Sorry if this is a bad place to talk about this, I've seen anime posts pop up here and they were well-received, so I'm assuming this is okay. If not, downvote so I know not to post here again.
Me and my family like to sit down and watch anime every once in a while. We started watching Spy x Family recently and really enjoyed the first part. The action, comedy, intrigue, and relationships between the characters were excellent and we all LOVED it. Like, a ton. Plus there was no fanservice which meant everyone could watch it without feeling uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, nobody's a huge fan of cour 2. It seemed like the main plot had vanished, along with the progressing relationships between the characters. Instead, it was just meaningless slice-of-life stuff. Which is fine, but it's just not what we'd been expecting (and wanting) based on cour 1. From what I've read, Season 2 is much the same.
I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations similar to part 1 of the show? We're fine with a little fanservice once in a blue moon, but if it's every episode we'd probably drop it. Violence is the same, nothing too extreme, like PG-13 or so.
Thanks in advance.
Unfortunately Spy x Family is pretty unique.
I dunno, maybe something like Buddy Daddies? I haven't watched it but I've heard good things about it and its usually recommended to people who like Spy x Family and has a vaguely similar concept, but I couldn't tell you about the actual content of it myself. It seems to be rated PG-13 so its probably fine?
One of the closer things I can think of is Kaguya-sama, but that is characters in high school so its still way too different imo.
Pretty much this. That show came out of nowhere, it's lightning in a bottle.
They did not recapture said lightning on the second pass unfortunately.
I just watched a clip compilation of Buddy Daddies and I'm dying. This is hilarious
Good to hear.
Don't know about buddy daddies, I'm not knocking it, it's a great show, but it's a lot...darker at times compared to SpyxFamily.
If we are going for just feel good, the whole family can sit down and enjoy together, I'd actually recommend Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill. Very lighthearted, fun and with great characters, can't remember any fanservice (maybe the goddesses but not really) and violence is tame for an anime, it's all about the humour and food.
I remember talking with friends about anime to recommend as for kids/family and you actually have only a few, they can get too dark at times or too violent for kids as I'd recommend Faraway Paladin if it wasn't for the dark scenes near the end so that's up to your preference.
Well, I like Campfire Cooking for what it is (i actually read the manga), but part of the reason my family members (and me tbh) weren't a fan of Spy x Family cour 2 was the lack of an actual plot. Campfire cooking has much the same issue.
As for Faraway Paladin, I'm looking at the reviews and I'm raising my eyebrow. It seems like another yet another isekai? IDK. Is there something that the reviewers aren't mentioning?
It's a LOT more into D&D elements with a clear defined magic system and very fleshed out characters (the best dad, mom and uncle were undead) so I'd highly advise not to pass it off as another Isakai.
With a focus on story then, I'd actually recommend Ranking of Kings season 1 as that might fit your description.
Everyone in our family is actually into D&D, so that might be a good option. I'll take a look.
Oshi no Ko is the only thing that immediately comes to mind for me.
Can I ask why? I'm curious what makes you think they're similar?
Comedy, intrigue, relationships, and not ecchi-prone. Everything you liked about Spy X Family except action.
As was mentioned, Spy x Family is pretty unique, so there won't be any exact matches.
That said, first one that comes to mind, since it's currently airing, is My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer. Not as cute, but has it's moments. Also hits more of the points you mentioned than most others I can think of; actions, comedy, relationships.
For wholesomeness but without action; A Galaxy Next Door, which is more romance-focused, but does have a lot of other character/family dynamics, and Ya Boy Kongming! which is, well, it's own awesome thing.
There are a few others I could mention, but I think these hit the closest. I'll let you know if anything else pops into my head though.
Assassination Classroom is remarkably wholesome.
Closest to a family drama is maybe solty rei.... idk its not all that similar though.
Most good series have fanservice, because they're made by people who love the medium. A show without life, without hometown, is a show without soul, after all. Even Spy x Family has some amounts in it (Cold War Era Germany didn't have "virgin-killer" sweaters as a common fashion item, in example). Spy X Family is a unique case though specifically because the creator DID NOT like the medium, the mangaka in fact dislikes their creation, likening it to free-writing and spitballing random ideas, but due to the inherent talent of the creator, made something pretty good.
But given that it does feature obvious fanservice, I'd need to know your tolerances and definitions to give any recommendations.
Straight-up nudity/ecchi/interspecies-reviewer stuff is a flat-out no. Kids are too young for that and honestly I don't need it either. Unless, maybe, it happens exactly once or twice and we can skip over it in advance.
If there's like, two shower scenes with fog and stuff in the whole show than maybe we'll tolerate it.
If the show is constantly zooming in on some girl's butt/breasts that's a hard no as well. It's legitimately distracting at that point, even putting the ethical problems aside.
Same with the main character constantly falling on top of girls and accidentally grabbing them in inappropriate places.
We're fine with the occasional 'foot-to-head' pervert glance, but again, it can't be often.
Is that enough info? Thanks in advance.
In that case, Kaguya-sama is a rom-com recommended elsewhere in the thread, it is watchable except the mid-season OVAs for you, which contain teh nekkeds.
Code Geass might be too far into the fanservice for you, but it's always a go-to suggestion. Might be too mature for youths though, handles a lot of murder in very straightforward measure rather than the silly-fun measures in Spy Family. PG-13.
Kid-friendly is very tricky. Have you tried Avatar: The Last Airbender? Or how about Wakfu? English and French cartoons are a bit more tame and child-friendly, and those two are stand-out stars that aren't too onerous for adults to watch too.
The issue with narrative-driven anime, is most of them, well, have fanservice. Or have gore, or both. Most child-friendly stuff tends to be more vapid, like Lucky Star.
Cardcaptors Sakura isn't too bad, but it does meander through the episodic pretty frequently before finding the plot again. My Hero Academia... Probably too much fanservice for you. The other Academia, Little Witch Academia, is very good about plot progression, and tells a complete story in its two seasons... Minimal fanservice. Yeah, that one I could recommend. Go with Little Witch Academia. Narrative-driven, minimal fanservice, not too much filler (though there's a tiny bit), minimal gore, only fantasy violence for the most part... Look into it.
The first thing which comes to mind is Ascendance of a Bookworm. Basically a woman who loves books is reborn in the body of a sickly young peasant girl in a medieval city.
Books are something only the wealthy nobles can get access to. She starts trying to make her own through various ancient techniques while dealing with her sickly body. Things happen and she ends up in charge of a long neglected orphanage (some heart breaking stuff around that), employing them to help her produce paper.
The intrigue comes from her interaction with the church and a girl who will do anything to avoid having to return the the orphanage she suffered neglect in.
That's the gist without spoiling too much.
I actually read the manga haha. Personally i found it somewhat boring and dropped it after the male friend found out that the main character was a reincarnate. My main criticism was the lack of any central plot, with things just more or less floating from event to event like your standard power fantasy isekai... without the power fantasy. Does it get better after the point I dropped it? Is the anime better?
I've only watched the Anime, so I can't help with a comparison. I can understand your criticism, it's in no rush to get where it's going.
The character interactions are what made it great for me. I guess the main link I made in my head was smart young girl with strong father figures.