Anime like Glass no Kamen (2005)

Kageki Shoujo!!

Also known as Kageki Shojo!!.

Studio: PINE JAM , King Records
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

The curtain rises on the Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. Spotlight on Sarasa Watanabe, a starry-eyed 5'10" student who dreams of performing as Oscar, a male lead role. She forms an unlikely friendship with her new roommate, a former idol who now also hopes to join the all-female Kouka Acting Troupe. Together, they’re in for the role of a lifetime.



Tags: Acting , Primarily Female Cast , School , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Shoujo , Primarily Teen Cast , Musical Theater , Kuudere , Heterosexual , Crossdressing , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Idol , LGBTQ+ Themes , Work , Twins , Rakugo , Otaku Culture

Skip Beat!

Also known as Skip Beat!.

Studio: Hal Film Maker , TV Tokyo Music
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance

Kyouko followed her true love and childhood friend Shou to Tokyo so she could help him reach his dream of becoming an idol. She cleans, cooks, works three jobs and does nothing for herself because she loves him so much, but gets nothing in return. Still, she remains by his side. But then one day she goes unannounced to his agency with a delivery, and overhears him talking about her; he reveals to his manager that he only took her with him as a maid, and that he doesn't care for her at all. Upon hearing this, Kyouko doesn't just sit around and cry. She cuts and dyes her hair, changes her clothes and attitude and thus begins her journey to join showbiz and have her revenge against Shou.



Tags: Acting , Revenge , Female Protagonist , Work , Shoujo , Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Fashion

Kaleido Star

Also known as Kaleido Star.

Studio: GONZO , Production I.G , TV Tokyo , Hal Film Maker , ADV Films , Funimation , G&G Entertainment , Horipro , MediaNet
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Sports , Supernatural

Sora, a young girl from Japan, comes to America in search of her dream. She wants, with all her heart, to be a member of the Kaleido Stage, a world famous circus, with a combination of musicals, acrobatics and magical effects. With the help of her friends, she struggles to make this dream come true.

Tags: Circus , Female Protagonist , Foreign , Acting , Coming of Age , Acrobatics , Work , Fairy Tale , Ghost , Dancing , Animals , Primarily Teen Cast , Musical Theater , Idol , Police , Cosplay

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

Also known as Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju.

Studio: Studio DEEN
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

The story revolves around a mature prisoner who was released on good behavior during Japan's Shouwa Genroku era (1960s to early 1970s). He is called Yotarou by others, a term that means an "anti-hero" or a "dim-witted man." When he returns to society, he starts a new life in rakugo (comic storytelling). Touched by Yakumo's role as the "grim reaper," he asks the master to take him in as an apprentice. Most of the season delves into Yakumo's own past during World War II and the years afterward.



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

Tags: Rakugo , Tragedy , Acting , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Josei , Love Triangle , Time Skip , Male Protagonist , Disability , Meta , War , Suicide , Elderly Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast

Full Moon wo Sagashite

Also known as Full Moon.

Studio: Studio DEEN , Viz Media , NAS
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Mahou Shoujo , Music , Romance , Supernatural

Twelve-year-old Kouyama Mitsuki was devastated when she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor of the throat. She had made a promise to the boy she loves that she would one day become a singer, but her illness made singing impossible. To make matters even worse, two angels of death, Takuto and Meroko, appeared to Mitsuki and informed her that she only had one year left to live. This news provides an even greater motivation for Mitsuki to fulfill her dreams, and with a little bit of divine intervention, she begins her quest to become a professional singer so she can be reunited with Eichi before time runs out.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Idol , Musical Theater , Shoujo , Angels , Tragedy , Heterosexual , Afterlife , Found Family , Denpa , Disability , Philosophy , Urban Fantasy , Work , Unrequited Love , Henshin , Youkai , Rehabilitation , Age Gap , Kemonomimi , Orphan , Primarily Child Cast , Suicide , Mythology , Nekomimi , School , Animals , Love Triangle , Reincarnation

[Oshi no Ko]

Also known as Oshi No Ko.

Studio: Doga Kobo , KADOKAWA , Shueisha , Doga Kobo , CyberAgent
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

When a pregnant young starlet appears in Gorou Amemiya’s countryside medical clinic, the doctor takes it upon himself to safely (and secretly) deliver Ai Hoshino’s child so she can make a scandal-free return to the stage. But no good deed goes unpunished, and on the eve of her delivery, he finds himself slain at the hands of Ai’s deluded stalker — and subsequently reborn as Ai’s child, Aquamarine Hoshino! The glitz and glamor of showbiz hide the dark underbelly of the entertainment industry, threatening to dull the shine of his favorite star. Can he help his new mother rise to the top of the charts? And what will he do when unthinkable disaster strikes?



