Anime: female MC in relationship NOT shy, but truly confident + more dominant/protective than the male
| Hi, I know there have already been lots of threads about strong female characters, but the successful ones weren't really about what I'm looking for. I'm growing tired of the usual relationships between female and male MCs. Thank you in advance, I know I'm probably being a pain :D and I'm asking for something which is probably not so easily found. Female / Male MCs relationship criteria: - as in the title: female is independent and more dominant/protective (edited) - she stays that way, even inside the relationship and she doesn't change into a more submissive, weaker or shy partner! (NOT just a Tsundere who turns into a shy, submissive girl as soon as the romance develops) - the male is less dominant, or if they're equal, she's more protective (reversal of the usual gender roles) general criteria: - No "guy saves girl" if it's one-sided - No ecchi and as little fan service as possible please. - Relationship doesn't necessarily NEED to be romantic (but preferred). It could be a protective big sister as well. Example: - Kara no Kyoukai: she's clearly the dominant one in the relationship. - Witch Craft Works: Although the romance isn't quite there, I love how different it is: she protects the guy which is something I haven't seen yet, although the anime doesn't take itself very seriously and it's not completely without fan service, it's still nice to have the typical gender roles reversed for once. Others that come quite close: - Moribito: I haven't seen all of it yet, but Balsa is great! The relationship though seems to be missing/isn't quite what I'm looking for (romantic with this very young boy would be weird anyway) - Claymore: Clare's relationship with Raki, but that got far too little screen time. - Fate/Stay Night (not UBW!) came close with being interesting with Saber and Shirou, I just wish that part would have gotten a few more scenes. - Shakugan No Shana came close, but it doesn't really fit, because she was too shy/unconfident when it came to relationships (which was only natural given her background) - Revy x Rokuro in Black Lagoon would have been very very interesting, but unfortunately there's no romance. Some examples of what doesn't fit: Maid Sama: while she's generally *very* dominant, this isn't true when it comes to her relationship with her love interest. Kaze No Stigma: when it comes down to it, the male MC dominates over the female. Toradora: a fun anime, but in the end they aren't confident/dominant when it comes to relationships. Typical Tsundere... Thank you very much :) |
granuliDec 15, 2015 12:32 PM
| Akagami no Shirayuki-hime has what you're looking for. |
Rei said: Akagami no Shirayuki-hime has what you're looking for. Thank you very much! :) had it on my plan to watch list, but had no idea. I love to hear that! Going to watch it very soon. |
| Busou Renkin Strong female lead, action, slight romance |
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| These might fit your description better: Armitage III Xam'd: Lost Memories Juubee-chan: Lovely Gantai no Himitsu Last Exile Sands of Destruction Summer Wars Witch Hunter Robin |
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| I'll just add Bakuman because It fits the criteria. |
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| +Shirayuki-hime Kamisama Hajimemashita Nodame Cantabile |
potato382 said: Busou Renkin Strong female lead, action, slight romance Misopedia said: I'll just add Bakuman because It fits the criteria. Thanks, I'll give it a try :) Shima_XIX said: These might fit your description better: Armitage III Xam'd: Lost Memories Juubee-chan: Lovely Gantai no Himitsu Last Exile Sands of Destruction Summer Wars Witch Hunter Robin Thanks a lot for the list! I'll try them. Are you really sure that Witch Hunter Robin had some kind of romance? I tried to find out not too long ago and got only negative results. SeijiSensei said: +Shirayuki-hime Kamisama Hajimemashita Nodame Cantabile Thanks again! About Kamisama + Nodame: Are you really, really sure? I've watched the first episodes, so maybe they change a lot later on, but at the beginning at least, the personalities of both female leads, while much better than in the average anime, didn't seem as if they were more dominant. (or protective of the male MC.) |
| Kaichou wa maid sama Even though im not sure if the saving thingy is one sided, but i think it is |
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| Magi the Labyrinth of Magic Shingeki no Kyojin Two very strong badass ladies. Mikasa from SNK is especially protective. None of them are sexualised; there is a bit of romance but nothing much. As a bonus, all girls in both of them are actually pretty badass. |
paeprheartDec 7, 2015 4:04 AM
