Anime like Totsuzen! Neko no Kuni Banipal Witt

Neko no Ongaeshi

Also known as The Cat Returns.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Walt Disney Studios , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Fantasy

The Cat Returns is something of a loose spin-off of "Whisper of the Heart" as it features two characters from that film: Muta (the cat from "Whisper") and the Baron (the cat statue from "Whisper"). There is no other connection between the two movies and this is not a sequel. The story is based on Neko no Danshaku (Baron of Cat) by Hiiragi Aoi.

The main character of the story, Haru, is a clueless, ordinary 17-year-old girl. She has no special abilities and neither is she an extraordinary beauty. When faced with reality, she is unable to make decisions for herself, thus often sways to others' opinions to avoid challenge. One day, Haru saves the life of a cat without considering her own safety. The cat turns out to be the Cat Prince from the Kingdom of Cats, however as a result, Haru is trapped in the world of cats. Can Baron and Muta rescue Haru who has wandered into the world of cats?



Tags: Animals , Anthropomorphism , Nekomimi , Fairy Tale , Female Protagonist , Kemonomimi , Isekai , Primarily Animal Cast , Royal Affairs , Heterosexual , Arranged Marriage , Shoujo , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Swordplay , Crossover , Body Horror , School

Nekojiru-sou

Also known as Cat Soup.

Studio: J.C.STAFF
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Horror , Psychological

Cat Soup is an extremely difficult film to describe, due to its awesome surrealism and almost nonexistant dialogue. It is more a work of art than an anime. There are many underlying themes, such as the transcience of man's existence, but it can be enjoyed without understanding any of them. The plot, though simple, isn't necessarily understandable without being explained. The main character, a cat named Nyatto, embarks upon a journey to save his sister's soul, which was ripped in two when Nyatto tried to save her from Death. She trails after him, brain-dead. They encounter many brilliant, mind-bending situations, beginning with a disturbing magic show.



Tags: Animals , Surreal Comedy , No Dialogue , Philosophy , Afterlife , Cosmic Horror , Urban , Survival , Primarily Animal Cast , Seinen , Anthropomorphism , Gods , Male Protagonist , Circus , Time Manipulation , Body Horror , Outdoor Activities , Rural , Ships , Religion , Nudity , Cannibalism , Gore , Revenge

Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru

Also known as Night on the Galactic Railroad.

Studio: Group TAC , TV Asahi , Nippon Herald Eiga , Asmik Ace , Asahi Shimbun
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mystery

Based on a short story by the popular children’s writer Kenji Miyazawa, Galactic Railroad offers viewers a slow-paced, dreamlike journey through space and time. When Giovanni, a lonely boy in a hill town, goes to get milk for his ailing mother, he finds himself crossing the Milky Way on a faster-than-light steam railroad. The stations he visits in various constellations, like the planets explored by St. Exupery’s Little Prince, offer curious adventures and an assortment of human "types." Reality and fantasy blur aboard the train, and its travels across the light-years sometimes suggests the journey through life. The characters are depicted as cats, presumably to avoid the problems of animating humans.



Tags: Afterlife , Philosophy , Trains , Classic Literature , Tragedy , Anthropomorphism , Primarily Animal Cast , Travel , Astronomy , Animals , Space , Religion , Mythology , Male Protagonist , Kids , Historical , Bullying

Nemo

Also known as Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland.

Studio: Tokyo Movie Shinsha , Discotek , TMS Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

Welcome to the fantasy world of "Little Nemo," where dreams of enchanted lands and new friends take young Nemo into an exciting, fun-filled adventure through Slumberland. On one unforgettable night, Nemo falls asleep. Soon, with the help of his flying pet squirrel Icarus and his friend Professor Genius, they journey together into Slumberland. Nemo is lovingly embraced by the people of Slumberland, particularly the King, who adopts Nemo and makes him heir to the throne. He is entrusted with two very special possessions: the prized royal Scepter, and a mysterious key that unlocks many secrets!

Though Nemo is warned not to open the one door with the power to destroy Slumberland, temptation proves too strong and the King is abducted as a black cloud of nightmares washes over the formerly idyllic dreamscape. Now, if Nemo is to reverse his error and bring the King back, he must rally his friends and journey deep into Nightmare Land.



Tags: Kids , Musical Theater , Ojou-sama , Male Protagonist , Trains , Goblin

Kaiba

Also known as Kaiba.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

It is now possible to store memory data, so that the death of your body is not actually "death". As memories are stored in databanks, they can be "transferred" to new bodies. Because so-called "memory trading" now occurs, it is now possible to steal memories and illegally alter them.

Society has fallen apart as authority has become lost and stagnant.

