Geeky Nerd

This post will be about some nice cartoon series to watch for teenagers. It’s not a top-5 list, every cartoon listed here is unique and tells distinct stories raising distinct questions. Some are meant to be fun adventures, others are more mature stories, which suit the changing nature of adolescent mind from childhood innocence to a more nuanced adult approach to life.

W.I.T.C.H.(2004-2006)

A show about a group of magical girls who fight evil and keep balance between the worlds. I’m not talking about the recent reboot here but the original two-season series.

It’s a story that has got a dark fantasy setting and mixes well magical elements with ordinary teenage life. Since there are five main heroines – Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hey Lin – we also get a wide range of characters and interactions. To me, this series also excels at showing how different situations require different talents and how team work makes the dream work.

Fullmetal Alchemist(2003-2004)

It’s a classic anime about the two brothers who learned the price of life the hard way. This anime is a great story not only for teenagers but adults as well.

Just like the majority of cult animes, it’s not a simple story to entertain but rather a tale of growth of the two brothers and how they have to come t terms with the death of their mother. After all, their blind grief made them lose that little that they had left and now they are learning to live in the world on their own.

The show matures the characters as well as the audience, especially in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood(2009-2010).

Gravity Falls(2012-2016)

At this point, it might as well be a legendary series. It talks about many different things but I would like to focus on the importance of childhood wonder and building relationships. There are many great arches in Gravity Falls from family relationships to following dreams and ability to balance seriousness with fun, but one that stuck out for me was how the show handled romance.

There are two romance arches in Gravity Falls, one for serious Dipper who wished to be seen as mature, and one for Mable who is easy-going and open to everyone. I like the irony that it’s Mable who is shown throughout the show to constantly search for a love interest but in the end changes her affection from one episodic character to another, while Dipper has one single crash on Wendy and their relationship grows into a great friendship by the end of the series.

Trigun(1998)

A great anime series that tells the tale of Vash the Stampede, a notorious trouble-maker who wishes no harm. Again, like with WITCH, I’m not talking about the reboot version Trigun Stampede from 2023 (I haven’t seen it yet).

A little disclaimer before we continue, the rest of the series can be watched by younger adolescents(10-12 year-olds), this one is better for teenagers who are about 14-15. It’s not as hardcore as the manga but still alludes to some heavy content which can scare younger audience.

It raises many moral questions, especially those connected to violence since the protagonist refuses to kill any of the villains he meets along the way. In return this pacifism, creates situation where people directly may not be harmed but the property is, which, of course, puts people in danger. The show balances its heavy topics with light-hearted comedy without ever braking this balance which creates a rather unique sci-fi experience.

Batman: The Animated Series(1992-1995)

There’re many superhero stories and most of them I find either boring or repetitive in their story but this one stands out as an interesting gothic tale on the famous superhero without any superpowers (other than money that is).

The show is episodic and there is no obligation to watch the episodes in a specific order or to watch every single one of them but each story raises different questions about society and justice or opens characters from a new light.

I believe, the most known example of this is the story of Mr. Freeze in the episode “Heart of Ice”(S1E14). This story shows a classic Batman villain into a tragic anti-hero, if one could say that. It also shows what it means to be human and what really matters in one’s life.

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I have grown up since those series aired or was too young (or too old) to watch them, but I wanted to make this post because I monitor animation industry periodically and I couldn’t find anything good specifically for teenagers. There’re either shows for children or basically for adults. The age period from 13 to 16 is a small gap but an important one. And no, Start VS The Forces of Evil doesn’t count. Owl House may be a good one or Infinity Train can be examples, but I’m not sure. If anyone has got a recommendation, please do tell me. I was raised on Victor Hugo’s books and Trinity Blood anime (yes, it’s not for teenagers, but who can stop anyone from watching anything on the Internet?). In any case, thank you for reading, have a great day.