Anime like Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori

Unico

Also known as Fantastic Adventures of Unico.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Sanrio , Tezuka Productions , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

Unico the Unicorn has the amazing power to make anyone he meets happy. Whether it's because of his personality or the powers of his horn, no one knows. However, the gods become jealous of Unico, thinking that only gods should be able to decide or let people be happy or not. Unico is banished to the Hill of Oblivion, and the West Wind is ordered to take him there. She can't stand giving this fate to an innocent like Unico, so Unico's adventures begin, as the West Wind takes him from one place and time to the next, in a neverending journey to escape the wrath of the gods. In this adventure, Unico meets Beezel a devil child and then Katy (Chao), a cat who wants to be a witch! Can he become friends with them?



Tags: Tsundere , Henshin , Super Power , Shapeshifting , Kids , Animals , Tragedy , Magic , Male Protagonist , Swordplay , Cosmic Horror , Demons , Musical Theater , Cannibalism

Unico Mahou no Shima e

Also known as Unico in the Island of Magic.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Sanrio , Tezuka Productions , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

Based on "Unico and the Kingdom of the Sun," which was newly written as a theater version, this animated film features a battle between the wizard Kukuruku and Unico. Kukuruku builds a castle using dolls transformed from men as building parts. The story revolves around the sorrow and terror of men who have been transfigured into dolls, and a girl named Cherry who wishes to recover the kindness in her brother, who is a student of Kukuruku. This work reminds us of the fact that "transformation" or "transfiguration" - favorite themes of Tezuka Osamu - involves not only material aspects, but also man's immaterial heart.



Tags: Kids , Animals , Fugitive , Magic , Male Protagonist

Meikyuu Monogatari

Also known as Manie Manie: Neo Tokyo.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Kadokawa Shoten , Selecta Visión , Project Team Argos
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Horror , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

1) Labyrinth Labyrinthos
A girl and her cat fall through a looking-glass into a dark labyrinth full of strange people.

2) Running Man
In the distant future, a tough racer uses his psychokinetic powers against his opponents during his final race.

3) The Order to Stop Construction
A snooty salaryman is sent by his bosses to the jungle to stop a completely automated construction job, and spends several days there arguing with the robots.



Tags: Cyberpunk , Anthology , Circus , Work , Body Horror , Robots , Cars , Episodic , Gore , Male Protagonist , Super Power

Doubutsu Takarajima

Also known as Animal Treasure Island.

Studio: Toei Animation , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure

Jim and his mouse friend Gran toll away working as innkeepers. They dream of sailing far away on their own boat. One day, a mysterious fellow appears at the inn and gives them a map. It's the map to Treasure Island. So they decide to make their own boat, and sail away treasure hunting. But it’s not as easy as they think when the run into a group of unsavory pirates led by the dastardly Captain Silver. Silver wants the treasure for himself, and it is up to Jim, Gran, and their new friend Kathy, to beat him to it.



Tags: Pirates , Anthropomorphism , Animals , Kids , Ships , Primarily Animal Cast , Travel , Slapstick , Anachronism

Sekai Douwa Anime Zenshuu

Studio: MLB
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

Originally released in Japan as a tool for learning English. Each episode tells a different story from Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Episodes:
• The Ugly Duckling (みにくいあひるの子)
• Three Little Pigs (三びきのこぶた)
• Snow White (しらゆきひめ)
• Red Riding Hood (赤ずきん)
• Puss in Boots (ながぐつをはいた猫)
• The Little Mermaid (にんぎょひめ)
• Little Black Sambo (ちびくろサンボ)
• The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids (おおかみと７ひきのこやぎ)
• Cinderella (シンデレラひめ)
• Alibaba and Forty Thieves (アリババと４０人のとうぞく)

Note: In 1986, Saban Entertainment released a 5 volume set of the OVA series titled My Favorite Fairy Tales including an English redubbing and adding four shorts from Toei's World Famous Fairy Tale Series (The Cobbler and the Elves, Sleeping Beauty, The Wizard of Oz, The Magic Carpet) to the VHS release.



