Anime like Mind Game

Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei

Also known as The Tatami Galaxy.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Funimation , Sony Music Entertainment , Fujipacific Music
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Mystery , Psychological , Romance

When a college dropout stops for a late night bite at a mysterious ramen stand, he crosses paths with a self-proclaimed deity of matrimony. This bizarre meeting sends the young man hurtling through a horrifying flashback to his not-so-glorious college days when the influence of a cruel new friend turned him from a hopeless romantic into a mischievous “black cupid.”



Tags: Coming of Age , College , Time Loop , Surreal Comedy , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Alternate Universe , Primarily Adult Cast , Episodic , Time Manipulation , Achronological Order , School Club , Cult , Meta , Heterosexual , Satire , Ensemble Cast , Mixed Media , Proxy Battle , Hikikomori , Cowboys , Mythology , Cycling , Tennis , Gods , LGBTQ+ Themes

Tekkon Kinkreet

Also known as Tekkonkinkreet.

Studio: Horipro , Aniplex , Studio 4°C
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Psychological , Supernatural

Black and White are two orphans who roam the streets of Treasure Town, beating down any thug or yakuza who gets in their way. When mysterious foreign entrepreneurs appear with the intention of tearing down Treasure Town and replacing it with an amusement park, Black and White face their greatest adversaries yet. It is up to the destructive Black to save the fate of the city and up to the gentle White to save Black from his own dark nature.

Tags: Found Family , Coming of Age , Gangs , Urban , Primarily Child Cast , Crime , Orphan , Philosophy , Urban Fantasy , Homeless , Yakuza , Male Protagonist , Dissociative Identities , Parkour , Primarily Male Cast , Seinen , Conspiracy , Guns , Fugitive , Nudity , Cars , Time Skip

Kuuchuu Buranko

Also known as Welcome to Irabu's Office.

Studio: Toei Animation , Sony Music Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Psychological

Many patients with different problems visit the psychiatric ward of Irabu General Hospital; a trapeze artist suffering from insomnia after suddenly failing his jumps, a gangster afraid of knives and sharp objects and a business man who has an erection 24 hours a day. They undergo counseling by Dr. Ichiro Irabu, who is the child-like son of the hospital director. His assistant is the sullen faced sexy nurse Mayumi. With his mysterious injections, and advice that does not make sense, Dr. Irabu confuses his patients. But at the end of his unique treatments, the patients are led to digging further into their souls to find peace of mind.



Tags: Denpa , Achronological Order , Surreal Comedy , Episodic , Medicine , Satire , Rotoscoping , Primarily Male Cast , Urban , Meta , Primarily Adult Cast , Educational , Male Protagonist , Mixed Media , Baseball , Kuudere , Psychosexual , Yakuza

Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome

Also known as The Night is Short, Walk on Girl.

Studio: Science SARU
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance

A black haired girl is walking around the streets of Kyoto, from the night scene of Pontocho to a second-hand book fair in Shimogamo, then off to a college fair. The main character that has a romantic feeling for her secretly follows her around and looks for the opportunities to run into her in a manner that seems like a coincidence. Unfortunately for him, she is not interested in love yet, so she does not notice his feelings. What awaits these two characters are a series of crazy incidents caused by bizarre individuals, such as a person who introduces himself as Tengu, the god of second-hand books, or a money lender, who collects young men's underwear and lives on a three story barge.



Tags: Surreal Comedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Coming of Age , LGBTQ+ Themes , Musical Theater , Bar , Heterosexual , College , Crossdressing , Trains

Sonny Boy

Also known as Sonny Boy.

Studio: MADHOUSE , BS Asahi , Shouchiku , Marui Group
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

It’s an ordinary summer vacation...except for the fact that Nagara’s high school has mysteriously drifted into another dimension. As the students begin to develop strange new powers, will they work together to survive the alien environment and find a way home, or will their newly formed factions and rivalries turn on each other?



Note: The first episode received an advance release on YouTube on June 19, 2021. The regular TV broadcast started on July 16, 2021.

Tags: Alternate Universe , Philosophy , Denpa , Coming of Age , Super Power , Survival , Primarily Teen Cast , Travel , Isekai , Meta , Achronological Order , School , Cosmic Horror , Mixed Media , Episodic , Tragedy , Wilderness , Gods , Unrequited Love , Animals , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Desert , Baseball , Space , Suicide

FLCL

Also known as FLCL.

Studio: Gainax , Production I.G , Starchild Records , Funimation , GANSIS
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Mecha , Sci-Fi

Naota is a detached sixth grader afflicted by the pangs of puberty. He's fooling around with his brother's ex-girlfriend when a crazed girl on a motor scooter runs him over, brains him with a bass guitar, and moves into his house. This pink-haired girl, Haruko - who claims she's an alien - hurls Naota into the middle of a mega-corporation's secret agenda. Oh, and now giant battling robots shoot from his skull. Mix in mind-bending animation and tunes that echo through your cerebellum to top off the trip that will have you falling hard for FLCL.



