Anime like Hikari no Ou

Shinsekai yori

Also known as From the New World.

Studio: Aniplex , TV Asahi , A-1 Pictures , Pony Canyon , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

Following a sudden outbreak of psychokinesis in 0.1% of the population, a rapid transformation swept the world. The godlike ability to manipulate matter remotely turned many power wielders to violence, inciting a long period of upheaval. Finally, after a chaotic era shaped by the rise and fall of oppressive regimes, the psychic humans were able to achieve a fragile peace by isolating their society, creating a new world bound by complex rules.

In the town of Kamisu 66, 12-year-old Saki Watanabe has just awakened to her powers and is relieved to rejoin her friends—the mischievous Satoru Asahina, the shy Mamoru Itou, the cheerful Maria Akizuki, and Shun Aonuma, a mysterious boy whom Saki admires—at Sage Academy, a special school for psychics. However, unease looms as Saki begins to question the fate of those unable to awaken to their powers, and the children begin to get involved with secretive matters such as the rumored Tainted Cats said to abduct children.

Shinsekai yori tells the unique coming-of-age story of Saki and her friends as they journey to grow into their roles in the supposed utopia. Accepting these roles, however, might not come easy when faced with the dark and shocking truths of society, and the impending havoc born from the new world.



Tags: Class Struggle , Dystopian , Lost Civilization , Post-Apocalyptic , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Super Power , Anti-Hero , Time Skip , Female Protagonist , Slavery , Conspiracy , Memory Manipulation , Politics , Revenge , Bisexual , Survival , War , Animals , Cosmic Horror , Magic , Rural , Environmental , Amnesia , Cult , Gore , Body Horror , LGBTQ+ Themes , Fugitive , Chimera , Heterosexual , Religion , Love Triangle , Torture , Anthropomorphism , School , Boys' Love , Aviation

Seirei no Moribito

Also known as Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit.

Studio: Production I.G , Media Blasters
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

Balsa’s prowess in battle is legendary, but the weight of death bears heavily on the spear-wielding mercenary’s soul. To atone, she has sworn to save 8 lives, no matter what the cost, and now only one life remains. Prince Chagum has been blessed with the power to stave off the droughts that threaten to starve and destroy his father’s empire, but he has been accused of being possessed by evil spirits, and court officials have set his own father against him. Condemned to death, he is saved by Balsa’s intervention and now, together, the two must unravel the secret of Chagum’s powers and the spirit behind them… before the armies sent to murder them can succeed!



Tags: Spearplay , Fugitive , Mythology , Female Protagonist , Historical , Found Family , Primarily Adult Cast , Swordplay , Politics , Magic , CGI , Coming of Age , Rural , Cosmic Horror , Tomboy

Heike Monogatari

Also known as The Heike Story.

Studio: Science SARU , Asmik Ace , Dentsu , Fuji TV , bilibili , Pony Canyon , BS Fuji
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Supernatural

A young orphan named Biwa is taken in by the powerful Taira Clan—also known as the Heike—after their leader witnesses her extraordinary psychic abilities. Unfortunately, what she predicts is a future of bloodshed, violence, and civil war. Inspired by the 12th-century epic tale Heike Monogatari.



Tags: Politics , Classic Literature , Tragedy , War , Historical , Philosophy , Military , Religion , Suicide , Ghost , Female Protagonist , Orphan , Conspiracy , Archery , Samurai , Time Skip , Tomboy , Adoption , Ships

Kemono no Souja Erin

Also known as Erin.

Studio: Production I.G , Trans Arts , NHK Enterprises
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy

In the land of Ryoza, the neighboring provinces of Shin-Ou and Tai-Kou have been at peace. Queen Shinou is the ruler of Ryoza and her greatest general, Grand Duke Taikou, defends the kingdom with his army of powerful war-lizards known as the "Touda." Although the two regions have enjoyed a long-standing alliance, mounting tensions threaten to spark a fierce civil war.

Within Ake, a village in Tai-Kou tasked with raising the Grand Duke's army, lives Erin, a bright girl who spends her days watching the work of her mother Soyon, the village's head Touda doctor. But while under Soyon's care, a disastrous incident befalls the Grand Duke's strongest Touda, and the peace that Erin and her mother had been enjoying vanishes as Soyon is punished severely. In a desperate attempt to save her mother, Erin ends up falling in a river and is swept towards Shin-Ou.

Unable to return home, Erin must learn to lead a new life with completely different people, all while hunting for the truth of both beasts and humanity itself, with tensions between the two regions constantly escalating.