Tags: Kids , Fairy Tale

Ali Baba to 40-hiki no Touzoku

Also known as Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Fantasy

A film produced for Toei's 20th anniversary. A boy who is the descendant of the leader of the theives who met a grisly fate in the 1001 Nights bands together with 38 cats and a mouse to get back his rightful treasure from Ali Baba XXXIII, the descendent of Ali Baba who now rules the kingdom with an iron fist. This is a reversal of the good guy/bad guy roles in the original story! (perhaps not surprising for being a film in which Hayao Miyazaki was involved) This film is one of the most rollicking and action-packed films made by Toei, and is in an outrageously cartoonish style breaking with the Toei mold. It has a spectacular lineup of animators including Yasuji Mori, Akira Daikubara, Hayao Miyazaki, Yoichi Kotabe and Reiko Okuyama. The original story about Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves itself is recounted at one point in the film in an unexpected and interesting way using shadow-puppets.



Tags: Animals

Saiyuuki

Also known as Alakazam the Great.

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

Alakazam is a young and brave monkey who convinces all the other monkeys to make him their king. After attaining the throne and learning magic, he becomes so vain that he goes to heaven to challenge the gods. He is defeated by King Amo, and sentenced to serve as the bodyguard of Prince Amat in order to learn humility.

Osamu Tezuka was named as a director of the film by Toei Company. However, Tezuka later stated that the only time he was in the studio was to pose for publicity photos. His involvement in promoting the film, however, led to his interest in animation.

Tags: Classic Literature , Mythology , Male Protagonist , Magic , Wuxia , Foreign , Animals , Primarily Male Cast , Musical Theater , Gods , Demons

Nagagutsu wo Haita Neko

Also known as The Wonderful World of Puss N' Boots.

Studio: Toei Animation , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

A comic adaptation of Charles Perrault's classic fairy tale about a clever musketeer feline in boots. His goal is to help the weak and defenseless, but his saving a mouse makes him the most wanted in all Catdom. On the run from the notorious Three Blunderers, Perro befriends a young miller's boy, Pierre, and together, they decide to seek their fame and fortune. When they cross paths with the lovely Princess Rosa, Perro determines to get Pierre hitched to Her Royal Highness. But the wicked ogre, Lucifer, also has his sights on Rosa. Nonetheless, with the help of a band of comic mice thieves, Perro manages to get Pierre to become engaged to Rosa. But on the night of the full moon, Lucifer kidnaps the princess, and Pierre, Perro, and the mice bandits set off to rescue her.



Tags: Kids , Classic Literature , Animals , Anthropomorphism , Male Protagonist

Jack to Mame no Ki

Also known as Jack And The Beanstalk.

Studio: Group TAC , Nippon Herald Eiga
Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy

An old fairy tale gets some new wrinkles in this fanciful animated adaptation. After young Jack is conned into trading his family's prize cow for a handful of beans, he plants them and discovers they produce a magical vine that rises through the clouds. Climbing the beanstalk, Jack encounters a strange and remarkable world ruled by the magical Princess Margaret. The princess is in love with Prince Tulip despite his unattractive features and harsh personality, but as it turns out, this is the work of Madam Noir, an evil witch who has cast a spell on the princess so she will marry Tulip, her only son. Can Jack help the princess avoid this awful fate? Directed by Japanese animator Gisaburo Sugii, this free adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk has won a cult following for its fanciful story and wildly colorful design.

Tags: Witch , Musical Theater , Fairy Tale , Kids , Magic , Male Protagonist

Chibi Maruko-chan: Watashi no Suki na Uta

Studio: Nippon Animation , Sakura Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Sakura Momoko's teacher assigns the third grade to draw an image based on their favorite song to enter a contest. Momoko loves a song she recently learned during her music class and is anxious to make a good drawing based on it. On her way to meet her relatives in Shizuoka, she meets Shouko Kimura, a university student who occasionally draws portraits at the local train station and plans to also participate in an art contest. Fascinated by her illustrations, Sakura meets Kimura once again. Shouko is enchanted by Momoko's sympathy and honesty. They quickly become friends and end up inspiring each other in their own way.



Tags: Chibi , Female Protagonist , Family Life , Drawing , Iyashikei , Musical Theater