Anime like Mary to Majo no Hana

Majo no Takkyuubin

Also known as Kiki's Delivery Service.

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

Kiki is an enterprising young girl who must follow tradition to become a full-fledged witch. Venturing out with only her chatty black cat, Jiji, Kiki flies off for the adventure of a lifetime. Landing in a far-off city, she sets up a high-flying delivery service and begins a wonderful experience of independence and responsibility as she finds her place in the world.



Tags: Coming of Age , Witch , Urban Fantasy , Female Protagonist , Magic , Primarily Female Cast , Work , Coastal , Kids , Urban , Primarily Adult Cast , Aviation , Animals , Travel , Drawing , Iyashikei , Motorcycles , Pregnancy

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

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

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

Birthday Wonderland

Also known as The Wonderland.

Studio: Signal.MD
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

The story follows Akane, a girl with no self-confidence. On the day before her birthday, she meets a mysterious alchemist Hippocrates and their student Pipo, who both tell her they're on a mission to save the world. Together, they set out from the basement for "Wonderland," and Akane finds herself labelled Wonderland's savior.

Tags: Isekai , Magic , Environmental , Female Protagonist , Animals , Cars , CGI

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 , Steampunk , Pirates , Environmental , Aviation , Fugitive , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Military , Travel , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Robots , Guns , Primarily Male Cast , Trains , Shounen

Mahoutsukai ni Narenakatta Onnanoko no Hanashi.

Also known as The Stories of Girls Who Couldn't Be Magicians.

Studio: J.C.STAFF , Asmik Ace , Fosun Entertainment Japan , Sotsu , NetEase Games , J.C.STAFF , Bunka Housou , KADOKAWA
Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy

At Rettoran Magic Academy, two unlikely friends share one dream: to become magicians. Kurumi is an average girl who’s a bit naive, while Yuzu is the distinguished daughter of a noble magician family. They need to get into a special magician training class, but they fail the entrance exam! All hope seems lost until mysterious homeroom teacher Minami Suzuki arrives, and their luck takes a sudden turn.



Tags: Boarding School , Witch , Female Protagonist , Magic , School , Animals , Conspiracy , Ensemble Cast , School Club , Shapeshifting , Ojou-sama , Kids

Wakaokami wa Shougakusei! (Movie)

Also known as Okko's Inn.

Studio: MADHOUSE , DLE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life , Supernatural

The film will tell a story not told in either the original book series or the television series — specifically, a story about "Okko" and her parents.



Tags: Ghost , Female Protagonist , Demons , Primarily Child Cast , Inn , Work , Rural , Ojou-sama , CGI

Omoide no Marnie

Also known as When Marnie Was There.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Madman Entertainment , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological

Suffering from frequent asthma attacks, young Anna Sasaki is quiet, unsociable, and isolated from her peers, causing her foster parent endless worry. Upon recommendation by the doctor, Anna is sent to the countryside, in hope the cleaner air and more relaxing lifestyle will improve her health and help clear her mind. Engaging in her passion for sketching, Anna spends her summer days living with her aunt and uncle in a small town near the sea.

One day while wandering outside, Anna discovers an abandoned mansion known as the Marsh House. However, she soon finds that the residence isn't as vacant as it appears to be, running into a mysterious girl named Marnie. Marnie's bubbly demeanor slowly begins to draw Anna out of her shell as she returns night after night to meet with her new friend. But it seems there is more to the strange girl than meets the eye—as her time in the town nears its end, Anna begins to discover the truth behind the walls of the Marsh House.

Omoide no Marnie tells the touching story of a young girl's journey through self-discovery and friendship, and the summer that she will remember for the rest of her life.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Rural , Ghost , Outdoor Activities , Tragedy , Time Manipulation , Drawing , Amnesia , Disability , Classic Literature , Ojou-sama , Bullying , Estranged Family , Kids , Coastal

Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka

Also known as The Boy and the Heron.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Toho
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Supernatural

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother’s tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy’s mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the “long-awaited one.”



Tags: Fairy Tale , Animals , Coming of Age , Isekai , Shapeshifting , Urban Fantasy , Anthropomorphism , Philosophy , Autobiographical , Male Protagonist , Adoption , Tragedy , Time Manipulation , Historical , Rural , Orphan , Pregnancy , Age Regression , War , CGI , Family Life , Archery , Bullying