Anime with father/son relationship

[KholdStare]

We all know how anime often leave parents out of way so the main characters can pursue a romantic relationship. That's why I'm having trouble thinking of an anime with this type of relationship. Here are the criteria:

-Should have ample father/son time with a "nice" relationship. (ie., not abusive, drunk, etc...)
-Preferably father/son, but father/daughter is cool too.
-Mother should be present, although doesn't have to interact much. (CCS is out, not enough interactions)
-Preferably the son/daughter be younger than teenager, or the anime provides flashbacks scenes.
-I'm not looking for an action anime with a military relationship, etc...

If any anime sort of fits these criteria mentioned above, then that would be great. What I'm kinda looking for is CCS but with the mother playing a more significant role. Thanks in advance.

[ByakuyaKuchiki]

You might could try Major. Its about baseball with alot of focus on Goro's relationship with his father and family.

Spoiler:

There is romance but it takes some time(5th season) before they acknowledge each others feelings.

[Telmah]

I am struggling to think of animes were the parents play a major role or really any role at all, let alone the father. They are usually bit parts like Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas, being super comedic like say Ranma 1/2 or like you said out of the picture for some other reason (dead, away on business overseas, etc).

The only thing that is really coming to mind is Zettai Shonen. The focus of the story is by no means their relationship, but it realistically displays a slightly strained father/son relationship--not because of anything really bad, just out of touch, like many real life ones. It is a very slow show. I can't suggest this enough. If you don't like slice-of-life with lots of dialogue, it is not for you. Even my friends that like slice-of-life tended to find it boring--though I really enjoyed the characters interactions and the nuances of it. You have to make the resolve to watch the entire first arc or not watch it--if you stop part way through, you won't like it for sure. It may however, spend the time to actually be something you'd enjoy, given your list.

[Ash Falls Town]

Best I can think of is Floral Magician Mary Bell

Both parents are present. The household is not abusive at all. There are two children 1 son (Ken) and 1 daughter (Yuri). The kids are 4 and 6 I believe. It's just a nice children's (Non-fighting) magical girl show.
50 episodes. 1992. Non licensed. Fully Fansubbed.

Next closest I can think of is DNAngel but the father only comes in half way through the series. So it's pretty far away.

Also obligatory Papa to Kiss in the Dark troll suggestion.

[ddwkc]

Potemayo has some father/son moments. Although the anime is a comedy one, some of the serious moments of the series is between Sunao and his father.

[Exar Kun]

Clannad & even more Clannad After Story have all the family stuff you need

[deathreape98]

I would have to second Clannad & Clannad ~After Story~

Spoiler for Clannad parental relationships:

The main male lead has a horrible relationship for the majority of the time, but the female lead's parents play a large role in the anime. In the second season, the leads become parents of a child, so that plays in as well.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by ddwkc

Potemayo has some father/son moments. Although the anime is a comedy one, some of the serious moments of the series is between Sunao and his father.

Excellent call - you beat me to this one. Highly recommended.

Bokura ga Ita has some great stuff with Yano and his mother, but she's hardly the main character. Believe it or not, I'd also suggest "Chi's Sweet Home" because the father is the most memorable human character, though it's only a series of (wonderful) 2:54 eps mostly about a cat.

Rurouni Kenshin has a nice father/son dynamic with Kenshin and Yahiko. Seirei no Moribito a mother/son one with Balsa and Chagum.

Oh! Ghost Hound has some fairly substantive stuff revolving around main character Tarou and his parents.

[KholdStare]

Thanks you guys for the suggestions--I have cookies.

Clannad won't work though, because Tomoya didn't have a mom. Nagisa's parents are mostly never serious, which won't provide the scenes for what I am doing. I'll check out Potemayo first and see; it sounds promising. If you guys have any more slightly serious series of the kind, please recommend!

[SeijiSensei]

It's remarkable how few father-son pairings I can think of, though it might be because I tend to watch series with female protagonists. It might also be a function of the widespread child abandonment that appears to be common in Japanese households, or at least in ones portrayed by shows like School Rumble! (In reality I suspect the lack of fathers in anime reflects their true absence from the Japanese household. As a foreign observer, it appears that the demands placed on men in the Japanese workplace sharply limit the amount of time they can spend with their families.)

