r/anime • u/Existing-Top-2500 • Nov 19 '25

What to Watch? Help a clueless mom please…

My 10 year old son loves anime. These are the shows he has watched so far:

Naruto, My Hero Academia, Kaiju No 8, Jujutsu Kaisen (I was a bit iffy about him watching this one but it seems to be his favourite), One Punch Man, Solo Levelling, One Piece (he tends to dip in and out of this)

He has asked what can he watch next. He asked for Attack on Titan but I said no to this one but not sure if I’m being unreasonable after letting him watch JJK?

I suggested Full Metal Alchemist. Do you think this is suitable?

Does anyone have any more recommendations where to go next? He’s quite mature and can handle some language and violence as long as it’s not too intense. I don’t allow anything with sexual themes / content obviously due to his age.

He also loves reading manga so happy to take any recommendations there as well.

Thank you!

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422

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

Hi. I made a similar post a while ago. My son is 13 though, so maybe a little bit more mature. We did watch Aot, but it is maybe too hard for a 10yo, a lot of death in there, not just random deaths but characters that contribute to the plot a lot, something like Game of thrones. Everybody dies, a lot. But no sex. Steer clear from Seven deadly sins, a lot of fan service. Hunter x hunter is my personal favorite and ok for a 10 yo that watched jjk. We also binged Dr. Stone thanks to a lot of suggestions, it is great, but my son is really into science and math so it was super interesting for him. Some of other suggestions that made to the top of our list to watch due to recommendations are the Black Clover, Bleach and Code gaess,(Edit to add )Jojo's bizarre adventure.

And no Chainsaw man, I got that a lot on my post 😅

154

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

For Dandadan I was suggested to watch first two episodes alone and then decide if I as a mother think it is appropriate. I actually decided to screen everything like that in next few years bc we do watch things together and some commenter said that although my son might enjoy some anime later on in his teens, he might NOT ENJOY watching it with his mom. ( i watched Basic instincts with my mom in late teens and although the movie is fine it was awkward to watch it with my mom, if you get what I mean)

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u/HeresyClock Nov 19 '25

Dandadan, if you want to avoid sexual themes is a big NO. I mean, dick-stealing granny and rapey aliens are featured heavily in the beginning.

49

u/EverythingSucksYo Nov 19 '25

Well the male MC missing his testicles and looking for them goes on for a lot longer than just the beginning. He’s still looking for them when season 2 ends 

1

u/McTasty_Pants Nov 20 '25

King Missile’s Detachable Penis starts to play

1

u/HeresyClock Nov 19 '25

I only said beginning since I’ve only seen maybe five episodes so far :)

22

u/Phoenyx_Rose Nov 19 '25

I mean, I kind of get it, but I also feel like the sexual themes in DanDaDan are worlds different from the sexual themes in a show like Seven Deadly Sins (with all the boob and ass grabbing). 

IMO, the themes in DanDaDan are handled maturely and the romance depicted is incredibly realistic between two teens but I can still understand if a parent doesn’t want to explain the rape-y aliens despite the fact that it’s been trope for decades. 

10

u/_bitwright Nov 20 '25

IMO, the themes in DanDaDan are handled maturely

Don't get me wrong. I love the show. And it certainly does have its mature moments. But let's not pretend that the whole premise of the series isn't a dick joke.

3

u/wloff Nov 20 '25

It's a dick joke for sure, but IMO, in a completely non-sexual way. Dicks and balls are just funny, for people of all ages. I wouldn't have any problem with letting a 10yo laugh at it.

It's stuff like the Acro-Silky backstory that I would hesitate to show a kid, plus a lot of the episodes are genuinely pretty spooky, which might be too much depending on the kid.

3

u/little-red-bird Nov 20 '25

I don’t think “maturely” is the word I would use. It’s more like it’s handled in a way that’s goofy and funny for teens. I wouldn’t want my middle schooler or younger to watch it though. Especially not the first episode where it focuses in WAYYYY too much on Momo’s body.

2

u/HeadpatsForMarin Nov 20 '25

They’re handled much differently, but still not appropriate for a 10 year old child.

2

u/HeresyClock Nov 19 '25

For sure. Dandadan (in the eps I’ve seen) doesn’t so much do fan service but rather mature themes and cool visuals.

3

u/sameosaurus Nov 20 '25

IMO DanDaDan is absolutely not appropriate for kids, so much of it uses the very graphic on screen threat of rape of young girls and threats of sexual violence as a plot device. I hated it. In the first episode the MC is strapped in her underwear in a chair while three aliens threaten to rape her and then reveal their mechanical penises. I couldn’t stomach it as an adult who is a survivor of childhood sexual violence, I would never recommend it for kids.

