A while back, a reader named Emily sent us the following message (edited) through our Ask the Staff feature:
Hi, I love your sight! I was wondering…is it possible for a parental rating guide or something XD
I watch anime on Crunchyroll and I watch it with my [young] niece and I really want an in-depth adult content advisory. I watch alot and occasionally there are things I wouldn’t call appropriate so I stop watching that anime, but I really would like to know before i start watching it O_o
In short, no – not at this time. We only do a smattering of reviews on this site (though more are coming in the next month or two). There are, however, a number of other sites that do provide parental ratings, from a Christian context and otherwise, that might be helpful.
Anime Review Storehouses
There are several websites out there that contain dozens or hundreds of reviews. Some of them do feature parental ratings of some kind.
Christian Anime Alliance: The CAA has rated 327 titles at the time of this post. Many or most of the series and movies are from the last decade, including a host of the most popular ones. However, don’t expect to find reviews of recently aired shows.
The Anime Cafe: Though no longer in business, The Anime Cafe provides reviews for a lot of older series, and features a parents’ guide explaining their rating system.
Single Reviewer Sites
Smaller animanga review sites may also give reviews that include parental ratings. Here’s a helpful one:
Lobster Quadrille: Rocklobster’s site has specific areas for each review providing information about fanservice, religion, and other concerns. He frequently updates and includes a lot of newer series.
Paper Chimes: A prolific reviewer through several sites, Sweetpea provides a “Recommendation” section for each review on Paper Chimes, through which she mentions content that might concern some viewers.
Your best bet might be to simply do a Google search for reviews on series you’re contemplating, as you might find reviews that mention fanservice or other concerns. Particularly, sites run by Christians, like Living. Loving. Learning., or others concerned with such issues might be more apt to mention them.
Additionally, there is some self-regulation within the anime industry, as you’ll sometimes notice ratings on DVDs or through retailer sites. We all know that this type of system isn’t always consistent and that it certainly doesn’t fulfill all individual tastes, so take that with a grain of salt.
To the readers out there, do you have any suggestions for anime and manga review sites that include content warnings?