9 Anime Series That Treats LGBT Topics Seriously

One of the media genres with the broadest range is anime. There is an anime out there for everyone, whether you like action, sports, action, fantasy, or even romance. Despite this, anime doesn’t often have a reputation for showcasing a lot of series that are geared at or focused on LGBT+ individuals. When presenting gay characters in anime, even those that include LGBT+ persons may use stereotypes and objectification.

When compared to American graphic novels and comics, the background of LGBTQ+ depiction in Japanese anime and manga is very different.

Even though homosexuality has never been criminalised in Japan to the same extent as it has been in nations like the USA or the UK, LGBTQ+ people nevertheless confront prejudice on a social and cultural level and have very little legal protection.

The creation of gay works of art by authors and artists has not been prevented by this, and neither has readers’ consumption of it. In the 1920s, Yoshiya Nobuko, a Japanese novelist, created books about female same-sex romance and relationships. Her work was extremely well-liked and had a significant impact on the growth of both shojo and yuri comics in the years that followed.

Shojo is a term used to describe manga created particularly for female viewers. Shojo manga has more of an emphasis on interpersonal connections, drama, and emotions due to its high emphasis on romance and drama. The problems LGBT characters experience with their own sexual and gender identities fit wonderfully into this framework, where internal issues take precedence over major events. The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio is a great illustration of this. It has beautiful illustrations, and poetic text, and mostly focuses on the interactions between teenage male students.

Yet, there are several numbers of LGBT-themed anime that everyone should see. While romance will undoubtedly be present in these anime, there is also a tonne of action, fantasy, sci-fi and even some Olympic sports.

Here are the top 9 Anime Series That Treat LGBT Topics Seriously list. Without further ado, let’s see the different recommendations.

1. Yuri On Ice

In the fall of 2016, Yuri On Ice rose to prominence and was included in our list of the greatest anime of the year. But there are numerous factors, including the animation, the soundtrack, and the choreography, that contribute to Yuri’s success. The two main characters’ connection was what made the show groundbreaking and well-known. Victor Nikiforov and Yuri Katsuki’s relationship avoided the clichés that plague the Yuri genre (Girls’ Love) and Yaoi (Boys’ Love). Instead, the LGBT anime series provided a glimpse inside the emotional ups and downs of a pair who support and encourage one another through significant life challenges.

2. Cheeky Angel

The main character of the 50-episode of anime series Cheeky Angel is Megumi, a stunning young woman. She is so beautiful that some even call her an “angel.” Well, here is the heading. The astonishing truth is that Megumi was once a male, hidden beneath that stunning beauty. Megumi discovered a magic book with a genie when he was nine years old. The genie grants a single wish when blood is put on the book. Megumi wished to be the strongest man in the universe, but the genie changed him into a woman instead. Megumi is still a boy inside, despite being a pretty high school student a few years later. Megumi’s best friend Miki, a female, seeks to transform Megumi into an elegant young woman, but Megumi is adamant about maintaining her connection to her masculine side. Cheeky Angel answers several gender identity-related queries, including what it means to be a man or a woman and how someone chooses who they are on the inside.

3. Hourou Musko

The lifestyles of a transgender boy and a transgender girl are followed in this anime. This anime, which is based on the same-named manga, follows the two main protagonists as they mature, highlighting their struggles to accept their gender identity disorder. Those for f are seeking this series featuring transgender characters will find this anime to be quite uplifting in scope and incredibly pleasant.

4. Aoi Hana

The narrative of Sweet Blue Flowers centres on Akira Okudaira, a freshman in high school, and Fumi Manjme, an educated, timid adolescent girl going through a difficult breakup. The two females get in touch again after ten years. Together, they make an effort to support one another as they navigate love relationships and establish their sexual orientation. The series has the outside appearance of being your regular lesbian anime, yet it lacks the clichés of the subgenre. Instead of concentrating just on the protagonists, the series concentrates on the interactions between all of its characters, including the supporting characters. True childhood friendships, as opposed to the sort that is generally utilised as a means for the characters to develop a relationship with one another, are also shown to viewers, allowing them to observe more than just romantic relationships. Although uncommon for a yuri tale, various male characters play a part in the lives of the protagonists. All of this contributes to Sweet Blue Flowers’ relevant and accurate depiction of contemporary relationships.

