Anime like GIRLS BAND CRY: Seishun Kyousoukyoku

Angel Beats!

Also known as Angel Beats!.

Studio: P.A.WORKS
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Supernatural

Otonashi wakes up in the afterlife to find out he has no memories of his life before death. Desperate to survive in a war that could yield another unfortunate fate, he joins the SSS in the battle against Angel, whose very mission is to destroy all inhabitants of this afterlife. As Otonashi struggles to recover his memory and learn more about this world, he finds that not all is as it had seemed.



Tags: Afterlife , Tragedy , School , Amnesia , Primarily Teen Cast , Coming of Age , Kuudere , Memory Manipulation , Politics , Boarding School , Male Protagonist , Slapstick , Ensemble Cast , Angels , Survival , Found Family , School Club , Guns , Rock Music , Isekai , Band , Baseball , Heterosexual , Suicide , Chuunibyou , Drugs

K-ON!

Also known as K-ON!.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Slice of Life

Hirasawa Yui, a young, carefree girl entering high school, has her imagination instantly captured when she sees a poster advertising the ‘Light Music Club’. Being the carefree girl that she is, she quickly signs up. However, Yui has a problem, she is unable to play an instrument.

When Yui goes to the clubroom to explain, she's greeted by the other members: Ritsu, Mio and Tsumugi. Although disheartened at Yui’s lack of musical know-how, they still try to convince her to stay to prevent the club’s disbandment. After playing Yui a short piece which re-ignites her imagination, they succeed in keeping their new member and guitarist.

Along with the tasks of school and homework, Yui begins to learn the guitar with the help of the other band members, experiencing many mishaps along the way. However, with the school-festival drawing near and Yui getting stuck with her practice, will the Light Music Club be ready in time for their debut?



Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , School Club , Band , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Episodic , Rock Music , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Tsundere , Seinen , Food , Tomboy , Slapstick , LGBTQ+ Themes

Bocchi the Rock!

Also known as BOCCHI THE ROCK!.

Studio: CloverWorks
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Slice of Life

Hitori Gotou, “Bocchi-chan,” is a girl who’s so introverted and shy around people that she’d always start her conversations with “Ah...”

During her middle school years, she started playing the guitar, wanting to join a band because she thought it could be an opportunity for even someone shy like her to also shine. But because she had no friends, she ended up practicing guitar for six hours every day all by herself. After becoming a skilled guitar player, she uploaded videos of herself playing the guitar to the internet under the name “Guitar Hero” and fantasized about performing at her school’s cultural festival concert. But not only could she not find any bandmates, before she knew it, she was in high school and still wasn’t able to make a single friend!

She was really close to becoming a shut-in, but one day, Nijika Ijichi, the drummer in Kessoku Band, reached out to her. And because of that, her everyday life started to change little by little...



Tags: Band , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Rock Music , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Coming of Age , Hikikomori , Rehabilitation , Surreal Comedy , Meta , Mixed Media , Yuri , Slapstick , Seinen , LGBTQ+ Themes , Work , School , Rotoscoping , Chibi

Given

Also known as given.

Studio: Lerche
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life

Tightly clutching his Gibson guitar, Mafuyu Satou steps out of his dark apartment to begin another day of his high school life. While taking a nap in a quiet spot on the gymnasium staircase, he has a chance encounter with fellow student Ritsuka Uenoyama, who berates him for letting his guitar's strings rust and break. Noticing Uenoyama's knowledge of the instrument, Satou pleads for him to fix it and to teach him how to play. Uenoyama eventually agrees and invites him to sit in on a jam session with his two band mates: bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji.

Satou's voice is strikingly beautiful, filling Uenoyama with the determination to make Satou the lead singer of the band. Though reticent at first, Satou takes the offer after an emotional meeting with an old friend. With the support of his new friends, Satou must not only learn how to play guitar, but also come to terms with the mysterious circumstances that led him to be its owner.



Tags: Band , Boys' Love , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Suicide , Tragedy , Rehabilitation , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Urban , School , Josei , Bisexual , Rock Music , Ensemble Cast , CGI , Basketball , Tsundere

NANA

Also known as NANA.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life

Two twenty-somethings seemingly share nothing in common apart from their first name, but a chance meeting on a train bound for Tokyo sets Nana Komatsu and Nana Oosaki on a collision course with destiny. Nana Komatsu, a love-at-first-sight dreamer, aims to find enduring happiness in the big city. Nana Oosaki, neo punk rock vocalist, pursues her burning ambitions of musical stardom and worldwide fame. As their fates increasingly intertwine, they each chase their dreams — until the harsh realities of life in big city Tokyo threaten to tear everything apart.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Band , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Love Triangle , Shoujo , Rock Music , Ensemble Cast , Netorare , Heterosexual , Fashion , College , Kuudere , Nudity , Age Gap , Mahjong , Noir

K-ON!!

Also known as K-ON! Season 2.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Slice of Life

It is the new year, which means that the senior members of the Light Music Club are now third-years, with Azusa Nakano being the only second-year. The seniors soon realize that Azusa will be the only member left once they graduate and decide to recruit new members. Despite trying many methods of attracting underclassmen—handing out fliers, bringing people into the clubroom, and performing at the welcoming ceremony—there are no signs of anyone that plans to join.

