(Post a new comment)

	notjo 2012-03-05 03:30 am UTC (link)
	I have not seen either of those but have you tried the live-action Sailor Moon? It takes a bit to grow on you and then suddenly BLAM! AWESOME. (Reply to this)

fallingmallorn
2012-03-05 03:43 am UTC (link)

I always recommend Princess Tutu (magical ballerina duck saves the day with the power of DANCE! Plus fairytale motifs and subversions and deconstructions galore!). Or, for something a little more...challenging? Thought-provoking? Anyway, Revolutionary Girl Utena is loaded with fairytale motifs and MOAR DECONSTRUCTIONS and subversions, and absolutely groans under the weight of its' symbolism, though I'll be damned if I can figure out what it all means for sure, but there you go. The director is famously unhelpful, but it's still fun to speculate.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	eevee 2012-03-06 04:55 pm UTC (link)
	And if for some reason she actually enjoys Utena, don't forget the new Mawaru Penguindrum, by the same director! (Almost certainly available online because it's not licensed yet afaik) (Reply to this)(Parent)

	iczer6 2012-03-05 03:59 am UTC (link)
	Rurouni Kenshin is a long time fav though it has a lot of filler and violence. Maybe Tiger&Bunny if she likes superheroish stuff. (Reply to this)

	herongale 2012-03-05 04:33 am UTC (link)
	Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. This is a very soothing, gorgeous, well-told story that I feel anyone would enjoy. It's super smart and has a very feminist bent, seeing as how the main character is a very competent spear-wielder and happens to be a 30-year old woman as well. :) (Reply to this)(Thread)

	adevyish 2012-03-05 05:39 am UTC (link)
	Seconding. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	coffeebun 2012-03-05 06:11 am UTC (link)
	^ (Reply to this)(Parent)

finchbird
2012-03-05 06:52 am UTC (link)

The first thing I thought of when you described your mom was Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. The main cast is mostly male, but there's a core group of female characters who are equally, if not more awesome than the guys.

Perhaps Baccano! It's a series you have to watch a couple times. But I'd recommend watching the dub over the sub.

Both series are quite violent and bloody, so that might be something to put into consideration.

(Reply to this)

	jetamors 2012-03-05 07:11 am UTC (link)
	Definitely try Planetes! It's hard SF about garbage collectors in space. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	myth 2012-03-05 12:41 pm UTC (link)
	Mmmm yes, Planetes, great idea that I'm seconding wholeheartedly. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	kosaginolegion 2012-03-05 12:15 pm UTC (link)
	This is a bit scatter shot, as I'm unsure of your mom's tastes, but.... She might enjoy Ergo Proxy, if she likes somewhat complicated and convoluted stories. Slightly old school, but Slayers and Demon Prince Zenki are good fantasy series. Possibly Yojimbo and/or Seven Samurai? (Reply to this)

	kalloway 2012-03-05 02:05 pm UTC (link)
	I know Last Exile is up on Hulu for free, and is subbed, and if she likes it, the sequel is ongoing at present and also on Hulu for free (though a couple of weeks behind broadcast, iirc). (Reply to this)

	cygnia 2012-03-05 05:37 pm UTC (link)
	Recommending "Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran" here. Very female-friendly, imo. :) (Reply to this)

poisondusk
2012-03-05 08:07 pm UTC (link)

Erin is a good (if rather long) fantasy series that follows a girl who can train animals as she grows up. The series is geared to a younger audience in that violence is dealt with in a very stylised way, but it deals with a lot of mature themes, especially in the later episodes (lots of politics). The only downside is the protagonist's comedy sidekicks, who tend to be frustrating more than amusing, but otherwise it's a lovely series.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	full_metal_ox 2012-03-06 12:49 am UTC (link)
	If the OP's mom has a taste for the psychedelically surreal, I'd also recommend the series referenced in the icon above; Mononoke, the adventures of a mysterious spookbusting medicine seller, is visually sumptuous and draws heavily upon Kabuki and Noh conventions. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	full_metal_ox 2012-03-06 12:30 am UTC (link)
	If your mom is interested in a Bechdel-passing series with adult protagonists, there's You're Under Arrest, the alternately comic and suspenseful adventures of two Tokyo policewomen. (Reply to this)

	mcity 2012-03-06 02:45 am UTC (link)
	http://www.crunchyroll.com/bodacious-space-pirates (Reply to this)

	lovecoconuts 2012-03-06 03:53 am UTC (link)
	I don't know if you can find Hayao Miyazaki's films online, but if your mother hasn't seen (any of) his films - you MUST make her see them. Old School, Feminism, Engineering = Hayao Miyazaki (Reply to this)

tale
2012-03-06 05:27 am UTC (link)

Angel Beats!
Set in a world where the afterlife is a highschool, the members of the Afterlife Battlefront rebel against God for having lived cruel fates in the real world. It's funnier (warning: black humour) and better than it sounds.

Hanasaku Iroha
"Hanasaku Iroha centers around Ohana Matsumae, a 16-year-old teenager living in Tokyo, who is left in the care of her estranged grandmother, following her mother's elopement with her boyfriend."

I haven't exactly watched this but I believe it's a very mellow and warm-hearted show. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Natsume Yuujinchou
"For as long as he can remember, Takashi Natsume has been cursed by the ability to see spirits, a power inherited from his grandmother Reiko. Upon her death, Reiko bequeaths to her grandson her Book of Friends, a book containing the names of spirits Reiko had bullied into servitude. The Book of Friends is a highly prized item in the spirit world, and spirits haunt Takashi constantly. Whereas Reiko formed the contracts, however, Takashi spends his time dissolving the contracts and releasing the various spirits that come to him for help."

This show is sweet/gentle, heartwarming and heartbreaking three-in-one.

sola
"Yorito Morimiya loves taking pictures of the sky so much that one day, he wakes up at 4 am to take pictures of the sunrise overlooking the bay. However, he is deterred when he meets a strange girl trying to force a vending machine that stole her money. Yorito helps her with forcing the machine but when the machine finally vends, the girl has mysteriously vanished."

sola is, in a word, beautiful.

(Reply to this)

eevee
2012-03-06 05:05 pm UTC (link)

Have her try Ouran High School Host Club if she hasn't seen it yet (reverse-anime shoujo comedy, with very little romance and a lot of comedy, kickass animation and direction).

I second the recommendations about Utena and Princess Tutu, though they're not easy watches - Utena is a very compelling mind-screw anime inspiring discussion about feminism, gender identity, and sex as manipulation, in a very stylized package.
Princess Tutu is divided in two "series" - the first one is very standard magical girl fare, but the second takes a very dark, "meta" and surprisingly touching twist. Despite that, it has very little adult content.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	eevee 2012-03-06 05:08 pm UTC (link)
	HAREM. I meant reverse-harem. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	full_metal_ox 2012-03-08 10:06 pm UTC (link)
	For whatever it might be worth, Princess Tutu also inspired one of the all-time great fanvids, to "Håll Om Mig" ("Hold Me") by Nanne Grönvall; this is the textbook example of how precision timing can make a video. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	eevee 2012-03-09 11:46 am UTC (link)
	That is a pretty boss AMV. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	kittenmommy 2012-03-11 06:08 am UTC (link)
	What, no one's recommended Gatchaman/Battle of The Planets yet? Or Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers? sigh is so old (Reply to this)