I kinda didn’t get much love during childhood, so I kinda get obsessed about it. I recently watched Spy x Family and holy hell, I get so jealous of the wholesomeness of their family dynamic, I cried. I need more of that.
Barakamon (2014)
After torpedoing his career, a young, lonely calligrapher gets sent to a remote island community where he befriends the local townsfolk and a precocious child. Its quite lovely and I think you’ll like it a lot.
And it looks like someone has put the entire series, with English subtitles, up on YouTube:
There’s an animated and a live action series. Which would you recommend more?
I’ve only seen the animated series, so that.
Watch Bluey! It’s a kids show, but everyone should watch it.
I’ll admit that this does sound kind of like a joke suggestion, but I’m serious, after a hard day, sit down, suck up your pride and put an episode or two of Bluey on. It’s a warm blanket on a cold day.
I hope I didn’t come across as joking. Bluey models probably the most wholesome parent-child relationships on television. Yes it’s acted out by cartoon dogs; but the scenarios hit home.
I’m a father of two; watching (and often emulating) Bluey has absolutely made me a better parent. It’s not all “go 100% with your kids all the time”; sometimes it’s “we have to stop playing so I can go to work” or “mom and dad are tired, let’s play a game where we don’t have to leave the couch” or “it seems we’re spending too much time watching TV or screens, how do we reconnect to the real world”. Yes, the irony of a TV show covering that last topic isn’t lost on me :P
Yeah bluey is 100% a show anyone can watch and get something out of, I’ve cried watching it and I’m a 39 year old dude, good stories are good stories regardless of their target audience.
Bluey is indeed wholesome!
Seconded.
My Neighbor Totoro!
Whispers of the Heart, From Up on Poppy Hill, and Arête also have good child/parent dynamics. Among most other Ghiblis. I just wanted to mention some of their lesser known ones.
Sid the Science Kid
Addams family (Movies)
Malcolm in the Middle(dysfunctional, but deep down concern)
The Mummy (movies)
Joe Pera Talks With You
Joe’s love for his grandmother will make you cry. Then his best friend Gene’s sweet relationship with his sons will make you cry again.
The Midnight Gospel
It’s only really in the final episode of the series, but Duncan Trussell’s relationship with his mother was beautiful and sweet, as evidenced in the finale of this short series.
Nathan For You
While Nathan For You really isn’t about Nathan Fielder’s relationship with his parents and they are only minor characters in the series, in their few appearances, you can tell how much love and respect he has for them. His father loved Taiga soft shell jackets, and as a Jewish family, his father was devastated when Taiga paid tribute to Holocaust denier Doug Collins in one of their winter catalogues. Nathan would go on to create an entire company dedicated to making soft shell jackets in the style his father liked called Summit Ice Apparel so his father could feel comfortable wearing clothing from a reputable company that didn’t promote Holocaust deniers. 100% of the profits of Summit Ice go to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
As noted in a comment reply about Bob’s Burgers, largely made by the same group of people behind Bob’s Burgers, but back in the 90’s. A sweet relationship between a single father and his aimless but golden hearted adult son.
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
It’s a new anime and it’s more focused on the kids, but the relationship the main has with his family is so good. Honestly all of the characters are just so darn good. They’re all so wholesome and just good.
Anime movie: Bakemono no Ko
Anime show: Yuzuki-san Chi no YonkyoudaiYou didn’t ask for a video game, but the first piece of media I thought of was, Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2. They literally made me cry at some scenes because of how wholesome parts of them are. He kinda adopts a little girl, and starts an orphanage. There’s even a section of the game where you just walk around town holding her hand. Although the game has a lot of mature elements and is not entirely about this.
I can’t really think of many parent/child wholesome media, but Mr Rodgers is something I enjoy watching with my daughter.
Edit, I just remembered, I Love Lucy is pretty wholesome with a parent child relationship
Netflix’s Lost in Space.
Wrote this in another thread but I love the found family trope and Spy x Family totally fits that bill. I wrote a few other examples below.
