent, and how you talk about the creative process from concept to execution. But one interview doesn't negate the themes, writting, and story of the piece. Nor does it negate the audience interpretation (as death of the author suggests), and the relationship the audience forms with the peice of art. Like, did you really, before seeing that interview, think much about her chest? As Lindsay Ellis has said, feminism is a 'lense' we use to analyse a piece of work. Just as you can analyse something through a queer-theory lense (e.g. Pixar's Luca wasn't made in anyway to be a gay romance between the main characters but many read it that way and connected with that reading). The film still reads as a feminist piece to me, based on her actions, and the characters within the film.
@aragoonn
Also saying Nausicaa wasn't Ghibli produced is splitting hairs, and arguing semantics. It's counted in the Ghibli cannon by a majority. It shared staff, creatives and launched Ghibli. Functionally, it's a Ghibli film.
@Stevem
@aragoonn its a topcraft movie while having staff that would make ghibli ultimately it would be a whitewashing history and disrespecting those people from topcraft to say otherwise, ghibli didnt exists at the time, my argument is simply that the people working at the company arent the best representation of feminism, for a lot of reasons, if you want to look at Nausicaa in that way, cool its a lens afterall
@stheteller7470
@Stevem I remember hearing about this, that interview never really told me Miyazaki is sexist. Instead, it told me two things.
1. Miyazaki could have made up something for the interviewer, as a means to subtly tell the interviewer that that probably wasn't what he should've thought of while watching nausicaa, so he thought of the most common turn on, then came up with a reason.
2. If there is a reason, he likely just means her breasts needed to look larger in order to make her embrace look comforting, since she doesn't have any of the muscles, or broad shoulders, or other traits of the "man carrying a woman" image. She doesn't have any of the usual traits to make her have a larger stature, so her breasts look large. But even then, they still feel like breasts that are only large enough to say she's a grown woman, and grown woman have breasts. Furthermore, nobody I have ever talked to, has ever even once had the thought "nausicaa sure has a nice rack" . I've also never heard anyone comment saying "ursula from kiki's is a babe" or something similar. If anything, this interview tells me more about the interviewer than it does Miyazaki. But maybe that's just me.

 

Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran

The Female Rurouni Kenshin? Tsukikage Ran - Carried by the Wind (2000)

 

1st anime with female mc ive watched should be Cardcaptor Sakura.. i think it was on Animax

 

I kinda like Cardcaptor Sakura but it has really messed up relationships and many characters are 'related' to each other.