That is indeed a thorny issue, which I'll concede for our purposes. I'll also concede that the most visible English-speaking fans of anime are very often rather grotesque and obnoxious.
Anyways, I'm not here to convince you to watch a hundred episodes of Naruto or anything like that (I haven't watched it either). I'll be satisfied if I can take you from "It's all garbage." to "It's not for me, but it might not all be garbage." So let's cut to the chase. Your criteria:
-No sexualized minors
-No pitiful soyboys
To which I'll add:
-A minor performing a competent and compelling role in the story
-Compelling and traditionally masculine characters that aren't portrayed as soyboy buffoons
Golden Kamuy immediately comes to mind - an adventure story in the classic mode. A courageous soldier returns victorious from the Russo-Japanese War to the frigid north, where he hears a rumor of a hidden stash of gold. Soon he encounters a young girl of the Northern tribes whose father was murdered over the secret of the very same gold.
The two team up and agree to split the treasure, but several other interested parties are already hot on the trail. Along the way he benefits greatly from her knack for survival in the frozen forest, and she likewise benefits greatly from his knack for sensing a pointed rifle from hundreds of meters away.
Surely any pajama soyboy would soon perish under such circumstances.
If you'll allow me 3 more minutes of your time, here's a clip.
That is indeed a thorny issue, which I'll concede for our purposes. I'll also concede that the most visible English-speaking fans of anime are very often rather grotesque and obnoxious.
Anyways, I'm not here to convince you to watch a hundred episodes of Naruto or anything like that (I haven't watched it either). I'll be satisfied if I can take you from "It's all garbage." to "It's not for me, but it might not all be garbage." So let's cut to the chase. Your criteria: -No sexualized minors -No pitiful soyboys
To which I'll add: -A minor performing a competent and compelling role in the story -Compelling and traditionally masculine characters that aren't portrayed as soyboy buffoons
Golden Kamuy immediately comes to mind - an adventure story in the classic mode. A courageous soldier returns victorious from the Russo-Japanese War to the frigid north, where he hears a rumor of a hidden stash of gold. Soon he encounters a young girl of the Northern tribes whose father was murdered over the secret of the very same gold.
The two team up and agree to split the treasure, but several other interested parties are already hot on the trail. Along the way he benefits greatly from her knack for survival in the frozen forest, and she likewise benefits greatly from his knack for sensing a pointed rifle from hundreds of meters away.
Surely any pajama soyboy would soon perish under such circumstances.
If you'll allow me 3 more minutes of your time, here's a clip.