Show Listing Last Updated: November 27, 2015
Part of my blogging is about Anime shows I watch, or in some cases turn off after a few minutes. Usually my posts only include clean shows, but occasionally I will include some that were just so bad I couldn’t even get through one episode, and even then generally only because I had seen enough good ones to complete a single post.
This page is a collection of the good Anime shows I have found. What do I mean by good? I mean clean Anime. This does not include shows that had a good story but was filled with naked girls. I also include “mostly clean” shows in which they occasionally include some questionable material, such as brief “panty shots”, but it’s not the main purpose of the show. I also don’t include the show if I get the feeling they are doing it excessively. For example, in Kaze no Stigma there are a few scenes in the 24 episodes where the wind has blown the girls skirt up or messed up her clothes a bit so her bra is showing. These were quick shots to get the point across and not lingering shots, again, this is why I included them, however, I do mark these as “mostly clean” since they are not completely clean. I also try to note what instances might be objectionable.
If you are looking for good clean, wholesome Anime I hope this list will help you find some good shows. Most shows on this list I really enjoyed watching. There are a few that were just okay, but I usually mention that in the summary. All the links are to thetvdb.com for more information about the show. All the artwork is also pulled from that site so thanks to them and all their contributors for supplying some great artwork (and in some cases just really high quality dvd box scans).
You can also check out the back-page, which lists other Anime shows that I have watched (or partially watched) that didn’t make the cut. Some of them are pretty close to clean, others – not so much. Mostly this list is for me to remember which shows didn’t make the cut and why.
If you want to know where you can go to watch these shows, check out this post on places to watch anime.
Update on 8/17/2014: Please note, I do not specifically check for language. However, as has been mentioned to me some parent’s are letting their kids watch shows recommended by me, I will make an effort to point out shows where I notice an excessive amount of cursing. That is sometimes difficult as often when I watch in Japanese with English subtitles, the curse words are translated as non-cursing (or maybe they just throw some in in the English language version). Please keep an eye on what is being watched in your house. I do my best to critique the content of the shows properly, but on second watchings I have at times noticed that I have missed stuff. And as always, I appreciate any feedback about things I might have missed so I can update the listings. If only this could be a full-time job I would be able to make sure everything is 100% accurate, but that would mean having even less of a social life than I do now.
Update on 10/4/2014:
Added new shows: The Garden of Words, Servent x Service, Amensia, Non Non Biyori, Log Horizon, One Week Friends
Update on 2/16/2015:
Added new shows: Chihayafuru, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Tonari no Seki-kun, The Wind Rises
Update on 5/14/2015:
Added new shows: Wolf Girl and Black Prince, From Up on Poppy Hill
Removed show: El Cazador de la Bruja (finally watched a version with the intro/outro and the intro has naked scenes)
Added English languages: Amnesia, Girls und Panzer, Kokoro Connect, Log Horizon
Update on 11/27/2015:
Added new shows: When Marnie Was There, Wish Upon the Pleiades, Sound! Euphonium, Tales from Earthsea, Baby Steps, Tribe Cool Crew, Love Live! School Idol Project (Season 2), Log Horizon (Season 2)
Removed show: Sword Art Online (Season 2 had even more garbage)
Added English languages: Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, Last Exile (Season 2), Love Live! School Idol Project,
Amnesia
Summary: I was intrigued by the show from the beginning. Very in-depth plot, you can’t just watch it to pass the time, you really need to pay attention.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 12
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Clean
Language: Japanese and English
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Angel Beats!
Summary: Absolutely awesome. Good comedy that makes you laugh at the absurdity of it all while still telling a story of people trying to figure out who they are.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 13 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Sexually clean, has a few gory scenes
Language: Japanese and English
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Baby Steps
Summary: Very clean show about a boy’s attempt to become a pro tennis player. Recommended if you enjoy sports.
