Anime like Mushishi

Natsume Yuujinchou

Also known as Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1.

Studio: Aniplex , Brain's Base , NAS , NIS America Inc. , TV Tokyo Music , Sony Music Entertainment , Trilogy Future Studio
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Natsume has always been an outcast because he inherited his grandmother's ability to see yokai. After moving to his grandmother's hometown and accidentally releasing a yokai imprisoned in a Lucky Cat statue, he learns about his grandmother's "Book of Friends," which contains the names of the yokai she defeated, and allows its wielder to command the yokai named within. Since then, yokai now visit him on a daily basis, seeking to either get their names back or take possession of the Book of Friends.



Tags: Youkai , Iyashikei , Episodic , Male Protagonist , Adoption , Found Family , Rural , Shoujo , Urban Fantasy , Estranged Family , Bullying , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Shapeshifting , Outdoor Activities , Exorcism , Tsundere , Coming of Age

Kino no Tabi: the Beautiful World

Also known as Kino's Journey.

Studio: WOWOW , Genco , A.C.G.T. , Sentai Filmworks , Studio Wombat
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Psychological , Slice of Life

Based on a hit light novel series by Keiichi Sigsawa, the philosophical Kino's Journey employs the time-honored motif of the road trip as a vehicle for self-discovery and universal truth. Deeply meditative and cooler than zero, the series follows the existential adventures of the apt marksman Kino along with talking motorcycle Hermes as they travel the world and learn much about themselves in the process. Imaginative, thought-provoking, and sometimes disturbing, Kino's journey is documented in an episodic style with an emphasis on atmosphere rather than action or plot, though still prevalent.

Tags: Philosophy , Episodic , Travel , Foreign , Tragedy , Meta , Motorcycles , Achronological Order , Dystopian , Female Protagonist , Agender , Guns , Rural , Steampunk , Snowscape , Mopeds , Politics , Cannibalism , Robots , Kuudere , Battle Royale , Aviation , War , Tanks

Sousou no Frieren

Also known as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.

Studio: Toho , MADHOUSE , Shogakukan , Nippon Television Network , Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions , Aniplex , Dentsu
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

The adventure is over but life goes on for an elf mage just beginning to learn what living is all about. Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to understand what life means to the people around her? Decades after their victory, the funeral of one her friends confronts Frieren with her own near immortality. Frieren sets out to fulfill the last wishes of her comrades and finds herself beginning a new adventure…



Tags: Travel , Magic , Elf , Philosophy , Medieval , Time Skip , Found Family , Female Protagonist , Iyashikei , Kuudere , Foreign , Demons , Adoption , Rural , Heterosexual , Episodic , Rotoscoping , Dungeon , Aromantic , Shounen , Asexual , Religion , Snowscape , Dragons , Food , Clone

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 , Episodic , Gore , Primarily Adult Cast , Cult , Mixed Media , Ships , Pregnancy , Orphan , Inn , Crime , Cosmic Horror , Trains , Time Skip , Travel , Oiran , Samurai , Incest , LGBTQ+ Themes

Fumetsu no Anata e

Also known as To Your Eternity.

Studio: Brain's Base , NHK Enterprises , NHK
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Psychological , Supernatural

In the beginning, an "orb" is cast unto Earth. "It" can do two things: change into the form of the thing that stimulates "it"; and come back to life after death. "It" morphs from orb to rock, then to wolf, and finally to boy, but roams about like a newborn who knows nothing. As a boy, "it" becomes Fushi.

Through encounters with human kindness, Fushi not only gains survival skills but grows as a "person". But his journey is darkened by the inexplicable and destructive enemy Nokker and cruel partings with the people he loves.



Tags: Shapeshifting , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Rural , Philosophy , Travel , Ensemble Cast , Survival , Agender , Body Horror , Foreign , Shounen , Animals , CGI , Medieval , Indigenous Cultures , Gore , Time Skip , Afterlife , Orphan , Adoption , Historical , Primarily Female Cast , Yandere , Prison , Language Barrier , Memory Manipulation , Snowscape , Zombie , Demons , Battle Royale

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou

Also known as Girls' Last Tour.

