I want to watch anime with my whole family.

[KhakiBlueSocks]

Case Closed(aka Detective Conan) [This looked alittle violent]

A LITTLE violent?? Someone dies in almost every freaking episode! I would call that QUITE violent!

Apparantly nobody knows first aid in Japan.

ANYWAY...

Digimon,one of the best kids anime around. [I agree]

DIGIMON ROCKS MY FREAKING SOCKS!!

[Myoti]

I'll be a voice of opposition and say NOT Miyazaki films.

I'd go with what Tancos said about this, and I'd especially point out Castle in the Sky: That has to be the first anime movie I actually got my 13-year old brother to enjoy (and it's honestly the only Miyazaki film I really liked myself =p ).

And MLover, you do realize he's looking for "Family-friendly" stuff, right? >_>

[Nate]

Maison Ikkoku,more of a romantic slice of life comedy about the residence of a
Tokyo boarding house.Based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi the creator of
Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2.

Um, Maison Ikkoku has naked women, drinking, and lots of underwear shots. Why in the WORLD are you suggesting that a nine year old watch it? Please read what people say before you post.

[Tancos]

Some further comments:

I'd give a qualified recommendation to Cardcaptor Sakura -- it's one of my favorite shows and a classic by any standard -- but parents should be aware that same-sex attraction is an element of the story. It's subtle, and a nine-year-old might miss it, but it's there.

The entire Sailor Moon saga is questionable for the same reason, though it's possible that the first two seasons are not as problematic. (One of my current projects is to watch at least the first season of Sailor Moon, so check back in a month or two.) In any case, the issue is moot, given that Sailor Moon is currently unavailable in the USA.

A couple of other series I forgot to mention earlier:
Bottle Fairy
Sugar, a Tiny Snow Fairy
Both are kid's shows that adults will also enjoy.

[Kurama]

My Dad watches Naruto with me.....so that could be a ok one......naw never mind. If I know what they like I could maby think of a few.

Maby Tsubasa Chronicle?

[Radical Dreamer]

The entire Sailor Moon saga is questionable for the same reason, though it's possible that the first two seasons are not as problematic. (One of my current projects is to watch at least the first season of Sailor Moon, so check back in a month or two.) In any case, the issue is moot, given that Sailor Moon is currently unavailable in the USA.

I recall Sailor Moon's first season being relatively clean. There may have been a few cases of some mild language, but I think the biggest thing to watch out for is the last few episodes, which might get too intense for an average 9 year old (depending on what the kid can handle, really). What I saw of R was pretty much the same as Classic. But let's not forget the little fling between Kunzite and Zoicite. O_o Still, I'm only talking sub here. I can't speak for the dub, as I haven't seen it.

Anyways, Tancos makes a good point. Sailor Moon isn't even available on DVD anymore, since the licensing issues are so messed up. XD

And here's one that I forgot to recommend before--Whisper of the Heart!

...Though it may only be enjoyed by the female members of the family. And a 9 year old boy (is it a boy or girl?) would find it terribly boring, I'm afraid. XD

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I doubt his entire family is going to be interested in Sailor Moon or CSS.

[Raiden no Kishi]

My Dad watches Naruto with me.....so that could be a ok one......naw never mind. If I know what they like I could maby think of a few.

Maby Tsubasa Chronicle?

O_O How did I forget Tsubasa? There's a bit of language from one of the main characters, but not a ton. At least, not in the manga. I don't know about its availability, though . . .

.rai//

[Radical Dreamer]

O_O How did I forget Tsubasa? There's a bit of language from one of the main characters, but not a ton. At least, not in the manga. I don't know about its availability, though . . .

.rai//

The anime won't be released until...sometime in '07, something tells me I heard January (but don't quote me on it. XD). Anyways, the portion I saw of that series (around 14 episodes) was clean.

[Kawaiikneko]

Whatever you choose... I'd recommend starting with a movie since a series is a real time commitment. Like everyone said, Miyazaki is very good.

[Cap'n Nick]

As someone who has lived in a non-anime-watching family for the entirety of his life, I think it's important to point out that we as fans often become accustomed to things that outsiders might find strange, pointless, or even insulting. I'm not talking about patently offensive things like hentai or graphic violence, or even fan-service or innuendo. I'm talking simple aesthetics.

My brother, for example, finds the majority of anime heroes to be insufficiently masculine. I know some here share this complaint, but most seem to be able to stomach a larger degree of effeminate stylization than someone who has had no exposure to it. My girlfriend's parents, while thoroughly literate, have absolutely no patience for subtitles. And, if you decide to go with the dub, remember that the nature of the medium means that even the best acted shows will not have the naturalness and pace of delivery of even a mediocre native sitcom. We put up with these things constantly and enjoy ourselves nonetheless, but not everyone will see past these difficulties.

And though I glossed over the "big" difficulties earlier, let's not leave those out. Even "clean" shows can become exploitative through strange camera angles, insipid plot points or simple chauvinism (I'm looking at you, Azumanga Daioh!). Other productions are certainly not exempt from this, but your audience is likely to be more critical of something new than that to which they are accustomed. That's why we miss these things so often in our own assessments and why we need to increase our scrutiny when choosing material for others.

What I'm trying to say in way too many words is, I don't have any suggestions for you and I'm not optimistic about your prospects. Out of all of the shows I've seen, there is not one I would like to watch with my family. If it's clean it's not smart enough and if it's fun it's offensive or strange. I would like it if I could enjoy anime with them, but I can be content in knowing that we can all get along together even if our interests aren't the same.

