Best Japanese family series

When she was a little girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari saw a magic show performed by a witch named Shiny Chariot. From that day on she wanted to be just like her. Enrolling at Luna Nova Magical Academy and having no magical background, can she become a witch like her idol Shiny Chariot?

Welcome to Pokémon Resort, a peaceful getaway for Pokémon to relax and have fun. Which adorable guest will the new concierge Haru befriend and help first?

After becoming an orphan, Heidi is forced to live with her grandfather Öhi who lives in the mountain Alps. However he is a very bitter man who only accepts to take her in by force. Heidi's kindness may be able to open Öhi's heart. Along with Peter the goat carer and the crippled Klara, Heidi has a lot of adventures.

1 Rittoru no Namida is a Japanese television drama for Fuji Television about a girl who was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease at 15, but was able to continue her life until her death at the age of 25.

Gudetama, the lazy egg, reluctantly embarks on an adventure of a lifetime with Shakipiyo, a newly hatched chick, who is determined to find their mother.

In the remote and mysterious Moominvalley live the Moomins, gentle and peaceful creatures. Young Moomintroll and his family experience many strange adventures, both magical and mundane. Based on the children's stories by Tove Jansson.

This series focuses on the residents of the Galar Region. It is set to focus on their dreams, realities, challenges they must face and conflicts they must overcome. This is all linked through the Galar Taxi Driver.

Doraemon is an anime TV series created by Fujiko F. Fujio and based on the manga series of the same name. This anime is the much more successful successor of the 1973 anime.

Children go on errands all by themselves for the very first time as a camera crew follows along in this beloved, long-running reality show from Japan.

On her first date with the cutest boy in school, Ichigo is zapped by a mysterious ray that scrambles her DNA with that of the endangered Iriomote wildcat. The next day, Ichigo discovers that she has developed the agility (and occasionally the ears and tail) of a cat, as well as the power to transform into a pink-haired superheroine, Mew Ichigo. She and four other girls, each endowed with the genes of a different "Red Data" animal, have been selected for the top-secret Mew Project, which aims to protect the Earth from an alien menace known as Deep Blue.

In a steampunk London, the great detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson routinely crack the most challenging cases — perpetrated more often than not by their nemesis, the proud, bumbling genius Professor Moriarty.

Teenager Speed Racer aspires to be the world's best race-car champion with the help of his friends, family and his father's high-tech race-car, the Mach 5.

A father and son rekindle their bond through the online role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV in this live-action series based on a true story.

Robotic cat Doraemon is sent back in time from the 22nd century to protect 10-year-old Noby, a lazy and uncoordinated boy who is destined to have a tragic future. Doraemon can create secret gadgets from a pocket on his stomach, but they usually cause more bad than good because of Noby's propensity to misuse them.

Sei Iori is a Gunpla builder whose family runs a hobby shop in a small town. He aspires to be a Gunpla Battle champion like his father, but despite his exceptional building skills, he lacks the combat abilities to compete with other contestants. Then one day, he meets a mysterious boy named Reiji, who helps him improve his confidence in participating in Gunpla Battles. Together, Sei and Reiji battle their way to the 7th Gunpla Battle World Tournament.

A reclusive man’s world begins to open when a riceball-loving boy and his older brother draw him into their warm, homemade weekend tradition.

Ronja is the only daughter of Mattis, a bandit leader who lives in a castle in the middle of a large forest. When Ronja grows old enough, she ventures into the forest to interact the strange and magical creatures that live there. She learns to live in the forest through her own strength, with the occasional rescue from her parents. Ronja's life begins to change, however, when she happens upon a boy her own age named Birk.

Classic Sonic is back to his dimension after the events of Sonic Forces. He discovers Eggman is collecting the Chaos Emeralds and already has four of them. Sonic must gather all the Chaos Emeralds before Eggman.

The story of a boy named Alec and his encounter with a Hisuian Zorua. When he was younger, Alec's father taught him that people and Pokémon cannot live together. But Alec's interactions with the Zorua might offer a different lesson.

Chisato is homeless and on the run from debt collectors, when a wealthy man offers to pay off her debt if she marries him for one month. However, Chisato discovers that there are clauses to the contract after he dies, which includes being the mother of his six sons.

