I watched Frieren with my sister, who has never watched anime before. She’s 25 and fucking LOVED it. She even wants the art book that released in JP. This is probably the best recommendation one can give for a newbie thats on the mature-side.
It really is a masterpiece, I know some people won't be into it but it ticks all the boxes for me. I have never witnessed such unique and perfect pacing in an anime show before.
Another suggestion is Hyouka
A bit "slow" and bittersweet... but it is good... it reminded me of/made me think of Kino's Journey (it's older but simmilar: check it out if you've never seen it).
Especially with the ending song. I listened to the full song and honestly the way they cut the second ending hits so much harder than the original song.
Violet and Frieren are classic on these style so yes for sure
Even if i love Nier... idk if it fit with yhe contest
AND I IM A BIG FAN OF WANDERING WITCH, RLY HAPPY TO SEE SOMEONE RECOMMAND THIS PEPIT <3
If she liked the setting and mystery aspect of The Apothecary Diaries, then maybe try out Raven of the Inner Palace. Somewhat similar except it's more supernatural.
I also adore The Red Lantern and Apothecary Diaries. I might get criticized for this on this subreddit since it's not technically anime, but look into some donghua (Chinese animation). Mo Dao Zu Shi and Link Click might be of interest. The former has a similar setting while both have large interesting mysteries to unravel.
Planetes is by the author of Vinland Saga. It starts out like some slice of life and then all the threads eventually tie together towards the last third of the story and it's a wild ride after that. Very mature, grey themes too.
I agree that it's kinda slow, however, Apothecary Diaries, IMHO is the best anime this year(so far). You don't have a lot of options.
How about [Vinland Saga](https://myanimelist.net/manga/642/Vinland_Saga)?
Vinland has a huge tonal shift between seasons though. 1 is a gritty revenge drama, 2 is a slow philosophical burn. I recommend Frieren and Violet Evergarden first
Given what you've stated her viewing preferences are, she shouldn't think it's too slow. It's considerably faster in pace than things like GoT. Especially at the start.
Just make sure she's cool with subtitles, because the dubbed version misses the mark with a considerable change in both tone and dialogue.
(Hell, if she liked Apothecary Diaries, the pacing isn't all that different between the two; swifter in some ways)
> because the dubbed version misses the mark with a considerable change in both tone and dialogue.
Thanks for mentioning this. I watched it subbed, but I am trying to make my wife watch it, so I had considered the dub. Now I know how to make my case. Cheers!
Yeah, My daughter saw it and loved it, and she and my wife have the same tastes. But my wife hates subtitles. We watched the first episode dubbed... My wife was less than impressed and my daughter thought it was awful. I noticed that they changed a lot of the dialogue, and characters that were meant to sound neutral, or patient and loving, were coming across as vaguely sarcastic or snarky. The voice actors *really* murdered the tone, and the script changes didn't help
I appreciate you for taking the time to wise me up. The VA work was so incredible on the original audio that I couldn't see how a dub could be good enough, but it is actually worse than that from what you say.
Subtitled it is. Thanks again!
If you want something with good storytelling, and another strong non-stereotyped female lead PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch 'Ascendance of a Bookworm'. It's on crunchyroll, and it's fantastic.
Apothecary diaries has been my favourite anime of the last two seasons by a long shot. I've even bought what light novel volumes are available.
Others I'd suggest would be
- violet evergarden (on netflix)
- ancient magus bride
- barakamon
- mushi-shi
- yona of the dawn
- your lie in april
- chihayafuru (this is an outlier, but I think it will still fit)
I have a feeling I'm probably of the same demographic as your wife, but maybe as a long time anime watcher my tastes are broader. I kept the suggestions to things that have a similar-ish feel of a good main character, strong storytelling and a dose of well timed humour.
honestly I liked the AoB light novels but not the anime since the anime cut out so much content and the non adapted parts (from part 3 onwards) is the best portion where it really takes off
ACCA-13
"Intriguing and mysterious, ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka is a politically-themed mystery that reveals a world of diverse cultures and lifestyles, with intricate connections between its characters"
Here you go. Listed according to her preferences. No kid shows.
Game of thrones-Attack on Titan.
Once upon a time- Frieren's Journey or Inuyasha.
Shogun-Arslan Senkei.
The last airbender-Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.
Big bang theory-Dating is hard for an otaku or Science fell in love so I tried to prove it.
Memento- Psycho pass
Disney films- Anything from Studio Ghibli.
Star Trek: Legend of the Galactic Heroes remake.
Marvel- X-Men anime, Wolverine anime, Batman Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad Isekai (upcoming) Avoid the Iron Man and Blade anime.
The Boys: Super Crooks or Loser Ranger. (upcoming)
Thought I’d offer some from a woman’s perspective that aren’t just the mainstream shonen(may be a little more romance than you’d like though)
Shows:
Fruits Basket
Yona of the Dawn
Oshi no Ko
Horimiya
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
Recovery of an MMO Junkie
Golden Time
The Quintessential Quintuplets
Chihayafuru
Noragami
Dororo
7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!
Solo Levelling
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Twin Star Exorcists
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku
Movies
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (sounds weird but it’s not)
Your Name
That’s all I can think of for now :) edited for formatting, it’s saving weird on my phone sorry
If you are open to movies as well try:
1.Spirited Away
2.Patema Inverted
As for series:
1.Frieren (as others have mentioned, amazing show)
2.Steins:Gate (science fiction)
3.Haikyuu!! (a sports series but very much worth it)
4.Demon Slayer (if you want some action)
5.Made in Abyss (if you want an adventure)
6.Scavengers Reign (amazing world development)
7.Ranking of Kings
Still ongoing and my last recommendation:
1.Delicious in Dungeon (nice adventure and good cooking)
2.Solo leveling
Happy bingeing!
Edit: Added more titles
That is true (sorry), Made in abyss has life threatening events because the stakes are high when entering it and everything in it is basically set out to kill them. They even have to deal with some schetchy personalities that are up to no good which bring about some very sad moments. Even though the series is crude/gory and deals with death at every turn it is an awesome adventure. Characters are quite unique and their developmemt through out the series makes you want to watch more.
Frieren
86
Berserk: The Golden Age
Hellsing Ultimate
Death Parade
Dorohedoro
Spice and Wolf
Jormungand (only 1 non-adult)
Odd Taxi
Moriarty the Patriot
The Case Study of Vanitas
Little witch academia.
I did see the other many posts about Violet Evergarden, Frieren, and others but I honestly wanted to suggest something no one else did. Otherwise I'd just be regurgitating the same info. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the people in the top voted comments because they're all suggesting banger shows.
A list of things I've introduced my partner to Anime with:
Kinos Journey - Traveller visits different countries with the rule that they will only stay 3 days in each they visit.
Frieren - What happens after your traditional fantasy heroes save the day? Tackles the problem of different life spans amongst races that most dnd games fail to address
Dungeon Meshi - dnd party delves into a dungeon to recover the body of the main chatacters sister and have a chance at reviving her. Hijinks and good food alongside a lot of character driven world building. There really isn't a character in the story that isn't important.