Seasons: 2 (I have only watched season 1 so far)
Season length: 25 episodes
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Clean (visually as well as language)
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Bodacious Space Pirates
Summary: Good story about a high school girl trying to deal with being a student and a space pirate at the same time. I look forward to watching each new episode. Good potential for a second season.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 26 episodes
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Clean. One questionable scene with two girls kissing about 3/4 through the show.
Language: Japanese and English
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Chiyahafuru
Summary: Great clean show with a decent storyline. Follow five youths as they try to become Karuta champions. You get to learn something about Japanese culture too!
Seasons: 2
Season length: 25 episodes
Episode length: 24 minutes
Content: Clean
Language Content: Clean, possibly a few swear words muttered but nothing jumps out at me.
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Clannad
Summary: I really enjoyed this show and have already watched it for a second time.
Seasons: 2 (see After Story below)
Season length: 24 episodes
Episode length: 25 minutes
Content: Clean
Language: Japanese and English
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Clannad: After Story
Summary: At times heart-breaking, but a wonderful show that makes me wish for a perfect ending in real life.
Seasons: 2 (see Clannad above)
Season length: 24 episodes (+1 extra)
Episode length: 25 minutes
Content: Clean
Language: Japanese and English
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Fairy Tail
Summary: A great show, with a great plot and great music to back it up. It’s hard to go wrong here!
Seasons: 1
Season length: ~180 episodes
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: 99.9% clean up until around episode 150. Then the clothing starts to get pretty racy at times.
Language: Japanese and English
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From Up on Poppy Hill
Summary: Wonderful, kid friendly, movie that keeps adults entertained as well as children.
Movie length: 91 minutes
Content: Clean (visually and language)
Language: Japanese and English
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Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
Summary: Interesting show. That is about all I can say.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 13 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Generally clean.
Language: Japanese and English
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Girls und Panzer
Summary: Fun, clean show. Good entertainment with a creative idea driving it all (tankery).
Seasons: 1
Season length: 12 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Very clean.
Language: Japanese and English
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Kanon
Summary: A thoroughly enjoying show powered by a great story and backed by good clean fun.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 24 episodes
Episode length: 25 minutes
Content: Clean
Language: Japanese and English
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Kokoro Connect
Summary: Enjoyed the show, wish it had been longer to explore in more detail some of these (somewhat) philosophical ideas.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 17 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Mostly clean, see full description for the discussion of the “unclean” parts.
Language: Japanese and English
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Last Exile
Summary: Solid story with great animation. Thoroughly enjoyed watching and have already watched again.
Seasons: 2
Season length: 26 episodes
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Very clean in Season 1. Dirty opening sequence in Season 2 but otherwise seems clean.
Language: Japanese and English
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Love Live! School Idol Project
Summary: Good show. Nothing spectacular. Decent story of girls trying to save their school from closing.
Seasons: 2
Season length: 13 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Clean.
Language: Japanese and English
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Log Horizon
Summary: Good show. Interesting plot development that grows with each episode. Lots of laughs.
Seasons: 2
Season length: 25
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Clean
Language: Japanese and English (Season 1)
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Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun
Summary: Great comedy about the repeated failures of a girl trying to confess her love for a boy who just doesn’t seem to get it.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 12 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Clean (visually and language)
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Myself; Yourself
Summary: Good story, good animation. Really enjoyed watching it.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 13 episodes
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Mostly clean
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Non Non Biyori
Summary: Relaxing, comical and easy going show to watch, waiting for the second season.
Seasons: 1 (Season 2 is coming)
Season length: 12
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Clean
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
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Oban Star-Racers
Summary: Weak plot and character development, but good show for passing the time.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 26
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Clean
Language: Japanese and English
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One Week Friends
Summary: Nice, relaxing anime that has a good story and introduces you to some interesting characters and interesting concepts.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 12 episodes
Episode length: 24 minutes
Content: Clean
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Ouran High School Host Club
Summary: Really enjoyed this one. Very funny while being extremely clean. Intend to watch this one again sometime.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 26 episodes
Episode length: 24 minutes
Content: Very clean. Two of the characters (brothers) are “sort of” gay with each other though nothing ever happens – if this would bother you then don’t watch it, but it didn’t bother me at all.
