Anime like Penguin's Memory: Shiawase Monogatari

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

Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru

Also known as Night on the Galactic Railroad.

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

What is true happiness? For Giovanni, the answer is as far away as the stars. Mired in hardship, the young kitten faces problems that should be unknown to someone his age. At school, his classmates mock and ridicule him, and after the bell rings, Giovanni toils at a job to earn enough money for bread. Then at home, instead of being taken care of by his mother, he must take care of her. The sole bright spot is that of the Festival of Stars, where he hopes to run into Campanella, his only friend. When they finally meet up, however, it isn't while looking up at the stars, but rather traveling amongst them... as the Galactic Railroad whisks the two away for parts unknown!



Tags: Afterlife , Trains , Philosophy , Classic Literature , Anthropomorphism , Primarily Animal Cast , Travel , Astronomy , Space , Animals , Tragedy , Religion , Mythology , Male Protagonist , Kids , Cosmic Horror , Bullying , Historical

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 , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Ensemble Cast , Terrorism , Meta , Denpa , Politics , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Trains , Inseki , Henshin , Surreal Comedy , Heterosexual , Crime , Parody , Yandere , Animals , Memory Manipulation , Magic , Satire , Cult , Ghost , Fairy Tale , Primarily Teen Cast , Psychosexual , Tsundere , Twins , Achronological Order , Love Triangle , Age Gap , LGBTQ+ Themes , Incest

Kurenai no Buta

Also known as Porco Rosso.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Romance

Take flight with "Porco" Rosso, a valiant World War I flying ace! From tropical Adriatic settings to dazzling aerial maneuvers, this action-adventure from world-renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki is full of humor, courage and chivalry. When "Porco" —whose face has been transformed into that of a pig by a mysterious spell— infuriates a band of sky pirates with his aerial heroics, the pirates hire Curtis, a rival pilot, to "get rid" of him. On the ground, the two pilots compete for the affections of the beautiful Gina. But it is in the air where the true battles are waged. Will our hero be victorious?



Tags: Aviation , Foreign , Anthropomorphism , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Coastal , Travel , Age Gap , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Military , Pirates , Fugitive , War , Fairy Tale , Primarily Male Cast , Guns , Boxing , Gambling , Interspecies

Tobiuo no Boya wa Byoki desu

Studio: Tsubasa Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

Based on a picture book of the same name, inspired by the event in which the crew of a japanese fishing boat was affected by the radiation of the H-Bomb, which was being tested by the US military on a site nearby, causing them to develop different types of radiaton diseases.

The film follows the story of a flying fish that becomes unable to fly due to the effects of radiation.

Tags: Tragedy , Animals

Cosmo Warrior Zero

Also known as Cosmo Warrior Zero.

Studio: AT-X , Media Blasters , Vega Entertainment , MediaNet , Tsuburaya Eizou
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Sci-Fi

The long war between the planet Earth and the machine men is finally over, resulting in a peace that is more a victory for the machine men than the Earth. Warrius Zero lost his family in the war to the machine men but despite this he is still is a member of the Earth fleet that is now working in concert with the machine men. His ship, made up of both humans and machine men, has been given a near impossible task: capture the space pirate Captain Harlock. While Zero struggles to accomplish this task, evidence begins to surface that the peace between machine men and Earth may not be as it seems....



Tags: Military , Space , Space Opera , Robots , Pirates , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist

The Cockpit

Studio: MADHOUSE , Jacom , Visual 80 , Tokuma Shoten , Shogakukan
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama

Slipstream
About a Luftwaffe pilot who must choose between his duty to his country: to guard a bomber loaded with Germany's final hope of victory... the world's first atomic bomb... or his duty to the world: to let it fall in flames to enemy Spitfires and be a footnote in history. Of course, things are complicated by the plane's other cargo... the woman he loves.

Sonic Boom Squadron
Near the end of the war, Japan has implemented a new weapon -- a human-piloted rocket-propelled flying bomb. Aboard a bomber carrying one of these, young Ensign Nogami awaits his chance to die as a "cherry blossom", a suicide pilot. In a few hours, he will die. The date of his death is set: August 6, 1945.

Knight of the Iron Dragon
Two soldiers attempt to reach an air base in order to fulfill a promise despite the fact that it might have been rendered moot in the reality of war.



Tags: Military , War , Historical , Aviation , Anthology , Foreign , Tragedy , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , Motorcycles