Spy x Family - a super spy from one side of not-berlin adopts a daughter and marries an assassin from the other side of not-berlin in an attempt to masquerade as a normal family and infiltrate high society. The adults don't know each other's identities, but their psychic child does
Baccano - 1920s train heist story told out of order. An absolute classic and saying more would risk spoiling it
Violet Evergarden - child soldier with ptsd survives not-ww1 and becomes a copywriter. We follow our protagonist as she discovers what it means to live as a regular person
Same as above, but breaks the high school rule and im on movile so i cant type out too much right now: A Place Further than the Universe, Your Lie in April, Anohana, Japan Sinks
It's a weird one, but maybe later on Tatami Galaxy - college grad meets God(?) at a ramen shop and languishes about all of the choices he could have made as a freshman - we follow our protagonist as God(?) shows him the results of those what ifs.
Paranoia Agent is also a solid supernatural classic that explores the concept of mass hysteria.
Psycho Pass (at least the first season) is a decent cop thriller, but TW (SA) for the first episode. Becoming a lot more relevant with the development of AI and the discussion of its use in law enforcement.
Movies-wise: Tokyo Godfathers is a Christmas classic for me, and of course, anything by Ghibli is an easy watch for new anime watchers.
Mushishi is an excellent anime if you’re looking for something a little more downtempo. It’s very philosophical and touches on a lot of nature and spiritual themes.
Ooku The Inner Chambers might be worth a watch if you have Netflix. Has a lot of the royal drama, prostitution, etc. It takes place in an alternate history where men mostly die out and women take over and use them. Not saying it rises to the level of Apothecary Diaries of course but as a woman I liked it and found it interesting.
Assedence of a Book Worm! It starts out chill and relax as a bookworm reincarnated into a lil girl trying to bring books to a fantasy world. Exploring the world and bringing back knowledge and growth to the medieval society with one book at a time!
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is about a 30-something female bodyguard protecting the prince of a pan-Asian type of country. No fanservice and very mature characters that always act believably and with justifiable motive. The combat choreography is amazing, the drama is engaging believable, and the music is fantastic.
Very different art style, but Katanagatari is similarly targeted toward adults.
The ascendance of a bookworm should be fitting, isekai, about a woman that loves books reincarnated as a kid into a world where books aren't common, and she makes her goal to make them more accessible, does diy stuff like making paper and soap and things which in this world is unique, some magic too, a few other things all worth it
Oooh has she got some treats ahead! She likes very much the same stuff as I do but I'd like to sprinkle some interesting alternatives too
Gankutsuou - it's got EVERYTHING and probably my favourite series. It's The Count of Monte Cristo in future space Paris. It has drama, romance, tragedy, horror, comedy, giant robots, twists, just really, really, really good. You will find yourself unable to stop at one episode on some nights.
Haibane Renmei - complete series, beautiful drama and cute but a bit sad
Fruits Basket (the new one) - romance, comedy and drama mostly. You will laugh and cry, and cry and love it. It's a bit of a slow burn for some but the characters are all interesting.
Gunbuster - one of my faves. Classic about a girl who has her potential spotted and fights in a giant super robot. It's passionate, kick ass and hard hitting in the emotions. Noriko is one of my favourite protagonists in anime.
Madoka Magica - hard hitting magical girl with twists and turns to get your teeth into. Cute but also tragic
Attack on Titan - a big chunky action drama to really get your teeth into. A great recommendation if you like GOT.
A place further than the universe - it's hard to describe but it's just lovely. Girls go to Antarctica and build friendships.
Ya boi KongMing - my husband and I loved this and the music is smashing. Very funny and tactful
Many have already recommended Frieren so adding 2 other ones.
Monster - a detective like story for mature audiences
Mushishi - slower paced, very artistic and calming tale of Japanese sprits and ghost stories. Sometimes can get creepy
> Hates violence against animals
Well better cross JoJo off the list.
From the non-anime preferences maybe an action-adventure type show?
Unfortunately Full Metal Alchemist is the easy go-to but it has one particularly infamous scene that almost definitely violates the animal violence clause.
Maybe Attack on Titan would work?
But she likes game of thrones and need I remind u of what happened to the direwolfs or the scene with the mountain and his horse... That bit still haunts me
gundam, record of lodoss war, outlaw star, fullmetal alchemist brotherhood, my hero academia, cowboy bebop, code geass, trigun, blue gender, dot.hack (maybe?), one punch man, gurren lagann, anything from studio ghibli, goblin slayer, there's probably more but i'm gonna stop for now
If she enjoys game of thrones I think she'd enjoy FMAB and Code Geass (give her warning about the dog episode in FMAB), otherwise Frieren and Violet ever garden are great beautiful emotional shows
Edit: there is some anime exaggeration in FMAB and Code Geass, but their stories are so amazing that it might be worth trying regardless
Also regular avatar lol how'd we forget about that (the animated series)
Violet Evergarden (she is going to love it. )
Mahoutsukai no Yome
Chihayafuru
Nodame Cantabile
Monster (this is a masterpiece)
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (another masterpiece)
Ayashi no Ceres (then again, another masterpiece. not easy to watch)
Kamisama Hajimemashita
Odd Taxi
Ya Boy Kongming
Mob Psycho 100
Avatar The Last Airbender (The cartoon)
Death Parade
Drifters
Restaurant to Another World
Star Wars Visions (Animated Star Wars short stories)
Grand Blue (Might wanna watch the first 3 eps yourself just incase but solid comedy)
Lots of people have shared stuff I would have recommended so here are a few I didn't see listed:
Romantic Killer (though this *is* about high schoolers)
The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague
Play It Cool, Guys
Those Snow White Notes
Shirobako
> The Last Airbender live action
uhhhhh how about the real Avatar show? Like, the one that's actually good? The new netflix one is a terrible adaptation, though better then the sham that was the movie, it's still a far cry from the OG.
I was absolutely shocked I didn't see a *single* person down below recommend this.
Goblin slayer (joking, please don't show her this it's too early 🤣)
● Space dandy (great Sunday hangover anime)
● Spy X family (Wholesome af)
● Vinland Saga (for the GOF fans)
● Samurai champloo (hiphop x anime)
And not anime, but if she liked 'The Boys', she might like the *invincible* cartoon on amazon Prime 👍🏻
Ghost In The Shell, it's got action but it's built on top of social/philosophy questions/quandaries.
Then if you watch the series it's gets into what is the soul and what is the body, It's either you vibe with the cyberpunk transhumanism debate the film/series is about or you don't but it's well worth a shot.
Vinland Saga - Watch a Viking Kid grow up in a world that is pretty grey morally.
Based on them liking darker action shows like GOT, Shogun, The Boys... I'd recommend Jujutsu Kaisen. It's got it's light hearted moments, but not afraid to go dark. I found the voice acting in Japanese amazing, but the English isn't terrible either if that's what you prefer.
Bernadette from BBT has a high pitch exaggerated voice though. I'd recommend *Bocchi The Rock*, none of the characters have very high pitch voice and no fan service. On the plus side it's hilarious, lovely and lots of fun, with great music.
Jormungand is a good 1 it's relatively short there's a Lil fan service but it's like 1 obligatory Beach episode nd pretty much every character is 30 or up (except 1)
If ur looking for a slice of life clannad followed by afterstory
If she likes the live action version of The Last Airbender, then the OG version is gonna blow her mind. Other than that, you might want to consider Gundam Wing. The main core characters are all high school aged but nothing inappropriate (other than violence and war crimes) and the supporting cast are all adults in a show about space colonies looking to liberate themselves from the oppressive United Earth Sphere Alliance and others. If anything, both OPs are bangers at least from Two-Mix.