While heading to the clubroom, Azusa overhears Yui Hirasawa say that the club is fine with only five people and that they can do many fun things together. Changing her mind, she decides that they do not need to recruit any members for the time being.

K-On!! revolves around the members of the Light Music Club as they experience their daily high school life. From rehearsing for concerts to just messing around, they are ready to make their last year together an exciting one!



Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Band , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Iyashikei , Food , Episodic , Slapstick , Seinen , Rock Music , Tomboy , Tsundere , Tanned Skin , Yuri , LGBTQ+ Themes

Paripi Koumei

Also known as Ya Boy Kongming!.

Studio: P.A.WORKS
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Music , Supernatural

Fate and reincarnation deliver brilliant military strategist, Kongming, from warring, ancient China to Japan’s modern party hot spot in Shibuya City, Tokyo. After a lifetime of battles and military skirmishes, Kongming wished with his last breath to be reborn in a world of peace and prosperity. It’s nearly two millennia later and he’s finding his way in a very different world than that of his past life. When he meets Eiko, an amateur musician with big dreams, the unlikely duo strikes up an even unlikelier friendship. Eiko has street smarts to help Kongming navigate this strange new world, and Kongming will use his strategic mind to help Eiko achieve stardom!



An advanced online screening of the first episode was held on March 31, 2022, but the weekly TV release began on April 5, 2022.

Tags: Reincarnation , Urban , Band , Primarily Adult Cast , Anachronism , Idol , Hip-hop Music , Historical , Ensemble Cast , Female Protagonist , Bar , Male Protagonist , Work , Seinen , Rock Music , Military , Dancing , Classic Literature , Ancient China , Fugitive

Given Movie

Also known as Given The Movie.

Studio: Lerche
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance

The film centers on the love relationship among the band's bassist Haruki Nakayama, drummer Akihiko Kaji, and Akihiko's roommate and ex-boyfriend Ugetsu Murata.



Tags: Love Triangle , Band , Boys' Love , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Primarily Adult Cast , Bisexual , Josei , Rock Music , Tragedy , CGI

K-ON! Movie

Also known as K-ON!: The Movie.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Slice of Life

With graduation right around the corner, every member of the Light Music Club except for Azusa will be leaving for good. But the girls aren’t going to let something as silly as graduation tear them apart! For their final hurrah, the girls are going on the ultimate vacation tour— all the way to London! Their overseas journey will lead them on a trip of discovery and friendship as they take the stage one last time for their final encore together.



Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Female Protagonist , Band , Foreign , Coming of Age , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Travel , Rock Music , Seinen , Ensemble Cast , Language Barrier , Iyashikei , School , Tomboy

BECK

Also known as Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Music , Slice of Life

Tanaka Yukio, better known by his nickname Koyuki is a 14 year old who feels disconnected from life in general. Through the act of saving a mismatched dog, he meets guitarist Minami Ryuusuke, and becomes involved in Ryuusuke's new band BECK. Koyuki's life starts to change as the band struggles towards fame.


Tags: Band , Coming of Age , Urban , Rock Music , Ensemble Cast , Heterosexual , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , Bullying , School , Female Protagonist , Gyaru , Shounen , Hip-hop Music , Love Triangle , Baseball , Swimming , Language Barrier

Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou

Also known as Attack on Titan: Junior High.

Studio: Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy , Slice of Life

The school comedy story is set in a junior high school and centers on the original manga's characters such as Eren and Mikasa as they battle with Titans. The spin-off incorporates gags while using Shingeki no Kyojin's story and notable scenes as its basis.

Tags: Parody , School , Chibi , Slapstick , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Revenge , Kaiju , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Urban Fantasy , Primarily Child Cast , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Food , Ensemble Cast , Unrequited Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Ghost , Band , Rock Music

Fuuka

Also known as Fuuka.

Studio: diomedéa
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Ecchi , Music , Romance

The story centers on a young man named Yuu Haruna who has just switched schools. He's a bit shy, and he's constantly glued to his smartphone so he can check Twitter. He meets a girl named Fuuka Akitsuki, who doesn't even have a cell phone, is free-spirited, and naturally fascinates others. Yuu recently has been getting back in touch via Twitter with his childhood friend Koyuki Hinashi, who is now a popular singer. One day Yuu invites Fuuka to one of Koyuki's concerts, and there the three meet for the first time. The story follows the love triangle between a love that started through electronics, and a love that didn't start through electronics.



Tags: Band , Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Rock Music , Urban , School Club , Idol , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Nudity , School , Female Harem , LGBTQ+ Themes , Teacher

Aggressive Retsuko

Also known as Aggretsuko.

Studio: Fanworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Slice of Life

Some offices have stereotypical dynamics: the chauvinistic pig of a boss who never does any real work; the employees whose goal is to suck up to the boss; the ones whose lives seem perfect; and the individuals who have all the actual work pushed onto them. Retsuko the red panda is in the last group, as she stays late most nights to make up the work her coworkers are too lazy to do themselves.

