Anime like Umi ga Kikoeru

Mimi wo Sumaseba

Also known as Whisper of the Heart.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

During summer vacation, a schoolgirl named Shizuku, who longs to discover her true talents, observes an ordinary-looking cat riding by himself on the train. Intrigued, she decides to follow him. This chance encounter leads her to the mysterious Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers in her heart. Soon, Shizuku's exciting adventures carry her far beyond the boundaries of her imagination.



Tags: Coming of Age , Writing , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Shoujo , Animals , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Tsundere , Fairy Tale , Crossover , Love Triangle , Kemonomimi , Nekomimi , Unrequited Love , Cycling

Omoide Poro Poro

Also known as Only Yesterday.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Taeko Okajima is a typical "office lady" in a big company in a big city. When she takes a sabbatical to the countryside in Yamagata Prefecture, the hometown of her brother-in-law, the journey recalled her memory of her 5th grade year. During her stay in Yamagata, she works hard and happily as a farmer and is surrounded by friendly relatives and villagers, bringing up more memories. Their hospitality makes her to reconsider her choice of life.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Rural , Coming of Age , Iyashikei , Biographical , Philosophy , Family Life , Josei , Historical , Agriculture , Travel , School , Heterosexual , Acting , Baseball

Coquelicot-zaka kara

Also known as From Up on Poppy Hill.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Yokohama, 1963. Umi is a high school student living in her family's hillside home overlooking the sea. Every morning she hoists two signal flags towards the bay, sending out a message. A poem about the flags is published in the school newspaper. Could the author be Shun, the daring newspaper editor who has drawn Umi's attention?

While the two teenagers join in the campaign to save their school's old clubhouse, their budding relationship takes an unexpected turn when they discover a secret surrounding their past. In a Japan at the crossroads of tradition and modernization, Umi and Shun share a moving story of friendship, love and hope.



Tags: School , Historical , Coming of Age , Shoujo , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , School Club , Ships , Outdoor , Family Life , Incest

Kimi no Na wa.

Also known as Your Name..

Studio: CoMix Wave , Kadokawa Pictures Japan , Funimation , NYAV Post , Toho , Madman Entertainment , Selecta Visión
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Supernatural

Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl, yearns to live the life of a boy in the bustling city of Tokyo—a dream that stands in stark contrast to her present life in the countryside. Meanwhile in the city, Taki Tachibana lives a busy life as a high school student while juggling his part-time job and hopes for a future in architecture.

One day, Mitsuha awakens in a room that is not her own and suddenly finds herself living the dream life in Tokyo—but in Taki's body! Elsewhere, Taki finds himself living Mitsuha's life in the humble countryside. In pursuit of an answer to this strange phenomenon, they begin to search for one another.

Kimi no Na wa. revolves around Mitsuha and Taki's actions, which begin to have a dramatic impact on each other's lives, weaving them into a fabric held together by fate and circumstance.



Tags: Body Swapping , Time Manipulation , Urban Fantasy , Memory Manipulation , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Tragedy , Urban , Gender Bending , Time Skip , Rural , Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Environmental , Mythology , Alternate Universe , Trains , Shrine Maiden , School

Byousoku 5 Centimeter

Also known as 5 Centimeters per Second.

Studio: CoMix Wave
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Tohno Takaki and Shinohara Akari, two very close friends and classmates, are torn apart when Akari's family is transferred to another region of Japan due to her family's job. Despite separation, they continue to keep in touch through mail. When Takaki finds out that his family is also moving, he decides to meet with Akari one last time.

As years pass by, they continue down their own paths, their distance slowly growing wider and their contact with one another fades. Yet, they keep remembering one another and the times they have shared together, wondering if they will have the chance to meet once again.

Tags: Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Time Skip , Tragedy , Unrequited Love , Travel , Trains , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , School , Surfing , Archery , Mopeds

Just Because!

Also known as Just Because!.

