Anime like Arete-hime

Kaguya-hime no Monogatari

Also known as The Tale of The Princess Kaguya.

Studio: Studio Ghibli
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Okina is a bamboo cutter in ancient rural Japan. One day in the forest, he finds a tiny baby in the folds of a bamboo shoot. He brings the creature home to his wife Ounaa and they decide to keep her and raise her as a princess. She is clearly not of this world. Kaguya grows at an unnatural rate, soon maturing into an uncommonly beautiful young woman. Since Okina has now also found a cache of gold and treasure in the forest, every suitor wants Kaguya. But this is not a fairy tale of courtship and marriage.



Tags: Philosophy , Classic Literature , Tragedy , Fairy Tale , Historical , Female Protagonist , Rural , Family Life , Gods , Religion , Primarily Adult Cast , Amnesia , Travel , Adoption , Heterosexual , Agriculture , Unrequited Love , Environmental , Calligraphy

Princess Tutu

Also known as Princess Tutu.

Studio: Hal Film Maker , ADV Films , Memory-Tech , GANSIS , Marvelous , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Mystery , Psychological , Romance

In a fairy tale come to life, the clumsy, sweet, and gentle Ahiru (Japanese for 'duck') seems like an unlikely protagonist. In reality, Ahiru is just as magical as the talking cats and crocodiles that inhabit her town - for Ahiru really is a duck! Transformed by the mysterious Drosselmeyer into a human girl, Ahiru soon learns the reason for her existence. Using her magical egg-shaped pendant, Ahiru can transform into Princess Tutu - a beautiful and talented ballet dancer whose dances relieve people of the turmoil in their hearts. With her newfound ability, Ahiru accepts the challenge of collecting the lost shards of her prince's heart, for long ago he had shattered it in order to seal an evil raven away for all eternity.

Princess Tutu is a tale of heroes and their struggle against fate. Their beliefs, their feelings, and ultimately their actions will determine whether this fairy tale can reach its "happily ever after."

Princess Tutu aired in two parts. The first part included 13 25-minute-long episodes, while the second part consisted of 24 12-minute-long episodes with a 25-minute-long final episode for a total of 38 episodes.

Tags: Fairy Tale , Dancing , Meta , Henshin , Writing , Female Protagonist , Boarding School , Surreal Comedy , Kuudere , Philosophy , Tragedy , Anthropomorphism , Magic , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , Animals , Episodic , Unrequited Love , Shapeshifting , Foreign , School , Tsundere , Reincarnation , Dissociative Identities , Necromancy , Super Power , Ghost , Swordplay

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

Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa

Also known as Castle in the Sky.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Sci-Fi

This high-flying adventure begins when Pazu, an engineer's apprentice, finds a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky wearing a glowing pendant. Together they discover both are searching for a legendary floating castle, Laputa, and vow to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around Sheeta's neck. Their quest won't be easy, however. There are greedy air pirates, secret government agents and astounding obstacles to keep them from the truth, and from each other.



Tags: Lost Civilization , Steampunk , Environmental , Aviation , Pirates , Fugitive , Female Protagonist , Military , Travel , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Heterosexual , Robots , Guns , Primarily Male Cast , Trains , Shounen , Elderly Protagonist

Ousama Ranking

Also known as Ranking of Kings.

Studio: WIT STUDIO , Fuji TV , Aniplex , BANDAI SPIRITS , KADOKAWA , Dentsu
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

Unable to hear, speak, or wield a sword, Prince Bojji doesn’t seem like a typical heir to the throne—and his kingdom agrees. But his fateful encounter with Kage, a shadow on the ground, gives him his first true friend. The two set off on a grand adventure and, together, form a bond that can overcome any obstacle...even being king.



Tags: Disability , Coming of Age , Fairy Tale , Conspiracy , Male Protagonist , Language Barrier , Ensemble Cast , Medieval , Tragedy , Swordplay , Bullying , Primarily Male Cast , Seinen , Magic , War , Demons , Gods , Politics , Assassins , Heterosexual , Travel , Gore , Achronological Order , Tsundere , Amputation , Kaiju

Shoujo Kakumei Utena

Also known as Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Studio: J.C.STAFF , TV Tokyo , The Right Stuf International , Central Park Media , Yomiuri Advertising , SoftX
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Romance

Just after Utena's parents died, she was consoled by a prince who gave her a ring with a rose crest on it. Utena was so impressed by the Prince that she vowed to become one herself one day. A few years later, Utena is attending Ohtori Academy where she gives all the teachers headaches because she dresses in a boy's uniform so she can be like the prince she met long ago.