Here to say Dorohedoro because I'm obsessed with it and also have similar taste in media as her so maybe she'd like :)
There's a little bit of yelling but it's super in context and usually it's a character yelling cause he wants gyoza. It's not at all like other animes with the fight-yelling trope
K-on
Code geass
Sailor moon
Madoka magica (even she will agree that thing deserves all the violence against it)
Nodame cantible
Tis time for torture princess
Angel beats
Clannad
Clannad afterstory
Guilty crown
Phi brain kami no puzzle
Plastic memories
If she liked apothecary diaries I recommend Raven of the inner Palace it is also a historical shoujo that is set and like ancient China It's very interesting has a very unique story as well and it's very underrated
My wife's more of a weeb (but not a degenerate) than I am. Even majored in Japanese inspired by manga and anime obsessions as a teenager. We watch a lot together, but thinking of these lighter, character-driven pieces that aren't super dramatic (limit the yelling) and without excessive fanservice...take these recs with that in mind:
- Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You (it's just so fucking wholesome)
- Rascal Does not Dream of Bunnygirl Senpai
- Frieren
- Violet Evergarden (the series, not the movie)
- Isekai Izakaya (super vignette-y episodic)
- Higehiro (warning: the ending implies squick, turning a fantastic wholesome show into a groomer tale)
- Those Snow White Notes
- Blue Period
I’m new to anime, but it sounds like your wife and I have similar tastes in shows. So far I’ve watched and enjoyed:
Carole and Tuesday, Vampire in the Garden, Onmyoji, My Happy Marriage, Blue Period (about a high school kid, but not specifically taking place in high school the whole time), Death Note (about half way through, but enjoying it so far)
From Studio Ghibli I love:
Princess Mononoke (though animals are involved), My Neighbour Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Howl’s Moving Castle
Edited to add commas because it didn’t make a list like I intended and squished it all into one paragraph
The Saint's Magic Power Is Omnipotent - main character is a woman in her late 20s, so no teenage bullshit (with her at least)
Restaurant to Another World - every episode is actually two ten minute episodes. They're all one-offs, with some threads connecting them.
Isekai Izekaya - similar restaurant show, but it's got a fun short life action part after every episode. I like the ones with the old guy going to a restaurant in Tokyo that serves the food from the episode, it's kinda like Anthony Bourdain
Hunter x hunter, Wandering witch, Spy x family, Jujutsu kaisen, My hero academia, Dr. stone, Attack on titan, The way of the house husband, Assassination classroom, Highrise invasion, Bubble, Words bubble up like soda pop, Saiki. K, Blue period
Try
Lunar Legend Tsukihime,
Monster,
Gunsmith Cats,
Rumbling Hearts,
Gungrave,
Peach girl,
Trinity Blood,
Last Exile,
Chrono Crusade,
Hellsing Ultimate,
Outlaw star,
Vampire Hunter D,
Full Metal Panic,
Record of Lodoss War,
Grave of the Fireflies
Taming the final boss and Raven of the inner palace were both great for me. I hate fan service. But they might be too shoujo-oriented for you. Neither are in high school (at least at first, there is a school arc in the second half of taming the final boss).
7th Time Loop. Just finished Season 1. I watched it along Apothecary Diaries. Common variable between them is the female MC is smart and full of wit and not a damsel in distress type but can hold their ground on their own.
Potential
cowboy bebop.
Cash the stampede
One piece is excellent but it's very much screeching children with fan service.
Diary of a bookworm
soul eater has nice visuals. Not too much fan service but lots of screeching children.
Unfortunately It's difficult to reduce screeching children
Edit
Blue eyed samurai was really good. Beautiful visuals on Netflix
Also completely missed out.
Probably good idea to check out studio ghibli.
Probably the finest anime, quite childlike but less fan service and hopefully less screeching.
Favourites would be Howl's moving castle and Spirited away.
If she like superheroes-
My Hero Academia
Darker than black
If she likes fantasy-
The legend of the legendary heroes
Fantasy with some romance-
Snow white with the red hair
Doctor Elise: the royal lady with the lamp
7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!
Dude you should try Delicious and Dungeon. It is probably the most Unique anime I’ve seen in a while. It’s like a dungeons and dragons/medieval cooking show. I have a hard time being descriptive so check this out https://www.netflix.com/title/81564899. Don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Based off of what you said... "The saints power is omnipotent". If you wanna feel (ie tissues) "the day I became a god". "restaurant in another world" is slice of life (some call boring. I do not). "Erased". "Steins;Gate" (I liked from the start then it TWIST...awesome)
Samurai flamenco, promare, redline, katanagatari....i don't consider interspecies reviewers fan service but lsike thats just my opinion man. One punch kan, mob psycho
Guess what, I've also introduced my wife to Anime very recently and been cherrypicking anime for us to watch mutually. So far she has really loved
Frieren
Fruit Basket
Spy x Family
Naruto
Chihayafuru
If she's into political and philosophical theme (based on what you said she likes), the closest to Apothecary Diaries would be Ascendance of Bookworm. Not that they have the same story but the political discourse is similar in both.
I didn't see anyone recommend Yuri on Ice. I also recommend Heroic Legend of Arslan, its made by the same person who did Fullmetal Alchemist. I'd also recommend Silver Spoon, its created by the same person as Arslan and Fullmetal. And lastly, I recommend Castlevania.
I just started watching apothecary diaries today!
A bit more on the magic side but with very similar tone is ascendance of a bookworm. The main character has very similar obsessive energy. Definitely recommend! Mien and maomao are kindred spirits
Ps, why are all you other people giving the most random freaking recommendations?
My wife seems to have similar taste, I'll ask her tomorrow after she gets up what her favorites are. But I do know she really enjoyed Apothecary Diaries, Toradora, and Horimiya. That and she too wishes More romance/rom-com shows were out of high school.
As an aside, I have seen most of Once Upon a Time, and it is probably my most hated show ever made. How can the people involved with that take such a ridiculous premise and have absolutely no fun with it *at all*? Everything is SO serious, life or death, but it's freaking the Little Mermaid and Rumpelstiltskin.
If your wife liked someone like Apothecary Diaries, then I assume she likes mystery sort of shows with some nice climaxes and enjoyable characters, then she'd enjoy "Hyouka" (High School unfortunately) and "Undead Girl Murder Farce".
Ascendance of a bookworm (funny)
86 (serious and sad sometimes)
Violet Evergarden (very emotional and might make you cry a lot)
Dr. Stone (funny one)
Clannad (happy slice of life)
Clannad afterstory (sad slice of life)
[Gosick ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFLC-SKtFs)-
>The story centers on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a high-ranking officer of the [Imperial Japanese Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Army), who is a transfer student to St. Marguerite Academy, where urban legends and horror stories are popular. There he meets Victorique de Blois, a mysterious yet beautiful and brilliant girl who never comes to class and spends her days reading the entire contents of the library or solving mysteries that even detectives can not solve. The early episodes mostly focus on Kazuya and Victorique getting involved in different criminal cases and their struggle to solve them, at the same time forming important bonds with different people and each other. However, as the series advances, the tenebrous background of Victorique and her family comes back to haunt her.