Movies
- Logan
- Ice Age
- Wild Robot
- Up
- Despicable Me
Shows
- The Last of Us
- The Mandalorian
- The Witcher
- Daddy Buddy (this one is an anime on Crunchyroll. I highly recommend this if you liked Spy x Family. Revolves around 2 assassins who accidentally wind up with a 4 year old)
Wild Robot!
I cried so hard watching it. Told a friend, they lightly made fun of me but accepted the suggestion. They cried the whole movie too.
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I’m hesitant to count The Last of Us as an answer to OPs question. That show is not wholesome at all lol.
Fair. I’d say the bond between Joel and Ellie is wholesome in a world that everything and everyone is out to get them.
Pascal acting as Joel is like achieved by stripping 85% of his emotional range. the character of Joel is like a rock.
when i think father in film i think Mattis from Ronja Rövardotter! i can cry just recounting his lines! that is fatherhood in film
I’d disagree on Pedro Pascal"s performance. I thought he did an excellent job as Joel. He was nominated across multiple awards for that role.
As for the movie/character you mentioned, I had never heard of it but will check it out. I’m assuming you mean the 1984 version which seems to have better audience reviews than the 2024 Netflix TV series adaptation.
yes Pascal’s one of the great actors, the role of Joel is less interesting emotionally however. not much room to shine imo.
yes the original film from 1984 =) lots and lots of theatrical re-enactments since then. now some new cartoons i see
We should setup a watch party thing around some kind of FOSS friendly deal. At a minimum we could watch and discuss for a day+ of open conversation. It might be fun?
PeerTube stream?
A show I forgot from my prior post because it’s so new is Joe Cappa’s Haha You Clowns on Adult Swim. It’s very loosely modeled after the classic sitcom My Three Sons and follows the loving and earnest adventures of 3 beefy Chad teens and their love for their equally beefcake father who recently became a Widower as they lovingly try to fill his broken heart with love. The sincerity rounds the bend to being absurd and funny, but the relationships on display are all loving and healthy.
I watched the first episode of this having no idea what it was… Pretty funny
Bob’s Burgers has got to be the #1 here. One of the most loving families in television history.
Avatar - The Last Airbender might be a contender. If you can tolerate some entirely NOT wholesome dynamics alongside all the wholesome ones.
The Owl House also comes to mind.
I came here to say Owl House, one of the best found family stories I’ve ever seen
Likewise.
Gravity Falls is pretty good on that front too.
Before Bob’s Burgers there was Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, which is where H. Jon Benjamin (voice of Bob) really got on the map in the 90’s. He was so young back then, he played the son.
But I always thought it was a very sweet relationship between a single father who was very understanding and patient with his twenty-something year old son who was perpetually without a job and very immature. So patient, so kind, so loving, no intent ever to kick him out and make him “grow up.”
In fact, Dr. Katz, Home Movies, and Bob’s Burgers are all Loren Bouchard projects. He was a writer/producer/editor on Dr. Katz but he was a creator on Home Movies and Bob’s Burgers.
Fun fact about Dr. Katz. Jon Benjamin’s character, Ben, was infatuated with his fathers secretary, Laura, who was played by Laura Silverman. Even though in the show her character couldn’t stand Ben, in real life Jon Benjamin and Laura Silverman were dating at the time.
I was coming to say Bobs Burgers
Usagi drop is an adorable movie.
Word of caution, do NOT read the original manga. It’s kind of infamous for the incredibly controversial direction the story goes in the second half, which the anime thankfully omits.
Awww, that’s disappointing. The anime seemed very wholesome and hit a lot of the challenges of parenting and just felt real. Definitely won’t ruin the experience with the manga then.
Bluey and Bob’s Burgers are both amazing for healthy family dynamics, and Bob’s burgers can be so funny I’ve cried laughing. The camping episode!
How much the parents care for their children and each other is extremely touching.
Bluey has such a healthy, compassionate family dynamic I was confused watching it for the first time.
As a divorced dad, Bluey is painfully sweet. I love that show to bits and it saddens me that my girl will soon no longer want to watch it as she gets older.
🥲 Those family dynamics.
I can’t imagine that some of their lessons won’t stick with her.
