Anime like Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru

Mawaru Penguindrum

Also known as Penguindrum.

Studio: Brain's Base , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Once you make a decision, does the universe conspire to make it happen? Is destiny a matter of chance, a matter of choice or the complex outcome of thousands of warring strands of fate? All twins Kanba and Shoma know is that when their terminally ill sister Himari collapses at the aquarium, her death is somehow temporarily reversed by the penguin hat that she had asked for. It's a provisional resurrection, however, and it comes at a price: to keep Himari alive they need to find the mysterious Penguin Drum. In order to do that, they must first find the links to a complex interlocking chain of riddles that has wrapped around their entire existence, and unravel the knots that tie them to mystifying diary and a baffling string of strangers and semi-acquaintances who all have their own secrets, agendas and "survival strategies." And in order for Himari to live, someone else's chosen destiny will have to change. It's a story of love, fate, life, death... and Penguins!



Tags: Philosophy , Found Family , Family Life , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Meta , Terrorism , Parody , Denpa , Inseki , Henshin , Trains , Surreal Comedy , Heterosexual , Crime , Memory Manipulation , Magic , Satire , Cult , Ghost , Psychosexual , Twins , Primarily Teen Cast , Achronological Order , Fairy Tale , Love Triangle , Incest , LGBTQ+ Themes , Age Gap

Tenshi no Tamago

Also known as Angel's Egg.

Studio: Studio Gallop , Studio DEEN , Studio Hibari , Tokuma Shoten
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Psychological

In a desolate and dark world full of shadows, lives one little girl who seems to do nothing but collect water in jars and protect a large egg she carries everywhere. A mysterious man enters her life... and they discuss the world around them.



Tags: Philosophy , Dystopian , Lost Civilization , Mythology , Post-Apocalyptic , Tragedy , Religion , Cosmic Horror , Female Protagonist , Angels , Amnesia , Coming of Age , Urban Fantasy , Survival , No Dialogue , Fairy Tale , Foreign , Tanks , Cultivation

Ihatov Gensou: Kenji no Haru

Also known as Spring and Chaos.

Studio: Group TAC
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

A unique biographical sketch of the life of the great modern Japanese poet Kenji Miyazawa, SPRING AND CHAOS is highly stylized and intense and draws on Miyazawa's writing techniques to tell his life story. Miyazawa often used animals as the main characters in his stories and poems, and it is this technique that allows director Shoji Kawamori to recreate Miyazawa's fanciful land of Ihatov and use it as the backdrop for Miyazawa`s life. Beautiful and affecting, SPRING AND CHAOS is a fitting tribute to one of Japan's greatest writers.

Tags: Biographical , Classic Literature , Writing , Denpa , Tragedy , Historical , Rural , Animals , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Time Skip , CGI , Teacher , Anthropomorphism

Ginga Tetsudou 999

Also known as Galaxy Express 999.

Studio: Toei Animation , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

After witnessing the death of his mother and being left for dead at the hands of Count Mecha, ten-year old Tetsuro Hoshino is awakened by a mysterious woman, Maetal. In exchange for only his company, Maetal offers him the ride of his life on the Galaxy Express 999. It is said that those who travel aboard the legendary train to the end of the line can receive a free mechanical body and with it, immortality. Impoverished and alone, Tetsuro leaps at the opportunity and joins Maetal on a quest that will span the cosmos. As the Galaxy Express 999 makes its way across our solar system and beyond, Tetsuro is drawn deeper into a dangerous universe where peril lurks at every stop.



Tags: Space , Dystopian , Trains , Robots , Space Opera , Coming of Age , Episodic , Philosophy , Travel , Tragedy , Environmental , Male Protagonist , Cyborg , Shounen , Guns , Crossover , Time Manipulation

Nekojiru-sou

Also known as Cat Soup.

Studio: J.C. Staff
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Horror , Psychological

Cat Soup is an extremely difficult film to describe, due to its awesome surrealism and almost nonexistant dialogue. It is more a work of art than an anime. There are many underlying themes, such as the transcience of man's existence, but it can be enjoyed without understanding any of them. The plot, though simple, isn't necessarily understandable without being explained. The main character, a cat named Nyatto, embarks upon a journey to save his sister's soul, which was ripped in two when Nyatto tried to save her from Death. She trails after him, brain-dead. They encounter many brilliant, mind-bending situations, beginning with a disturbing magic show.



Tags: Animals , Surreal Comedy , No Dialogue , Philosophy , Afterlife , Cosmic Horror , Urban , Survival , Primarily Animal Cast , Seinen , Anthropomorphism , Gods , Male Protagonist , Circus , Time Manipulation , Body Horror , Outdoor , Rural , Ships , Religion , Nudity , Cannibalism , Gore , Revenge

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 , Autobiographical , Isekai , Anthropomorphism , Shapeshifting , Urban Fantasy , Tragedy , Adoption , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Time Manipulation , Historical , Rural , Age Regression , War , Archery , Bullying

Giovanni no Shima

Also known as Giovanni's Island.

Studio: Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

Brothers Junpei and Kanta live in Shikotan, a tiny fishing island that has been spared from the devastations of World War II. The two children are named after Giovanni and Campanella from their late mother’s favorite book, Night on the Galactic Railroad, which becomes a source of solace in the aftermath of Japan’s defeat. When Soviet forces arrive with their families to settle in the island, Junpei meets Tanya, the daughter of the commander. Despite their language barrier and growing tension, the children soon form an unlikely friendship.



Note: A special animated movie to commemorate 50th anniversary of Japan Association of Music Enterprises (JAME).

Tags: Historical , War , Tragedy , Language Barrier , Trains , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age

Genji Monogatari

Studio: TV Asahi , Group TAC , Asmik Ace , Nippon Herald Eiga , Asahi Shimbun
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

Based on the literary work of Shikibu Murasaki, The Tale of Genji is a story of the Emperor`s second son born by a courtier. Made a commoner, he served as a retainer to the court.

Tags: Historical , Classic Literature , Male Protagonist

Guskou Budori no Denki (2012)

Also known as The Life of Budori Gusuko.

Studio: Tezuka Productions , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Slice of Life

The fairy tale follows a young man named Guskou in the Tohoku forests of northeastern Japan in the 1920s. After an onslaught of droughts and natural disasters, Guskou is forced to leave his home and search for a better life elsewhere. Guskou joins a group of scientists at the Ihatov Volcano Department, which deals with the same natural disasters that drove Guskou from his home.



Tags: Animals , Classic Literature , Historical , Male Protagonist , Anthropomorphism

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 , Female Protagonist , Found Family , Afterlife , Amnesia , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Denpa , Primarily Female Cast , Suicide , Rural , Family Life , Religion , Cosmic Horror , Iyashikei , Delinquents , Drawing