Where is the "all of the above" option? I like different age groups depending on the setting. It's hard to pick just one because I like many different genres. I guess I will pick the late teens/early twenties option.
It depends on the genre, really. A slice of life can be pretty much any age, but I can't see a series like Ghost in the Shell working with a bunch of 12 year olds.
As others have mentioned, however, I adore the idea of the characters aging throughout the series. Even something like a time skip ala TTGL can be fantastic.
I suppose I just like seeing a series acknowledge that no one stays the same age forever.
5yr-10yr : Cute anime like Ichigo Mashimaru or Hanamaru Youchien.
11yr-16yr : Moe-blob, like K-ON or Lucky Star.
17yr-22yr : Shoujo anime, generaly focused on relationships and feelings. Or shouen anime you know, "friendship overcomes all" badguys failing "because of reasons" and plot armors galore.
23yr-30yr : Straight-up badassery style. A fighing anime, like Yuyu Hakusho. Maybe GTO. Stuff like those.
31yr-40yr : I yet to find one in this age group, but I'm sure there are some good example out there.
41yr+ : Same as the prevous.
There are plenty of good examples for all of these, so I can't vote and be 100% sure about my decision.
Considering I read a lot of slice-of-life series that revolve around teenaged girls I want to say 11-16 but I really prefer older. Just a lot of the comedy series I like happen to have characters in that age group (such as to-love-ru and soremachi).
I voted 11-16 year olds but, I'm torn between the first 2. 5-10 is just adorable like yotsuba but i also think the 11-16 year olds are really funny too
I prefer that they are old enough to know what they are doing (mostly. still like lina inverse for some reason ) while not LOOKING old as shit. In otherwords, if they look in the 20s or teens, then i dont care if they are 5816 years old. A wise man once said "Age is nothing but how close to death you are, it's the experiance that matters" (that sounds like something a wise man would say right)