There's nothing more heartwarming than an anime centered around families. Individuals come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life to unite as one group, ready to make memories with one another. Whether they're a group of relatives or two individuals, these family units learn about each other and grow closer as their stories progress.
An anime about an unconventional family structure can allow fans to relate to their situations, making the watch experience more enjoyable. With so many anime out there, it can be hard to find a wholesome series that the whole family to enjoy, but these anime make the experience worthwhile.
10 Clannad Is About Building New Families From Broken Ones
Key fans will be the first to recommend Clannad to anyone looking for a wholesome family-centered series. Its light-hearted premise leads to a deeper and more serious story about family ties and rebuilding what's been broken. After his mother's death, Tomoya Okazaki frequently fights with his now-alcoholic father. He suffers from an injury after one of those fights and keeps his distance from his classmates.
At the beginning of his last year in high school, Tomoya meets the shy, soft-spoken Nagisa Furukawa, a sickly girl repeating her final year of high school. She expresses an interest in joining the school's drama club, which has been disbanded after the remaining members graduated. With nothing better to do with his time, Tomoya finds himself helping Nagisa while also getting to know his other classmates.
9 Wolf Children Is A Beautiful Story About A Mother And Her Children
Most people would imagine a horror anime when thinking of werewolves, but Wolf Children is far from scary. A college student, Hana, meets a mysterious man who reveals that he can transform into a wolf. The two fall in love and have two half-wolf, half-human children: Ame and Yuki. Unfortunately, the man is killed in an accident while hunting for food.
Wolf Children then follows Hana as a single mom of two, doing her best to support her children. The story is a new take on a single-parent tale, as she learns to accept her children's differences while coping with the death of her lover.
8 Sweetness And Lightning Is Both Wholesome And Delicious
There's nothing more heartwarming than a home-cooked meal with family members. The anime Sweetness and Lightning is more than happy to deliver those fuzzy feelings and delicious meals. High school teacher Kohei Inuzuka is struggling to keep it together after his wife's death. Because of his busy schedule and inability to cook, he has a hard time giving his daughter, Tsumugi, balanced meals. Instead, they're stuck eating convenience store food every night for dinner.
That's until he unknowingly visits Kotori Iida's family restaurant. Kotori's mother is the owner and a TV personality, famous in the culinary show business, but never home to run the restaurant. After a lovely meal and with Kotori's offer to help, Kohei and Tsumugi now find themselves visiting the quaint restaurant for hands-on cooking lessons.
7 March Comes In Like A Lion Allows Rei To Find A New Family
Anime fans who watched Chica Umino's Honey and Clover will love her more family-oriented anime March Comes in Like a Lion. Her characters have a unique charm and growth periods that make their stories all the more interesting to watch. At the same time, Umino adds other touching elements to her stories that help bring even the most unlikely people together.
After a rough childhood, Rei Kiriyama leaves home, supporting himself as a professional shogi player. If he's not in school, he spends his time practicing shogi for upcoming tournaments. But he still struggles to find a place to call home, even though he doesn't admit it. A series of circumstances allows Rei to meet the Kawamoto sisters: Akari, Hinata, and Momo. They welcome the socially awkward Rei into their home, giving him a place to belong.
6 The Boy And The Beast Is The Perfect Father-Son Movie
Mamoru Hosoda is known for his heartwarming and whimsical films on par with the likes of those from Studio Ghibli. The Boy and the Beast brings fans into Hosoda's mystical fantasy world while also focusing on its protagonists' unconventional but touching relationship.
After losing his mother, Ren escapes from his new guardians, running into the crowded Shibuya streets. In the Beast Kingdom, a world hidden away from humanity, a warrior named Kumatetsu must find a successor to compete for the title of "Grandmaster." Kumatetsu travels to the human world and finds Ren in an alleyway, suggesting he become his disciple. Ren fiercely opposes the idea but follows Kumatetsu nonetheless. Their relationship is rocky and full of bickering, but they grow closer as Ren learns more about his new home and guardian.
5 School Babysitters, Where Toddlers Meet High School Students
An anime centered around childcare is a rare occurrence but is always a worthwhile watch. One of the most recent additions is School Babysitters, which garnered a cult following during its airtime. Ryuichi and Kotaro Kashima lost their parents in an airplane accident, and Ryuichi's school chairwoman, Morinomiya, adopts them.
To earn his room and board, Ryuichi must help out his school's Babysitting Club. The club functions as a regular daycare, where the students look after their teachers' children. The boys' first day at the club is awkward and nerve-wracking, but they gradually settle into their new environment while befriending the other children and fellow caretakers.
4 Mirai Of The Future Introduces A New Take On Sibling Bonds
Like The Boy and the Beast, Mamoru Hosoda stuns audiences with his 2018 film Mirai of the Future. This time, the movie centers around a brother-sister relationship between four-year-old Kun Ota and his newborn sister Mirai. Like most children, Kun is excited to see his baby sister for the first time but grows jealous when his parents spend more time caring for her. One day, he throws a tantrum and runs out of the house only to find himself face to face with the family dog, Yukko, and a mysterious middle schooler claiming to be his younger sister.
3 The Most Unlikely Reunion Occurs In When Marnie Was There
Released in 2018, When Marnie Was There is an underrated Studio Ghibli film. It doesn't have the same supernatural elements fans are used to, but it doesn't take away from its beautiful, family-centered storyline. After a severe asthma attack at school, Anna Sasaki is sent to live with her foster mother's relatives in a rural seaside town.
She's reclusive and quiet, spending most of her time drawing but soon discovers an abandoned house called "The Marsh House." Anna meets a mysterious blonde girl named Marnie, and her curiosity keeps her coming back to the equally mysterious house.
2 Kodocha Has A Deeper Story Underneath Its Comedic Exterior
Kodocha, also known as Child's Toy, is a fun anime for the whole family to watch. The characters are lovable and always prone to crazy hijinks. There's at least one character for everyone in the family to appreciate. Sana Kurata, the protagonist, is a cheerful 11-year-old who never runs out of energy. She's a child actress on the titular Child's Toy, a popular variety TV show.
She attends a regular elementary school when she's not acting, but her class has no structure. The school's aloof bad boy, Akito Hayama, encourages the boys to make trouble and torment their soft-spoken teacher. Frustrated with their antics, Sana stands up to Akito and the boys, making her the target of their harassment. But Sana doesn't realize that there's a lot more to Akito than meets the eye.
1 The Eccentric Family Adds A New Spin To The Unusual Family Genre
Children and adults who can appreciate a good fantasy element in a family story will be sure to enjoy the whimsical world of The Eccentric Family. Modern-day Kyoto is run by tengu and tanuki ruling the skies and land respectively while humanity must live in the city.
The Shimogamo family is a clan of tanuki that can transform themselves into any living or inanimate thing. They must live their lives in balance with the human and tengu, ensuring that no one knows about their powers and true identities. Their need to keep things secret leads to a world of shenanigans.