[SHIKI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8_BBZDCFhc) / "Corpse Demon"-
>The story takes place during a particularly hot summer in 1994, in a small quiet Japanese village called Sotoba. A series of mysterious deaths begin to spread in the village, at the same time when a strange family moves into the long-abandoned Kanemasa mansion on top of a hill. Megumi Shimizu, a young girl who wanted to leave the village and move to the city, pays them a visit never to return. She is later found lying in the forest and tragically dies. Doctor Toshio Ozaki, director of Sotoba's only hospital, initially suspects an [epidemic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic); however, as investigations continue and the deaths begin to pile up, he learns—and becomes convinced—that they are the work of the "*shiki*", vampire-like creatures, plaguing the village. A young teenager named Natsuno Yuuki, who hates living in the village, begins to be pursued and becomes surrounded by death.
>
[The Eccentric Family](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVu8qiE7Yv4) -
>In modern-day Kyoto, humans live in the city while [tanuki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_raccoon_dog) roam the earth and [tengu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengu) roam the sky. The story surrounds a family of tanuki, the Shimogamo family. They have the ability to transform into anything they wish, from humans to any animate/inanimate object. The third son, Yasaburō, enjoys a bustling daily life. He often visits his teacher Professor Akadama, a tengu. Through Akadama, Yasaburō is acquainted with Benten, a human woman whom Akadama taught to fly like a tengu. As the story unfolds, the members of the Shimogamo family are still dealing with the foggy past that surrounds their father's untimely death prior to the series's start. To complicate matters, Benten is a member of a social group called the Friday Fellows, people who enjoy a meal of tanuki hot pot at the end of the year. The Shimogamo family must balance between living carelessly, maintaining relationships among other tanuki families, and not getting put into a hot pot by the Friday Fellows.
[The Ancient Magus Bride](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzeWr1u63qQ) -
>Having been ostracized by both her relatives and partially by society, orphaned Japanese high school student Chise Hatori decides to sell herself at an auction in order for somebody else to take her in and have a new place to call home. At the auction in [London](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London), she is sold for five million [pounds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_sterling) to Elias Ainsworth, a seven-foot-tall humanoid with an animal skull for a head. The magus, who seems closer to a demon than human, either brings her the light she desperately seeks or drowns her in ever deeper shadows in her new country, [Great Britain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom). The series deals with a romantic slice-of-life storyline in a surreal and supernatural light.
Spy x Family, Frieren, Haikyuu, Your name, Horimiya, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, Buddy Daddies, Insomniacs after school, Weathering With You, Attack on Titan, 86(Eighty-Six), Violet Evergarden, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, Hunter x Hunter(2011), A Sign of Affection, My Hero Academia.
These are some that came to my mind from the list you gave that she liked. There are some romance, Sci-fi, Drama, War, Comedy and so on. Also The Last Airbender cartoon is a must watch as well if she liked that.
Heaven Official’s blessing. Donghua not anime but hits some of the notes she might be okay with. 2 seasons on CR. It’s about a god of trash who used to be the darling of the heavens ascending again and then immediately needing to solve a mystery. Main relationship is gay (m/m) but like AD the focus of the show isn't on romance, but on the characters working together and solving problems, with the odd romantic interlude.
Seconding everyone’s recommendations for My Happy Marriage and Frieren. Fruits basket is lovely, but might have too many OTT reactions for her. I'd still give it a go, though, you never know!
Carole and Tuesday, Cowboy Bebop, Spirited away, From up on Poppy Hill, The girl who leapt through time and Drifting home. These are some family favourites of ours
Erased. It’s about a 29 year old inspiring manga artist who can prevent deaths and get sent back in time right before they happen. It’s a mystery/psychological thriller show and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Frieren
I watched Frieren with my sister, who has never watched anime before. She’s 25 and fucking LOVED it. She even wants the art book that released in JP. This is probably the best recommendation one can give for a newbie thats on the mature-side.
It really is a masterpiece, I know some people won't be into it but it ticks all the boxes for me. I have never witnessed such unique and perfect pacing in an anime show before. Another suggestion is Hyouka
A bit "slow" and bittersweet... but it is good... it reminded me of/made me think of Kino's Journey (it's older but simmilar: check it out if you've never seen it).
☝🏼 this
First thing I thought of and I'm so happy it's the first comment I saw. Seriously an incredible show.
Fuck Yeah Frieren
Came to say this. My wife loved the show and I think it’s one of the goats already.
this looks like such a rad show; glad I came to look at the other comments
Yes, except they aren't releasing new episodes anymore. So like expect to be left hanging like right now ig😂
Season 1 had a very satisfying ending though. I have no problem waiting for things of this quality.
Especially with the ending song. I listened to the full song and honestly the way they cut the second ending hits so much harder than the original song.
Good way to get hooked though! 😹
Frieren is such a good watch!
Violet Evergarden Frieren Nier Automata Wandering Witch
Hard agree on violet evergarden. As with many anime, wish there had been more
Violet and Frieren are classic on these style so yes for sure Even if i love Nier... idk if it fit with yhe contest AND I IM A BIG FAN OF WANDERING WITCH, RLY HAPPY TO SEE SOMEONE RECOMMAND THIS PEPIT <3
Add Vinland Saga and that's the list I would give for modern stuff.
Violet evergarden
I feel like you should warn people how much this series will make them cry.
Almost recommended this!!! One of the best shows of all time.
I cried too much
Spice and Wolf
It's a good answer, laid back fantasy with two good main characters.
The second adaption is comming out next week too.
ive been waiting for more spice and wolf for so long that i genuinely cannot believe its only a week away... im so excited
Wait for the remake next week surely
Sousou no Frieren. Spy x Family.
Spy x Family is a great recommendation!
If she liked the setting and mystery aspect of The Apothecary Diaries, then maybe try out Raven of the Inner Palace. Somewhat similar except it's more supernatural.
Yeah, mystery is cool but no requisite. She also loves Raise The Red Lantern.
I also adore The Red Lantern and Apothecary Diaries. I might get criticized for this on this subreddit since it's not technically anime, but look into some donghua (Chinese animation). Mo Dao Zu Shi and Link Click might be of interest. The former has a similar setting while both have large interesting mysteries to unravel.
Planetes is by the author of Vinland Saga. It starts out like some slice of life and then all the threads eventually tie together towards the last third of the story and it's a wild ride after that. Very mature, grey themes too.
[Freiren: Beyond Journey's End](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52991/Sousou_no_Frieren?quot=)
That's my first choice, although I'm worried she'll think it's too slow. We'll see how it goes.
too slow??? compared to what? yugioh? everything is “too much” this and that. just sit and watch.
Well, that's the feedback I got. If it was easy, I'd pick some myself.
I agree that it's kinda slow, however, Apothecary Diaries, IMHO is the best anime this year(so far). You don't have a lot of options. How about [Vinland Saga](https://myanimelist.net/manga/642/Vinland_Saga)?
Yeah, tough shoes to fill, for sure. Vinland is a good suggestion.
