The anime is Genshiken (2004), I picked it up on a whim. It's alright so far. Very "by weebs, for weebs". The manga is from 2002.
The 80s and 90s being a pass of the baton from veterans of the early days to more modern staff, which already grew up with anime, and the success of Evangelion and merchandising had some awful long-term consequences even if it was probably unavoidable under capitalism.
I think Frieren didn’t have any sus stuff? I remember watching it when it aired. It was a pure 10/10. Give it a watch. I’ve watched a lot of anime over more than a decade. Nothing comes close to Frieren.
Currently, Orb: On the Movements of Earth is very good. Just an anime set in 15th century Poland about people discovering heliocentrism and the church trying to maintain control. Violent cuz of the Church but not sus. Three eps out and DO NOT LOOK UP SYNOPSIS OR DISCUSSIONS. Just watch the trailer and see if it’s for you or no.
Dungeon Meishi is seemingly devoid of any skeevy stuff, coincidentally the mangakas for both Frieren and Meishi are women.
frieren as a character especially has like a comically old-fashioned take on seduction
Frieren had Aura who is definitely right on the line of "But she's a 5000 year old demon!"
I've never heard of Orb but that sounds like a super interesting premise for an anime--I'l check it out!
I found YouTube links in your comment. Here are links to the same videos on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Link 1:
Link 2: