Anime like Mushishi Zoku Shou

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

In feudal Japan, evil spirits known as mononoke plague both households and the countryside, leaving a trail of fear in their wake. One mysterious person has the power to slay the mononoke where they stand; he is known only as the Medicine Seller, and he vanquishes the spirits using the power of his Exorcism Sword. However, in order to draw his sword he must first understand the Form, Truth and Reason of the mononoke. Armed with a sharp wit and keen intellect, the Medicine Seller wanders from place to place, striking down the evil spirits in his wake.



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

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou

Also known as Natsume's Book of Friends Season 2.

Studio: Aniplex , Brain's Base , NAS
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

As with its prequel, Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou is about Natsume Takashi, a boy who has had the ability to see youkai since he was young, and his bodyguard youkai, Madara, nicknamed Nyanko-sensei. Natsume attempts to return names written in his Book of Friends, which he inherited from his grandmother Reiko, to youkai in his village. Throughout these adventures, he meets some youkai that are friendly, some that want to steal the Book of Friends, and some that want to kill him. Natsume learns about himself and his relationship with youkai along the way.



Tags: Youkai , Episodic , Iyashikei , Male Protagonist , Mythology , Adoption , Rural , Found Family , Shoujo , Shapeshifting , Family Life , Urban Fantasy , Estranged Family , Outdoor Activities , Primarily Teen Cast , Snowscape , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Exorcism , LGBTQ+ Themes , Bullying

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 , Iyashikei , Motorcycles , Achronological Order , Dystopian , Female Protagonist , Agender , Guns , Rural , Steampunk , Snowscape , Mopeds , Politics , Cannibalism , Robots , Kuudere , Battle Royale , Aviation , War , Tanks

Mushishi Zoku Shou 2

Also known as MUSHI-SHI The Next Passage 2.

Studio: Artland
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Ghostly, primordial beings known as Mushi continue to cause mysterious changes in the lives of humans. The travelling Mushishi, Ginko, persists in trying to set right the strange and unsettling situations he encounters. Time loops, living shadows, and telepathy are among the overt effects of interference from Mushi, but more subtle symptoms that take years to be noticed also rouse Ginko's concern as he passes from village to village.

Tags: Episodic , Environmental , Philosophy , Mythology , Male Protagonist , Rural , Seinen , Urban Fantasy , Youkai , Historical , Time Loop , Tragedy , Travel , Demons , Time Manipulation , Exorcism

Dororo

Also known as Dororo.

Studio: MAPPA , Twin Engine , Tezuka Productions , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Supernatural

Dororo, a young orphan thief, meets Hyakkimaru, a powerful ronin. Hyakkimaru's father, a greedy feudal lord, had made a pact with 12 demons, offering his yet-unborn son's body parts in exchange for great power. Thus, Hyakkimaru - who was born without arms, legs, eyes, ears, a nose or a mouth - was abandoned in a river as a baby. Rescued and raised by Dr. Honma, who equips him with artificial limbs and teaches him sword-fighting techniques, Hyakkimaru discovers that each time he slays a demon, a piece of his body is restored. Now, he roams the war-torn countryside in search of demons.

Tags: Demons , Revenge , Disability , Curses , Swordplay , Tragedy , Samurai , Estranged Family , Youkai , Anti-Hero , Orphan , War , Male Protagonist , Parenthood , Historical , Travel , Rural , Urban Fantasy , Gore , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Crossdressing , Tomboy , Body Horror , Episodic , Kuudere , Shounen , Primarily Adult Cast , Ghost , Primarily Male Cast , Cannibalism , Prostitution , Heterosexual , Nun , Body Image , Martial Arts

Mononoke-hime

Also known as Princess Mononoke.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , GKIDS , Nippon Television Network
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

A calm village residing in the mountains comes under attack from a demon-possessed boar one day.

Ashitaka, a young man and prince of the tribe, engages the creature in an attempt to save his village. During the battle, the boar bites him on the arm, leaving it blackened and cursed. Following his village's traditions, Ashitaka is exiled and becomes a wanderer, looking for a solution to the curse before it engulfs him.

Iron Town is a fortress under the leadership of Lady Eboshi. Through the clearing of the surrounding forests, Iron Town produces large amounts of Ironsand, used for gunpowder and other machinery. However, because of the forests destruction, nearby animal clans seek revenge led by a human girl of the Wolf clan called San.

When Ashitaka comes to Iron Town, he discovers the area consumed in battle. Horrified, he attempts to create peace and befriend the Wolf Clan. However, after the forest's eradication and the ongoing war between Human and Beast, will the Spirit of the Forest be forgiving and accept Ashitaka's request to expel his curse?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tags: Environmental , Mythology , Animals , Philosophy , War , Eco-Horror , Gods , Exiled , Rural , Youkai , Demons , Revenge , Wilderness , Female Protagonist , Curses , Historical , Male Protagonist , Guns , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban Fantasy , Travel , Samurai , Archery , Disability , Body Horror , Tomboy , Outdoor Activities , Gore , Indigenous Cultures , Swordplay , Kaiju , Slavery

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

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

Mushishi

Also known as MUSHI-SHI.

Studio: Artland , Marvelous Entertainment , Funimation , Delfi Sound
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Neither good nor evil, they are life in its purest form. Vulgar and strange, they have inspired fear in humans since the dawn of time and have, over the ages, come to be known as "mushi." The stories of the Mushi and the people they affect are all linked together by a traveling Mushi-shi, or "Mushi Master," who seeks rare Mushi sightings and uses his shaman-like knowledge of Mushi to help the affected people.

What are the Mushi and what do they want?



Tags: Environmental , Iyashikei , Youkai , Mythology , Episodic , Philosophy , Travel , Rural , Male Protagonist , Outdoor Activities , Exorcism , Seinen , Tragedy , Eco-Horror , Historical , Animals , Wilderness , Urban Fantasy , Snowscape , Amnesia , Primarily Adult Cast , Coastal , Cult , Monster Girl , Time Skip , Suicide

Bartender

Also known as Bartender.

Studio: Fuji TV , Palm Studio , Sony Music Entertainment , Fujipacific Music
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

Genius bartender, Sasakura Ryuu makes the most incredible cocktails anyone has ever tasted. Seeking his "Glass of God", individuals from all different walks of life visit his bar. With both a compassionate ear and a godly drink, Ryuu helps people with their problems.




Tags: Bar , Work , Episodic , Seinen , Primarily Adult Cast , Philosophy , Educational , Food , Male Protagonist , Office Lady , CGI