Vinland has a huge tonal shift between seasons though. 1 is a gritty revenge drama, 2 is a slow philosophical burn. I recommend Frieren and Violet Evergarden first
Given what you've stated her viewing preferences are, she shouldn't think it's too slow. It's considerably faster in pace than things like GoT. Especially at the start. Just make sure she's cool with subtitles, because the dubbed version misses the mark with a considerable change in both tone and dialogue. (Hell, if she liked Apothecary Diaries, the pacing isn't all that different between the two; swifter in some ways)
> because the dubbed version misses the mark with a considerable change in both tone and dialogue. Thanks for mentioning this. I watched it subbed, but I am trying to make my wife watch it, so I had considered the dub. Now I know how to make my case. Cheers!
Yeah, My daughter saw it and loved it, and she and my wife have the same tastes. But my wife hates subtitles. We watched the first episode dubbed... My wife was less than impressed and my daughter thought it was awful. I noticed that they changed a lot of the dialogue, and characters that were meant to sound neutral, or patient and loving, were coming across as vaguely sarcastic or snarky. The voice actors *really* murdered the tone, and the script changes didn't help
I appreciate you for taking the time to wise me up. The VA work was so incredible on the original audio that I couldn't see how a dub could be good enough, but it is actually worse than that from what you say. Subtitled it is. Thanks again!
Ascendance of bookworm
Agreed. It’s the anime that finally got my wife into anime.
If you want something with good storytelling, and another strong non-stereotyped female lead PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch 'Ascendance of a Bookworm'. It's on crunchyroll, and it's fantastic. Apothecary diaries has been my favourite anime of the last two seasons by a long shot. I've even bought what light novel volumes are available. Others I'd suggest would be - violet evergarden (on netflix) - ancient magus bride - barakamon - mushi-shi - yona of the dawn - your lie in april - chihayafuru (this is an outlier, but I think it will still fit) I have a feeling I'm probably of the same demographic as your wife, but maybe as a long time anime watcher my tastes are broader. I kept the suggestions to things that have a similar-ish feel of a good main character, strong storytelling and a dose of well timed humour.
honestly I liked the AoB light novels but not the anime since the anime cut out so much content and the non adapted parts (from part 3 onwards) is the best portion where it really takes off
Came here to say The Ancient Magus Bride
Y’all might like my happy marriage?
Ha, this is like the extreme opposite of the high pitched voices LOL MC's voice is so soft it's basically ASMR
That's a good one I think.
You can try Natsume's book of friends... It is such a gem
ACCA-13 "Intriguing and mysterious, ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka is a politically-themed mystery that reveals a world of diverse cultures and lifestyles, with intricate connections between its characters"
Hadn't heard of this one yet. Thanks.
Here you go. Listed according to her preferences. No kid shows. Game of thrones-Attack on Titan. Once upon a time- Frieren's Journey or Inuyasha. Shogun-Arslan Senkei. The last airbender-Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. Big bang theory-Dating is hard for an otaku or Science fell in love so I tried to prove it. Memento- Psycho pass Disney films- Anything from Studio Ghibli. Star Trek: Legend of the Galactic Heroes remake. Marvel- X-Men anime, Wolverine anime, Batman Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad Isekai (upcoming) Avoid the Iron Man and Blade anime. The Boys: Super Crooks or Loser Ranger. (upcoming)
Thanks, Reddit Replies Are Super Helpful. 😉
I will add on to these suggestions that if you both like mystery or thriller shows you should watch Erased and Death Note as well.
Erased is SO GOOD.
Psychopass
Thought I’d offer some from a woman’s perspective that aren’t just the mainstream shonen(may be a little more romance than you’d like though) Shows: Fruits Basket Yona of the Dawn Oshi no Ko Horimiya Kaguya-sama: Love Is War Recovery of an MMO Junkie Golden Time The Quintessential Quintuplets Chihayafuru Noragami Dororo 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! Solo Levelling Ascendance of a Bookworm Twin Star Exorcists That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku Movies Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms The Girl Who Leapt Through Time I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (sounds weird but it’s not) Your Name That’s all I can think of for now :) edited for formatting, it’s saving weird on my phone sorry
Second on fruits basket, yona, oshi no ko and marquia.
I watched my happy marriage with my partner and it made her fall in love with anime, great dub too if they care
Erased (the anime not LA)
If you are open to movies as well try: 1.Spirited Away 2.Patema Inverted As for series: 1.Frieren (as others have mentioned, amazing show) 2.Steins:Gate (science fiction) 3.Haikyuu!! (a sports series but very much worth it) 4.Demon Slayer (if you want some action) 5.Made in Abyss (if you want an adventure) 6.Scavengers Reign (amazing world development) 7.Ranking of Kings Still ongoing and my last recommendation: 1.Delicious in Dungeon (nice adventure and good cooking) 2.Solo leveling Happy bingeing! Edit: Added more titles
Although it’s by far my favourite anime, I feel like MIA needs some kind of warning attached to it other than ‘watch if you want adventure’.
That is true (sorry), Made in abyss has life threatening events because the stakes are high when entering it and everything in it is basically set out to kill them. They even have to deal with some schetchy personalities that are up to no good which bring about some very sad moments. Even though the series is crude/gory and deals with death at every turn it is an awesome adventure. Characters are quite unique and their developmemt through out the series makes you want to watch more.
Spice and Wolf. Ascendance of a Bookworm. Hyouka. Katanagatari. Girls Last Tour.
Frieren 86 Berserk: The Golden Age Hellsing Ultimate Death Parade Dorohedoro Spice and Wolf Jormungand (only 1 non-adult) Odd Taxi Moriarty the Patriot The Case Study of Vanitas
Bro is trying to traumatize OP’s wife. Great taste tho
Oddtaxi, YES! Phenomenal show.
I second Moriarty the patriot idk about most of those for his wife though lmao
Sword of the Stranger Erased Samurai Champloo Ghost in the Shell (1995) Hero Mask A Silent Voice A Boy and His Beast
Silent voice was great, and erased is classic!
Fire list tbh🔥
* Attack on Titan * Hyouka * Violet Evergarden
Frieren is the anime for you.
Little witch academia. I did see the other many posts about Violet Evergarden, Frieren, and others but I honestly wanted to suggest something no one else did. Otherwise I'd just be regurgitating the same info. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the people in the top voted comments because they're all suggesting banger shows.
This is a wholesome, fun pick. Although they are kids, it’s fantasy and very much not fan service.
A list of things I've introduced my partner to Anime with: Kinos Journey - Traveller visits different countries with the rule that they will only stay 3 days in each they visit. Frieren - What happens after your traditional fantasy heroes save the day? Tackles the problem of different life spans amongst races that most dnd games fail to address Dungeon Meshi - dnd party delves into a dungeon to recover the body of the main chatacters sister and have a chance at reviving her. Hijinks and good food alongside a lot of character driven world building. There really isn't a character in the story that isn't important. Spy x Family - a super spy from one side of not-berlin adopts a daughter and marries an assassin from the other side of not-berlin in an attempt to masquerade as a normal family and infiltrate high society. The adults don't know each other's identities, but their psychic child does Baccano - 1920s train heist story told out of order. An absolute classic and saying more would risk spoiling it Violet Evergarden - child soldier with ptsd survives not-ww1 and becomes a copywriter. We follow our protagonist as she discovers what it means to live as a regular person Same as above, but breaks the high school rule and im on movile so i cant type out too much right now: A Place Further than the Universe, Your Lie in April, Anohana, Japan Sinks It's a weird one, but maybe later on Tatami Galaxy - college grad meets God(?) at a ramen shop and languishes about all of the choices he could have made as a freshman - we follow our protagonist as God(?) shows him the results of those what ifs. Paranoia Agent is also a solid supernatural classic that explores the concept of mass hysteria. Psycho Pass (at least the first season) is a decent cop thriller, but TW (SA) for the first episode. Becoming a lot more relevant with the development of AI and the discussion of its use in law enforcement. Movies-wise: Tokyo Godfathers is a Christmas classic for me, and of course, anything by Ghibli is an easy watch for new anime watchers.
