Anime like Mononoke: Karakasa

Mononoke

Also known as Mononoke.

Studio: Toei Animation , Asmik Ace , Sony Music Entertainment , Dentsu , SKY Perfect Well Think , Fuji TV , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Mononoke is a spin-off of the Bakeneko story arc of Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror. It follows the Medicine Seller as he deals with various spirits or "Mononoke" in feudal Japan. Just like in the Bakeneko story, he combats with a series of tools and his vast knowledge of the supernatural on his side, but can only slay the Mononoke when he uncovers its form (Katachi), the truth behind its appearance (Makoto) and the reason for its unusual behavior (Kotowari).



Tags: Youkai , Demons , Ghost , Historical , Detective , Exorcism , Ensemble Cast , Anthology , Philosophy , Body Horror , Male Protagonist , Gore , Primarily Adult Cast , Cult , Mixed Media , Ships , Pregnancy , Orphan , Inn , Crime , Cosmic Horror , Trains , Time Skip , Travel , Oiran , Samurai , Incest , LGBTQ+ Themes

ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror

Also known as Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales.

Studio: Toei Animation , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Psychological , Supernatural

A collection of three classic Japanese horror stories: "Yotsuya Kaidan," the story of a wife betrayed by her husband who seeks vengeance even in death. "Tenshu Monogatari," the story of forbidden love between a goddess and a human, and "Bakeneko," the story of a mysterious cat monster with a vendetta against a certain family.

Tags: Historical , Youkai , Anthology , Demons , Revenge , Tragedy , Philosophy , Ghost , Gods , Nudity , Travel , Exorcism , Heterosexual , Swordplay , Samurai , Love Triangle

Shoujo Kakumei Utena

Also known as Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Studio: J.C.STAFF , TV Tokyo , The Right Stuf International , Central Park Media , Yomiuri Advertising , SoftX
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Romance

Just after Utena's parents died, she was consoled by a prince who gave her a ring with a rose crest on it. Utena was so impressed by the Prince that she vowed to become one herself one day. A few years later, Utena is attending Ohtori Academy where she gives all the teachers headaches because she dresses in a boy's uniform so she can be like the prince she met long ago.

After Utena's friend is insulted by a member of the Student Council, Utena fights in a duel for her friend's honor. Utena's rose crest allows her to enter the dueling arena, where Utena wins the duel and becomes engaged to the Rose Bride. Unknowingly, Utena is pulled into a series of duels with other members of the Student Council for the possession of the Rose Bride. As she becomes fond of Anthy, the Rose Bride, she must fight to keep her friend safe and to discover the horrifying secret behind Ohtori Academy.



Tags: Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Psychosexual , Philosophy , Fairy Tale , Ensemble Cast , Tomboy , Incest , Yuri , Swordplay , Primarily Teen Cast , Tragedy , Bisexual , LGBTQ+ Themes , Witch , Time Manipulation , Orphan , Age Gap , Surreal Comedy , Cars , School , Unrequited Love , Conspiracy , Memory Manipulation , Fencing , Henshin , Ojou-sama , Meta , Boarding School , Love Triangle , Crossdressing , Episodic , Magic , Bullying , Kuudere , Cheating , Shoujo , Time Loop , Denpa , Twins , Astronomy , Suicide , Athletics , Boys' Love , Politics , Aliens , Body Swapping

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 , Isekai , Meta , Achronological Order , Travel , Cosmic Horror , Mixed Media , School , Episodic , Tragedy , Gods , Wilderness , Male Protagonist , Animals , Unrequited Love , Desert , Heterosexual , Baseball , Space , Suicide

Oooku

Also known as Ōoku: The Inner Chambers.

Studio: Studio DEEN , Netflix
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

In Edo period Japan (1603 to 1868), a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen to a quarter of the total female population. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the Shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected and the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the Shogun's Inner Chambers.



Note: The first episode has a runtime of 1 hour and 18 minutes.