[Ashley]

The Cap'n makes a lot of good points to consider; do you have some non-anime friends you could test stuff out on? That might help.

As for titles, I have a few I could whole-heartedly recommend. Angelic Layer was VERY good and wholesome, and Voices of a Distant Star was also pretty high on my list.

IF you must go for a Miyazaki film (I find him to be quite overrated) I would go with Howl's Moving Castle over any of the others...it's the only one I actually enjoyed and I think aside from being characteristically weird (it IS Miyazaki) it's pretty good.

[battletech]

"Nanaka 6/17" There is occasional mild language from one character.

[Fish and Chips]

Miyazaki usually a solid choice, though that's hardy an iron standard (my favorite of his, Princess Mononoke; is not exactly what I'd call "Family fare"). Never said he was the best choice, but if you're looking for both family friendly and mainstream Anime, it's a nice safety net to have on deck.

Anime tends to be all over the board in terms of taste, though. Nothing appeals to everyone, and even good, solid series can deter some people. I myself am the lone Anime watcher in my household, and I know my preferances aren't necessarily shared by my family.

[bigsleepj]

IF you must go for a Miyazaki film (I find him to be quite overrated) I would go with Howl's Moving Castle over any of the others...it's the only one I actually enjoyed and I think aside from being characteristically weird (it IS Miyazaki) it's pretty good.

I absolutely love the films of Miyazaki (let's just say they click with me for some reason) but oddly Howl's Moving Castle was the one I didn't like. Maybe it was because the book was better. But overall early Miyazaki movies like The Castle of Cagliostro, Castle in the Sky and Kiki's Delivery Service are good bets to watch, though his later movies can be a bit weird for newcomers.

I come from a family that happens to love anime. My brother and I grew up on Robotech (which is a highly edited Americanised version of Macross and a few other animes) and a few others that were hanging around on SA television. My brother has also more anime than I do. My Mother also happens to love anime (though she doesn't approve of the 'dirty' stuff obviously) and I watched Trigun with her (although I should mayhaps add not by choice ). My sister can enjoy some anime as well at times. Only my father is indifferent to it, but he's not into animation usually.

[Adie]

Well... The most family-friendly anime I've ever seen is probably The Cat Returns. Not a Miyazaki film (though it is from Studio Ghibli), but it's still decent in terms of quality. And the ending song is quite catchy. =)

I myself am the lone Anime watcher in my household, and I know my preferances aren't necessarily shared by my family.

*nodnod* Yep, that's me, too. I've tried watching anime films with my family, but they don't really see what's so great about it, mostly because they just have different tastes than me (it's hard for my dad to sit still through something other than comedy =P and my mom doesn't like unrealistic entertainment).

[MorwenLaicoriel]

I second "The Cat Returns". I absolutely love that anime--the animation is beautiful, and the pace is brisk. Should be something that both boys and girls would like, too, The only complaint I have about it is Disney did dubtitles (bad Disney, bad!) and the dub isn't as close to the original as it could've been. (It doesn't deviate *too* far, though, and they did some decent casting for it--particularly having Cary Elwes as the Baron).

Also....if your siblings are girls, they might like Princess Tutu. There's some language that starts appearing about halfway through (a little more in the sub than the dub), but otherwise it's pretty clean--very low amounts of violence (I think there's something like three instances of blood in the entire series), and as far as I can remember, no sexual content. The only stumbling block could be that there's some nudity--but it's rarely shown at an angle where you can see anything, and even when you can, it's VERY undetailed. Also, almost always it's used when the character Duck/Ahiru goes from being a duck to being a girl--think "The Little Mermaid". It's about as scandalous as that. Boys would probably be too embarrassed to watch it, though. XD

[mitsuki lover]

Any time you like to watch something that is considered out of the mainstream it is going to be hard to convince others to watch as well.
Though as far as it goes something like Noir might work if they enjoy action.

[MorwenLaicoriel]

I'm not sure about Noir for a nine year old....it's bloodless, but still pretty intense and violent.

[Mangafanatic]

I'm not sure about Noir for a nine year old....it's bloodless, but still pretty intense and violent.

I agree. In addition to just the violence, there's also the issue of the minor nudity and, what could be interpretted as homosexual undertones.

[Doe Johnson]

For Miyazaki films, I really liked Nausicaa and Castle in the Sky. Kiki's Delivery Service was good too, but yeah, I didn't care so much for the others. (Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them, just not as much)

For series...um...I think Scrapped Princess might be a good one for the family. I can't think of any really bad scenes in it for a nine year old.

Also, even though it has lots of death and such, I think Case Closed/Detective Conan would be a good family show. Really, I used to watch murder mysteries with my family all the time as a kid. In fact, we still watch them. Yay for Murder She Wrote and Columbo! I think it only uses really mild fanservice too.

Last Exile was pretty, and clean. So...pretty clean. (I think I need sleep)

Possibly Pilot Candidate/Candidate for Goddess. I know there was at least one spot that made you wonder why someone was blushing, but other than that I can't think of any questionable scenes. I think it does use a bit of the whole nude body you can almost see kinda thing (did that make sense?) but it must have not been too extreme because I don't remember being disturbed by it at all.

*looks over the other lists again* Oh, and I suppose Voices of a Distant Star could work for any age. Plus its only like 30 minutes or so long. As for Crest of the Stars, I think the manga might have had some questionable things in it, but I can't think of anything in show right now.