Language: Japanese and English
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Sands of Destruction
Summary: Good clean show that offers 13 entertaining episodes with a story following 3 people who are trying(?) to destroy the world.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 13 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Completely clean, I always hesitate to recommend anything for kids without parents watching first, but I think it is clean enough to do so.
Language: Japanese and English
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Servant x Service
Summary: Lots of good clean laughs brought on by a varied cast of misfits.
Episode Count: 13 episodes
Episode Length: 24 minutes
Content: Completely clean
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Silver Spoon
Summary: Really great show! Not a good choice for young kids but a very interesting storyline.
Seasons: 2
Season length: 11 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Clean, but maybe too bloody for young children
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Sound! Euphonium
Summary: Perfectly clean show centering on classical music. Highly recommended if you have a love or appreciation of classical music.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 13 episodes
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Clean (visually content as well as language)
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Spider Riders
Summary: A great kids show that still has entertainment value for adults.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 52 episodes
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Completely clean.
Language: Japanese and English
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Squid Girl
Summary: Lots of comedic adventures as we follow Ika’s attempt to take over the surface world!
Seasons: 2
Season length: 12 episodes
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Completely clean, I don’t recall anything in the entire show.
Language: Japanese and English (Season 1 only I believe)
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Tales from Earthsea
Summary: Another wonderful Ghibli movie about a troubled boy and a wizard trying to uncover what is wrong in the world.
Movie length: 115 minutes
Content: Clean (visually and language)
Language: Japanese and English
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The Cat Returns
Summary: Clean movie for kids with enough entertainment for adults as well.
Movie length: 75 minutes
Content: Completely clean, another kid movie that is very appropriate to watch with the children.
Language: Japanese and English
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The Garden of Words
Summary: Solid feel-good movie to watch if you are feeling down.
Length: 45 minutes
Content: Clean
Language: Japanese and English
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The Wind Rises
Summary: Great movie, really enjoyed watching it. Learn a bit about Japan’s aircraft history too!
Movie length: 126 minutes
Content: Clean (visually and language)
Language: English and Japanese
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Tonari no Seki-kun – The master of killing time
Summary: Great clean show about killing some time at school instead of paying attention to lessons.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 21 episodes
Episode length: 8 minutes
Content: Clean (visually and language)
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Tribe Cool Crew
Summary: Clean show about a group of five people and their street dancing, if you enjoy street dancing you will probably enjoy this.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 50 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Clean visually and in language (I have only watched up through episode 25 so far)
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Toradora!
Summary: Good plot that develops throughout the entire shows run. Lots of laughs the whole way through.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 25 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Generally clean (episode #9 shows a guy holding a towel in front of himself because he “forgot” he wasn’t dressed, about 7 seconds; episode #13 has a girl in extremely provocative outfit on stage, though in truth a bikini covers far less skin; episode #17 has a 15 second dream-sequence with a few brief towel shots)
Audio Content: The subtitle version has some language, the English dubbed version has a lot of language.
Language: Japanese and English
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Vandread
Summary: Really enjoyed it. Good story and character development throughout the show. A welcome change from the usual “High School Anime”.
Seasons: 2
Season length: 13 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Mostly clean, call it teen safe. Lots of racy clothing, but nothing ever shown.
Language: Japanese and English
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Wagnaria!!
Summary: Very entertaining show about a group of kids working at the same restaurant and their adventures.
Seasons: 2
Season length: 13 episodes
Episode length: 22 minutes
Content: Clean.
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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When Marnie Was There
Summary: Another great kid friendly movie. A little slow to start but an interesting story once it gets going.
