So I live in north Texas and my older brother and his family live in norther Virgina/DC area so I only get to see him and his kids like once every two years. Apparently his two oldest daughters (one is going to be a freshman and the other a sophomore) are really into Anime and want to buy manga. With anything the slightest bit in the "nerd sphere" he always tells them to contact me, and so they texted me and asked me all about different anime and what I would suggest.
So I know what I will be sending them this Christmas. I love how unlike western entertainment Anime/Manga understands who their audience is and caters to it, so what would be ideal for a teen girl? I know the older one enjoys Attack on Titan and said she likes stuff with romance and the other one loves Vinland Saga and I told her about Ah My Goddess, and she seems to like that one so far.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, and thank you in advance.
Wow, some ancient anime is getting repped here. I still like Bebop and FMA:B has enough quality that it more than stands up to time, but some of these anime people are mentioning are older than them. The shows they like are AoT and Vinland, are both still ongoing anime. So, IMO I'd keep my reps to stuff that is at least decently contemporary.
Kaguya Love is War - Even while still ongoing (3 seasons though), it's probably the best anime RomCom ever made. It's age appropriate and decently aware to the realities of dating while not being degenerate. I can also recommend the manga.
Fruits Basket - The original was one of the biggest Shojo (girls) anime of all time, and the remake in 2019 was improved in every way.
Violet Evergarden - Same reason others have mentioned
Mob Psycho 100 - Coming of age story and is completed. More of a 'boy' audience but it's got some universal beats and so are Vinland/AoT.
Spy x Family - Wholesome and had one of the highest female watch % of it's season. Although girls their age might not be interested in it because some parts have the appearance of being childish.
For movies, I'd recommend the Makoto Shinkai films. Aside from being gorgeous and what many consider the best anime films of all time, I think they'll hit with your nieces thematically. His biggest movies have feminine female main characters of an age the girls can identify with, who are strong characters without being masculine. Your Name (Kimi no na wa) I would recommend to them above any other film. Weathering with You is also good and more romance. Suzume, the most recent, I haven't seen yet but it's got similarly high reviews.
I am going to be totally honest. When I first heard the premise for it, I thought I would hate it. Then I ended up watching it in my college Anime Club as one of the ones that was voted on that season (along with Fire Force and Vinland Saga), and I thought I was going to be bored out of my skull.
Damn, I was so wrong. It doesnt sound great on just the premise, but it was hilarious. And I was very glad to be wrong about not liking it.
Thanks! I’ll add those to my list. Although I’m pretty retro so I don’t mind the older stuff. Anime seems to produce good modern stuff unlike the west’s obsession with reframing of updating everything for a modern audience.
The anime remakes are actually good. In most cases they tend to be better than the original.
I've been watching anime for a quarter century and IMO it's the best time for anime yet. Anime still produces trash (eg, the isekai this season), but I think the average quality of all shows continues to improve every season and studios still occasionally release masterpieces.
Great to hear.