5. Antique Bakery

In Antique Bakery, we follow the lives of two pastry chefs - Yusuke Ono, a famous chef who is perpetually out of a job because he is appealing to men, which causes his employees to fight for him, and Keisuke Tachibana, a pastry chef who despises cake because of a horrific childhood incident. A previous middle-weight boxing champion, a world-class pastry chef, a high school crush, and a tonne of cake! Since that heartbreaking day in high school when Ono declared his love to Tachibana, who was handsome, he has gone a long way. Ono, a homosexual playboy and world-class pastry chef has it all now, around 14 years later. Ono is irresistible to men, yet he recently accepted a job working for Tachibana. Can the man who once turned down the miraculously homosexual Ono receive justice if he was the only man to rebuff his charms? Could this be the only man to do so? And how in the world did an ex-middleweight boxing champion end up serving as Ono’s cake boy?

6. Citrus

Citrus, which is based on a well-known manga series of the same name, centres on Yuzu Aihara, a stylish adolescent determined to find love and meet new people. Her mother marries again and enrols Yuzu in an all-girls school, shattering her ambitions. Even worse, she is constantly bothered by the rigid student council president, Mei. She is also Yuzu’s new step-sister, which is a bonus. Yuzu, though, develops fresh feelings for Mei as they begin to share a bedroom and get to know one another better. Although Citrus doesn’t perfectly depict same-sex relationships, viewers may still identify with and sympathise with the main characters. Viewers may learn about some of the severe issues LGBTQ individuals face, such as mental trauma, social expectations, and sexual assault, through Mei and Yuzu. And while the sitcom has its tragic moments, there are also a lot of adorable and humorous parts. Anime is the ideal medium for blending amusement with reality.

7. Sukisho

The plot centres on Sora Hashiba, a high school student, who falls from the fourth floor of his school building and wakes up in a dorm with an unfamiliar kid who he has never met before. Hashiba has no memory of his fall and is left without any prior information. While Hashiba struggles to recall his memories before the fall, the show follows him. One of Hasiba’s oldest friends, Sunao Fujimori, was the boy he awakened to. Oddly, both guys have other personas known as Ran and Yuru. These individuals connect passionately and romantically.

8. Dakaichi

An aspiring young actor named Junta Azumaya defeats seasoned actor Takato Saijo to claim the title of “World’s Hottest Man” in this drama set in the competitive world of acting. The two protagonists are followed throughout the series as they become embroiled in a controversy. Although it is not the most serious anime on this list, it is a humorous and cheerful animation that will undoubtedly make a Sunday afternoon funnier.

9. Gravitation

The story of Shuichi Shinzo, a rock band vocalist who eventually develops an emotional attachment to romance author Eiri Yuki, is told in Gravitation, one of the first LGBT+ animes to be produced. Although Gravitation is an upbeat, humorous, and wacky anime, it also has severe homophobia and violent overtones, which make it a much more profound anime.

10. No. 6

The events of No. 6 occur in and around No. 6, a city that seems to be a paradise. On his 12th birthday, Shion discovers Nezumi, or Rat, a wounded little kid, in his room. Shion learns about Nezumi’s status as an escaped prisoner after tending to her injuries. Shion and his mother are exiled to the city’s lowest levels by the government when they refuse to reveal Nezumi’s whereabouts owing to an unfathomable link between the two. Four years later, they cross paths once more, but this time they are preparing to go off on an expedition to learn No. 6’s mysteries. Although a focus on the hidden mysteries of the city, the anime explores gender identity and the deep bond between the two brothers.