Studio: PINE JAM
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

The original anime Just Because! focuses on subtly portraying the feelings of a group of high school students nearing graduation. Near the end of second semester at third year, when students have very little time in high school left, and are just waiting for graduation, the appearance of a new transfer student begins to change what remains of their high school lives just as they were about to graduate.



Tags: Coming of Age , Heterosexual , School , Love Triangle , Primarily Teen Cast , Trains , Photography , Baseball , Musical Theater , College

Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka?

Also known as Fireworks.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Supernatural

The film is set on one day during summer vacation, and follows a group of boys who try to view a fireworks display from the town lighthouse to see if they look round or flat when viewed from the side. Meanwhile, one of the boys, Norimichi, receives an invitation from his crush Nazuna to run away with her.



Tags: Time Manipulation , Alternate Universe , Heterosexual , Urban Fantasy , Philosophy , Rural , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , School , POV , Swimming , Love Triangle

Bobby ni Kubittake

Studio: MADHOUSE , Kadokawa Shoten , Project Team Argos
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

The "Bobby" referred to in the title is actually 17-year-old Akihiko Nomura, an underachieving high school kid with a deep love for motorcycles. His grades are failing, and his father – traditional and strict (but who must have also at some point gave in and allowed him to have a motorcycle) – is trying everything he can think of to get the kid to apply for college. His mother is so silent, she might as well not even exist. Really, his support system lies entirely in his twinkle-toed little sister, who's nosy but cheers him on in her own way.

Bobby really does little else but work on his bike. He cleans his bike. He tunes up his bike. He rides his bike. One would call him a motorcycle otaku. His most recent achievement seems to have been getting photos of himself on a road trip printed in a motorcyclist hobby magazine. This leads to an unexpected result: a girl his age, who picked up that issue on a whim, decides to write him a letter. A long, rambling letter, but dreamily romantic just the same. Bobby admits to his sister that he's never gotten a letter from a girl before. He writes back, "I got your letter. I'm happy 'cause it was from a girl."

Bobby is not a well-rounded kid. He barely speaks – even to his own family – and the "letters" he writes back to the mystery girl usually consist of a single sentence or so. His motorcycle obsession is all-consuming, to the point where he happily quits school to work at a biker bar. Of course, his father, at a loss, kicks him out of the house. Staying with a friend, he's delighted when his female pen pal says she'll call him. On that day, his boss at the bar decides to take him to a motocross track. But that's a day that wouldn't end in a way that anybody would expect.



Note: Based on the novel of the same name by Yoshio Kataoka.

Tags: Motorcycles , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Foreign

Kimagure Orange☆Road

Studio: Studio Pierrot , Discotek , AnimEigo
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Fantasy , Romance

It can be hard moving to a new school, and fifteen-year-old Kyosuke has it harder than most. He’s fallen head over heels for his classmate Madoka, a girl who won’t even give him the time of day, and unintentionally ended up dating her best friend, Hikaru, instead. Worst of all, Kyosuke and his family have amazing supernatural powers, but he has to keep them hidden from the rest of the world! How is Kyosuke ever going to balance the affections (or lack thereof) of two girls, schoolwork, and his secret abilities all at the same time?



Tags: Love Triangle , Episodic , Shounen , Super Power , Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Twins , Urban , Male Protagonist , School , Family Life , Magic , Delinquents , Time Manipulation , Tomboy , Body Swapping , Martial Arts , Photography , Kuudere , Slapstick

Koe no Katachi

Also known as A Silent Voice.

Studio: Kyoto Animation , ABC Animation , Kodansha
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

After transferring into a new school, a deaf girl, Shouko Nishimiya, is bullied by the popular Shouya Ishida. As Shouya continues to bully Shouko, the class turns its back on him. Shouko transfers and Shouya grows up as an outcast. Alone and depressed, the regretful Shouya finds Shouko to make amends.



Tags: Disability , Bullying , Rehabilitation , Language Barrier , Coming of Age , Suicide , Denpa , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Time Skip , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Urban , Shounen