For a father-son pairing, Chi came to mind immediately for me like it did for Guardian Enzo The father is totally enamored of his wife, his son, and his new kitty. The young boy, Yohei, is cute and active and clearly loves his oto-san, oka-san, and little Chi. The family structure in Higepiyo is identical to that in Chi, though Higepiyo is a much more high-maintenance pet.

I'd expand on Guardian Enzo's recommendation of Ghost Hound to say that all three boys, and the main girl Miyako-chan, have complicated relationships with their parents. and sometimes with their grandparents as well.

Now for a couple of other suggestions.

While not an entire series, episode two in Bartender tells a poignant story about conflict between a father and son, though both are adults which may not be what you had in mind. Their dispute concerns the proper way to manage their family's business of traditional Japanese inns as global hotel chains become dominant after the War. It's my favorite episode of one of my favorite series.

Yasuoka Shinji has quite a good relationship with his adopted daughter in Shion no Ou. Yasuoka-san is a professional Shougi player, and Shion is following in his footsteps.

For heartwarming and heartwrenching relationships between parents and children, I recommend Kemono Souja no Erin, by the author of the Moribito series of novels. The anime Seirei no Moribito also tells a story of a bond between adult and child, but in this case it's a female "parent" to a male child.

[Guardian Enzo]

Actually, in thinking back a ways, Kare Kano has a really interesting and nice father/daughter relationship.

Yoshinaga no Gargoyle has a pretty nice parental bond with both the daughter and son.

On balance, it truly is remarkable how few anime there are that have a father/son relationship at their core. I never gave it much thought but it really is glaring when you try and actually come up with something.

[Willen]

How about Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars (aka. Gakuen Senki Muryo)? Amazingly, the main character's parents are both alive (although the father is away for work for the first part, he does contact the family), and mom and dad get some screen time with the protagonist. The supporting characters also have family members that play important roles in the story.

[andromeda0201]

These animes somewhat fit..

Kurau Phantom Memory - you won't find another anime that depicts the father/ daughter relationship so well, in a rather sad way though....but you can tell they really put a lot of effort into the dad's character
**However, i don't think theres a mum present, at least I don't remember

Noein - strained mother/son relationshop

Ga-Rei Zero - touches on some, mainly father/daughter of both female protagonists

Perhaps...Seto no hanayome, though its more on the over-the-top comedy side

[mit7059]

Inital D maybe?
Major also comes to mind.

Oh! Capeta I think might be what you're looking for! Oh but again there is no mom, but a very strong father/son relationship. Hmmm...

[Shadow Kira01]

Here are some suggestions:

Asu no Yoichi!: Samurai's father only appears in the opening of the first episode. After that, he appears as the narrator for the next episode preview at the end of every episode.

Clannad ~After Story~: The protagonist of the previous season is now married with a kid but the kid isn't a boy, so I don't know if you will watch it or not.

Ga-Rei -Zero-: Not exactly as that the main characters are girls.

Gundam Seed: The story is about war and politics, as well as terrorism. Not sure if you are interested or not though..

Seto no Hanayome: This one is pretty funny.. The funny part is generally about Nagasumi getting attacked frequently by his mermaid wife's father.

Tokyo Majin Gakuen: Not exactly as that the story focuses on Tatsuma and his friends who all happened to be reincarnations of mythological creatures, as well as historical figures.

Tytania: Like Gundam Seed, this one is focused on politics, war, and possibly terrorism as well. I only watched the first episode, so I am unclear as to what the story is about.

[*reira*]

Major is the only one that I can think of, right now.

[KholdStare]

That for all the suggestions guys, but I've decided on Clannad, because it is the only thing that fits. None of the other anime has what I'm looking for, which were 2-3 episodes that focused on father/child relationships.

[Theowne]

In Honey and Clover there are a few episodes revolving around a father/stepfather type issue, and another few episodes dealing with the father/son relationship between Morita, his brother, and their deceased father. Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but they're in there, even if it's not a major element.

[Falkor]

if you don't mind reading manga, I strongly recommend My girl by Sahara Mizu (thread at AS)---I think it fits the criteria of what you are looking for. The central theme of this manga is a father/daughter relationship, which is developed throughout the first volume.

Summary:

Originally Posted by Baka-Updates

Kazama Masamune - a single 23-year-old man...has a kid? During the season of cherry blossoms, his beloved passes away. He happens to meet a little girl outside work and realizes she is his daughter who was raised in secrecy by his lover. The worst spring of his life is transformed into a painful yet vivid spring.

[KholdStare]

I didn't say what I needed it for, but it is for an AMV.