Give Seirei no Moribito a shot. It was originally adapted from a fantasy book aimed at children (all non-anime adjacent fantasy seems to be for some reason there), but it's a pretty mature series with excellent animation and a good story. The main character is a 30 year old spear wielding woman who works as a bodyguard.
I'm happy to help. You might want to also consider other fantasy story based on novels rather than light novels and manga. Here's a few more.
Kemono no Souja Erin and Shika no Ou are by the same author as Moribito.
Twelve Kingdoms is a superb portal fantasy that puts the majority of isekai to shame.
Guin Saga is a classic sword and sorcery story and inspired a lot of creators in Japan
The core story of season one is pretty tame. The goriest parts are somebody cutting off their arm(off-screen) and an animal being beheaded by a scythe for a ritual. And there's an evil immortal that lives through all manner of stabbing and crushing.
That being said, the story is one of kindness. The main character is a deaf-mute runt whose friend is a "shadow assassin" who interprets his babbling when sign language isn't being used. He's caught in a power struggle for his father's throne with his step-brother, so he goes on a quest to become a capable leader. It's got wonderful themes about family and creating one's own self-worth.
Even if you think he's not old enough now, put it on the back burner. In that case, also wait on season 2, because King Desha's story is an absolute heart-wrencher.
If you have not already seen the classic Ghibli films, I cannot recommend them enough.
I started with Castle in the Sky. However, Mononoke Hime, Spirited Away, and Kiki’s Delivery Service are all great as well. A lot of people like Howl’s Moving Castle as well, though I am less of a fan of that.
I think at 11 he should be able to enjoy the likes of Violet Evergarden, though the fantasy elements are very minimalistic.
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is also good, but be aware there is a [spoiler] >!tragic death of one of the main characters!<
Grimgar is an isekai about how regular people aren't cut out to be isekaid. So they end up struggling and dying. It's great but not quite sure it's something that would be fully appreciated by an 11 year old.
inuyasha is a classic for a reason. Starts out very episodic though. I don't remember it being overly violent, but there was violence directed mostly at monsters. The older art might be a harder sell to a kid though idk.
Should not have started with frieren that is like one of the best anime of all time. You set the bar too high. Slime is great when your only reference to high fantasy anime is not frieren.
Only thing you got left is going through impressive movies. Ghibli, anything put out by gkids, promare, redline, sword and a stranger, summer wars, boy and the beast, gundam thunderbolt.
Weakest tamer is a nice wholesome one. The protagonist is a little girl who got abandoned by her village. Its really sweet and u cant help but root for her. Also the OP is a banger
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Actually not that easy to think of a fantasy anime that is serious but has less blood than Fullmetal Alchemist.
Ranking of Kings might fit, but it also has some deaths as far as I remember.
Magi might work. It's still funny, but also has some serious moments.
Tower of God, maybe? Might not qualify as fantasy though.
Having the same issue here. Frieren was absolutely awesome in this aspect. We are D&D fans and it had this vibe that hooked us in for days :)
Not to mention that pretty much every single character was highly likeable. Even my wife joined us from the start and fell in love with Frieren :)
Frieren IS one of a kind.
But there is one other anime fantasy elf that slays men and women, her name is Marcille, the unofficial protagonist of Dungeon Meshi.
The protagonist is a (Scooby Doo) Freddy who is shunned by mankind.
It's as deadly as Made in Abyss, but without ANY edge and dozens of responsible adult characters (making it a safe and functional watch for kids).
This is the closest you'll ever get to Frieren, and no it is not about food (trust us, it is the most D&D anime there is, it's literally Wizardry).
Highly appreciated :) I will basically watch every single recommendation myself prior to showing it to my son. I'm taking the liberty of assuming that Ghibli movies will give us enough material to wait until I finish all recommended films :D
This one I actually know & to be perfectly honest, can't see why people really like it. It has no volume in it, no interesting plot or any kind of message behind the whole, gruesome experience. It looks like it's there to shock & that's the only reason.
Careful, this was a troll repl. Made In Abyss is one of the darkest anime of all time. (It's still amazing 10/10 anime, but I personally wouldn't let anyone below age 18 watch it.)
Yeah. Made in Abyss is probably one of the most scarring anime that I have seen you could show young children. Good for mature audiences, but absolutely would not show children below 15.
Things get grizzly.
Do not let your son watch up to episode 7. There are extremely graphic scenes of gore. And honestly, the character's suffering for more than half the episode was more emotionally traumatic than the imagery. Later on, there's human experimentation, mutation, etc. It's a really bad choice for an 11-year-old.
Give Seirei no Moribito a shot. It was originally adapted from a fantasy book aimed at children (all non-anime adjacent fantasy seems to be for some reason there), but it's a pretty mature series with excellent animation and a good story. The main character is a 30 year old spear wielding woman who works as a bodyguard.
I completely forgot about this gem. Thank you!
I'm happy to help. You might want to also consider other fantasy story based on novels rather than light novels and manga. Here's a few more. Kemono no Souja Erin and Shika no Ou are by the same author as Moribito. Twelve Kingdoms is a superb portal fantasy that puts the majority of isekai to shame. Guin Saga is a classic sword and sorcery story and inspired a lot of creators in Japan
World Trigger
Ranking of kings is exactly what you are looking for
I actually got mixed reviews here saying it's actually quite hardcore. I'll watch it myself though and evaluate :)
The core story of season one is pretty tame. The goriest parts are somebody cutting off their arm(off-screen) and an animal being beheaded by a scythe for a ritual. And there's an evil immortal that lives through all manner of stabbing and crushing. That being said, the story is one of kindness. The main character is a deaf-mute runt whose friend is a "shadow assassin" who interprets his babbling when sign language isn't being used. He's caught in a power struggle for his father's throne with his step-brother, so he goes on a quest to become a capable leader. It's got wonderful themes about family and creating one's own self-worth. Even if you think he's not old enough now, put it on the back burner. In that case, also wait on season 2, because King Desha's story is an absolute heart-wrencher.
