Non-romantic and non-violent anime recommendations?

[Pixie]

Hi all, I'm hoping you can help me out with some recommendations. I want to watch more anime to help me with my Japanese listening and learn a bit more about Japanese culture, but I'm not interested in violent or romantic anime. A bit is ok, but I don't enjoy anime where it's the focus of the story.
I really like Studio Ghibli, Cowboy Bebop, Perfect Blue, etc. A friend recommended Mahoraba: Heartful Days, but I'm finding the female characters too OTT 'cute'. Please help!

 

[mdchachi]

You can't go wrong with Sazae-san.

 

[SomeCallMeChris]

For mostly non-violent shows that are reasonably easy and aren't 'romances' (although it's almost impossible to find a show that has -no- romantic subplots, of course), try,
Non Non Biyori
Tari Tari
Kotoura-san
Nagi no Asu Kara
Polar Bear Cafe
Erin
Locodol


All these are on crunchyroll which I use a lot because I can turn subtitles off if you're a subscriber. (I guess that's starting to be true of other services too, but it didn't used to be).

Of course, most non-violent anime have a pretty strong 'cute' factor too, I don't know how much or what kind of 'cute' bothers you so, well.

Erin and Nagi no Asu Kara are set in fictional worlds, so you won't learn much about Japanese culture from them. Not that you can trust anything you learn about Japanese culture from Anime anyway. A lot of real things are reflected in Anime, but you don't know what's real and what's ... how to put this... the Japanese own stereotypes of themselves.

There is a show that animates all the mukashi-banashi, but I find it horribly dull to watch even though I enjoy reading/listening to mukashi-banashi at 福娘童話集 -世界と日本の童話・昔話集- .
Of course, folktales are not an accurate depiction of anything, but everyone in Japan knows these stories. If you know them too, you'll pick up references to them all the time in anime and cinema.

 

[lanthas]

I quite enjoyed Mushishi. Calm, but not dull. Realistic characters - absolutely no cute tsundere pink-haired highschool girls with squeaky voices and huge eyes.

 

[Lomaster]

try,
Non Non Biyori

I double Non Non Biyori. You may learn a lot of interesting things about Japanese traditions, particularly about countryside.
But even more than Non Non Biyori i would recommend Azumanga Daioh. Also full of japanese traditions, cultural references and full of laughs. No violence and no romantic subplot either.

 

[Mike Cash]

You can't go wrong with Sazae-san.

Sazae-san isn't "cool" but if you want to watch something for improving your listening ability it really can't be beat.

 

[Pixie]

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll start checking them out!

I suppose by 'cute' I mean the high pitched, childlike characters wearing tiny schoolgirl uniforms, not my cup of tea. I don't mind some romance or violence, as long as that's not the driving motivator of the story. I quite enjoy more surreal anime as well, Akira (of course) and Paprika were both really good.

 

[Lomaster]

It is surprising to hear that Akira's amount of violence is fine with you. I recon you enjoy feature-length animes? Have you seen Ghost in the Shell (1995 feature-lenght anime)? When i watched it i couldn't believe it was released years before first Matrix movie. Also i take back my recommendations about non non biyori and Azumanga, since they are both about "childlike characters wearing tiny schoolgirl uniforms".
What about Death Note? It's one of the classics. The story is rather unique and captivating.

 

[Pixie]

I think in a feature length film (like Akira) the violence is not so bad, but I wouldn't like to watch a anime series where it's violent every episode. I'm looking more for an anime series, which I really should have said above, my bad! Makes it easier for me to get some listening practice every day. Though I also appreciate any film recommendations as well.

I've seen Ghost in the Shell and Death Note, both great!

 

[Lomaster]

Makes it easier for me to get some listening practice every day. Though I also appreciate any film recommendations as well.

By "film" do you mean feature-length anime or live-action films? Also do you consider watching doramas if they are not about romance (Like Nihonjin no shiranai Nihongo. A dorama about foreign students studying Japanese at a language school and their life outside the school) Since doramas usually use more practical everyday vocabulary compared to anime and make better listening practice in my opinion. It's just a matter of finding a good dorama without romantic touch.

 

[nekojita]

坂道のアポロン is an interesting series, especially if you like jazz - there are some romance elements but it's primarily a coming-of-age story about a bunch of high school students in the late 1960s.

It's firmly grounded in reality (including period-appropriate racism and references to the student protests), no pink hair or giant robots in sight.

 

[Pixie]

I haven't really watched many live-action Japanese movies, except some Kurosawa and Ozu, nothing modern really, or TV either. But I'm certainly up for trying some, I'll try the drama mentioned!

Thanks nekojita, I'll check that out too!

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

The animated cartoon which I recommend.
The animation which featured the theme of traditional culture in Japan.
"Chihayafuru"
"Hikaru no Go"
"Barakamon"
"Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū "
"Saki"

 

[Lomaster]

The animated cartoon which I recommend.
The animation which featured the theme of traditional culture in Japan.
"Saki"

Saki?! Really? First of all Saki is about "childlike characters wearing tiny schoolgirl uniforms" which is a major criterion in Pixie's case. Also it features no more themes of traditional culture than any other school-life/club-life anime. And last but not least - it is about mahjong. I don't think names of yakumans and other mahjong-related terms are a good listening practice (which is another criterion here)

Don't get me wrong, Saki is one of my favourite anime. I also believe it can be enjoyed by people new to mahjong. Just wouldn't recommend it based on the above-mentioned criteria.

 

[Conbini]

Tonkatsu DJ Agetarō?

I've really been enjoying this one. It is about a guy who works in his family tonkatsu shop but dreams of being a DJ. There has kind of been a subplot where he is interested in a girl but it's not the main focus at all. It's lighthearted and funny.