dadnaya said: Kaichou wa maid sama Even though im not sure if the saving thingy is one sided, but i think it is Thank you! I was afraid she would turn into an unconfident, shy girl when confronted with her love interest, but it seems I was wrong :) I'll definitely give it a try. pparaply said: Magi the Labyrinth of Magic Shingeki no Kyojin Two very strong badass ladies. Mikasa from SNK is especially protective. None of them are sexualised; there is a bit of romance but nothing much. As a bonus, all girls in both of them are actually pretty badass. Thank you! :) In magi there's lots of pathetic talk and action about boobs right at the beginning, but I admit it was rather harmless and it would be stupid to ditch an otherwise great show just because of that, unless this gets worse later on. Are you sure there's a female in magi who's more dominant in relationships (or protective)? (whether or not she has more power in fights alone isn't that important to me as this is quite frequent). |
granuliDec 7, 2015 7:59 AM
granuli said: dadnaya said: Kaichou wa maid sama Even though im not sure if the saving thingy is one sided, but i think it is Thank you! I was afraid she would turn into an unconfident, shy girl when confronted with her love interest, but it seems I was wrong :) I'll definitely give it a try. pparaply said: Magi the Labyrinth of Magic Shingeki no Kyojin Two very strong badass ladies. Mikasa from SNK is especially protective. None of them are sexualised; there is a bit of romance but nothing much. As a bonus, all girls in both of them are actually pretty badass. Thank you! :) In magi there's lots of pathetic talk and action about boobs right at the beginning, but I admit it was rather harmless and it would be stupid to ditch an otherwise great show just because of that, unless this gets worse later on. Are you sure there's a female in magi who's more dominant in relationships (or protective)? (whether or not she has more power in fights alone isn't that important to me as this is quite frequent). You're welcome. Indeed there is some sexualisation of boobs in Magi but I don't think it's bad enough to drop it (speaking as someone who also dislike ecchi). Did you watch a few episodes of it, or? Yes, Morgiana. She often saves Alibaba and such and Alibaba is a bit... well, pathetic sometimes but in a cute way, haha. There's not much romance in the anime yet but there is some in the manga.. but I don't want to spoil it for you. I don't know if I'd call her dominant but she definitely not submissive either. |
granuli said: Are you really, really sure? I've watched the first episodes, so maybe they change a lot later on, but at the beginning at least, the personalities of both female leads, while much better than in the average anime, didn't seem as if they were more dominant. (or protective of the male MC.) One episode is hardly a basis for deciding. I wouldn't call either character "dominant," but both later assist the male characters in ways that might be termed "protective." Both males have an arrogance that later turns out to hide some sad past events. I suppose NHK ni Youkoso! might fit, too. Misaki is certainly the stronger of the two despite her incredibly moe introduction in the first episode.  |
SeijiSenseiDec 7, 2015 9:18 AM
| B Gata H Kei - it's like 80%-20% ratio of girl to guy dominance; rather fun Amagami SS - has some pairings where girl is more dominant Lovely Complex - pretty much up your alley, until waaaaay later on Itazura na Kiss - Same as above |
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Thanks pparaply and SeijiSensei for coming back! pparaply said: You're welcome. Indeed there is some sexualisation of boobs in Magi but I don't think it's bad enough to drop it (speaking as someone who also dislike ecchi). Did you watch a few episodes of it, or? Yes, Morgiana. She often saves Alibaba and such and Alibaba is a bit... well, pathetic sometimes but in a cute way, haha. There's not much romance in the anime yet but there is some in the manga.. but I don't want to spoil it for you. I don't know if I'd call her dominant but she definitely not submissive either. Yes, I've seen 4 episodes. That sounds nice! I'm going to check her out! :) SeijiSensei said: One episode is hardly a basis for deciding. I wouldn't call either character "dominant," but both later assist the male characters in ways that might be termed "protective." Both males have an arrogance that later turns out to hide some sad past events. I suppose NHK ni Youkoso! might fit, too. Misaki is certainly the stronger of the two despite her incredibly moe introduction in the first episode. You're right of course! I just watched the first 2 episodes and then zapped through some scenes and saw her being sharply criticized by him or her begging him on her knees for something and her klutziness and him taking care of that, so I got a strong impression that it wouldn't fit, but I don't pretend to know better after watching so little of it. Apart from that it's something I definitely want to watch, it seems like an amazing anime! I've changed the criteria a bit to make it less ambiguous, although I doubt I'll get any more good recs. I'm already very lucky thanks to you all! Thanks for the NHK recommendation too! :) Leres75 said: i think Ookami to Koushinryou fits the criteria perfect http://myanimelist.net/anime/2966/Ookami_to_Koushinryou Thank you! I've already watched it though. I didn't mention it as an example because MAND4 said: B Gata H Kei - it's like 80%-20% ratio of girl to guy dominance; rather fun Amagami SS - has some pairings where girl is more dominant Lovely Complex - pretty much up your alley, until waaaaay later on Itazura na Kiss - Same as above Thank you! I'll definitely check them out. So you are saying that their relationship in Lovely Complex and Itazura na Kiss change so much later on that suddenly he's the dominant one? Amagami SS sounds interesting too! B Gata H Kei is an ecchi unfortunately, but I believe you that it's funny. |
