Anime like Hadashi no Gen 2

Hotaru no Haka

Also known as Grave of the Fireflies.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

In the aftermath of a World War II bombing, two orphaned children struggle to survive in the Japanese countryside. To Seita and his four-year-old sister, the helplessness and indifference of their countrymen is even more painful than the enemy raids. Through desperation, hunger and grief, these children's lives are as heartbreakingly fragile as their spirit and love is inspiring.



Tags: Tragedy , Survival , Orphan , War , Family Life , Historical , Primarily Child Cast , Homeless , Rural , Female Protagonist , Military , Autobiographical , Male Protagonist , Educational

Giovanni no Shima

Also known as Giovanni's Island.

Studio: Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

Brothers Junpei and Kanta live in Shikotan, a tiny fishing island that has been spared from the devastations of World War II. The two children are named after Giovanni and Campanella from their late mother’s favorite book, Night on the Galactic Railroad, which becomes a source of solace in the aftermath of Japan’s defeat. When Soviet forces arrive with their families to settle in the island, Junpei meets Tanya, the daughter of the commander. Despite their language barrier and growing tension, the children soon form an unlikely friendship.



Note: A special animated movie to commemorate 50th anniversary of Japan Association of Music Enterprises (JAME).

Tags: Historical , War , Tragedy , Language Barrier , Trains , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age

Yume Kakeru Kougen: Kiyosato no Chichi Paul Rusch

Also known as Paul Rusch: His Life and Dream.

Studio: Magic Bus , Tama Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

In 1925 Paul Rusch, an American missionary, arrived in Japan to help The Young Men's Christian Association with reconstruction efforts after the Great Kantou earthquake. Through his association with the Anglican Church he also became a professor at Rikkyo University in Tokyo and deepened his attachement to Japan as a result of conversations with his students. However, he had to leave the country when the Pacific War broke out. In 1945 Paul came to Japan again as an officer of General Headquarters and grieved over the deaths of many of his former students. He vowed to dedicate the rest of his life to helping the people living in Kiyosato - a highland area in Yamanashi Prefecture. He raised funds in the United States, helped build various facilities for the population and established the first highland dairy farm in Japan. However, not all Japanese were happy to deal with an American after the war ended, and so emerged one more important task for Paul: to help soothe post-WWII relationships between the people of two countries.



Tags: Biographical , Historical , Rural , War , Male Protagonist

RAINBOW: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin

Also known as Rainbow.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Funimation , VAP
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Thriller

Seven teenagers in 1955 have to learn to live together in the same hold in the reformatory of Shounan. Confined in a hall where suffering and humiliation are daily, they are waiting for a ray of hope in a dark, incarcerating world. The story follows their life together and how they move on afterwards.

Tags: Ensemble Cast , Seinen , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Delinquents , Survival , Primarily Male Cast , Rehabilitation , Historical , Crime , Gore , Revenge , Prison , Boxing , Torture , Time Skip , Orphan , Found Family , Philosophy , Drugs , Bar , Gangs , Suicide , School , Yakuza , Language Barrier

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Also known as Tokyo Magnitude 8.0.

Studio: bones , Dentsu , Fuji TV , Toho , Kinema Citrus , Maiden Japan , Asmik Ace , Sony Music Entertainment , Sakura Create
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

The premise of the project is the 70% possibility that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake will occur in Tokyo in the next 30 years. The anime depicts what would happen if an 8.0 earthquake took place.

The story centers on Mirai, a middle school freshman girl who goes to Tokyo’s artificial Odaiba Island for a robot exhibition with her brother Yuuki at the start of summer vacation. A powerful tremor emanates from an ocean trench, the famed Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge crumble and fall, and the landscape of Tokyo changes in an instant. With the help of a motorcycle delivery woman named Mari who they meet on Odaiba, Mirai and Yuuki strive to head back to their Setagaya home in western Tokyo.

Tags: Urban , Primarily Child Cast , Survival , Tragedy , Natural Disaster , Female Protagonist , Family Life , Coming of Age , Post-Apocalyptic , Ghost , CGI , Military , Robots , School , Motorcycles , Eco-Horror , Rescue

Nihon Chinbotsu: 2020

Also known as Japan Sinks: 2020.

Studio: Science SARU , Avex Pictures , Netflix , Septeni Holdings
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Sci-Fi

The setting for this adaptation is moved from 1970s Japan to 2020, just after the Tokyo Olympics. The story centers on the Mutou family, and the siblings Ayumu and Gou. The four members of the Mutou family are caught in an earthquake that hits Tokyo, and attempt to escape the city, while disaster claws at their heels.



Tags: Survival , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Disability , Natural Disaster , Post-Apocalyptic , Language Barrier , Outdoor Activities , Family Life , Female Protagonist , Coastal , Surreal Comedy , Eco-Horror , Cult , Athletics , Gore , Ensemble Cast , Cosmic Horror , Lost Civilization , Transgender , Ships , Drugs , E-Sports , Time Skip , Religion , Agriculture , Male Protagonist

Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni

Also known as In This Corner of the World.

Studio: MAPPA , Genco , Animatsu Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

The story follows a young lady named Suzu Urano, who in 1944 moves to the small town of Kure in Hiroshima to live with her husband's family. Suzu's life is thrown into chaos when her town is bombed during World War II. Her perseverance and courage underpin this heart-warming and inspirational tale of the everyday challenges faced by the Japanese in the midst of a violent, war-torn country. This beautiful yet poignant tale shows that even in the face of adversity and loss, people can come together and rebuild their lives.



Tags: Historical , War , Family Life , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Seinen , Rehabilitation , Drawing , Disability , Heterosexual

Tsuki ga Noboru made ni

Studio: OB Planning , Grouper Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

A father and daughter in Japan climb to the top of a ridge to watch the moonrise. As they wail, an old man tells them his story. An adaptation of Tetsuya Takeda's story about the relationship between a Japanese child and an American soldier.



Tags: Historical , War , Nudity

Kuroi Ame ni Utarete

Studio: GEN Productions
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

Anime adaptation of the manga Kuroi Ame ni Utarete by Nakazawa Keiji.

Tags: Historical , Seinen