In 2030 AD, after being abandoned by his creator, a young boy robot is rescued by an Android Advocate, Dr Elefun, who adopts him as his own and guides him in the use of his special powers to aid and protect mankind and robot-kind.

The four Yuzuki brothers—Hayato, Mikoto, Minato, and young Gakuto—lost their parents two years ago and now work to raise themselves. Together they live, learn, fight, and forgive as brothers should.

Yasuko Matsuyuki plays the part of Nao Suzuhara, an elementary school teacher. When she realizes that one of the female students is receiving abuse from her mother, Nao's maternal instincts kick in, and she impulsively decides to bring the girl into her own care. Serving as a substitute mother, Nao takes the child on a trip from Hokkaido to Tokyo, and the two experience various events together along the way.

Middle schooler Valt Aoi, with his Beyblade Valkyrie (Valtryek), faces off against friends, classmates, and rivals to become the world's number one Blader.

Your whole outlook on life can change in an instant. Takuto Sawada (Haruma Miura) is your average college student. But one day, he finds out that he has ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and only has a short time to live. How will he choose to spend the remaining days of his precious life?

College student Kahoko is the quintessential overprotected child born out of today's Japanese society. Shielded by her parents, Kahoko grew up completely pampered and became somewhat of a miraculously naive "test tube human." She is 21 years old and about to start working for a company, but she has never slept away from home, had a part time job, chosen her own clothes, or even ridden a train alone. Kahoko has had her picture taken, but she has never taken a picture herself. Now, Kahoko is about to step out of her germ-free isolation pod and into the germ-infested world. It won't be long until she realizes, "I'm different from everybody else!" She has been her mother's best friend all her life and her father can't live without her. As they become emotionally unstable from the changes that Kahoko goes through, their family begins to fall apart. That's when Kahoko herself and the people around her begin to see the strength that hides deep within.

Based on a novel by mystery writer Keigo Higashino, Ryūsei no Kizuna tells the story of three orphans, whose parents were murdered long ago. Together, the three vowed on a shooting star to one day avenge their parents. After many years, the two brothers have found the murderers, and are set to carry out their plan for vengeance when they realize they've made a serious miscalculation; you see, their sister...

A series of animated shorts based on the Pokémon franchise, with each episode telling a different story ranging from silly to heartwarming and presented with a unique art style.

Yoshimoto Koya becomes a tutor to a student, Numata Shigeyuki, an underachiever on the verge of dropping out of middle school. Expecting immediate results, Shigeyuki’s father makes a deal with Koya that if he could make Shigeyuki return to school within a week, he would receive a 100,000 yen bonus. Koya accepts the offer, replying that he would only need 5 days to complete the mission but demands that no one should interfere with his methodology in doing so.

On the beautiful Prince Edward Island in Canada, an orphan named Anne Shirley is mistakenly sent to Green Gables, the home of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. They choose to adopt her anyway, as Anne finds friendship, love, and happiness in her new home. Come along for the story of a purehearted and imaginative girl growing up, leaving for college, and returning home a changed woman.

Wedding Peach is a Japanese magical girl anime series created by Kunihiko Yuyuma, and was aired on TV Tokyo from April 5, 1995 to March 27, 1996.

Juspion's parents were killed by space pirates when he was a baby. After escaping to the planet Eijin, he is raised by a space hermit. He eventually embarks on a quest to fight the Mega beasts and defeat Satan Gorth. Hetravels from planet to planet until he finally arrives on Earth. Wearing a special suit, he has super human powers and a transforming spaceship.

Astro is a robotic boy created by Dr. Tenma to replace his late son. When Tenma destroys his laboratory and shuts down Astro, the Ministry of Science revives him and tries to give him a normal life as a 6th-grade student who occasionally helps keep renegade robots from causing harm.

Ordinary salaryman Hamasaki Mitsuo works for a company which installs vending machines. He complains about his marriage life while at the dentist office. Mitsuo isn't happy at all with his marriage with his wife, Hoshino Yuka, who has the complete opposite personality from him. He doesn't know if he loves Yuka or not. At this time, Mitsuo meets Kono Akari, his ex-girlfriend from his university days, who is now married to Uehara Ryo.

Candy, a fairy from Märchenland follows the shining light that leads to the five legendary PreCure warriors in order to fight Bad End Kingdom villains who are trying to vanquish the entire world to the “Worst Ending.