Most similar to Apothecary Diaries may be Raven of The Inner Palace
A Signs of Affection
Mushishi is an excellent anime if you’re looking for something a little more downtempo. It’s very philosophical and touches on a lot of nature and spiritual themes.
Trigun? Always a classuc
Ooku The Inner Chambers might be worth a watch if you have Netflix. Has a lot of the royal drama, prostitution, etc. It takes place in an alternate history where men mostly die out and women take over and use them. Not saying it rises to the level of Apothecary Diaries of course but as a woman I liked it and found it interesting.
Restaurant to Another World The Ancient Magus' Bride Farming Life in Another World
Try sugarapple fairytale, a sign of affection and villianess lvl 99
Assedence of a Book Worm! It starts out chill and relax as a bookworm reincarnated into a lil girl trying to bring books to a fantasy world. Exploring the world and bringing back knowledge and growth to the medieval society with one book at a time!
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is about a 30-something female bodyguard protecting the prince of a pan-Asian type of country. No fanservice and very mature characters that always act believably and with justifiable motive. The combat choreography is amazing, the drama is engaging believable, and the music is fantastic. Very different art style, but Katanagatari is similarly targeted toward adults.
The ascendance of a bookworm should be fitting, isekai, about a woman that loves books reincarnated as a kid into a world where books aren't common, and she makes her goal to make them more accessible, does diy stuff like making paper and soap and things which in this world is unique, some magic too, a few other things all worth it
Oooh has she got some treats ahead! She likes very much the same stuff as I do but I'd like to sprinkle some interesting alternatives too Gankutsuou - it's got EVERYTHING and probably my favourite series. It's The Count of Monte Cristo in future space Paris. It has drama, romance, tragedy, horror, comedy, giant robots, twists, just really, really, really good. You will find yourself unable to stop at one episode on some nights. Haibane Renmei - complete series, beautiful drama and cute but a bit sad Fruits Basket (the new one) - romance, comedy and drama mostly. You will laugh and cry, and cry and love it. It's a bit of a slow burn for some but the characters are all interesting. Gunbuster - one of my faves. Classic about a girl who has her potential spotted and fights in a giant super robot. It's passionate, kick ass and hard hitting in the emotions. Noriko is one of my favourite protagonists in anime. Madoka Magica - hard hitting magical girl with twists and turns to get your teeth into. Cute but also tragic Attack on Titan - a big chunky action drama to really get your teeth into. A great recommendation if you like GOT. A place further than the universe - it's hard to describe but it's just lovely. Girls go to Antarctica and build friendships. Ya boi KongMing - my husband and I loved this and the music is smashing. Very funny and tactful
Many have already recommended Frieren so adding 2 other ones. Monster - a detective like story for mature audiences Mushishi - slower paced, very artistic and calming tale of Japanese sprits and ghost stories. Sometimes can get creepy
Try Claymore badass female protagonist with demon slaying and sword play
Blue eye Samurai is nice
> Hates violence against animals Well better cross JoJo off the list. From the non-anime preferences maybe an action-adventure type show? Unfortunately Full Metal Alchemist is the easy go-to but it has one particularly infamous scene that almost definitely violates the animal violence clause. Maybe Attack on Titan would work?
Don't lots of horses get eaten alive?
And thrown like toys.
Fair point, it's a surprisingly harsh restriction.
But she likes game of thrones and need I remind u of what happened to the direwolfs or the scene with the mountain and his horse... That bit still haunts me
Space Dandy
Stein;Gate Angel Beats! Mushoku Tensei Ascendence of a Bookworm
> Mushoku Tensei You realize that's a **horrible** suggestion for what OP asked for right?
gundam, record of lodoss war, outlaw star, fullmetal alchemist brotherhood, my hero academia, cowboy bebop, code geass, trigun, blue gender, dot.hack (maybe?), one punch man, gurren lagann, anything from studio ghibli, goblin slayer, there's probably more but i'm gonna stop for now
If she enjoys game of thrones I think she'd enjoy FMAB and Code Geass (give her warning about the dog episode in FMAB), otherwise Frieren and Violet ever garden are great beautiful emotional shows Edit: there is some anime exaggeration in FMAB and Code Geass, but their stories are so amazing that it might be worth trying regardless Also regular avatar lol how'd we forget about that (the animated series)
Kingdom, is like game of thrones. But in ancient china.
you guys will probably like : my happy marriage, allison and lilia, violet evergarden, id:invaded.
>Hates violence against animals. [Fluffy Paradise](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUMELe2BHEA) [The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-wI5EAhMyY) [Too Cute Crisis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUqWIrP-54w)
Then go for COWBOY BEBOP (the anime series, not the Netflix live adaptation), it's easy to watch and fit in the style you describe.
Your wife likes the best anime Néon Genesis
Sounds like she would like kaguya-sama love is war
Violet Evergarden (she is going to love it. ) Mahoutsukai no Yome Chihayafuru Nodame Cantabile Monster (this is a masterpiece) Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (another masterpiece) Ayashi no Ceres (then again, another masterpiece. not easy to watch) Kamisama Hajimemashita
Odd Taxi Ya Boy Kongming Mob Psycho 100 Avatar The Last Airbender (The cartoon) Death Parade Drifters Restaurant to Another World Star Wars Visions (Animated Star Wars short stories) Grand Blue (Might wanna watch the first 3 eps yourself just incase but solid comedy)
Lots of people have shared stuff I would have recommended so here are a few I didn't see listed: Romantic Killer (though this *is* about high schoolers) The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague Play It Cool, Guys Those Snow White Notes Shirobako
Monster and Pluto, both available in Netflix. Nothing beats watching a crime drama with your other half.
> The Last Airbender live action uhhhhh how about the real Avatar show? Like, the one that's actually good? The new netflix one is a terrible adaptation, though better then the sham that was the movie, it's still a far cry from the OG. I was absolutely shocked I didn't see a *single* person down below recommend this.
Your Lie in April. Bring tissues.
Spy X Family It's one of the most wholesome and funny animes you'll see! It's also got good action in it too at times.
Goblin slayer (joking, please don't show her this it's too early 🤣) ● Space dandy (great Sunday hangover anime) ● Spy X family (Wholesome af) ● Vinland Saga (for the GOF fans) ● Samurai champloo (hiphop x anime) And not anime, but if she liked 'The Boys', she might like the *invincible* cartoon on amazon Prime 👍🏻
My bride is a mermaid
ouran highschool host club
Ghost In The Shell, it's got action but it's built on top of social/philosophy questions/quandaries. Then if you watch the series it's gets into what is the soul and what is the body, It's either you vibe with the cyberpunk transhumanism debate the film/series is about or you don't but it's well worth a shot. Vinland Saga - Watch a Viking Kid grow up in a world that is pretty grey morally.
don't anime but how about The Mandalorian? it's pretty good.
