CGMagazine has curated a list of some anime that are a bit more family-friendly to enjoy this Christmas season.
From other worlds to the comedy we call life, anime has a topic for almost any occasion. With everyone home for Christmas this year, why not bundle up and enjoy some nice anime series to binge-watch with the whole family? Whether you have a couple days off from work or a couple of weeks off from school, you will need some shows to entertain the whole family while cooking up some meals or eating the meals. Here is a special list of anime series to binge on Christmas Day with your family.
Pokémon (Crunchyroll/Netflix)
Pokémon probably needs no introduction since it has been airing since the 1990s and quickly began to spread from Japan to the rest of the world! To this day, it continues to prove that it will withstand the test of time because of the company and its fan base. The trading cards, plush, video games, board games and all the merchandise continue to sell like crazy.
Ash and his friends have been a staple in family homes for decades now, along with Pikachu and the antagonist, Team Rocket. It is a great anime to watch during the Christmas holidays because it always has adventure and the mark of true friendship at its core.
Doraemon (Disney+/Prime Video)
While the Western world knew a lot about Pokémon and Hello Kitty for the general children’s audience, Doraemon has been a household staple in Japan since the 1970s. The blue robotic cat (with the titular name) from the future has been an easy way to teach kids a lot of life lessons with his adventures with young Nobita Nobi. And even though Doraemon’s intentions to help Nobita are questionable, the robot always tries its best to help and add more excitement to Nobita’s life. This one is definitely a wholesome one to enjoy with family and young children during Christmastime.
Little Witch Academia (Netflix)
Little Witch Academia caught me by surprise when I began watching it because I did not really treat this one as a children’s anime series. It is classified as one, but it has a certain charm that I think adult audiences can appreciate, with its lore and world-building.
It follows Atsuko “Akko” Kagari and her journey to study magic and become a fully-fledged witch. It touches on themes of believing in oneself, friendship, and overcoming adversity and has some pretty decent action mixed in. This is why I genuinely believe this is the perfect family anime series to watch on Christmas this year; it is also not too long!
Komi Can’t Communicate (Netflix/Crunchyroll)
In the 21st century, anxiety and depression have been on a jolting rise. Komi Can’t Communicate is a great depiction of how our newer generation of children and teens are becoming increasingly disconnected on a social level (sometimes, it is very justified!). It follows a young female student named Komi who struggles socially so much that she can barely talk despite being the most popular person in school!
This one is also very wholesome because a young, ordinary student, Hitohito Tadano, tries to help Komi break out of her social anxiety bubble and become her close friend. Komi Can’t Communicate can honestly be a great way to communicate to parents how certain social interactions can be nerve-wracking to kids of this generation. Again, this is definitely one of my favourites for its ability to explore the mental health of students, and it has an interesting premise concerning mental health. This is a great series to watch with the family this holiday season, but it might be for a bit of a tween audience and parents.
Haikyuu!/Aoashi/Ace In The Diamond/Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club (Sports) (Crunchyroll/Netflix/Prime Video)
Sports anime shows are notorious for their inclusion of diverse issues, from being too short, too old or being called washed up/a has-been. But it is series like Haikyuu!, Aoashi, Ace in the Diamond, Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club and many more that inspire so many of its audiences to pursue their dreams.
Some of the trash-talking could make these shows a little intense for younger audiences, but I enjoy them a lot for their ability to tell deeper stories of repairing broken friendships, following one’s dreams regardless of the circumstances, having fun in sports, and learning to work together to accomplish a shared goal. This genre of anime will always hold a dear place in my heart, and that is why it is a perfect genre to get into for the Christmas break.
We at CGMagazine wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! And as a bonus gift, here are a little more suggestions that may require some parental guidance and for the tweens/teens and anyone in-between. Be sure to catch these anime shows on select streaming sites, from Crunchyroll, HiDive, Disney+, Prime Video to Netflix.
- My Love Story!!
- Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san
- Kuma Kuma Bear Punch!
- The Disastrous Life of Saiki K
- Himouto Umaru-Chan
- Play It Cool, Guys
- Daily Lives of High School Boys
- Aharen-san wa Hakarenai
- Skip and Loafer
- My Little Monster
- School Babysitters
- How To Keep A Mummy