Tags: Coming of Age , Surreal Comedy , Psychosexual , Male Protagonist , Age Gap , Meta , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Robots , Primarily Teen Cast , Slapstick , Denpa , Love Triangle , Aliens , Parody , Mopeds , Heterosexual , Vore , Amnesia , Guns , Kaiju , Urban , Gods , Super Robot , Body Horror , Real Robot , Nudity , Episodic , Baseball , CGI

Kemonozume

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Horror , Romance , Supernatural

A race of cannibal monsters called the Shokujinki exists and it is the job of the Kifuuken, an elite group of beast-hunters, to stop them. Toshihiko Momota, an expert swordsman and son of the Kifuuken organization's leader, unexpectedly falls in love at first sight with a beautiful girl named Yuka. However, the couple's relationship is much more complicated than it seems at first glance, for Yuka is a Shokujinki.


Tags: Primarily Adult Cast , Body Horror , Fugitive , Demons , Heterosexual , Shapeshifting , Urban Fantasy , Tragedy , Gore , Monster Girl , Nudity , Conspiracy , Samurai , Surreal Comedy , Denpa , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Love Triangle , Swordplay , Slapstick

Inu-ou

Also known as Inu-Oh.

Studio: Science SARU , Asmik Ace , Aniplex
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Music , Supernatural

Musical fantasy film based on Hideo Furukawa's Heike Monogatari: Inu-Ou no Maki (Tales of the Heike: Inu-Ou) novel.

Inu-Oh is born with unique physical characteristics. His parents cover every inch of his body with garments, including a mask on his face. One day, Inu-Oh meets a blind boy named Tomona, a biwa player. As Tomona starts to sing and play, Inu-Oh is amazed to discover he has an incredible ability to dance. The two become inseparable. Tomona and Inu-Oh start sharing their talent with audiences. Their performances quickly gain acclaim and draw crowds. But why is Tomona blind? Why was Inu-Oh born looking like he does? A story about a legendary artist from 14th-century Japan, who defied fate to forge his own destiny. An anime in the form of a rock operetta with spectacular music and dance sequences.



Note: The film received an early premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 9, 2021.

Tags: Band , Musical Theater , Anachronism , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Dancing , Historical , Tragedy , Disability , Rock Music , Curses , Acting , Time Skip , Samurai , Ghost , Crossdressing , Demons , Gore

Space☆Dandy 2

Also known as Space Dandy 2.

Studio: bones , BS Fuji , Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures , Bandai Visual , flying DOG , Funimation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Sci-Fi

The second season of Space☆Dandy.

Space Dandy is a dandy guy, in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Each new species he discovers earns him a hefty reward, but this dandy has to be quick on his feet because it's first come, first served! Accompanied by his sidekicks, a rundown robot named QT and Meow the cat-looking space alien, Dandy bravely explores unknown worlds inhabited by a variety of aliens. Join the best dressed alien hunter in all of space and time as he embarks on an adventure that ends at the edge of the universe!



Tags: Space , Episodic , Surreal Comedy , Aliens , Parody , Achronological Order , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Musical Theater , Meta , Robots , Dancing , Heterosexual , Band , Gods , Afterlife

Kaiba

Also known as Kaiba.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

It is now possible to store memory data, so that the death of your body is not actually "death". As memories are stored in databanks, they can be "transferred" to new bodies. Because so-called "memory trading" now occurs, it is now possible to steal memories and illegally alter them.

Society has fallen apart as authority has become lost and stagnant.

One day, a man awakens in a ruined room. His name is Kaiba. He has no memories, but he does have a pendant with a picture of an unknown woman inside.

In the skies are roiling clouds and electrical storms, impossible to pass without losing one's memories; above them lies the elusive realm of the rich and powerful, who barter others' bodies and memories for their own enjoyment and longevity. Below lies a troubled and dangerous world where good bodies are hard to come by and real money is scarce.

After suddenly being attacked, Kaiba escapes into space, and during his travels meets all sorts of people and regains his memories. Throughout it, he continues to be troubled by the world's problems, as well as his own existence. And what of the woman in the pendant, Neiro?

Tags: Amnesia , Dystopian , Memory Manipulation , Body Swapping , Philosophy , Space , Clone , Tragedy , Cyberpunk , Conspiracy , Gender Bending , Heterosexual , Body Horror , Fugitive , Cult , Terrorism , Post-Apocalyptic , Male Protagonist , Episodic , Cosmic Horror , Aliens , Psychosexual , Crime , Primarily Child Cast , Class Struggle , Drugs