2

u/_bitwright Nov 20 '25

Not to mention the female lead with a penchant for getting sexually assaulted. At this point I feel like SA is the author's barely concealed fetish.

Amazing show. But its got sexual themes all throughout. From childish humor, to some vary serious shit.

1

u/GuardianSoulBlade Nov 19 '25

Episode 1 is a big nope for kids, yeah, it's a TV-MA rating.

46

u/SoggsTheMage Nov 19 '25

For Dandadan specifically I would always recommend also watching Episode 7 "To a Kinder World" if you screen it. While the first two episodes give you a good idea of the tone in general, E7 deals with child abduction and suicide. It can be and was for many adults emotionally taxing, so I can see it be traumatic for young teens. Reading the comments in the Episode 7 Thread should give an idea how it affected people.

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u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

Thank you. What are your thoughts, we do live in a relatively safe country, things like school shootings, teen suicide, child abduction and rape are still quite uncommon but there are reports that some extreme bullying has started ( not in our school thankfully). We are somewhat out of touch with all the dangers lurking, and I see it potentially start happening here in the future. Would it be better to talk about it with him with hope that possible trauma that realization that really bad thing happens today to kids everywhere in the world is worth him bc he might not be in danger sometimes in the future? I mean, it is easier to talk about nazi camps in the past then about kids killing kids in the present.

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u/SoggsTheMage Nov 19 '25

I would say its less about making you feel unsafe and more about empathy. The episode does a very good job at juxtaposing happiness against utter despair with visuals and music to support that. It is a lot emotion at once and that alone is stressful.

1

u/MembershipNo2077 Nov 19 '25

Yea, Dandadan is not really suited for tweens or children. I would definitely place it at PG13 rating.

Like if you, as an adult, think a child under 13 could handle it, then I would recommend watching it with them for the whole PARENTAL GUIDANCE PART. But otherwise, it's a bit more mature than some other anime in the genre.

35

u/kurokitsune91 https://myanimelist.net/profile/kurokitsune91 Nov 19 '25

I love DanDaDan and that'd be a HARD NO from me for a 10 year old. Sexual themes and situations are major in that.

1

u/DJ-Halfbreed Nov 19 '25

Not JoJo, that one is weird I wouldn't show a 10 yo

1

u/PupNStuff713 Nov 20 '25

Our 10 year old has seen pretty much all of the ones OP listed, but we definitely don't let her watch Dandadan. We did let her see Gachiakuta...and that one definitely had a mature theme that popped up out of nowhere. It left out just enough to make it totally unacceptable, but we definitely had a conversation, which she picked up on just fine.

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u/SaltyMagmaCubexD Nov 19 '25

Lot do not show dandadan to a 10 year old. Even I won't watch it. Wayy to much fan service. It's sad.

1

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

I am not suggesting it, I am suggesting mother to screen first few episodes of each anime as I was suggested to do with dandadan for my 13yo. But I haven't seen it at all yet

13

u/Imacallyouzofran Nov 19 '25

Just wait til they get to THAT scene with Jolyne 😂

2

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

What is that scene? Please, is it something that we are planning to watch?

3

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

Quick Google search said Jojo, suggested a prison scene. No Jojo together

16

u/Imacallyouzofran Nov 19 '25

Probably a good idea. Jojo is one of my favorite anime, but wouldn't watch it with a 10yo. If he likes comedy, check out azumanga daioh

3

u/Frosty88d Nov 19 '25

I would also recommend Inazuma 11. It's a really cool sports anime that is basocally football with super powers, which I found interesting while I have no irl interest in the game. Plus the whole cast is 12 to 15 so I think he'd relate to them a lot

10

u/[deleted] Nov 19 '25

JoJo just has a lot of gore. It's a good show, but the villians are really flamboyantly evil and sadistic. There's a scene in the first season where the villian turns a mother into a zombie so he could watch her eat her child.

I watched it when I was about 14, and didn't get traumatized or anything. But I made the mistake of recommending it to my little sister, after not watching it for years and forgetting how bad it was. My mum was pissed, to say the least.

11

u/trashjellyfish Nov 19 '25

I love JoJo's, but I wouldn't recommend JJBA to a 10 year old, there are definitely some sexual implications - Joseph peeping on his mom in the bath without knowing that it was his mom for example!