Studio: WHITE FOX , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Civilization is dead, but Chito and Yuuri are still alive. So they hop aboard their beloved Kettenkrad motorbike and aimlessly wander the ruins of the world they once knew. Day after hopeless day, they look for their next meal and fuel for their ride. But as long as the two are together, even an existence as bleak as theirs has a ray or two of sunshine in it, whether they're sucking down their fill of soup or hunting for machine parts to tinker with. For two girls in a world full of nothing, the experiences and feelings the two share give them something to live for…



Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Lost Civilization , Philosophy , Episodic , Iyashikei , Tragedy , Travel , Female Protagonist , Environmental , Urban , Survival , Denpa , Primarily Female Cast , Chibi , Military , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Seinen , Robots , Tanks , Kuudere , Snowscape , Artificial Intelligence , Aliens , CGI , Guns , Photography , Nudity

ARIA The ANIMATION

Also known as ARIA The ANIMATION.

Studio: Hal Film Maker , The Right Stuf International
Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Drift peacefully into Neo Venezia, a city on the planet Aqua (formerly known as Mars). By the 24th century, humans have found a way to colonize the previously uninhabitable planet. As futuristic as that sounds, Neo Venezia is still teeming with rustic beauty; gondolas on wide canals and waterways are the main mode of transportation. The city itself is a faithful replication of Manhome's (the planet formerly known as Earth) Venice.

To make sure that residents and tourists alike get the most from Neo Venezia's many wonders, companies offering guided tours via gondola were formed, one of which is named Aria Company.

This is the workplace of Akari Mizunashi, a free spirited teenager from Manhome who is now a novice Undine (the title given to tour guides). Join Akari as she becomes intimately acquainted with other Undine, tourists, Neo Venezia's residents, and even the city itself, learning many valuable life lessons along the way, such as the wonderful truth that there are such things as manmade miracles.

Tags: Iyashikei , Ships , Work , Philosophy , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Foreign , Urban Fantasy , Episodic , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Urban , Space , Time Manipulation , Animals , Primarily Teen Cast , Shounen , Kuudere , Chibi , Tanned Skin , Yuri

Haibane Renmei

Also known as Haibane Renmei.

Studio: Radix , Funimation , Fuji TV , Kourin Mitsuzou Koubou
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Slice of Life

A dream of falling from the sky... and then birth. Rakka is born from a large cocoon into the Old Home, greeted by a group of girls with small wings on their backs and shining halos above their heads. Soon Rakka’s own wings grow, a halo is placed on her head and she is told that she must work in the nearby town of Grie. She soon realizes that the town and the entire world they live in are confined behind the Wall, a tall, impenetrable wall that none except the mysterious Toga are allowed to exit.



Tags: Angels , Philosophy , Found Family , Female Protagonist , Afterlife , Amnesia , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Rehabilitation , Suicide , Primarily Female Cast , Rural , Religion , Family Life , Drawing , Reincarnation , Delinquents , Adoption

xxxHOLiC

Also known as xxxHOLiC.

Studio: Production I.G , Funimation , BMG Japan , Kids Station , Kodansha
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Watanuki Kimihiro can see spirits and other assorted supernatural creatures, which is quite a bothersome ability he strongly dislikes. On the way home one day, while plagued by some spirits, he is inexplicably compelled to enter a strange house. There, he encounters Yuuko, a mysterious woman who claims to be able to rid him of the ability to see and attract the troublesome creatures – for a price. She demands for him to work at her "store" that grants wishes to people, and thus begins Watanuki's adventures through weird and wonderful events.

Tags: Mythology , Urban Fantasy , Youkai , Male Protagonist , Football , Curses , Episodic , Philosophy , Seinen , Denpa , Work , Animals , Ghost , Ensemble Cast , Orphan , School , Gods , Twins , Archery

Hotarubi no Mori e

Also known as Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light.

Studio: Aniplex , Brain's Base , Hakusensha , DAX Production , TV Tokyo , NAS
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Romance , Supernatural

The story of Hotarubi no Mori e centers around Hotaru, a little girl who gets lost in an enchanted forest where apparitions reside. A young boy, Gin, appears before Hotaru, but she cannot touch him for fear of making him disappear.

Tags: Coming of Age , Youkai , Ghost , Tragedy , Rural , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Shoujo , Female Protagonist , Time Skip , Age Gap , Heterosexual , Iyashikei , Wilderness