Anime like Majo no Takkyuubin

Howl no Ugoku Shiro

Also known as Howl‘s Moving Castle.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , d-rights , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell.



Tags: Magic , Elderly Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Steampunk , Witch , War , Monster Boy , Shapeshifting , Heterosexual , Disability , Fairy Tale , Found Family , Curses , Age Gap , Travel , Philosophy , Rural , Time Manipulation , Politics , Maids , Demons , Aviation , CGI , Coming of Age

Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi

Also known as Spirited Away.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Studio Hibari , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Supernatural

On the way to their new home, 10-year-old Chihiro Ogino's family stumbles upon a deserted theme park. Intrigued, the family investigates the park, though unbeknownst to them, it is secretly inhabited by spirits who sleep by day and appear at night. When Chihiro's mother and father eat food from a restaurant in the street, angry spirits turn them into pigs. Furthermore, a wide sea has appeared between the spirit world and the human one, trapping Chihiro, the sole human, in a land of spirits. Luckily for her though, a mysterious boy named Haku appears, claiming to know her from the past. Under his instructions, Chihiro secures a job in the bathhouse where Haku works. With only her courage and some new found friends to aid her, Chihiro embarks on a journey to turn her parents back to their original forms and return home.

Tags: Female Protagonist , Youkai , Shapeshifting , Magic , Urban Fantasy , Coming of Age , Work , Mythology , Curses , Gods , Witch , Anthropomorphism , Isekai , Memory Manipulation , Travel , Dragons , Trains , Primarily Child Cast , Twins

Mimi wo Sumaseba

Also known as Whisper of the Heart.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

During summer vacation, a schoolgirl named Shizuku, who longs to discover her true talents, observes an ordinary-looking cat riding by himself on the train. Intrigued, she decides to follow him. This chance encounter leads her to the mysterious Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers in her heart. Soon, Shizuku's exciting adventures carry her far beyond the boundaries of her imagination.



Tags: Coming of Age , Writing , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Shoujo , Animals , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Tsundere , Fairy Tale , Crossover , Love Triangle , Kemonomimi , Nekomimi , Unrequited Love , Cycling

Little Witch Academia (TV)

Also known as Little Witch Academia (TV).

Studio: TRIGGER
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy

In a time when magic is on the decline amid society, Atsuko Kagari is a cheerful girl who enters Luna Nova Academy in order to accomplish her dream of becoming a witch like her idol, Shiny Chariot. Shiny is a famous witch who disappeared from public view many years ago. On her way to school, Kagari meets the kind Lotte Yanson and the mischevious Sucy Manbavaran and the three become friends as they share a bedroom in campus. At the academy, Atsuko soon discovers she is in serious disadvantage compared to the other girls since she doesn`t come from a magical family and is required to learn the magical curriculum from scratch. Having found an item that once belonged to Chariot, Atsuko must discover how to activate and properly use the mysterious Shiny Rod as she hopes it might lead to finding out what has truly happened to her vanished idol.



Tags: Magic , Witch , School , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Boarding School , Swordplay , Episodic , Urban Fantasy , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Teen Cast , Ojou-sama , Kemonomimi , LGBTQ+ Themes , Ghost , Super Robot , Shapeshifting

Tonari no Totoro

Also known as My Neighbor Totoro.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Studio Fantasia , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters, including a cat that doubles as a bus, takes them on a journey through the wonders of nature.



Tags: Family Life , Primarily Child Cast , Rural , Youkai , Wilderness , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Kids , Gods , Primarily Female Cast , Iyashikei , Environmental

Flying Witch

Also known as Flying Witch.

Studio: J.C.STAFF , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life , Supernatural

Traditionally, when a witch turns 15, she's supposed to go out into the world alone to study magic. Makoto's parents, however, believe that their directionally-challenged daughter should get a high school degree. Instead of being sent out on her own, Makoto and her cat Chito find themselves traveling from the bustling city of Yokohama to Aomori Prefecture, where they'll stay with relatives until Makoto finishes school. It's going to be a big adjustment, and it only gets more complicated since "normal" people aren't supposed to know that witches exist… something that she tends to forget.