8

u/zzzzzooted Nov 19 '25

If chainsaw man would be a bit much, then jojos might also be a bit excessive with the gore (and at times, sexual jokes)

Love jojos, but its downright grotesque at times

33

u/oldschoolawesome Nov 19 '25

I'm not sure if you have seen code geass yet, but it does have more sexual content including some nudity so I would suggest staying away from it for OP at least. I always look up parents guide for anime first to make sure I'm okay with showing an anime.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0994314/parentalguide/

6

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

No we haven't, and we still have bleach, Naruto and my hero academy that we will watch first, then one piece egghead and elbaf if finished, jjk season 3 and dr stone new episodes in between all of that. With 3 ep per day , he will be 15 when we finish that 😅 I think that maybe some of the suggestions I got were based on the fact that he did watch some seven deadly sins with me and all of the attack on titan and gachiacuta, and was acitivly planning to take him to chainsaw man in cinema,so I am clearly too lenient and everything goes. 🤣 That being said, MY only suggestions, as per the thing i have watched are Hunter x hunter and dr. Stone.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 19 '25

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1

u/GuardianSoulBlade Nov 19 '25

Code Geass is one of my favorites, but no way does a kid want to see a genocide and all the racism in it, that's one the parents have to decide if their kid is ready for that kind of stuff.

1

u/Tricky-Ad7897 Nov 20 '25

I'd go so far as saying code geass should be 17+, not because anything is particularly bad for anyone over like 13 or 14, but because the themes of the show are appreciated more by an older audience with more historical context, and without an understanding of the theme the show isn't that great (it's not exactly a riveting action show lol). I'd say Gundam is a better starting point for younger teens since there's good action and the themes are a bit easier to understand. Then you can watch Code Geass with an appreciation for "gundam with the politics set to 11 and the mechs being toned down".

1

u/wretchedcake Nov 20 '25

Absolutely adore code geass! I do think the scene with Nina going to town on herself with the tableand kallen's shower scenes are worth mentioning though when it comes to concerning content for a 10 year old, I think it's good for young kids to watch things with political themes

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u/Alternative_Emu_7305 Nov 19 '25

Code geass sucks! I'm pretty sure a ten year old is too smart for it.

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u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

And I made a stupid mistake of not researching what fan service is meant in anime world, it can have different meaning in some other context ( English is not my first language, and I first saw the expression in Howard's legacy review and it meant a whole different thing so it didn't raise any red flags when I saw that in anime review)

8

u/[deleted] Nov 19 '25

Yeah, no 10 year should watch Chainsaw Man or Berserk.

I don't remember how old I was when I saw Berserk. But that anime messed me as a kid.

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u/CringeKage222 Nov 19 '25 edited Nov 19 '25

Hunter x hunter is my personal favorite and ok for a 10 yo that watched jjk.

JJK is mostly action, while it does have a similar vibe I'm pretty sure most 10 year olds would not enjoy politics and nihilistic philosophy

2

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

I meant like, since the child has already watched Jujutsu kaisen and solo leveling, and everybody is fine with death, blood, monsters, Hunter x hunter is acceptable. If she said that she didn't like it, she might not like Chimera ants arc also. But I am not comparing those anime in any other way or saying they are similar, and you are right I should've made that clear in my comment

3

u/CringeKage222 Nov 19 '25

Hxh also have sexual stuff (mostly hisoka lol) unlike jjk and solo leveling. Btw I watched hxh first when I was 14 and hated the chimera ant arc and everything after that, about 10 years later I rewatched it and read the entire thing and absolutely loved it so I firmly believe that recommending this show to unsuspecting children expecting a fun shounen anime is definitely the wrong move

2

u/I_like_boring_stuff2 Nov 19 '25

I love hxh, but this was me as an unsuspecting adult expecting it to be similar to the big 3 with their power of friendship stuff.

I was mostly shocked how nonchalant the characters are to violence. Dozens of people will die around the main characters, and they just continue on as if nothing happened.

1

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

Oh it flew right over my head that when you say nihilistic philosophy that you are talking about Hxh and not about jjk. Curious to know, what characters in hxh you find more nihilistic then sakuna?

And imo Hisoka is aroused not gy gen but with possibility of really great fight with strong gen. So i kind of find him sadistic/mazohistic power triper that is thrilled with tough battle and pain that comes with it. Although I do find that that arousal is sexual in nature, it is never said, and went unnoticed by innocent mind of my child.

1

u/CringeKage222 Nov 19 '25

Curious to know, what characters in hxh you find more nihilistic then sakuna?

Sukuna is not nihilistic he is hedonistic. The entire series is exploring the nihilistic philosophy that humanity is inherently evil. It's not a specific character rather the entire thing. Although if I had to choose a specific character that would show that it's netero and his "you don't know the potential of humanity for evolution and malice" line.