One day, a man awakens in a ruined room. His name is Kaiba. He has no memories, but he does have a pendant with a picture of an unknown woman inside.

In the skies are roiling clouds and electrical storms, impossible to pass without losing one's memories; above them lies the elusive realm of the rich and powerful, who barter others' bodies and memories for their own enjoyment and longevity. Below lies a troubled and dangerous world where good bodies are hard to come by and real money is scarce.

After suddenly being attacked, Kaiba escapes into space, and during his travels meets all sorts of people and regains his memories. Throughout it, he continues to be troubled by the world's problems, as well as his own existence. And what of the woman in the pendant, Neiro?

Tags: Amnesia , Dystopian , Memory Manipulation , Body Swapping , Philosophy , Space , Heterosexual , Psychosexual , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Cyberpunk , Gender Bending , Fugitive , Clone , Terrorism , Conspiracy , Cosmic Horror , Post-Apocalyptic , Aliens , Episodic , Body Horror , Cult , Crime , Drugs , Primarily Child Cast

Unico Mahou no Shima e

Also known as Unico in the Island of Magic.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Sanrio , Tezuka Productions , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

Based on "Unico and the Kingdom of the Sun," which was newly written as a theater version, this animated film features a battle between the wizard Kukuruku and Unico. Kukuruku builds a castle using dolls transformed from men as building parts. The story revolves around the sorrow and terror of men who have been transfigured into dolls, and a girl named Cherry who wishes to recover the kindness in her brother, who is a student of Kukuruku. This work reminds us of the fact that "transformation" or "transfiguration" - favorite themes of Tezuka Osamu - involves not only material aspects, but also man's immaterial heart.



Tags: Kids , Animals , Magic , Fugitive , Male Protagonist

Fumiko no Kokuhaku

Also known as Fumiko's Confession.

Studio: Studio Colorido
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy

Story about Fumiko, a schoolgirl who just confessed her love. But she gets turned down because the boy wants to concentrate on baseball training. Crying and running downhill through the town, she gains more and more speed...

Independent animation that won Award of Excellence given to students at the Tokyo International Anime Award in 2010.

Tags: Female Protagonist , Urban , CGI , Heterosexual , Primarily Child Cast

Wonder 3

Also known as The Amazing 3.

Studio: Mushi Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Sci-Fi

The Amazing 3 is an Osamu Tezuka manga and a black and white anime series. It involved the adventures of three agents from outer space who were sent to Earth to determine whether the planet, a potential threat to the universe, should be destroyed. The instrument of destruction is a device resembling a large black ball with two antennae that is variously called an anti-proton bomb, a solar bomb, and a neutron bomb. Although the three agents (Captain Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko) are originally humanoid in appearance, upon arrival on Earth they take on the appearances of a rabbit (Bokko), a horse (Nokko), and a duck (Pukko) that they had captured as examples of Earth life forms. While on Earth they travel in a tire-shaped vehicle capable of enormous speeds called the Big Wheel, which can travel on both land and water (and, with modifications, through the air).

The series tackles a number of issues which were surprisingly progressive for an animated cartoon of that period; particularly ecological concerns and poverty.

Tags: Achromatic , Animals , Shounen , Environmental , Space , Espionage

TAMALA2010: a punk cat in space

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Psychological , Sci-Fi

It's the year 2010 on the planet of cats, where lies Meguro City, a megalopolis entirely controlled by the super-corporation Catty & Co. The nefarious influence of this corporate empire extends malignantly across the feline galaxy. Tamala, a carefree, one-year-old kitten, decides to flee this cruel reality and boards her spaceship in search of her planet of origin.



Tags: Dystopian , Space , Cyberpunk , Achromatic , Anthropomorphism , Surreal Comedy , Animals , Conspiracy , Female Protagonist , Anti-Hero , Mythology , CGI , Fugitive , Reincarnation , Cult , Mixed Media

Mind Game

Also known as Mind Game.

Studio: Horipro , Studio 4°C , GKids , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Psychological , Romance

Audiences will begin to grasp what they are in for early on, as loser Nishi, too wimpy to try to save his childhood sweetheart from gangsters, is shot in the butt by a soccer-playing psychopath, projecting Nishi into the afterlife. In this limbo, God - shown as a series of rapidly changing characters - tells him to walk toward the light. But Nishi runs like hell in the other direction and returns to Earth a changed man, driven to live each moment to the fullest.



Tags: Surreal Comedy , Reincarnation , Philosophy , Heterosexual , Primarily Adult Cast , Afterlife , Male Protagonist , Nudity , Seinen , Yakuza , Gods , Swimming , Mixed Media