Movie length: 103 minutes
Content: Clean (visually and language)
Language: Japanese and English
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Wish Upon the Pleiades
Summary: Amazingly clean show about magical girls. What more needs to be said? Not much plot, but still managed to draw me in and kept me wanting to watch the next episode.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 12 episodes
Episode length: 23 minutes
Content: Clean (visually clean and language was clean too)
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Wolf Girl and Black Prince
Summary: Really funny show about a girl that can’t stop lying who gets herself blackmailed by her fake boyfriend.
Seasons: 1
Season length: 12 episodes
Episode length: 24 minutes
Content: Clean (visually clean, some bad language and inappropriate dialogue in subtitled version)
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
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Hi! I really appreciate what you are doing! In my short time looking for good anime to watch I have discovered they are pretty scarce. Anyways, I wanted to recommend a few! The First one is called Hyouka! It’s a mystery anime I just finished yesterday, and I really loved it. Totally clean! Second, I saw you were trying RWBY, and just want to say that my friends made me watch them, and I wasn’t that impressed in the beginning either. But by the time time I made it to volume three, the animation had improved, as well as the plot, and I was in love. So If you can make it through all three volumes, I promise you will be hooked! (Also, they’re more fun to watch as whole volumes instead of little episodes. The first two volumes are on Netflix, and you can rent the third one on Amazon. )
wow thanks so much for making this! this is so awesome!
Thank you so much for making this 😀 Ive been afraid to start watching any new anime series bc of the potential nastiness
Thanks so much! Although I dont think fairy tail should be in this, I have watched fairy tail, and its pretty inappropriate.
Thank you so much! I means a lot to me that someone has found clean anime that my sister and I can watch together without feeling uncomfortable. We both love anime, but it has been hard to find shows that are clean. We are so excited to start watching these shows! Thanks again!
Im trying to get my family into anime, but my parents are very picky about what is in then. They are not bothered by violence, but they do not like language, or lack of clothing .(specific term slipped my mind😑). They are also generally not a fan of romances… I’ve already seen attack on titan and am watching hunter x hunter. Any other suggestions?
@Michael, Some of these may have some language as I did not review all of them for language comment specifically, though I usually notice when there is an obscene amount of language. But you can read the full reviews of these to get a better idea of them:
Angel Beats!
From Up on Poppy Hill (has some romance, but it’s not the main topic)
Girls und Panzer (TV show, movie was totally not clean)
Last Exile (Season 1 only, 2 not clean)
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun – this is technically a romance but there is so much comedy at her failed attempts it really is pure comedy.
One Week Friends
Silver Spoon
There are others, but really it depends on their tastes (action, historical, deep thinking, etc.). The ones above should give you a couple choices to look over though.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I agree that Fairy Tail should not be on this list because it objectifies the female characters in it so much and promotes nudity, so I personally wouldn’t call it clean or allow my children to watch it. It is such a shame since it is quite a lovely anime with a brilliant plot and character development, and also promotes concepts such as friendship and loyalty.
I have a few good clean animae shows to add. ERASED is great! It’s about a guy that randomly is sent back a few minutes in time to fix, or prevent, incidents before they happen. My Hero Academia is another personal favorite of mine. It’s clean and makes me laugh out loud! An Excellent show!
I also loved Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, but that one is kinda dark and gory. Otherwise pretty clean though, and it’s a great story kinda about righting past wrongs.
All of these animaes do have a bit of language though. :/
I appreciate you doing this! Erased does have some darker themes, but I would say it fits the bill for clean otherwise.
One that you HAVE to include here is Natsume’s Book of Friends. It’s a heartwarming series about a boy who can see Youkai like his grandmother, who bound several of them to her will in a “Book of Friends.” Natsume has to deal with the fallout as several powerful youkai want their names back, or else want to own the book. Every episode stands on its own, often with a bittersweet message. It’s an ongoing series, but there isn’t so much as a panty shot the whole six seasons. Language is a bit of an issue, but it’s pretty mild in my mind (D, H, Bst, A, that’s it).