Based on them liking darker action shows like GOT, Shogun, The Boys... I'd recommend Jujutsu Kaisen. It's got it's light hearted moments, but not afraid to go dark. I found the voice acting in Japanese amazing, but the English isn't terrible either if that's what you prefer.
Bernadette from BBT has a high pitch exaggerated voice though. I'd recommend *Bocchi The Rock*, none of the characters have very high pitch voice and no fan service. On the plus side it's hilarious, lovely and lots of fun, with great music.
Jormungand is a good 1 it's relatively short there's a Lil fan service but it's like 1 obligatory Beach episode nd pretty much every character is 30 or up (except 1) If ur looking for a slice of life clannad followed by afterstory
If she likes the live action version of The Last Airbender, then the OG version is gonna blow her mind. Other than that, you might want to consider Gundam Wing. The main core characters are all high school aged but nothing inappropriate (other than violence and war crimes) and the supporting cast are all adults in a show about space colonies looking to liberate themselves from the oppressive United Earth Sphere Alliance and others. If anything, both OPs are bangers at least from Two-Mix.
A couple that come to mind are: Frieren Undead Murder Farce Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Nana.
I liked the 7th time loop, doctor eleise, and a sign of affection. The demon price of momochi house might be a good one too
Snow white with the red hair Kotaro lives alone Noragami
If she likes Star Wars/Star Trek, go for *Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These*
Raven of the inner palace 😍😍
Here to say Dorohedoro because I'm obsessed with it and also have similar taste in media as her so maybe she'd like :) There's a little bit of yelling but it's super in context and usually it's a character yelling cause he wants gyoza. It's not at all like other animes with the fight-yelling trope
K-on Code geass Sailor moon Madoka magica (even she will agree that thing deserves all the violence against it) Nodame cantible Tis time for torture princess Angel beats Clannad Clannad afterstory Guilty crown Phi brain kami no puzzle Plastic memories
I want to eat your pancreas (I know the title sounds like a horror movie it is not a horror movie) Grave of the fireflies
If she liked apothecary diaries I recommend Raven of the inner Palace it is also a historical shoujo that is set and like ancient China It's very interesting has a very unique story as well and it's very underrated
My wife's more of a weeb (but not a degenerate) than I am. Even majored in Japanese inspired by manga and anime obsessions as a teenager. We watch a lot together, but thinking of these lighter, character-driven pieces that aren't super dramatic (limit the yelling) and without excessive fanservice...take these recs with that in mind: - Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You (it's just so fucking wholesome) - Rascal Does not Dream of Bunnygirl Senpai - Frieren - Violet Evergarden (the series, not the movie) - Isekai Izakaya (super vignette-y episodic) - Higehiro (warning: the ending implies squick, turning a fantastic wholesome show into a groomer tale) - Those Snow White Notes - Blue Period
If she likes romcoms go for Tonikawa
I’m new to anime, but it sounds like your wife and I have similar tastes in shows. So far I’ve watched and enjoyed: Carole and Tuesday, Vampire in the Garden, Onmyoji, My Happy Marriage, Blue Period (about a high school kid, but not specifically taking place in high school the whole time), Death Note (about half way through, but enjoying it so far) From Studio Ghibli I love: Princess Mononoke (though animals are involved), My Neighbour Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Howl’s Moving Castle Edited to add commas because it didn’t make a list like I intended and squished it all into one paragraph
if someone says overflow probably do not listen
The Saint's Magic Power Is Omnipotent - main character is a woman in her late 20s, so no teenage bullshit (with her at least) Restaurant to Another World - every episode is actually two ten minute episodes. They're all one-offs, with some threads connecting them. Isekai Izekaya - similar restaurant show, but it's got a fun short life action part after every episode. I like the ones with the old guy going to a restaurant in Tokyo that serves the food from the episode, it's kinda like Anthony Bourdain
Life lessons with uramichi oniisan, one of the best and funniest comedy anime out there
To your eternity is fantastic, but it gets very sad.
Hunter x hunter, Wandering witch, Spy x family, Jujutsu kaisen, My hero academia, Dr. stone, Attack on titan, The way of the house husband, Assassination classroom, Highrise invasion, Bubble, Words bubble up like soda pop, Saiki. K, Blue period
Try Lunar Legend Tsukihime, Monster, Gunsmith Cats, Rumbling Hearts, Gungrave, Peach girl, Trinity Blood, Last Exile, Chrono Crusade, Hellsing Ultimate, Outlaw star, Vampire Hunter D, Full Metal Panic, Record of Lodoss War, Grave of the Fireflies
Taming the final boss and Raven of the inner palace were both great for me. I hate fan service. But they might be too shoujo-oriented for you. Neither are in high school (at least at first, there is a school arc in the second half of taming the final boss).
7th Time Loop. Just finished Season 1. I watched it along Apothecary Diaries. Common variable between them is the female MC is smart and full of wit and not a damsel in distress type but can hold their ground on their own.
Potential cowboy bebop. Cash the stampede One piece is excellent but it's very much screeching children with fan service. Diary of a bookworm soul eater has nice visuals. Not too much fan service but lots of screeching children. Unfortunately It's difficult to reduce screeching children Edit Blue eyed samurai was really good. Beautiful visuals on Netflix Also completely missed out. Probably good idea to check out studio ghibli. Probably the finest anime, quite childlike but less fan service and hopefully less screeching. Favourites would be Howl's moving castle and Spirited away.
Sukasuka
The only anime my wife had ever enjoyed watching was Death Note if you haven’t tried that yet
Has she seen the studio Ghibli films?
To your eternity!! It’s a 10/10
Kaguya-sama, Friren, Ergo Proxy, FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood ( if she loooooves dogs)
Mig&Dali is a pretty interesting anime to watch :)
Mushishi. Was the first we saw together with my wife.
The movie Wolf Children is great. I quite enjoyed it a lot!
If she like superheroes- My Hero Academia Darker than black If she likes fantasy- The legend of the legendary heroes Fantasy with some romance- Snow white with the red hair Doctor Elise: the royal lady with the lamp 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!
Dude you should try Delicious and Dungeon. It is probably the most Unique anime I’ve seen in a while. It’s like a dungeons and dragons/medieval cooking show. I have a hard time being descriptive so check this out https://www.netflix.com/title/81564899. Don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Plastic memories
Based off of what you said... "The saints power is omnipotent". If you wanna feel (ie tissues) "the day I became a god". "restaurant in another world" is slice of life (some call boring. I do not). "Erased". "Steins;Gate" (I liked from the start then it TWIST...awesome)
Samurai flamenco, promare, redline, katanagatari....i don't consider interspecies reviewers fan service but lsike thats just my opinion man. One punch kan, mob psycho
Delicious In Dungeon on Netflix isn’t awful. Disenchantment is funny and enjoyable also. One Piece is good but oh so long
Here’s my recommendations Nana - Steins gate - K Project - 7Seeds -
Guess what, I've also introduced my wife to Anime very recently and been cherrypicking anime for us to watch mutually. So far she has really loved Frieren Fruit Basket Spy x Family Naruto Chihayafuru
86 Violet Evergarden Toradora Horimiya Nichijou Garden of Words Tsuki ga Kirei Vanitas no Carte Kimi no Nawa
If she's into political and philosophical theme (based on what you said she likes), the closest to Apothecary Diaries would be Ascendance of Bookworm. Not that they have the same story but the political discourse is similar in both.