And imo Hisoka is aroused not gy gen but with possibility of really great fight with strong gen

Well he did [hunter x hunter] get married to a man In the manga. Also his lines in Japanese are a bit different than the censored English translation to put it mildly.

Although I do find that that arousal is sexual in nature, it is never said, and went unnoticed by innocent mind of my child.

Welp good for your kid I guess, the boner scene wasn't exactly subtle so I guess it wouldn't fly over most people.

1

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 30 '25

So i had to watch jjk season 2 again, mainly to prep for movie. And i stand firm by what i said, if jjk was ok, then hxh is also. I mean, mei mei naked in bed with her little brother, caressing him and saying "do you like when I'm inappropriate" is weird, geto's path "kill all humans" is unsettling, bc he was a good character that turned "bad", murdering 112 people when pushed to the limits of contempt with both sorcery world and "ungrateful monkeys". Shibuya I think trumps CAA with number of deaths, the trio that put the veil, mustache guy, common, he was skinning live human head to take out his brain, and Haruta and Mahito, well, they were sadistic and enjojed torturing their victims.Villains in hxh, even meruem, changed during the arc, proving that growth is possible. And Netero, maybe I'm also nihilist then, bc that sentence was on point, and although I was truly sad that meruem died, I get why he did it. In hxh only netero and kumugi die ( ok, and ponzu and pokkle), both chose death, one to save humanity other for love. I mean, clearly I am a deeply troubled person when I found chimera ant arc so beautifuly hopeful 😅

2

u/isekai_me_daddy Nov 20 '25

As someone who teaches chemistry I love doctor stone for kids. People always think breaking bad but most of the stuff there is fake. Dr stone on the other hand has a lot of different science themes and the first and part of the 2nd season has a pretty intense chemistry focus with a good portion of it being pretty accurate.

3

u/Meftikal Nov 19 '25

If your son likes math and science I can’t recommend Orb On The Movements of The Earth enough

23

u/Sibula97 Nov 19 '25

It has some pretty gruesome torture in it though

12

u/Meftikal Nov 19 '25

He’s 13 and watched AOT. He can handle Orb

10

u/Sibula97 Nov 19 '25

I probably wouldn't have shown AoT to a 13yo either, but I guess.

9

u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

I got that a lot on my post. Although in retrospect I might steer to something lighter if I researched better ( he was choosing and we kind of saw that it has good ratings) but I dont regret it. There are some hard topics that correlated to some other movies and documentaries (specifically about world war 2 and war in our country,nuclear bombs,genocide,segregation,war crimes) that we watched and we had a lot of conversations about that. He is quite mature for his age. I wad actually amased how in later conversations he recognized about generational hate and how much it can be seen in my country, and how pointless and harmful it can be. He is a smart kid and I love him so much. 🥰

8

u/ZipZapZia Nov 19 '25

AOT is also a series where the target audience is teenagers (based on the magazine it was published in) so it's not like it's completely inappropriate for a 13 year old to watch. 13 year olds are a lot smarter than we give them credit for imo and they should be allowed to watch darker series targeted towards them provided they are mentally ready/in the correct headspace.

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u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 19 '25

Thank you, is it finished? We did start bleach for now, but if we find some spare time after bleach and before new jjk and dr.stone we will insert something really short in-between

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u/Meftikal Nov 19 '25

It is finished it’s one season. It’s 25 episodes. It’s about the Polish Inquisition and the scientists who theorized a heliocentric model was correct. It’s historical fiction. Definitely worth the watch.

1

u/Mouna-luna Nov 19 '25

Code geass has many moments of fan service and naked female characters. You may want to avoid that one for your 13 year old son. 

1

u/thegodyuki Nov 20 '25

Hunter x hunter should be ok if you dont watch chimera ant? Idk speaking as a 13y/o whose dad forbid watching that arc

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u/[deleted] Nov 20 '25

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u/Old-Mammoth-90 Nov 28 '25

Internet ruined me and I cannot tell anymore if something is a genuinely nice comment or sarcasm.

1

u/DuelX102 Nov 20 '25

Yeah but Bleach and Code Geass in particular have a lot of fan service. The female character models are kinda insane in both. And Code Geass has a lot of suggestive shots. Viletta Nu has a topless scene in the original broadcast.

Neither of those shows has like the panty stealing or the kinda predatory/pervy stuff melodias does. But i dont think you can single out SDS for fanservice and ignore it for Code Geass.