Anime like Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo

Tenki no Ko

Also known as Weathering With You.

Studio: CoMix Wave , JR Higashi Nihon Kikaku , Toho , Lawson Entertainment , Kadokawa Shoten , STORY Inc. , GKids , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life , Supernatural

High school student Hodaka leaves his home on an isolated island and moves to Tokyo, but he immediately becomes broke. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds a job as a writer for a shady occult magazine. After he starts his job, the weather has been rainy day after day. In a corner of the crowded and busy city, Hodaka meets a young woman named Hina. Due to certain circumstances, Hina and her younger brother live together, but have a cheerful and sturdy life. Hina also has a certain power: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky.



Tags: Urban Fantasy , Urban , Environmental , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Fugitive , Orphan , Family Life , Heterosexual , Magic , Work , Gods , Super Power , Guns , Found Family , Crossdressing , Time Skip , Estranged Family , Restaurant

Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa

Also known as Castle in the Sky.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Sci-Fi

This high-flying adventure begins when Pazu, an engineer's apprentice, finds a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky wearing a glowing pendant. Together they discover both are searching for a legendary floating castle, Laputa, and vow to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around Sheeta's neck. Their quest won't be easy, however. There are greedy air pirates, secret government agents and astounding obstacles to keep them from the truth, and from each other.



Tags: Lost Civilization , Environmental , Steampunk , Pirates , Aviation , Fugitive , Female Protagonist , Military , Travel , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Heterosexual , Robots , Guns , Primarily Male Cast , Trains , Elderly Protagonist

Suzume no Tojimari

Also known as Suzume.

Studio: CoMix Wave , STORY Inc. , Toho
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Mystery , Supernatural

The story follows Suzume, a 17-year-old girl from a quiet Kyushu town who meets a young man looking for a door. They find a door within ruins in the mountain, and Suzume opens it. Soon, more doors begin to open around Japan, bringing disasters from the other side. The film depicts Suzume's liberation and growth, as she closes the doors that are causing disaster.



Tags: Urban Fantasy , Female Protagonist , Travel , Coming of Age , Magic , Shapeshifting , Orphan , Family Life , Gods , Kaiju , Natural Disaster , Animals , Found Family , Age Gap , Environmental , Time Manipulation , Tragedy , Parenthood , Heterosexual , CGI

Kimi no Na wa.

Also known as Your Name..

Studio: CoMix Wave , Kadokawa Pictures Japan , Funimation , NYAV Post , Toho , Madman Entertainment , Selecta Visión
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Supernatural

Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl, yearns to live the life of a boy in the bustling city of Tokyo—a dream that stands in stark contrast to her present life in the countryside. Meanwhile in the city, Taki Tachibana lives a busy life as a high school student while juggling his part-time job and hopes for a future in architecture.

One day, Mitsuha awakens in a room that is not her own and suddenly finds herself living the dream life in Tokyo—but in Taki's body! Elsewhere, Taki finds himself living Mitsuha's life in the humble countryside. In pursuit of an answer to this strange phenomenon, they begin to search for one another.

Kimi no Na wa. revolves around Mitsuha and Taki's actions, which begin to have a dramatic impact on each other's lives, weaving them into a fabric held together by fate and circumstance.



Tags: Body Swapping , Time Manipulation , Urban Fantasy , Memory Manipulation , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Urban , Gender Bending , Time Skip , Rural , Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Environmental , Mythology , Alternate Universe , Trains , Shrine Maiden , School

Kotonoha no Niwa

Also known as The Garden of Words.

Studio: CoMix Wave , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance , Slice of Life

Some people revel and play in the rain; others dread it and hide at the first drop. For high school student Takao, a summer shower is a source of artistic inspiration… but when he skips school in order to sketch in a rainy garden, Takao finds an even greater muse in Yukino, an older woman who seems adrift in the world. Despite the difference in their ages and lives, they strike up a comfortable relationship that slowly evolves as they randomly meet in the same garden whenever it rains. But with the rainy season coming to a close, Takao wonders if there's enough time left to put his feelings into actions and words.



Tags: Coming of Age , Age Gap , Feet , Teacher , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Urban , Bullying , Drawing , Psychosexual , School , CGI

Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä

Also known as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Studio: Studio Hibari , Topcraft , Walt Disney Studios , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Sci-Fi

A thousand years after a global war, a seaside kingdom known as the Valley Of The Wind remains one of only a few areas still populated. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley are engaged in a constant struggle with powerful insects called ohmu, who guard a poisonous jungle that is spreading across the Earth. Nausicaä and her brave companions, together with the people of the Valley, strive to restore the bond between humanity and the Earth.



