Here at AniFem, we often receive requests from readers asking for feminist-friendly recommendations. While we’ve provided seasonal and yearly anime recommendations since the site’s launch, as well as 2010s decade recommendations (Part 1 and Part 2), that still only scratches the surface of what’s out there. So, we’ve compiled our top recs into permanent pages!
Our anime recommendations have 10 titles on each list, including one film per category. Our manga lists contain 12 titles. We plan to add more as we go.
To avoid redundant recommendations, there is currently no overlap between lists, including between anime and manga lists (though we will note if an anime adaptation’s manga is also worth checking out and vice-versa.) We encourage you to check out all of the lists. You might find a treasure where you least expect it!
Anime Recommendations
We’ve split our top anime recs into three categories:
- General: Feminist-friendly anime of all shapes and sizes. We’ll likely expand this list to include more “harmless fun”-type titles in the future, but right now we’re focusing on anime that specifically engage with intersectional feminist-relevant topics and concerns, such as gender norms or racial politics.
- Queer Representation: Series that center around positive and/or grounded representation of LGBTQ+ characters and issues.
- Family-Friendly: Anime you can watch with younger audiences (13 and under).
We’d love to divide the lists into more categories in the future, but this is our starting point based on what readers have most frequently requested.
Manga Recommendations
We’re in the process of creating multiple manga lists as time and funding become available. For now, we have two sub-categories:
- General: Feminist-friendly manga of all shapes and sizes, focusing on titles that specifically engage with intersectional feminist-relevant topics and concerns.
- Queer Representation: Series that center around positive and/or grounded representation of LGBTQ+ characters and issues.
Needless to say, these recommendation lists are by no means complete or perfect. Just because a series isn’t listed (yet) doesn’t mean we don’t recommend it; likewise, just because we do recommend something doesn’t guarantee every reader will enjoy it.
While we’ve done our best to alert folks to content warnings and considerations, everyone has different tastes. A mild annoyance for one person could be a deal-breaker for another. And that’s okay!
AniFem has never been interested in rubber-stamping titles as “Feminist” or “Not Feminist.” Fiction is complex, and discussions about it should be, too. These lists are simply intended to be jumping-off points for feminist-minded readers looking for new series.
We hope we can help you find some new titles to love! Happy browsing, AniFam!
Looking for our full list of reviews, from premieres to full-season write-ups? Check out our searchable Review Database!