Tags: Matriarchy , Historical , Pandemic , Politics , Tragedy , Royal Affairs , Gender Bending , Samurai , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Shoujo , Crossdressing , Acting , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Achronological Order , LGBTQ+ Themes , Swordplay , Parenthood , Suicide , Tsundere , Religion , Matchmaking , Disability

Karasu wa Aruji wo Erabanai

Also known as YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master.

Studio: NHK , Studio Pierrot , NHK Enterprises , Studio Pierrot
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Supernatural

Welcome to Yamauchi, a world inhabited by the Yatagarasu, a race of three-legged ravens who shapeshift into humans. The land is divided into four regions—North, South, East, and West—each ruled by a noble family. Yukiya, the son of a leader in the North, is shocked by a call to attend to the Imperial Prince. Murder, mysteries, and an invasion from an unexpected enemy await in this epic fantasy.



Tags: Royal Affairs , Conspiracy , Shapeshifting , Politics , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Assassins , Estranged Family , Ojou-sama , Adoption , Philosophy , Swordplay , Ensemble Cast , Gore , Mythology , Anthropomorphism , Augmented Reality

Paprika

Also known as Paprika.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Sony Pictures Entertainment , Techno Sound , Chaos Union , Manga Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Thriller

Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination where reality and dreams collide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject's dream. After being stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device before it falls into the hands of a dream terrorist.



Note: The film received an early premiere at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2006.

Tags: Dissociative Identities , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Philosophy , Body Horror , Denpa , Crime , Conspiracy , Mythology , Meta , Software Development , Detective , Terrorism , Cyberpunk , Circus , Police , Heterosexual , Unrequited Love , Nudity , Primarily Male Cast , 4-koma , Tragedy

Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Adolescence Mokushiroku

Also known as Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena.

Studio: J.C.STAFF , Central Park Media , Toei , Shogakukan , GANSIS
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Romance

In a loose retelling of the Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series, Utena Tenjou arrives at Ohtori Academy, only to be immediately swept up in a series of duels for the hand of her classmate Anthy Himemiya and the power she supposedly holds. At the same time, Utena reunites with Touga Kiryuu, a friend from her childhood who seems to know the secrets behind the duels. Utena must discover those secrets for herself, before the power that rules Ohtori claims her and her friends, new and old.



Tags: Coming of Age , Yuri , LGBTQ+ Themes , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Swordplay , Magic , Tomboy , Philosophy , Bisexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Cars , School , Boarding School , Nudity , Twins , Kuudere , Drugs , Body Horror , Shoujo

Chi. Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite

Also known as Orb: On the Movements of the Earth.

Studio: MADHOUSE , SKY Perfect Pictures , Shogakukan , NHK Enterprises , MADHOUSE , Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

The setting is 15th-century Europe. It was a time when heretical ideas lead those to who possessed such a mindset to being burned at the stake for their beliefs.

The protagonist, Rafał, a child prodigy, is expected to major in theology, the most important subject at the time, at the university where he plans to skip a grade. One day, however, he comes across a mysterious man, and is now studying a possible "truth" in the midst of heretical thought!



Tags: Astronomy , Philosophy , Religion , Ensemble Cast , Seinen , Historical , Foreign , Tragedy , Time Skip , Medieval , Fugitive , Conspiracy , Torture , Meta , Primarily Male Cast , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Politics , Suicide , Gore , Swordplay , Assassins , Alternate Universe , Rural

PERFECT BLUE

Also known as Perfect Blue.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Rex Entertainment , ONIRO , Techno Sound , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Psychological , Thriller

Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go... Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows, in this iconic psychological thriller that has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time.



Note: The film received an early premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on August 5, 1997.

Tags: Dissociative Identities , Denpa , Female Protagonist , Acting , Idol , Primarily Adult Cast , Meta , Work , Filmmaking , Philosophy , Tragedy , Gore , Nudity , Noir