Do they exist? Yes they do. But they’re few and far in between.

1. The cast of Honey and Clover are everything that most anime male leads are not. They’re funny, sociable, independent, quirky, and professional [some of the time]. In the end of the first season the main protagonist goes on a soul-searching bike trip around Japan, helps renovate a temple, and in the process gains confidence and learns about himself. He’s not whiny, dopey, or perverted. He’s a funky, sociable college student who grows up and takes control of his life.

2. Yakitate Japan!! This show is about a boy and his dream to make the best Japanese bread in the world. He’s enthusiastic, passionate, and like-able. After one of my friends saw this show he began to bake his own bread.

3. The Guardian of the Sacred Spirit. The main male lead, Prince Chagum, is a spoiled mommy’s boy who for circumstances outside of his control is forced out of the palace and into the “real” world. There, he learns to wrestle, catch con artists in the act, chop wood, skin animals, survive assassins, use a spear, and grind rice. With each episode he grows up.

4. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Princess Mononoke. These are Miyazaki films. Nausicaa flies on a wind-skimmer into toxic jungles to save her friends and becalm giant raging beasts. Princess Mononoke was raised by wolves and fights like one too. Lady Eboshi hunts gods with a musket and a short sword. Miyazaki creates the toughest and most inspiring female leads. Ever.

5. One Piece. I had to include Monkey D. Luffy into this pantheon of winners. He’s rubberman! He’s the most clueless shonen hero since Naruto but unlike him he can hold his own against the toughest of enemies and win. His dream is to get a crew and become the Pirate King. His life consists of four things: Fight, Eat, Party, and Sleep, in no particular order. As Princess Vivi succinctly explains to her counselors: “You wouldn’t be able to figure out what Luffy’s thinking even if you’re right beside him.” One of the reasons I like One Piece is because its humor is actually funny.

6. Kare Kano (manga and anime). Whatever sort of person Yukino Miyazawa might be at the beginning of the series, she’s certainly not an underachiever. She cares about her surroundings. A lot. Let me repeat that again. She cares about her surroundings. A LOT. Did I say that enough times? Let me do it again. She cares about her surroundings. A LOT.

[Read the manga for more.]

7. Shogun. Now, this story ain’t a manga or an anime but I gotta include it here. This classic novel is a must-read for anyone interested in Japanese culture. Its main character, Blackthorne is a pilot stranded in medieval Japan. He survives half-a-dozen assassination attempts, saves the life of the [future] ruler of Japan, writes a revolutionary war-winning manual, and beds charming beautiful Japanese women in exotic settings. He even gets the opportunity to shoot ninjas with his pistol.

There are shows and stories with inspiring leads, but they’re rare like the proverbial needle in the haystack. There wasn’t any in the spring season, unless I missed something, and there hasn’t been any in the summer. I’ve had enough of characters such as Renji, Makoto, or Shinkorou [shudder].

I want more of characters like Nausicaa or Luffy. Anime-makers, please make more fun characters, and not perverts. Kapeesh?

| Print This Post Print This Post