Devoted to becoming an international lawyer, Ayukawa Wakaba is full of ambition. Her hard work pays off when she lands a job at an international law firm, but to her disappointment, the first prestigious assignment that is given to her is to babysit the boss' 5 year old daughter, Hinata. Wakaba loathes kids and nursing, but unwillingly takes on the job as she is fixated on wealth and success. One day when she goes to a preschool to pick up Hinata, she meets a man named Yamada Sota. Sota is a man without higher education, wealth, or a future goal, someone that Wakaba absolutely cannot stand, the complete opposite of her ideals. Once again, contrary to her will, she ends up looking after Hinata and a few other kids along with Sota. Despite being exhausted from all the first-time experiences in child care, Wakaba begins to realize what is truly important to her.

Yaichi (Ryuta Sato) is a single father and he raises his elementary school aged daughter alone. One day, a foreign man named Mike (Baruto Kaito) visits him. Yaichi has an identical twin brother Ryoji, but Ryoji moved to Canada years ago. They have disconnected since that time. Mike introduces himself as the husband of Ryoji. They are a married gay couple. Yaichi is confused and doesn't know how to deal with Mike.

The appearance of a mysterious little boy interrupts the quiet, predictable life shared by an artist with autism and his caring older brother.

Growing up, sisters Misaki and Hazuki couldn't have been more different. Misaki's charming personality and popularity stood in sharp contrast to the older, more responsible yet timid Hazuki. After high school, the two lose touch once Misaki leaves their home, only to be reunited many years later, when Misaki returns, harboring a secret.

The main character of the story is Pollon, a sweet, precocious little girl who is the daughter of the God of the Sun, Apollo. Pollon's goal in life is to grow up to become a beautiful and powerful goddess. She attempts to do good deeds and help out any way she can in order to achieve the status of godhood. Invariably, her overtures backfire and end up causing major trouble for both the gods of Olympus and their human subjects. However, Pollon's kind heart, perseverance and indomitable spirit win out in the end, as she attains the title of "Goddess of Hope."

Nobita Nobi is so hapless that his 22nd century decendants are still impoverished as a result of his 20th century bumbling. In a bid to raise their social status, their servant, a robotic cat named Doraemon, decides to travel back in time and guide Nobita on the proper path to fortune. Unfortunately Doraemon, a dysfunctional robot that the familly acquired by accident (but chose to keep nonetheless), isn't much better off than Nobita. The robot leads Nobita on many adventures, and while Nobita's life certainly is more exciting with the robot cat from the future, it is questionable if it is in fact better in the way that Doraemon planned.

About two people who are aromantic and asexual and begin living together. Sakiko finds it difficult to live in a society which operates under the assumption that people will fall in love with each other. She meets supermarket employee Takahashi when she goes to support a "fall-in-love" campaign by her junior at work. She is startled when she hears him say that there are people who don't fall in love. As Sakiko's mother keeps hurrying her to get married, she decides to move out and rent an apartment with her friend but her friend backs out at the last minute after reconciling with her ex-boyfriend. Just when Sakiko is about to give up, she ends up living with Takahashi under one roof because of their similar values towards romance.

Akebono City is a peaceful community overflowing with humanity. Since there was a Power Spot that released the magical power in the community, the people were distressed by the threat of the demon army Jamanga who are gathering Minus Energy from the frightened masses for a sinister purpose. The secret organization S.H.O.T. was formed to protect the people of the community from the Jamanga, concealing their existence as ordinary members of the Akebono Police Station, which considers demons beyond their jurisdiction. Kenji Narukami, a student of the Narukami Dragon God Style for fighting demons, arrives at Akebono to fight the demons, eventually getting his wish when he is transformed to RyuKenDo and faces off against Jamanga's forces together with his friends to restore peace in the community.

11-year-old Kenichi Mitsuba is an average kid who goes to secondary school and struggles with his studies, he is very stubborn and is very lazy and therefore always ends up frustrating his parents and teacher. He loves to find an easy way of things. He befriends Hattori Kanzo, a ninja from the Iga Clan, and he becomes part of the Mitsuba family along with his brother, Shinzo and his ninja dog, Shishimaru. Hattori helps Kenichi with his problems, and constantly keeps an eye on him, as a good friend. The main antagonist Kemumaki, a Koga ninja and his ninja cat, Kagechiyo always troubles Kenichi, mainly because of their feud over one girl, Yumeko. Kenichi asks Hattori to take revenge as a recurring storyline in many episodes. Although Hattori is a good friend, Kenichi sometimes fights with Hattori due to misunderstandings created by Kemumaki. Sometimes Jippou, Togejirou and Tsubame help him.