Tags: Iyashikei , Witch , Rural , Female Protagonist , Magic , Episodic , Family Life , Urban Fantasy , Primarily Female Cast , Agriculture , Primarily Teen Cast , Tanned Skin , Ghost , Shounen

Majo no Tabitabi

Also known as Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina.

Studio: C2C , Lantis , Kadokawa Shoten , Movic , Bandai Namco Arts , AT-X , SB Creative , Kadokawa Media House
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Slice of Life

Inspired by her favorite book, Elaina ventures out to see the world she's read so much about. Like a leaf on the wind, she travels from one country to another, looking to sate her inquisitiveness and searching for new experiences. She's confronted by humanity in all its forms, whether strange, bizarre, or emotional. Exploration and curiosity drive her journey. Where to next, Elaina?



Tags: Witch , Episodic , Magic , Female Protagonist , Travel , Primarily Female Cast , Time Skip , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Achronological Order , Tragedy , LGBTQ+ Themes , Anti-Hero , Dragons , Medieval , Yuri , Gore , Time Manipulation , Foreign , Philosophy , Alternate Universe , Body Swapping , Gangs , Slavery , Suicide , Iyashikei , Amnesia

Mary to Majo no Hana

Also known as Mary and The Witch's Flower.

Studio: Studio Ponoc
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

Young Mary follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest and discovers an old broomstick and a strange flower, a rare plant that blossoms once every seven years. Together, the flower and the broomstick whisk Mary above the clouds, and far away to Endor College – a school of magic run by headmistress Madam Mumblechook and the brilliant Doctor Dee. But there are terrible things happening at the school, and when Mary tells a lie, she must risk her life to try and set things right.



Tags: Witch , Magic , Female Protagonist , Kids , Foreign , Coming of Age , Primarily Child Cast , Animals , Isekai , School

Little Witch Academia

Also known as Little Witch Academia.

Studio: TRIGGER
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy

For young witches everywhere, the world-renowned witch Shiny Chariot reigns as the most revered and celebrated role model. But as the girls age, so do their opinions of her—now just the mention of Chariot would get a witch labeled a child. However, undeterred in her blind admiration for Chariot, ordinary girl Atsuko Kagari enrolls into Luna Nova Magical Academy, hoping to someday become just as mesmerizing as her idol.

However, the witch academy isn't all the fun and games Atsuko thought it would be: boring lectures, strict teachers, and students who mock Chariot plague the campus. Coupled with her own ineptness in magic, she's seen as little more than a rebel student. But when a chance finally presents itself to prove herself to her peers and teachers, she takes it, and now it's up to her to stop a rampaging dragon before it flattens the entire academy.

Little Witch Academia is one of the four anime works that each received 38 million yen (about US$480,000) from the "2012 Young Animator Training Project." Just like in 2010 and 2011, the animation labor group received 214.5 million yen (US$2.65 million) from the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and it distributed most of those funds to studios who train young animators on-the-job.

Positive response to the movie led Studio Trigger to run a Kickstarter funding a sequel, which surpassed its funding goal.

Tags: Magic , Witch , Female Protagonist , School , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Dungeon , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Ojou-sama , Urban Fantasy , Dragons , Gore

Kurenai no Buta

Also known as Porco Rosso.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Romance

Take flight with "Porco" Rosso, a valiant World War I flying ace! From tropical Adriatic settings to dazzling aerial maneuvers, this action-adventure from world-renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki is full of humor, courage and chivalry. When "Porco" —whose face has been transformed into that of a pig by a mysterious spell— infuriates a band of sky pirates with his aerial heroics, the pirates hire Curtis, a rival pilot, to "get rid" of him. On the ground, the two pilots compete for the affections of the beautiful Gina. But it is in the air where the true battles are waged. Will our hero be victorious?



Tags: Aviation , Foreign , Anthropomorphism , Historical , Philosophy , Primarily Adult Cast , Coastal , Age Gap , Male Protagonist , Pirates , Fugitive , Travel , Military , Heterosexual , Fairy Tale , War , Primarily Male Cast , Guns , Boxing