granuliDec 8, 2015 6:09 AM
| Cross Ange Katanagatari Kara no Kyoukai |
granuli said: Thanks pparaply and SeijiSensei for coming back! pparaply said: You're welcome. Indeed there is some sexualisation of boobs in Magi but I don't think it's bad enough to drop it (speaking as someone who also dislike ecchi). Did you watch a few episodes of it, or? Yes, Morgiana. She often saves Alibaba and such and Alibaba is a bit... well, pathetic sometimes but in a cute way, haha. There's not much romance in the anime yet but there is some in the manga.. but I don't want to spoil it for you. I don't know if I'd call her dominant but she definitely not submissive either. Yes, I've seen 4 episodes. That sounds nice! I'm going to check her out! :) SeijiSensei said: One episode is hardly a basis for deciding. I wouldn't call either character "dominant," but both later assist the male characters in ways that might be termed "protective." Both males have an arrogance that later turns out to hide some sad past events. I suppose NHK ni Youkoso! might fit, too. Misaki is certainly the stronger of the two despite her incredibly moe introduction in the first episode. You're right of course! I just watched the first 2 episodes and then zapped through some scenes and saw her being sharply criticized by him or her begging him on her knees for something and her klutziness and him taking care of that, so I got a strong impression that it wouldn't fit, but I don't pretend to know better after watching so little of it. Apart from that it's something I definitely want to watch, it seems like an amazing anime! I've changed the criteria a bit to make it less ambiguous, although I doubt I'll get any more good recs. I'm already very lucky thanks to you all! Thanks for the NHK recommendation too! :) Leres75 said: i think Ookami to Koushinryou fits the criteria perfect http://myanimelist.net/anime/2966/Ookami_to_Koushinryou Thank you! I've already watched it though. I didn't mention it as an example because MAND4 said: B Gata H Kei - it's like 80%-20% ratio of girl to guy dominance; rather fun Amagami SS - has some pairings where girl is more dominant Lovely Complex - pretty much up your alley, until waaaaay later on Itazura na Kiss - Same as above Thank you! I'll definitely check them out. So you are saying that their relationship in Lovely Complex and Itazura na Kiss change so much later on that suddenly he's the dominant one? Amagami SS sounds interesting too! B Gata H Kei is an ecchi unfortunately, but I believe you that it's funny. For Lovely Complex & Itazura, I wouldn't say guys become dominant, but rather just catch up to girls in a sense. Most of the times it's girls doing important stuff, so don't worry. B Gata H Kei, while yes it is kind of echii, really has little to no actual echii if you ask me until the very last episodes. Pantsu shot here and there, but that's about it. It's rather sweet and funny and that's where the focus of anime lies :) |
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| Hanasakeru Seishounen(The Female MC is byfar mor dominant in this, so much so, you can't help but feel sorry for the men, because she causes so much trouble for them) The Legend of Condor Hero(I have to say the female is definite noticeably more dominant then the male, but the male MC does have his moments). |
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| Must try, Special A Kaichou WA maid sama I haven't read ur list so plz don't get mad if you've watched them. |
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StonyCat said: Cross Ange Katanagatari Kara no Kyoukai Thanks StonyCat! Kara no Kyoukai definitely fits indeed, I totally forgot to add it to 1st post as an example! I have only watched the first 2 movies yet, but you can already see how their relationship looks like! About Katanagatari I was unsure regarding the romance, but I'll take a look at it as well as Cross Ange although it's ecchi, thanks again! GenuineOne said: Guardian of the Spirit or Seirei no Morobito has a really strong female MC. It's more of a sister/mother type of bond formed with the second main character. A really good watch, too. Already mentioned in 1st post, but still really appreciated :) MAND4 said: For Lovely Complex & Itazura, I wouldn't say guys become dominant, but rather just catch up to girls in a sense. Most of the times it's girls doing important stuff, so don't worry. B Gata H Kei, while