Tags: Environmental , Post-Apocalyptic , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Lost Civilization , War , Aviation , Military , Eco-Horror , Kaiju , Survival , Primarily Adult Cast , Cosmic Horror , Travel , Anachronism , Guns , Politics , Orphan , Tanks , Cult , Revenge , Nudity , Elderly Protagonist

Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho

Also known as The Place Promised in Our Early Days.

Studio: ADV Films , CoMix Wave
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi

In an alternate timeline, Japan was divided after losing World War II: Hokkaido was annexed by "Union" while Honshu and other southern islands were under US sovereignty. A gigantic yet mysterious tower was constructed at Hokkaido and could be seen clearly from Aomori (the northernmost prefecture of Honshu) across Tsugaru Strait. In the summer of 1996, three 9th-graders had made a promise that one day they'll build an aircraft and unravel the tower's mystery, but their project was abandoned after the girl, Sayuri Sawatari, began experiencing sleeping sickness and transferred to Tokyo for better treatment. Three years later, Hiroki Fujisawa accidentally found out that Sayuri had been in a coma since then, and he asked Takuya Shirakawa to help him finding a way to revive her. What they don't know yet is that Sayuri's unconsciousness is somehow linked with secrets of the tower and the world.



Tags: Heterosexual , Alternate Universe , Military , Coming of Age , Aviation , Terrorism , Trains , CGI , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , School

Byousoku 5 Centimeter

Also known as 5 Centimeters per Second.

Studio: CoMix Wave , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Tohno Takaki and Shinohara Akari, two very close friends and classmates, are torn apart when Akari's family is transferred to another region of Japan due to her family's job. Despite separation, they continue to keep in touch through mail. When Takaki finds out that his family is also moving, he decides to meet with Akari one last time.

As years pass by, they continue down their own paths, their distance slowly growing wider and their contact with one another fades. Yet, they keep remembering one another and the times they have shared together, wondering if they will have the chance to meet once again.

Tags: Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Unrequited Love , Time Skip , Tragedy , Travel , Trains , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , School , Surfing , Archery , Mopeds

Made in Abyss

Also known as Made in Abyss.

Studio: Kinema Citrus , Media Factory , AT-X , Sony Music Communications , Sentai Filmworks , Cygames
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Mystery , Sci-Fi

The "Abyss" is the last unexplored place in the world. Strange and wonderful creatures roam within, and it is full of precious relics that present humans can't recreate. Those that dare to explore the depths are known as "Cave Raiders." An orphan girl named Riko lives on the rim. Her dream is to become a Cave Raider like her mother and solve the mysteries of the cave system. One day, Riko starts exploring the caves and discovers a robot who resembles a human boy.



Note: The last episode aired with a runtime of ~48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: Survival , Primarily Child Cast , Environmental , Travel , Chibi , Body Horror , Tragedy , Lost Civilization , Outdoor Activities , Dungeon , Philosophy , Seinen , Female Protagonist , Curses , Cosmic Horror , Gore , Amnesia , Wilderness , Robots , Male Protagonist , Steampunk , Anthropomorphism , Orphan , Food , Tanned Skin , Agender , Crossdressing , Religion , Femboy , Rehabilitation , Dissociative Identities , Maids , Time Manipulation , School , Amputation

Mononoke-hime

Also known as Princess Mononoke.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , GKids , Nippon Television Network
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

A calm village residing in the mountains comes under attack from a demon-possessed boar one day.

Ashitaka, a young man and prince of the tribe, engages the creature in an attempt to save his village. During the battle, the boar bites him on the arm, leaving it blackened and cursed. Following his village's traditions, Ashitaka is exiled and becomes a wanderer, looking for a solution to the curse before it engulfs him.

Iron Town is a fortress under the leadership of Lady Eboshi. Through the clearing of the surrounding forests, Iron Town produces large amounts of Ironsand, used for gunpowder and other machinery. However, because of the forests destruction, nearby animal clans seek revenge led by a human girl of the Wolf clan called San.

When Ashitaka comes to Iron Town, he discovers the area consumed in battle. Horrified, he attempts to create peace and befriend the Wolf Clan. However, after the forest's eradication and the ongoing war between Human and Beast, will the Spirit of the Forest be forgiving and accept Ashitaka's request to expel his curse?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tags: Environmental , Animals , Mythology , Philosophy , Eco-Horror , War , Gods , Wilderness , Demons , Rural , Youkai , Revenge , Female Protagonist , Curses , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Guns , Disability , Travel , Urban Fantasy , Samurai , Archery , Tomboy , Outdoor Activities , Body Horror , Gore , Slavery , Swordplay , Kaiju