A story that begins when a husband, who lost his beloved wife ten years ago and lost the meaning of life, and his daughter are unexpectedly reunited with their wife/mother. As his wife is reborn as a ten-year-old elementary school student, the family is reborn.

On the surface it seems as if Atsushi is an adult, but really he's just an elementary student! However, he is paired with a second-year high school student Atsumi, whose height is just the opposite of his. These two together create an unusual relationship and will undoubtedly instigate some comedic antics in this slice of life comedy!

A love story depicting the connection between parents and their children in various forms.

The evil Shadow Lord has taken control of the kingdom of Deltora and has driven the land and its people into misfortune and suffering. Lief, the son of a blacksmith, has just turned sixteen and is entrusted, along with his two companions Barda and Jasmine, with an important mission: to retrieve the stolen seven magical stones that once reunited within the Belt of Deltora, will bring power to the true heir of Deltora and give him the power to free the kingdom from the tyranny of the Shadow Lord. There is just one problem; the seven stones have been scattered all across Deltora and currently reside in the hands of seven wicked men who are not easily willing to give them up.

Miki Ichinose is a 14-year-old schoolgirl who is very outgoing and cheerful. She lives with her parents and younger brother. She is in a romantic relationship with Satoshi Kirino who is 15 years old. They keep their relationship a secret from their parents because Miki is young and Satoshi is expected to excel in school and get into a university so he can take over the family business by his overbearing mother. One night, after a date, they sneak into a treehouse and consummate their relationship. Soon after, Miki suspects that she is pregnant and steals a pregnancy test, which her mother later finds. She is taken to a doctor who confirms her pregnancy. Initially upset, Miki's parents promise they will support her. Miki tells Satoshi of the pregnancy and he takes the news well. However, his mother is furious when she learns of it and forbids the two from seeing each other.

Eight-year-old Miyuki lost her mother several years ago and has since lived with just her father, Ryoichi. One day, she is suddenly introduced to Akiko, who is to be her new mother. Akiko uses her stellar business skills to try to win the little girl over, only to fail miserably. Ryoichi tries to reason with Miyuki, but to no avail. Akiko changes tactics and tries to get Shimoyama, a woman in the neighborhood who knows Miyuki well, on her side.

Minato Shindo has savant syndrome. His memory is amazing, but he has difficulty communicating with other people. When Minato was little, he dreamed of becoming a doctor. He met Doctor Akira Shiga and he wanted to become a pediatric surgeon. Akira was surprised by the 7-year-old's memory of the human organs and he decided to support Minato in achieving his dream. Eventually, Minato graduated from medical school and passed the national exam for medical practitioners. Now, Akira works as a director at a large hospital. He suggests to Minato to work in the pediatric surgery department at the hospital where he works.

This home comedy tells the story of Kyoichiro and his teenage daughter Koume. One day, the two ride a train together after visiting Kyoichiro's mother-in-law. He sees it as a chance to get to know his daughter better, but he ends up getting more than that - by some mysterious force, both Kyoichiro and Koume end up with their mind in the other's body! Unfortunately, they have no choice but to swap lives, pretending to be each other at school and work.

After the accidental death of her husband and being deemed ineligible for welfare, Koharu struggles to care for her two children.

Calimero is an Italian/Japanese cartoon about a charming, but hapless anthropomorphized cartoon chicken; the only black one in a family of yellow chickens. He wears half of his egg shell still on his head. Calimero originally appeared on the Italian television show Carosello on July 14, 1963, and soon became a popular icon in Italy. The characters were later licensed in Japan as an anime series, twice. The first was made by Toei Animation and ran from October 15, 1974 to September 30, 1975, and the second, with new settings and characters, was made in 1992. Altogether, 99 Japanese episodes were made. The series mostly consists of the many adventures of Calimero and his friends as they solve mysteries and make documentaries. However, their adventures usually get them into quite a bit of trouble. The first series was also broadcast on European networks such as TROS, ZDF and RTL II or TVE.