yes it is kind of echii, really has little to no actual echii if you ask me until the very last episodes. Pantsu shot here and there, but that's about it. It's rather sweet and funny and that's where the focus of anime lies :) Thanks MAND4, I'll give them a try! As long as it's the actual relationships where the girls are more dominant, it fits :) Zoltor said: Hanasakeru Seishounen(The Female MC is byfar mor dominant in this, so much so, you can't help but feel sorry for the men, because she causes so much trouble for them) The Legend of Condor Hero(I have to say the female is definite noticeably more dominant then the male, but the male MC does have his moments). :D thanks, both sound interesting and never heard of Condor before, going to give it a try. Matthew_Summons said: Must try, Special A Kaichou WA maid sama I haven't read ur list so plz don't get mad if you've watched them. I wouldn't dare :D thanks for the recommendations! I'll definitely try Special A! Maid Sama doesn't really fit. Yes she's generally very dominant, but not when it comes to her relationship with her love interest (which is what matters to me in this thread). |
granuliDec 11, 2015 8:29 AM
| To Granuli: Yep np, just glad to spread the word :) You'll love them both I'm sure. Sigh yea, It's one of the most unknown anime, which is a shame, because It's such a Great anime, not to mention has one of the top two strongest romance aspects in all of anime. |
| . |
| Ergo Proxy And I'll mention this one even though it's pretty dumb and an ecchi harem title: Rosario to Vampire Many people have mentioned the manga as much better (didn't read the manga). |
| Avatar: Anzu Kadotani from Girls und Panzer. XMas awesomeness version by Charenji :) Sig by MissIntrovert.  |
| Does it have to be femalexmale? Can it be something like El Cazador de la Bruja? (Kinda femalexfemale) If not, then maybe: Princess Tutu I see it's in your PTW. She's kinda shy at first, but she still exudes a sense of confidence, if that makes sense. Durarara -Also in your PTW. This is kinda a mixed bag and through the other seasons, you kind of see more of what you're looking for? Arakawa Under the Bridge (Kinda! Also in your PTW!) Junketsu no Maria Tatami Galaxy/ Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei I don't know if you'll accept manga recs, but it seems like you're really interested in this type of dynamic. I'm going to quietly suggest Otomen or Pita-Ten. |
Zoltor said: To Granuli: Yep np, just glad to spread the word :) You'll love them both I'm sure. Sigh yea, It's one of the most unknown anime, which is a shame, because It's such a Great anime, not to mention has one of the top two strongest romance aspects in all of anime. Thanks again! Damn, I couldn't find Condor anywhere yet, but I WON'T GIVE UP!! :D I've read some reviews and the anime sounds amazing especially regarding the romance and well written female characters! Thanks again :) 8oomer said: Ergo Proxy And I'll mention this one even though it's pretty dumb and an ecchi harem title: Rosario to Vampire Many people have mentioned the manga as much better (didn't read the manga). Thank you! :) I've tried Rosario a few weeks ago and couldn't stand the ecchi, but I admit that the female/vampire MC had a strong personality in her "true"/"dangerous" form. Unfortunately it appeared far too rarely and most of the time you only saw her extreme "loli", soft side. A friend of mine watched it all and he was also quite disappointed because of that + the ending. Like you said, it's rather dumb + I don't especially like ecchi or shows with lots of fan service, unless it's a parody. I've heard about Ergo Proxy quite frequently... is there really anything like a little romance or other relationship? Research was contradictory. Swiggy said: Does it have to be femalexmale? Can it be something like El Cazador de la Bruja? (Kinda femalexfemale) If not, then maybe: Princess Tutu I see it's in your PTW. She's kinda shy at first, but she still exudes a sense of confidence, if that makes sense. Durarara -Also in your PTW. This is kinda a mixed bag and through the other seasons, you kind of see more of what you're looking for? Arakawa Under the Bridge (Kinda! Also in your PTW!) Junketsu no Maria Tatami Galaxy/ Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei I don't know if you'll accept manga recs, but it seems like you're really interested in this type of dynamic. I'm going to quietly suggest Otomen or Pita-Ten. wow, thanks so much for all the recommendations and for looking at my list! edit: and for the descriptions! I'm not only interested in femalexmale, but I found it difficult to explain what I was looking for so I didn't want to further complicate things. I'd also love to see shows with at least 1 strong female in a protective sisterly or tight female friends relationship, but I'd better create a new thread for that I guess. Thanks again! Now I need some time to go through all that :) No, I really don't know what to do with Manga. I bet I'm missing out on extremely great stuff, but I'm so not used to this. though never say never :) katemonster123 said: Swiggy said: Durarara -Also in your PTW. This is kinda a mixed bag and through the other seasons, you kind of see more of what you're looking for? thanks :) |