After Utena's friend is insulted by a member of the Student Council, Utena fights in a duel for her friend's honor. Utena's rose crest allows her to enter the dueling arena, where Utena wins the duel and becomes engaged to the Rose Bride. Unknowingly, Utena is pulled into a series of duels with other members of the Student Council for the possession of the Rose Bride. As she becomes fond of Anthy, the Rose Bride, she must fight to keep her friend safe and to discover the horrifying secret behind Ohtori Academy.



Tags: Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Fairy Tale , LGBTQ+ Themes , Tomboy , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Incest , Swordplay , Yuri , Tragedy , Psychosexual , Bisexual , Surreal Comedy , Age Gap , Witch , School , Conspiracy , Memory Manipulation , Ojou-sama , Meta , Henshin , Love Triangle , Fencing , Episodic , Crossdressing , Magic , Time Loop , Bullying , Kuudere , Boarding School , Cheating , Twins , Suicide , Boys' Love , Astronomy , Aliens , Athletics , Body Swapping , Politics

Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä

Also known as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Studio: Studio Hibari , Topcraft , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Sci-Fi

A thousand years after a global war, a seaside kingdom known as the Valley Of The Wind remains one of only a few areas still populated. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley are engaged in a constant struggle with powerful insects called ohmu, who guard a poisonous jungle that is spreading across the Earth. Nausicaä and her brave companions, together with the people of the Valley, strive to restore the bond between humanity and the Earth.



Tags: Environmental , Post-Apocalyptic , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Lost Civilization , War , Aviation , Military , Eco-Horror , Kaiju , Survival , Primarily Adult Cast , Cosmic Horror , Travel , Anachronism , Guns , Politics , Orphan , Tanks , Cult , Revenge , Nudity , Elderly Protagonist

Lupin III: Cagliostro no Shiro

Also known as Lupin The 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro.

Studio: Tokyo Movie Shinsha , Discotek , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Mystery

In the twilight of his career, master thief Lupin the Third's latest and greatest caper has hit a snag. What should've been bags of cash from a national casino turns out to be expert counterfeits! Together with his partner-in-crime Jigen, Lupin heads to the remote European nation of Cagliostro to exact revenge. Not everything goes as planned; the two encounter Clarisse, a royal damsel in distress being forced to marry the sinister Count Cagliostro against her will. Saving her won't be easy, however, as Lupin and Jigen -- together with Lupin's unpredictable ex-girlfriend Fujiko and the swordsman Goemon -- must fight their way through a trap-filled castle, a deadly dungeon, and an army of professional assassins! Can Lupin rescue the girl, evade the cuffs of his long-time nemesis Inspector Zenigata, and uncover the secret treasures of The Castle of Cagliostro?



Tags: Crime , Conspiracy , Fugitive , Anti-Hero , Class Struggle , Foreign , Male Protagonist , Police , Seinen , Primarily Adult Cast , Guns , Samurai

Mai Mai Shinko to Sennen no Mahou

Also known as Mai-Mai Miracle.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Avex Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Slice of Life

The story is set in 1955 in Kokuga, Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

One thousand years ago it was the site of the ancient capital, Suo no Kuni, and traces of the Heian Period (year 794-1185) are passed down to us in the form of ruins and historical place names.

The protagonist is Shinko, a third grade elementary school student, who was born and raised in one of the town's venerable families. She is a little girl whose characteristic is a strange curl on her forehead (she calls it her "Mai Mai"), and her love for playing in the fields. On the other hand, her secret joy is to imagine and to daydream about the world of one thousand years ago. Her fantasies travel far into the days of the Heian Period…

One day, a girl called Kiiko transfers from Tokyo and enters Shinko's class. This girl from the big city has difficulty feeling at home in this small town, but gradually her friendship with Shinko deepens.

Before long, the two of them become engulfed in a strange incident of one thousand years earlier...?!

Tags: Primarily Child Cast , Rural , Historical , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Family Life , Autobiographical , Yakuza , Kids , Suicide

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