My Fantasy Kazoku: Anime Edition

Strange thing happened the other day. After Takuya's waifu list a few days ago, I was asked if I would be interested in sharing a similar list. I thought sure, why not? Some time of quiet contemplation later, I was stumped. 

Throughout my 20 years of manga and (more recently) anime, I have many characters I have found endearing, entertaining, badass or just plain awesome. But once I started thinking of waifu material, I drew a blank. Never has it really crossed my mind if I liked a character enough and perceived them as a potential significant other. I usually whole-heartedly supported them in their pursuit of their partners or dreams, and consider it a very important part of their character, and I can't find myself able to sink any of these ships!

And then it occurred to me, why limit myself to just the waifu character when I can just do the whole family! Then off I went to cobble together a full family of misfits and boy did it turn out to be quite the rowdy bunch. I limited myself to one character per slot this time as when I started listing down honorable mentions there was seemingly no end to the madness and that was a rabbit hole I rather not walk down. Oh and this list is by no means to be taken seriously. So without further ado, let's begin! XD

Otou-sama (Furukawa Akio - CLANNAD)

When going through the list of men I would like to have as a father-figure, there was no contest, it had to be Akio. 

A doting father (disturbingly much so), a family man, a child-at-heart, a stand-up man and absolute rock-solid pillar of the family. This is the man who gave up his dreams and his promising career for the sake of his children as he pinned their dreams as his dream, and he put it best "that's what parents do, that's what family is for".

This guy is someone you can count on to have your back whatever you do. It doesn't hurt either that the man is just a big ball of energy, wherever he goes, its gonna be lively and hella fun.

Never change, Akio

Okasan (Tohsaka Rin - Fate/Stay Night)

Now, Rin comes as a bit of a strange choice, even to myself. She doesn't exactly come across as mum material, at least not yet, but the qualities are there.

She always tries to be stoic, talented, and hyper-competent magus scion of a proud lineage, but shows plenty of nuance and quirks to be highly endearing all the same (sad that it takes the entire original game AND expansion to get the full picture). 

Tsundere Strict but caring, always the hard worker and busy bee, surprisingly careless, hilariously tech-illiterate but doesn't admit it, a total scrooge thrifty, and surprisingly skilled at the weirdest things. It helps that she is a total Badass, at least in Heaven's Feel and Hollow Ataraxia.

Yep, just like mum.

I'm in trouble aren't I

Onee-sama (Yano Erika - Shirobako)

The de facto leader of the production desk at her animation studio, Erika is hardworking, observant, and always on-point and on time in her work. A person that doesn't speak much of herself, she will hardly hesitate to speak out when needed, and equally capable of keeping quiet when she needs to.

As a senior figure, she tends to be nurturing and motherly to the young'uns, but will be assertive in keeping them in line if they ever step out too far. As an elder sister, she would be the first person you would come for practical advice or just simply need a hand. Definitely a reassuring elder figure to have in the family.

You show em' girl

Aniki (Kousaka Kyousuke - Oreimo)

Essentially the most normal normal person in the family, there really isn't much about Kyousuke that really stands out. He is really just a normal guy trying to lead a normal life. 

Pity, because if anyone in the family has personal... issues they would like someone to talk to, he's the man (like it or not). He's pretty much the unofficial personal life consultant of the whole family. Heck, he probably will get dragged into trouble one way or another, way out of his element and likely out of his league. Sure he may spout enough sarcastic snark to make even Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya blush (done expertly by Nakamura Yuuichi), but I give mad props to the man for be willing to take a punch or get down on all four if it means bailing out those around him, truly just a nice bro in general. 

He does have a history as a known sis-con though..... best not to think too much into that. 

I'll be tired too if I had to deal with all the shit he does

Otouto (Lelouch vi Britannia - Code Geass)

Ah Lelouch, the man that was wayyy too smart for his own good. The guy truly thinks he is hot shit, but has the gall and the ability to back it all up. Always thinking to what's best for those around him (or at least what he thinks is best), he was one those men with good intentions, but not the always knowing how best to go about it. He piled up lies upon shaky lies to fix a world he found too broken to save, and watched it all crumble and collapse around him, and he made the ultimate sacrifices to make things right.

Lelouch, like the series he has come to represent, is oftentimes unstable, rough around the edges and a bit awkward. But, it's hard not to enthralled by his bombast, his majesty, and moments of absolute brilliance that will keep almost anyone entertained.