granuliDec 11, 2015 2:28 PM
| To Granuli: It wasn't available on the internet at all, until 2014(yet it was made in 2001, that should tell you how over looked it is), you're not gonna find it on any legit streaming sites, but It's available on the not so legit sites. Ofcourse I can't post a link of such here, but if you google: Watch The Legend of Condor Hero anime, you should get a few sites. Yea, easily one of the best written female characters in all of anime, and yea, the romance aspect is easily one of the two strongest romance aspect in the entire history of anime :) |
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granuli said: I've heard about Ergo Proxy quite frequently... is there really anything like a little romance or other relationship? Research was contradictory. Yes, though it's not very prominent. |
| Aku no Hana |
Zoltor said: To Granuli: It wasn't available on the internet at all, until 2014(yet it was made in 2001, that should tell you how over looked it is), you're not gonna find it on any legit streaming sites, but It's available on the not so legit sites. Ofcourse I can't post a link of such here, but if you google: Watch The Legend of Condor Hero anime, you should get a few sites. Yea, easily one of the best written female characters in all of anime, and yea, the romance aspect is easily one of the two strongest romance aspect in the entire history of anime :) Very excited to watch it! I've found a source :) Thanks, I'll report back. SeijiSensei said: granuli said: I've heard about Ergo Proxy quite frequently... is there really anything like a little romance or other relationship? Research was contradictory. Yes, though it's not very prominent. Thanks again! 5hine said: Aku no Hana Looks like it really fits! Thanks :) |
pparaply said: Magi the Labyrinth of Magic Shingeki no Kyojin Two very strong badass ladies. Mikasa from SNK is especially protective. None of them are sexualised; there is a bit of romance but nothing much. As a bonus, all girls in both of them are actually pretty badass. You were right! Thanks again for recommending magi! Although it's not (yet) a romantic relationship ( :( ), Morgiana is AWESOME! I love how independent (the others depend on her!!) she is and that she constantly saves her friends and how capable she is. The fan service during the first few episodes also disappeared :) |
granuliDec 13, 2015 2:52 PM
granuli said: The fan service during the first few episodes also disappeared :) Morgiana possesses that most important piece of clothing for shows like this, the magic skirt that never reveals anything even when she is upside-down. |
| I noticed that you watched a few episodes of Bakemonogatari. The relationship between Araragi Koyomi and Senjougahara Hitagi definitely meets the female-dominant characteristics you are looking for, but the amount of fanservice in the *monogatari series and its harem-like characteristics would probably be off putting for you. In any case, I find the characters in the *monogatari series quite compelling, even if the plots or stories aren't always as gripping. |
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SeijiSensei said: granuli said: The fan service during the first few episodes also disappeared :) Morgiana possesses that most important piece of clothing for shows like this, the magic skirt that never reveals anything even when she is upside-down. :D that's the other extreme. Probably not the best types of clothes to wear (skirts, except the magical one) if you don't want to look ridiculous during those kind of fights haha TheKillerAngel said: I noticed that you watched a few episodes of Bakemonogatari. The relationship between Araragi Koyomi and Senjougahara Hitagi definitely meets the female-dominant characteristics you are looking for, but the amount of fanservice in the *monogatari series and its harem-like characteristics would probably be off putting for you. In any case, I find the characters in the *monogatari series quite compelling, even if the plots or stories aren't always as gripping. Thank you very much! I was very much looking forward to it, but I couldn't stand her lines. Maybe this gets better later on, but it didn't look like it. It rather seemed like something the show believes in since it went on and on and on for at least 3 episodes, it just didn't stop and got annoying (the guys are pervs trope + just because she's female it's every guys dream to see HER naked which she mentions countless of times in different scenarios and which is also involved in most things she suggests in order to pay him back for his help). While I don't like that, I'm not THAT stubborn to ditch a show just because someone behaves or talks like this, but when there's no end in sight... Of course there's the possibility I was too quick to judge. |
granuliDec 14, 2015 4:57 AM
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