Tags: Coming of Age , Tragedy , Animals , Conspiracy , Veterinarian , Female Protagonist , Environmental , Politics , Philosophy , Boarding School , Matriarchy , Teacher , Time Skip , Rural , War , Adoption , Historical , Kids

Fumetsu no Anata e

Also known as To Your Eternity.

Studio: Brain's Base , NHK Enterprises , NHK
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Psychological , Supernatural

In the beginning, an "orb" is cast unto Earth. "It" can do two things: change into the form of the thing that stimulates "it"; and come back to life after death. "It" morphs from orb to rock, then to wolf, and finally to boy, but roams about like a newborn who knows nothing. As a boy, "it" becomes Fushi.

Through encounters with human kindness, Fushi not only gains survival skills but grows as a "person". But his journey is darkened by the inexplicable and destructive enemy Nokker and cruel partings with the people he loves.



Tags: Shapeshifting , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Philosophy , Rural , Travel , Survival , Ensemble Cast , Body Horror , Agender , Foreign , Gore , Shounen , Animals , Time Skip , Afterlife , Prison , Language Barrier , Historical , Primarily Female Cast , Memory Manipulation , CGI , Snowscape , Orphan , Zombie , Adoption , Demons , Battle Royale , Yandere

Shika no Ou: Yuna to Yakusoku no Tabi

Also known as The Deer King.

Studio: Production I.G , YTV , KADOKAWA , Production I.G , Nippon Television Network , Toho
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

In the aftermath of a brutal war, former soldier Van toils in a mine controlled by the ruling empire. One day, his solitary existence is upended when a pack of wild dogs carrying a deadly and incurable disease attack, leaving only Van and a young girl named Yuna as survivors. Finally free, the pair seek out a simple existence in the countryside but are pursued by nefarious forces. Intent on protecting Yuna at all costs, Van must uncover the true cause of the plague ravaging the kingdom—and its possible cure.



Note: The film received an early premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2021.

Tags: Fugitive , Adoption , Pandemic , Male Protagonist , Slavery , Found Family , Politics , Medicine , War , Conspiracy , Agriculture , Tragedy , Orphan

Shinreigari: Ghost Hound

Also known as Ghost Hound.

Studio: Production I.G , Pony Canyon , Sentai Filmworks , Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

In an isolated region of Kyushu lies the town of Suiten. Though seeming small and modest, Suiten is not a picturesque place for a vacation, unless it is from the “Unseen World”. Taro, Makoto and Masayuki, three boys with traumatic pasts, learn to let their souls cross between the two parallel worlds. However, the Unseen World is no mere copy of the real Apparent World. The Unseen World is the home of ghosts, but changes are now allowing the souls of the dead to pass over into the Apparent World, with unpredictable effects. Follow the journey of Taro, Makoto and Masayuki, as they cross between the two worlds, trying to unravel a great mystery.



Tags: Denpa , Ghost , Rural , Dissociative Identities , Cosmic Horror , Rehabilitation , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Cult , Kuudere , Conspiracy , Mythology , Seinen , Bullying , Philosophy , Love Triangle , Nudity

Mononoke-hime

Also known as Princess Mononoke.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , GKids , Nippon Television Network
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

A calm village residing in the mountains comes under attack from a demon-possessed boar one day.

Ashitaka, a young man and prince of the tribe, engages the creature in an attempt to save his village. During the battle, the boar bites him on the arm, leaving it blackened and cursed. Following his village's traditions, Ashitaka is exiled and becomes a wanderer, looking for a solution to the curse before it engulfs him.

Iron Town is a fortress under the leadership of Lady Eboshi. Through the clearing of the surrounding forests, Iron Town produces large amounts of Ironsand, used for gunpowder and other machinery. However, because of the forests destruction, nearby animal clans seek revenge led by a human girl of the Wolf clan called San.

When Ashitaka comes to Iron Town, he discovers the area consumed in battle. Horrified, he attempts to create peace and befriend the Wolf Clan. However, after the forest's eradication and the ongoing war between Human and Beast, will the Spirit of the Forest be forgiving and accept Ashitaka's request to expel his curse?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tags: Environmental , Animals , Mythology , Philosophy , Eco-Horror , War , Gods , Demons , Rural , Youkai , Revenge , Female Protagonist , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Guns , Disability , Travel , Archery , Urban Fantasy , Tomboy , Outdoor , Body Horror , Curses , Gore , Kaiju , Samurai , Slavery , Swordplay

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 , Primarily Female Cast , Suicide , Rural , Family Life , Religion , Delinquents , Drawing

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 , Nudity , Elderly Protagonist