Ryotsu Kankichi, or Ryo-san for short, is an unconventional cop working at the local police station who loves money. Together with famous celebrities like Nakagawa and Reiko, his strict boss Police Chief Ohara, and other wildly unique characters, he gets everyone caught up in all sorts of hijinks!

Trapp Family Story is a Japanese anime series by Nippon Animation. It was based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, which has also inspired the world famous musical The Sound of Music. While many things were changed from the original story, unlike other adaptations such as The Sound of Music, the children's names are all correct in this version.

The story involves two pairs of teenage elder sister and younger brother, the Shinmoto's who are a bit narcissistic and the Saitou's who look a bit mysterious. It follows their everyday life in school and at home.

Nine animated stories based on the original Peter Rabbit books by Beatrix Potter.

39-year-old Nagasato Daisuke is a bachelor who works for a stationery manufacturer. Although he is attuned to trends and interacts with other people flawlessly, he hates being hurt by love. Daisuke is not disatissified with living alone. On the day he moves to his new apartment, he meets his neighbour Hanako for the first time due to an unpleasant situation. 32-year-old Kumagai Hanako is a divorced office lady. She has the clear intention not to remarry and is already preparing for old age. For some reason, Daisuke and Hanako keep quarreling right from the time they meet. But the two of them actually have many similarities. One day, Daisuke’s father Yozo suddenly visits for the first time in five years. He had secretly remarried in this time and has a step-son in tow. Meanwhile Hanako’s mother Ritsuko starts living separately from her husband and comes to live with her beloved daughter without consulting her. Daisuke and Hanako’s lives as swinging singles get disrupted because of parents who have no hesitation about enjoying their own lives.

Fukuyadou Honpo is a traditional Kyoto sweet shop with 450 years of history. This romantic drama depicts the careers, love lives and dreams of three sisters.

Oshin is a Japanese serialized morning television drama, which aired on broadcaster NHK from April 4, 1983 to March 31, 1984. The series follows the life of Shin Tanokura during the Meiji period up to the early 1980s. Shin was called "Oshin", which is an archaic Japanese cognomen.

Ieji Hisashi, a salaryman who works for a securities company, has a fuzzy memory of the recent five years because of an accident at his job posting. His wife of five years, Megumi and their 4-year-old son seem to wear masks. He can neither tell their facial expressions nor their emotions. He also struggles about his love for them. On the other hand, Ieji feels an attachment to his ex-wife, whom he divorced five years ago, and their daughter. What sort of days did he have in those five years which are a blank to him? Ieji sets out on a journey to find his past self with a mysterious bunch of 10 keys that he has. He becomes aware that he was a cold, career-minded man before the accident, and the persona that is gradually revealed is beyond the imagination of his present kindhearted self.

Drama series depicts the lives of three men born in 1987 and oppose irrational things of the world through work, love, and friendship. The men are from the "yutori generation", when the Japanese government reformed the education system, emphasizing a pressure-free environment referred to as yutori education.

Naoko Kishikawa is a 31 year-old single who works for the undergarment section at a departmental store. She lives with her parents and a younger sister. One day, she meets a Korean photographer, Lee Ji-won. Ji-won's presence gradually changes Naoko and her family.

Belle and Sebastian is an anime adaption of a series of French novels called Belle et Sébastien by Cécile Aubry. The series ran on the Japanese network NHK from April 7, 1981 – June 22, 1982. It consists of 52 episodes and was a co-production of MK Company, Visual 80 Productions and Toho Company, Ltd.. Toshiyuki Kashiwakura was the head writer and character designs were by Shuichi Seki. The show was broadcast on French and Japanese television in 1981, with American cable network Nickelodeon picking it up in 1984. In the United Kingdom, it aired on Children's BBC in 1989 and 1990. This anime used many staffers from Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater franchise, thus the look and feel is similar to that of a WMT production even though Nippon Animation itself was not involved with this series. The series has been aired in many countries outside Japan and has been dubbed and subtitled in English and numerous other languages.

The story follows the sometimes happy, sometimes sad, and a tad stressful daily life of "some sort of small, cute creature" (Nanka Chiisakute Kawaii Yatsu) known as Chiikawa. Chiikawa enjoys delicious food with bees and rabbits, toils hard every day for the rewards of work, and still maintains a smile.