Fukuyama Jun going HAM as Lelouch is simply fabulous

Imouto (Hiiragi Shinoa - Owari no Seraph)

Easily the best thing to come out that blunt instrument of a series (it's them is FAMILY you see, in all caps, all the time), Shinoa is the witty, snarky, sarcastic, arrogant foul-mouthed pipsqueak of a she-devil in the family, and she gets away with it, because you just can't actually get mad at her. Highly self-aware while sporting a devil-may care attitude, her frequent snark and no-nonsense jabs at her merry band of misfits as she forcefully drags them about is a riot to see, all the while sporting a smug face that is matched by no other. But if it comes down to it, she takes care of her own, so she's cool in my books.

We're in trouble thanks to you again, aren't we?
You mad, cherry boy?
.....No

The twins (Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee - RWBY)

Let the White Rose ship sail!

There aren't many pairs that are more different than these two love birds. Ruby is the rough, endlessly positive, emotional, and carefree of the the pair, with the pure, unadulterated dream of just serving the people. Weiss on the other hand would be the more prim, cold, and proud perfectionist and literal ice queen with significant self-esteem issues and an identity crisis.

One wouldn't usually expect these two to get along, and their initial encounters couldn't have been much worse, but they were forced to become partners in a team all the same. It was hardly a smooth transition either, but somehow Ruby's big heart and earnest positivity rubbed off on Weiss over time, and she's now more approachable as a result, albeit still very.... tsun towards Ruby, forming one of the weirder tsukkomi-boke pairs in recent memory. This one ship I'll be sailing for awhile, no matter their best efforts to sink it.

This wasn't intentional, but I'll take it =P

Waifu (Tadokoro Megumi - Shokugeki no Souma)

I'll put this out right now, I'm still stumped at picking a waifu character and this could end up just being a placeholder till something more suitable comes up (or not), no offense to Megumi of course, because she's great!

Quite different from the more cardboard cutout of a titular main character in the series she comes from, Megumi started as a person who almost flunked out of her elite cooking school due to too much nerves and poor self-esteem, but eventually shows remarkable growth into a very good chef that can hold her ground and hang with the best of them. Her caring, thoughtful, and honest to goodness earnest personality is not lost to others, and it shows in her cooking. This country bumpkin has come a long way from home, and she plans to stay and make her footprint in the world of Shokugeki. I only wish her the best.

Gotta admit, she is pretty darn cute

Musume (Miyazaki Nodoka -Mahou Sensei Negima!)

Oh wow this is quite a callback to an older series, but thinking awhile there really isn't a second choice, it had to be Nodoka.

Starting off as not much more than a secondary character (among MANY) and the shy shrinking-violet archetype oh a slice-of-life comedy harem (which Negima! was at the time, before it snowballed halfway through into a epic shounen adventure series), she really did surprise most of the cast (and readers, at the time) by aggressively going after the male lead romantically very early on in the series, with no room for doubt or misunderstanding on his end. Getting effectively friend-zoned until after he can settle his emotional baggage doesn't stop her from voluntarily following him on his adventures, to as far as another planet, if only in the hopes of just being of help to him. 

Time and again she has shown much personal growth beyond just the male lead and has a maturity far beyond her own age. Nothing more than just an ordinary 14 year old among her much, much more capable comrades, she has put much effort and time into training, and often bit the bullet and dived way past her own depth in critical situations. Sometimes, surprising even opponents that would give many great heroes trouble. Her earnest and honest to a fault personality was Author himself to *give* her an artifact that allowed effectively unblockable mind reading abilities, an effect likely to be abused by any other person. I followed her growth into adulthood as a mighty fine lady (orbital elevator engineer!), and even if not everything worked out in the end, she has made me plenty proud.

Family Pet/Guardian Deity (Tamamo-no-Mae : Fate/Extra)

More deban!

Ah, great times, that rather difficult blind play-through with this fourth-wall breaking, give no fucks, and verbally uncensored (if not for the game's age rating - as she begrudgingly mentions) fox-girl. An aspect of the sun goddess Amaterasu with a rather bleak past, all she now wants is to be a good wife (I kid you not, it matters not even if her partner is a female XD) and will casually crush any and all opposition to familial happiness, and its hilarious at times. 

Easily the funniest and most entertaining of the Fate franchise's cast, she seems to be getting her own expansion in the form of Fate/Extra CCC Foxtail. Just as well I suppose, as she likely has no role in next year's Fate/Extra anime, but one can hope =3