13 Family-Friendly Anime Appropriate for All Ages

Anime has gotten so popular over the years that more people are getting into it each day. However, just like you don’t want to watch a vigorous Game of Thrones sex scene with your mother, you probably don’t want to watch an ecchi anime with her either. The key to spreading anime to others is to make good choices on what series to choose.

Ecchi is probably never a good choice, and violence is fine the older the audience is. However, whether you want to watch anime with a parent or you want to introduce your child to the media, these series will be perfect.

Best Family-Friendly Anime

Flying Witch

Not quite Harry Potter, the Flying Witch is more of a slice of life series than it is about what we normally think of when it comes to witches. The magic in this world comes from more natural sources and it is fascinating to see how it intertwines with the modern world.

Silver Spoon

There are parts of Silver Spoon that some might find traumatic in a way, but there is nothing overly graphic. Silver Spoon is a show about farming, and it doesn’t shy away from the topic of where your meat comes from. It is a whole arc, actually. It is something that everyone needs to learn, but that lesson aside, it is actually a pretty amazing comedy with realistic and educational drama about the farming community in Japan (which isn’t so different from much of the rest of the world).

Barakamon

As the series is about a grumpy adult character under siege by the shenanigans of a young child, Barakamon is something that people of all ages can enjoy. It is also one of those series that can help temper the worst impulses of adults who often get so caught up in their stresses by showing them that it is okay to relax and enjoy your surroundings.

Sweetness and Lightning

While mostly an anime about food and how it brings people together, Sweetness and Lightning is about the parent and child relationship between a widower and his child as well. It is a nice show to watch with your child (someday?) and as a bonus, all of the recipes you see are pretty easy to replicate especially since the show gives solid details on how to do it.

Planetes

A lot of the larger sci-fi series tend to get very, very complex as they go on. In a way, that happens to Planetes, but it will always be easier for audiences of all ages to digest and since it is about garbage collectors in space. You can expect nice comedy. It’s not overly violent, its not lewd, and it doesn’t end up as some grand war saga like any Gundam.

Natsume’s Book of Friends

Supernatural series need not be scary, as demonstrated by Natsume’s Book of Friends. While some of the spirits troublesome, there is always a lesson to be learned from the tales that are told. Essentially the show is about a boy offering freedom to the spirits that formed a contract with his grandmother. It is an episodic series full of morality and other life tales.

Snow White With The Red Hair

Better, and also longer, than any Disney movie, Snow White With the Red hair tells an infinitely better tale. It is one that captures that some fantasy setting of movies like Snow White, but one where the female protagonist has thoughts, motivations, and personality beyond just finding her prince. Furthermore, while the prince that is within is indeed admirably heroic and diligent in kingdom management, he respects the main female’s ambitions and free will.

A Place Further Than The Universe

This series is about a girl inspired by another girl with a big goal. Her new friend aims at going to Antarctica, and as a school girl, that seems pretty impossible. However, this isn’t a case of them getting there through anime magic. Instead, it takes a very detailed and realistic approach to these two girls and some friends they make reaching their goal. It has some nice cute moments, but ultimately, it is a series that shows that no matter the goal, with the right determination, you can reach it.

Moribito

Moribito is a low-key and oft-forgotten anime that mirrors a lot of more traditional fairy tales, but with more of an Eastern lore spin on them. What makes this great is the role of the weaker princess is filled by a young prince and his hero is actually an older mercenary and a women. It is an interesting role reversal and it is excellent to watch that young prince experience life outside of the palace, something that will ultimately make him a better ruler in the future.

Your Lie in April

Angling to make someone cry? There’s an anime for that. Several, actually. And this is one of them! It’s a tragic love story with several other moments of teen drama going on and a big focus on music. The soundtrack is primarily classical music, but they present it in a way that it is not dry and boring as most people think of classical music.

ReLife

Ask any older person, and they will tell you that there were things in the past that they wish they could have done differently. While this might not be a solid series to watch with your children, it is a great series to watch with your parents or even older siblings. Essentially it is about an older guy that became a recluse, but is given a chance to return to high school. It’s got some good comedy and a lot of nice moments to it that will help put things in perspective.

Eureka Seven

Eureka has some darker moments, but not quite as dark as some other series go. The real boon of this series is that it can also be a solid way to introduce mecha to someone without making it overly complex. Furthermore, much of Eureka Seven is the main character discovering the world along with the audience, which makes it a fun adventure.

My Hero Academia

Slice of Life is the most family friendly genre, but it can be difficult for some to love, especially those first getting into anime. My Hero Academia, while more violent than most other entries, is not particularly graphic about it. It has as much violence as your standard Marvel movie and it also happens to be about super heroes. It’s got a lot of nice themes to it and you can be damn sure its not boring.

If you have any more wholesome, family-friendly anime series, then let fans know in the comments section below.