Ask John: What Are The Best Current Bishoujo Anime?

Question:
I was wondering what series that are playing in Japan right now do you think are good? I’ve been trying to expand my collection of fansubs and I’ve run out of things I really wanted to see, like High School Girls, Amaenaideyo, and Ultimate Girls (just to name a few). So I figure you will know of some good series.

Answer:
It’s both good and bad that there are literally too many current anime series available in Japan for me to be able to keep up with all of them. The incredible number of current anime series available offers fans a multitude of options, but also makes watching everything impossible. To be precise, as of this writing, the current season of Japanese television anime started seven weeks ago. I haven’t sampled all of the new series, but I have watched a bit of many of them. My tastes in anime are unique and individual. What I like may not appeal to most other viewers. There’s also too many current anime available for me to be able to critique all of them. So based on the titles you’ve mentioned, I’ll extrapolate a handful of current series that seem like they may suit your tastes. I’ll also try to limit my suggestions to series that I think earn their recommendation with their production and cinematic quality.

Since you’ve watched Joshikosei, Amaenaideyo, and Ultimate Girls, I presume you enjoy lighthearted, ecchi comedies or shows with plenty of cute young girls. As usual, there’s been no shortage of such shows this year. Just a short list of examples includes Kagihime, Lemon Angel Project, Rakugo Tennyo Oyui, Tactical Roar, Papillion Rose New Season, Himawari!, Lovege Chu, Magikano, Inukami, Tonagura, Tsuyokiss, Zero no Tsukaima, and Chocotto Sister. And that’s definitely not an exhaustive list. Some of these shows, including Magikano, Inukami, Zero no Tsukaima, and Simoun may stand out for one reason or another, but most of these shows aren’t exceptionally memorable or outstanding.

Many of this year’s best and most enjoyable bishoujo anime have been less conventional ones. Allow me to suggest a few of the current ones that you may find interesting.

If you enjoyed Joshikosei, an outrageous slice of life comedy, you may also enjoy Kamisama Kazoku and Muteki Kanban Musume. Kamisama Kazoku is a humorous slice of life drama. It’s twist is that the family the show centers on consists entirely of gods living in the human world. Muteki Kanban Musume depicts the daily life of a teenage girl who helps her mother run a noodle restaurant. The show’s twist is that the teenage girl, her mother, and most of their neighborhood are scatterbrained and slightly psychotic, resulting in plenty of bizarre and funny situations.

If you’re interested in a slightly more realistic slice of life anime still featuring cute girls, try Binbou Shimai Monogatari, a sweet and heartwarming drama about two poor orphaned sisters who live in a one-room apartment and struggle to get by without losing their compassionate devotion to each other or their hopeful and cheerful approach to life and the world around them. Although not animated exceptionally well, the show’s attractive visual design, pleasant writing, and very affecting voice acting bring the show to life and make it a vibrant, engaging story.

The Nana anime TV series is an involving character study that delves deeply into the psychology, lives, and aspirations of its protagonists: two young girls, both named “Nana.” The show may overtly seem like a series for female viewers, but its
strikingly detailed and vivid background art, interesting contemporary character designs, and mature, intelligent storytelling make it compelling for anyone who appreciates an interesting drama.

Looking a bit farther back in the year to series that are now finished, there are a few enjoyable gal-centric shows you may want to try out.

Kasimasi ~Girl Meets Girl~ was a surprisingly touching and insightful relationship drama about a romantic triangle between three high school girls. The series deftly avoided being vulgar or exploitive by concentrating on honest and believable character motivations and emotional conflicts rather than situation comedy or sexual innuendo.

Renkin San Kyu Magical? Pokaan, a slice of life comedy about four magical princesses: a vampire, a cyborg, a werewolf, and a witch, living together in the human world, has turned out to be one of the nicest surprises of the year so far because the show was beautiful looking and very well animated, and concentrated on witty, humor based on character personality quirks instead of slapstick based on ridiculous situations.

Yumetsukai features a pair of cute sisters, but it’s not a fan service series. Yumetsukai is a throwback to the style of 1980s anime, which may cause some viewers to dislike it. Yumetsukai is the story of a pair of dream manipulators. So, similar to 80s anime like Dream Hunter Rem, Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer, and Impressions of Europa, Yumetsukai is filled with phantasmagorical imagery and moves at a methodical pace. It’s a particularly interesting series because it’s so weird, and because it’s so different from typical contemporary anime.

Finally, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutu is this year’s 800 pound gorilla; the juggernaut that can’t be overlooked or avoided. Thankfully, for the most part, the show deserves its acclaim. Suzumiya Haruhi deftly parodied the typical high school romance anime by merging it with other genres and themes, the same way Evangelion revolutionized the giant robot anime by adding psychological and religious themes to it. The Suzumiya Haruhi anime features great looking visual design and outstanding animation quality. Its characters are appealing and easy to identify with. The show’s only drawbacks are that the effectiveness of its character and narrative development are determined primarily by individual viewer reactions to the show instead of identifiable components within the show itself.

There have also been numerous other excellent and promising anime this year including Ouran High School Host Club, Coyote Ragtime Show, Black Lagoon, Innocent Venus, Binchotan, and Project Blue Chikyuu SOS, but since these shows aren’t bishoujo anime, I’ll exclude them from extended analysis for now.