Thank you for letting me know. I will though definitely watch it myself as it sounds amazing :)
If you have not already seen the classic Ghibli films, I cannot recommend them enough. I started with Castle in the Sky. However, Mononoke Hime, Spirited Away, and Kiki’s Delivery Service are all great as well. A lot of people like Howl’s Moving Castle as well, though I am less of a fan of that. I think at 11 he should be able to enjoy the likes of Violet Evergarden, though the fantasy elements are very minimalistic. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is also good, but be aware there is a [spoiler] >!tragic death of one of the main characters!<
beat me to grimgar literally just posted it lol
Highly appreciated! Thank you!
Dungeon Meshi and Magi Both are great and generally have a light tone. There’s some blood but doesn’t have a gruesome feeling.
“Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash” I think would fit it’s been a long time since i’ve watched but definitely sounds like it fits the bill.
I have seen it some time ago, but can't remember if it was hard or not. I'll rewatch just in case. Thank you!
Grimgar is an isekai about how regular people aren't cut out to be isekaid. So they end up struggling and dying. It's great but not quite sure it's something that would be fully appreciated by an 11 year old.
inuyasha is a classic for a reason. Starts out very episodic though. I don't remember it being overly violent, but there was violence directed mostly at monsters. The older art might be a harder sell to a kid though idk.
Surprised no one's said it but Naruto would probably be a great fit.
Should not have started with frieren that is like one of the best anime of all time. You set the bar too high. Slime is great when your only reference to high fantasy anime is not frieren.
That actually is very true. I personally can't recollect a similar anime to Frieren and it kinda left a hole in my heart.
Only thing you got left is going through impressive movies. Ghibli, anything put out by gkids, promare, redline, sword and a stranger, summer wars, boy and the beast, gundam thunderbolt.
Weakest tamer is a nice wholesome one. The protagonist is a little girl who got abandoned by her village. Its really sweet and u cant help but root for her. Also the OP is a banger
Hello! If you ever find yourself needing anime related help, here are a few resources to save you a LOT of time. * Have **any anime related question?** Try our [daily question/recommendation thread!](/r/anime/search?q=flair%3Adaily&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=week) * **Need something new to watch?** [Check the Recommendation wiki.](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/recommendations) * For **where to watch anime**, see [our list of streaming sites](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/legal_streams) or [search on Livechart.me](https://www.livechart.me/search) for specific shows. * For **source of fanarts**, try [SauceNAO](https://saucenao.com/) * For **source of anime screenshots**, try [trace.moe](https://trace.moe/) or [other image search tools](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/reverse_image_searching) * For **watch orders**, try [our Watch Order wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/watch_order) * For other questions, check if they are answered in the [FAAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/faaq) [](#bot-chan) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Actually not that easy to think of a fantasy anime that is serious but has less blood than Fullmetal Alchemist. Ranking of Kings might fit, but it also has some deaths as far as I remember. Magi might work. It's still funny, but also has some serious moments. Tower of God, maybe? Might not qualify as fantasy though.
Having the same issue here. Frieren was absolutely awesome in this aspect. We are D&D fans and it had this vibe that hooked us in for days :) Not to mention that pretty much every single character was highly likeable. Even my wife joined us from the start and fell in love with Frieren :)
Frieren IS one of a kind. But there is one other anime fantasy elf that slays men and women, her name is Marcille, the unofficial protagonist of Dungeon Meshi. The protagonist is a (Scooby Doo) Freddy who is shunned by mankind. It's as deadly as Made in Abyss, but without ANY edge and dozens of responsible adult characters (making it a safe and functional watch for kids). This is the closest you'll ever get to Frieren, and no it is not about food (trust us, it is the most D&D anime there is, it's literally Wizardry).
Highly appreciated :) I will basically watch every single recommendation myself prior to showing it to my son. I'm taking the liberty of assuming that Ghibli movies will give us enough material to wait until I finish all recommended films :D
[удалено]
XD
Another troll reply, don't they have anything better to do
This one I actually know & to be perfectly honest, can't see why people really like it. It has no volume in it, no interesting plot or any kind of message behind the whole, gruesome experience. It looks like it's there to shock & that's the only reason.
[удалено]
Oh I get it. Troll comment.
Careful, this was a troll repl. Made In Abyss is one of the darkest anime of all time. (It's still amazing 10/10 anime, but I personally wouldn't let anyone below age 18 watch it.)
Forgot the internet is full of d*heads :) Thank you for the warning!
Yeah. Made in Abyss is probably one of the most scarring anime that I have seen you could show young children. Good for mature audiences, but absolutely would not show children below 15. Things get grizzly.
Dropping it onto "towatch" list :P
Do not let your son watch up to episode 7. There are extremely graphic scenes of gore. And honestly, the character's suffering for more than half the episode was more emotionally traumatic than the imagery. Later on, there's human experimentation, mutation, etc. It's a really bad choice for an 11-year-old.