Note: Episode 1【推しの子】Mother and Children was pre-screened in advance in Japanese theaters on March 17, 2023. The regular TV broadcast began on April 12, 2023. The first episode has an extended runtime of ~82 minutes.

Tags: Acting , Tragedy , Idol , Revenge , Twins , Male Protagonist , Urban , Reincarnation , Pregnant , Detective , Seinen , Tsundere , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , Anti-Hero , Time Skip , Age Regression , Orphan , Filmmaking , Ensemble Cast , Bullying , Love Triangle , Family Life , Urban Fantasy , Primarily Female Cast , Heterosexual , Fake Relationship , School , Suicide , Otaku Culture , Female Harem , Bowling

Sennen Joyuu

Also known as Millennium Actress.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Genco , WOWOW , KLOCKWORX , Kadokawa Shoten , Bandai Visual , Techno Sound , Chaos Union
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Millennium Actress blurs the lines between the past and the present, and truth and fiction, when a documentary filmmaker fulfills his quest to find the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, and learn why she mysteriously vanished at the height of her brilliant career. When Chiyoko grants the filmmaker’s request, he, in turn, presents her with a token – a key she had lost and thought was gone forever. The filmmaker could not have imagined that the key would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life, but also his own.



Note: The film received an early premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 28, 2001.

Tags: Acting , Biographical , Historical , Meta , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Work , Unrequited Love , Time Skip , Heterosexual , Coming of Age , War , Snowscape , Filmmaking , Class Struggle , Anachronism , Denpa , Fugitive , Swordplay , Age Gap

Princess Tutu

Also known as Princess Tutu.

Studio: Hal Film Maker , ADV Films , Memory-Tech , GANSIS , Marvelous , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Mystery , Psychological , Romance

In a fairy tale come to life, the clumsy, sweet, and gentle Ahiru (Japanese for 'duck') seems like an unlikely protagonist. In reality, Ahiru is just as magical as the talking cats and crocodiles that inhabit her town - for Ahiru really is a duck! Transformed by the mysterious Drosselmeyer into a human girl, Ahiru soon learns the reason for her existence. Using her magical egg-shaped pendant, Ahiru can transform into Princess Tutu - a beautiful and talented ballet dancer whose dances relieve people of the turmoil in their hearts. With her newfound ability, Ahiru accepts the challenge of collecting the lost shards of her prince's heart, for long ago he had shattered it in order to seal an evil raven away for all eternity.

Princess Tutu is a tale of heroes and their struggle against fate. Their beliefs, their feelings, and ultimately their actions will determine whether this fairy tale can reach its "happily ever after."

Princess Tutu aired in two parts. The first part included 13 25-minute-long episodes, while the second part consisted of 24 12-minute-long episodes with a 25-minute-long final episode for a total of 38 episodes.

Tags: Fairy Tale , Dancing , Meta , Henshin , Writing , Female Protagonist , Boarding School , Surreal Comedy , Kuudere , Philosophy , Tragedy , Anthropomorphism , Magic , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , Animals , Episodic , Unrequited Love , Shapeshifting , Foreign , School , Tsundere , Reincarnation , Dissociative Identities , Necromancy , Super Power , Ghost , Swordplay

Pretty Rhythm: Aurora Dream

Studio: Nomad , Tatsunoko Production , TV Tokyo , Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions , Avex Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Sports

Prism Stars are performers on the new popular ice show, Prism Show. They are superidols whose techniques, singing and fashion sense are a cut above all others. Aira and Rizumu are two Prism Stars whose goal is to become the best, the Prism Queen. However, the road to success is bumpy.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Ice Skating , Primarily Female Cast , Fashion , Musical Theater , Idol , CGI , Kids , Police , Amnesia , Adoption

Onii-sama e...

Also known as Dear Brother.

Studio: NHK , NHK Enterprises , Tezuka Productions
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

Before leaving her cram school, Nanako Misonō asks one of the teachers if they can become pen-pals. The teacher, Takehiko Henmi, is reluctant at first, but eventually accepts the offer. The story is narrated through the letters sent from Nanako as she enters Seiran, a renowned private high school for girls only. There she encounters many difficulties as an ordinary middle-class girl invited to the prestigious Sorority, the most traditional and sophisticated club on campus..



Tags: Shoujo , Boarding School , Tragedy , School , Ojou-sama , Coming of Age , Bullying , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , LGBTQ+ Themes , Yuri , Tomboy , Suicide , Drugs , Heterosexual , Villainess , Trains , Basketball