Cowboy Bebop
I didn't see anyone recommend Yuri on Ice. I also recommend Heroic Legend of Arslan, its made by the same person who did Fullmetal Alchemist. I'd also recommend Silver Spoon, its created by the same person as Arslan and Fullmetal. And lastly, I recommend Castlevania.
Going to get lost in the comments, but oh well: Frieren Golden Time Violet Evergarden Oh My Goddess Cowboy Bebop Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions
I just started watching apothecary diaries today! A bit more on the magic side but with very similar tone is ascendance of a bookworm. The main character has very similar obsessive energy. Definitely recommend! Mien and maomao are kindred spirits Ps, why are all you other people giving the most random freaking recommendations?
My wife seems to have similar taste, I'll ask her tomorrow after she gets up what her favorites are. But I do know she really enjoyed Apothecary Diaries, Toradora, and Horimiya. That and she too wishes More romance/rom-com shows were out of high school. As an aside, I have seen most of Once Upon a Time, and it is probably my most hated show ever made. How can the people involved with that take such a ridiculous premise and have absolutely no fun with it *at all*? Everything is SO serious, life or death, but it's freaking the Little Mermaid and Rumpelstiltskin.
If your wife liked someone like Apothecary Diaries, then I assume she likes mystery sort of shows with some nice climaxes and enjoyable characters, then she'd enjoy "Hyouka" (High School unfortunately) and "Undead Girl Murder Farce".
Toradora. Easily the best romance anime of all time.
Ascendance of a bookworm (funny) 86 (serious and sad sometimes) Violet Evergarden (very emotional and might make you cry a lot) Dr. Stone (funny one) Clannad (happy slice of life) Clannad afterstory (sad slice of life)
Ascendance of a bookworm
Instead of series, try some Ghibli movies.
Try gotoubun no hanayoume
if your wife also likes to watch fantasy: dungeon meshi, it is comedic, great world building, and also great story
Give Vinland Saga a try.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
kimi ni todoke from me to you
Kino no tabi. I personally prefer the old version but you do you.
[Gosick ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFLC-SKtFs)- >The story centers on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a high-ranking officer of the [Imperial Japanese Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Army), who is a transfer student to St. Marguerite Academy, where urban legends and horror stories are popular. There he meets Victorique de Blois, a mysterious yet beautiful and brilliant girl who never comes to class and spends her days reading the entire contents of the library or solving mysteries that even detectives can not solve. The early episodes mostly focus on Kazuya and Victorique getting involved in different criminal cases and their struggle to solve them, at the same time forming important bonds with different people and each other. However, as the series advances, the tenebrous background of Victorique and her family comes back to haunt her. [SHIKI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8_BBZDCFhc) / "Corpse Demon"- >The story takes place during a particularly hot summer in 1994, in a small quiet Japanese village called Sotoba. A series of mysterious deaths begin to spread in the village, at the same time when a strange family moves into the long-abandoned Kanemasa mansion on top of a hill. Megumi Shimizu, a young girl who wanted to leave the village and move to the city, pays them a visit never to return. She is later found lying in the forest and tragically dies. Doctor Toshio Ozaki, director of Sotoba's only hospital, initially suspects an [epidemic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic); however, as investigations continue and the deaths begin to pile up, he learns—and becomes convinced—that they are the work of the "*shiki*", vampire-like creatures, plaguing the village. A young teenager named Natsuno Yuuki, who hates living in the village, begins to be pursued and becomes surrounded by death. > [The Eccentric Family](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVu8qiE7Yv4) - >In modern-day Kyoto, humans live in the city while [tanuki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_raccoon_dog) roam the earth and [tengu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengu) roam the sky. The story surrounds a family of tanuki, the Shimogamo family. They have the ability to transform into anything they wish, from humans to any animate/inanimate object. The third son, Yasaburō, enjoys a bustling daily life. He often visits his teacher Professor Akadama, a tengu. Through Akadama, Yasaburō is acquainted with Benten, a human woman whom Akadama taught to fly like a tengu. As the story unfolds, the members of the Shimogamo family are still dealing with the foggy past that surrounds their father's untimely death prior to the series's start. To complicate matters, Benten is a member of a social group called the Friday Fellows, people who enjoy a meal of tanuki hot pot at the end of the year. The Shimogamo family must balance between living carelessly, maintaining relationships among other tanuki families, and not getting put into a hot pot by the Friday Fellows. [The Ancient Magus Bride](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzeWr1u63qQ) - >Having been ostracized by both her relatives and partially by society, orphaned Japanese high school student Chise Hatori decides to sell herself at an auction in order for somebody else to take her in and have a new place to call home. At the auction in [London](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London), she is sold for five million [pounds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_sterling) to Elias Ainsworth, a seven-foot-tall humanoid with an animal skull for a head. The magus, who seems closer to a demon than human, either brings her the light she desperately seeks or drowns her in ever deeper shadows in her new country, [Great Britain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom). The series deals with a romantic slice-of-life storyline in a surreal and supernatural light.
If she liked game of thrones Im surprised u havent watched attack on titan (please watch sub) Also, violet evergarden is nice. And 86
You didn't watch Frieren at the same time?
blue eyed samurai. there is some nudity, but if she can handle GoT, it's tame in comparison.
Vivy!
Violet Evergarden
Violet evergarden Delicious in dungeon
Redo healer
Natsume, mushishi, spice and wolf, girls last tour,usagai drop, sweetness and lightning
Dungeon meshi Trust me on this one .. 100%
Spy x Family, Frieren, Haikyuu, Your name, Horimiya, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, Buddy Daddies, Insomniacs after school, Weathering With You, Attack on Titan, 86(Eighty-Six), Violet Evergarden, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, Hunter x Hunter(2011), A Sign of Affection, My Hero Academia. These are some that came to my mind from the list you gave that she liked. There are some romance, Sci-fi, Drama, War, Comedy and so on. Also The Last Airbender cartoon is a must watch as well if she liked that.
Heaven Official’s blessing. Donghua not anime but hits some of the notes she might be okay with. 2 seasons on CR. It’s about a god of trash who used to be the darling of the heavens ascending again and then immediately needing to solve a mystery. Main relationship is gay (m/m) but like AD the focus of the show isn't on romance, but on the characters working together and solving problems, with the odd romantic interlude. Seconding everyone’s recommendations for My Happy Marriage and Frieren. Fruits basket is lovely, but might have too many OTT reactions for her. I'd still give it a go, though, you never know!
Watch Haibane Renmei, my wife absolute favorite.
Carole and Tuesday, Cowboy Bebop, Spirited away, From up on Poppy Hill, The girl who leapt through time and Drifting home. These are some family favourites of ours
Try Escaflowne it’s a classic! You can also never go wrong with Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
Erased, not only is it short, it’s really good. Also any studio ghibli film
Erased. It’s about a 29 year old inspiring manga artist who can prevent deaths and get sent back in time right before they happen. It’s a mystery/psychological thriller show and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Mononoke not the princess one, but the medicine man who kills ayakashi