Her relief from the stress of her everyday life comes in the form of singing death metal at a local karaoke club. Night after night, Retsuko channels her grief into a microphone and considers the place to be her own personal sanctuary. But as she moves further away from her comfort zone and the ideas people have of her, she discovers that letting others into her world of death metal may not be such a bad thing.

Tags: Work , Office Lady , Anthropomorphism , Metal Music , Urban , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Office , Animals , Chibi , Primarily Animal Cast , Unrequited Love , Flash , Rock Music

GIRLS BAND CRY

Also known as Girls Band Cry.

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Slice of Life

Feeling out of place in the countryside, high school dropout Nina Iseri moves to Tokyo. After a rough first day and getting locked out of her apartment, she meets her favorite guitarist, Momoka Kawaragi. The two put on a street performance together and decide to start a band with three other girls. While each girl faces her own struggles, their passion for music keeps their dreams alive.



Tags: Band , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Rock Music , Coming of Age , Full CGI , Urban , Bullying , Found Family , Tragedy , LGBTQ+ Themes , Yuri , Vocal synth , Family Life , Acting , Tanned Skin

K-ON!: Live House!

Also known as K-ON!: Live House!.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Slice of Life

Ritsu's middle school friend invites the band to perform live on New Year's Eve. The girls get acquainted with other bands, and become a little nervous as the performance approaches. When the time comes, will they be able to rock the house?



Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Female Cast , School Club , Band , Female Protagonist , Tomboy , Rock Music , Primarily Teen Cast , Iyashikei , Ensemble Cast , Seinen , School

Sora no Aosa wo Shiru Hito yo

Also known as Her Blue Sky.

Studio: CloverWorks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life , Supernatural

The story is set in a town nestled in the mountains and centers on high school second-year student and aspiring musician Aoi Aioi, her older sister Akane Aioi, Akane's ex-boyfriend and struggling guitarist Shinnosuke Kanomura, and Shinno — who is actually Shinnosuke from 13 years ago after traveling from the past to the present. Aoi and Akane's parents passed away in an accident 13 years ago, and Akane gave up her ambition of going to Tokyo with Shinnosuke and decided to take care of Aoi. Since then, Aoi has felt indebted to her older sister. One day, she is invited to perform at a music festival as a session musician by a famous enka singer named Dankichi. At the same time, Shinnosuke returns to Aoi and Akane's town after a long time away. Then, Shinno mysteriously appears, and Aoi falls in love for the first time.



Tags: Coming of Age , Love Triangle , Female Protagonist , Band , Rural , Orphan , Heterosexual , Time Manipulation , Musical Theater , Rock Music , Unrequited Love

Sasayaku You ni Koi wo Utau

Also known as Whisper Me a Love Song.

Studio: CLOUDHEARTS , Yokohama Animation Lab
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance

After performing a song at her school’s opening ceremony, musician Yori Asanagi receives an apparent love confession from freshman Himari Kino. But just as Yori decides she wants to return Himari’s feelings, Himari reveals that she did not “love” her, but “admires” her! But you can’t unring a bell once struck, and Yori is determined to make Himari fall for her, not just her music. Will their hearts ever beat as one, or will their love fall out of tune?



Tags: Yuri , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Band , School , Love Triangle , School Club , Coming of Age , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Aromantic , Rock Music , CGI , Tragedy

K-ON!!: Keikaku!

Also known as K-ON! Season 2: Plan!.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Slice of Life

A special episode of K-ON!! released in the ninth volume of Blu-ray and DVD. The girls plan a trip abroad and go to the passport office to apply for passports.

Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Band , School , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Seinen , Iyashikei , Primarily Teen Cast , Ensemble Cast , Rock Music , Tomboy

BanG Dream!

Also known as BanG Dream!.

Studio: Xebec , Issen
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Music , Slice of Life

Kasumi Toyama was enthralled by the stars as a young girl, so when she discovers a trail of star-shaped signs one day after transferring to a new school, she can't help but follow them. They lead her to a shop run by the grandmother of one of her new classmates, and Kasumi finds something that will change her life forever: a star-shaped guitar! And just like that, Kasumi knows that forming a band is her destiny.

Of course, convincing Arisa and her grandmother to sell her the guitar won't be easy, and finding a group of other girls who want to become musicians will be even harder. But when a girl has stars in her eyes and a starbeat in her heart, there's nothing that will stop Kasumi from making her fantasies come true!



Tags: Band , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Rock Music , School , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Urban , CGI , Chuunibyou , Tsundere , Swimming

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Also known as Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

Studio: Science SARU
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Mystery , Romance , Supernatural

When girl meets boy, love takes off...

Scott Pilgrim meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers, but learns he must defeat her seven evil exes in order to date her. Then things get even more complicated. Based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Detective , Meta , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban Fantasy , Foreign , Surreal Comedy , Time Manipulation , Urban , Parody , Band , Super Power , Bisexual , LGBTQ+ Themes , Heterosexual , Acting , Robots , Hikikomori , Rock Music , Otaku Culture , Boys' Love , Anti-Hero , Age Gap , Skateboarding , Twins , Swordplay , Ninja