Anime like Gake no Ue no Ponyo

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

Tonari no Totoro

Also known as My Neighbor Totoro.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Studio Fantasia , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters, including a cat that doubles as a bus, takes them on a journey through the wonders of nature.



Tags: Family Life , Primarily Child Cast , Rural , Youkai , Wilderness , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Kids , Gods , Primarily Female Cast , Iyashikei , Environmental , Horticulture

Yoake Tsugeru Lu no Uta

Also known as Lu Over the Wall.

Studio: Science SARU
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Music , Supernatural

Kai Ashimoto, a gloomy young middle schooler, lives in Hinashi Town, a lonely fishing village, with his father and his grandfather, a parasol maker. He used to live in Tokyo, but after his parents divorced he moved back to his father's home town. Kai has trouble telling his parents the complicated feelings he has for them, and he's lonely and pessimistic about his school life. One of his joys is uploading songs he writes to the internet. One day, his classmates Kunio and Yuuho invite him to join their band, "SEIREN". As he reluctantly follows them to Merfolk Island, their practice spot, they meet Lu, the mermaid. Lu sings merrily and dances innocently. As Kai begins to spend time with her, he starts to be able to say what it is that he's really thinking.


Tags: Mermaid , Mythology , Coming of Age , Dancing , Band , Male Protagonist , Fishing , Fairy Tale , Coastal , Swimming , Ships , School , Monster Girl

Karigurashi no Arrietty

Also known as The Secret World of Arrietty.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Walt Disney Studios
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

Arrietty, a tiny but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper. Like all little people, Arrietty remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to "borrow" scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shou, a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty's family from the home and straight into danger.



Tags: Rural , Family Life , Classic Literature , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , Work , Iyashikei , Horticulture

Bubble

Also known as Bubble.

Studio: WIT STUDIO , STORY Inc. , Warner Bros. Eiga , Nitroplus , Lawson Entertainment , Straight Edge
Status: Finished
Genres: Romance , Sci-Fi , Sports , Supernatural

In a Tokyo where gravity has broken, a boy and a girl are drawn to each other...

The story is set in Tokyo, after bubbles that broke the laws of gravity rained down upon the world. Cut off from the outside world, Tokyo has become a playground for a group of young people who have lost their families, acting as a battlefield for parkour team battles as they leap from building to building. Hibiki, a young ace known for his dangerous play style, makes a reckless move one day and plummets into the gravity-bending sea. His life is saved by Uta, a girl with mysterious powers. The pair then hear a unique sound audible only to them. Why did Uta appear before Hibiki? Their encounter leads to a revelation that will change the world.



Note: The anime released on Netflix on April 28, 2022. It screened in theaters on May 13, 2022.

Tags: Parkour , Male Protagonist , Post-Apocalyptic , Urban Fantasy , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban , Dystopian , Aliens , Disability , Coming of Age , Cyberpunk , Mermaid , Lost Civilization , CGI , Super Power , Philosophy , Orphan

Penguin Highway

Also known as Penguin Highway.

Studio: Studio Colorido , WIT STUDIO , Fujipacific Music
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Budding genius Aoyama is only in the 4th grade, but already lives his life like a scientist. When penguins start appearing in his sleepy suburb hundreds of miles from the sea, Aoyama vows to solve the mystery. When he finds the source of the penguins is a woman from his dentist’s office, they team up for an unforgettable summer adventure!



Tags: Coming of Age , Animals , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Kids , Primarily Child Cast , Environmental , School , Rural , CGI , Bullying , Swimming , Female Protagonist

Howl no Ugoku Shiro

Also known as Howl‘s Moving Castle.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , d-rights , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell.



Tags: Magic , Female Protagonist , Elderly Protagonist , Steampunk , Witch , War , Monster Boy , Shapeshifting , Heterosexual , Disability , Fairy Tale , Found Family , Age Gap , Travel , Curses , Philosophy , Rural , Time Manipulation , Politics , Maids , Demons , Aviation , CGI , Coming of Age

Tenki no Ko

Also known as Weathering With You.

Studio: CoMix Wave , JR Higashi Nihon Kikaku , Toho , Lawson Entertainment , Kadokawa Shoten , STORY Inc. , GKIDS , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life , Supernatural

High school student Hodaka leaves his home on an isolated island and moves to Tokyo, but he immediately becomes broke. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds a job as a writer for a shady occult magazine. After he starts his job, the weather has been rainy day after day. In a corner of the crowded and busy city, Hodaka meets a young woman named Hina. Due to certain circumstances, Hina and her younger brother live together, but have a cheerful and sturdy life. Hina also has a certain power: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky.



Tags: Urban Fantasy , Urban , Environmental , Orphan , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Fugitive , Found Family , Family Life , Heterosexual , Magic , Work , Super Power , Gods , Guns , Time Skip , Estranged Family , Crossdressing , Mythology , Restaurant , Tragedy

Ame wo Tsugeru Hyouryuu Danchi

Also known as Drifting Home.

Studio: Studio Colorido , Twin Engine , Netflix
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Mystery , Supernatural

Sixth-graders Kousuke and Natsume grew up in the same apartment building as childhood friends. During summer break, while playing in the apartment building that is set to be demolished, they find themselves caught in a strange phenomenon. All they can see around them is a vast sea. Will Kousuke and the others make it back to their world? A journey of farewells in summer has just begun.



Tags: Primarily Child Cast , Found Family , Coastal , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Coming of Age , Kids , Ghost , Survival , Isekai , Male Protagonist , Iyashikei , Football , Photography

Deji Meets Girl

Also known as Deiji Meets Girl.

Studio: LIDENFILMS , Studio Mausu , Avex Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life , Supernatural

Maise is stuck spending the summer after her first-year of high school helping out at her family’s hotel in the sleepy seaside town, but things become a little less sleepy once Ichirou, a mysterious young man, checks into the hotel. It seems as if only Maise and Ichirou can see the strange, sudden apparitions: the hotel lobby and the room transforming into an aquarium, a giant tree erupting from the floor or the rowdy monsters laying claim to the hotel restaurant. Maise vows to figure out not just what’s causing these odd occurrences but why Ichirou has come to this remote town in the first place.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Rural , Iyashikei , Heterosexual , Inn , Urban Fantasy , Coastal