Anime like Yojouhan Time Machine Blues

Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome

Also known as The Night is Short, Walk on Girl.

Studio: Science SARU
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance

A black haired girl is walking around the streets of Kyoto, from the night scene of Pontocho to a second-hand book fair in Shimogamo, then off to a college fair. The main character that has a romantic feeling for her secretly follows her around and looks for the opportunities to run into her in a manner that seems like a coincidence. Unfortunately for him, she is not interested in love yet, so she does not notice his feelings. What awaits these two characters are a series of crazy incidents caused by bizarre individuals, such as a person who introduces himself as Tengu, the god of second-hand books, or a money lender, who collects young men's underwear and lives on a three story barge.



Tags: Surreal Comedy , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Bar , Musical Theater , Heterosexual , College , LGBTQ+ Themes , Crossdressing , Trains

Sonny Boy

Also known as Sonny Boy.

Studio: MADHOUSE , BS Asahi , Shouchiku , Marui Group
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

It’s an ordinary summer vacation...except for the fact that Nagara’s high school has mysteriously drifted into another dimension. As the students begin to develop strange new powers, will they work together to survive the alien environment and find a way home, or will their newly formed factions and rivalries turn on each other?



Note: The first episode received an advance release on YouTube on June 19, 2021. The regular TV broadcast started on July 16, 2021.

Tags: Alternate Universe , Philosophy , Denpa , Super Power , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Survival , Isekai , Meta , Achronological Order , School , Cosmic Horror , Episodic , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Mixed Media , Gods , Animals , Heterosexual , Baseball , Suicide , Desert , Unrequited Love , Wilderness , Space

Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo

Also known as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Kadokawa Shoten , Bandai , Memory-Tech , Happinet Pictures , Selecta Visión , Funimation
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi

The power to travel through time... It can be used for the good of humanity, or just selfishly abused. While many may fantasize about obtaining such a power, it has become nothing less than reality for otherwise-normal schoolgirl Konno Makoto.

After a fated event, her life takes a turn for the extraordinary. Though she initially uses her power to literally "leap" into the past and change little things in order to make her life easier, she soon has to face the fact that changing the past can have drastic consequences.

Tags: Time Manipulation , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , School , Tomboy , Tragedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Love Triangle , Baseball

Steins;Gate

Also known as Steins;Gate.

Studio: Frontier Works , Funimation , Media Factory , Movic , AT-X , WHITE FOX , Kadokawa Pictures Japan , Nitroplus
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Thriller

Self-proclaimed mad scientist Okabe Rintarou lives in a small room in Akihabara, where he invents "future gadgets" with fellow lab members Shiina Mayuri, his air-headed childhood friend, and Hashida Itaru, an otaku hacker. The three pass the time by tinkering with their latest creation, a "Phone Microwave" that can be controlled through text messages.

The lab members soon face a string of mysterious incidents that lead to a game-changing discovery: the Phone Microwave can send emails to the past and thus alter history. Adapted from the critically acclaimed visual novel by 5pb. and Nitroplus, Steins;Gate takes Okabe to the depths of scientific theory and human despair as he faces the dire consequences of changing the past.

Tags: Time Manipulation , Alternate Universe , Time Loop , Conspiracy , Tragedy , Memory Manipulation , Male Protagonist , Urban , Dystopian , Primarily Adult Cast , Philosophy , Dissociative Identities , Chuunibyou , Tsundere , Otaku Culture , Denpa , Heterosexual , Kuudere , Suicide , Ensemble Cast , Amnesia , War , Post-Apocalyptic , Gender Bending , Maids , Trains , Shrine Maiden

Uchouten Kazoku

Also known as The Eccentric Family.

Studio: Bandai Visual , Lantis , P.A.WORKS , YTV , Magic Capsule
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Fantasy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

In Kyoto, there are three kinds of residents: humans, raccoon dogs, and tengu. Shimogamo Yasaburou is the third son of the Shimogamo raccoon dog family. His father, Souichirou, had been the head of Kyoto raccoon dog community until he was eaten by the human members of "Friday Club". While taking care of old tengu, fighting with other raccoon dogs, and playing with a psychic human girl, Yasaburou approaches the truth of his father's death.

Tags: Mythology , Urban Fantasy , Family Life , Male Protagonist , Shapeshifting , Youkai , Philosophy , Animals , Primarily Adult Cast , Gender Bending , Age Gap , Surreal Comedy , Crossdressing , Tragedy , Twins , Love Triangle , Bar , Archery , Nudity

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 , Swimming , Bullying

Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai!

Studio: Studio Pierrot , Omnibus Promotion , Daybreak
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Sci-Fi

The Yomota family is small and typical: father Kinekuni (42), mother Tamiko (38), and son Inumaru (17). One day, a beautiful girl appears at their front door, calling herself "Maroko Yomota," granddaughter of Inumaru who travels back in time with a time machine to visit her ancestors. Even with Tamiko's strong objection, Kinekuni and Inumaru welcome her to stay with them, and the structure of a happy family has begun to collapse.



Tags: Family Life , Acting , Satire , Meta , Tragedy , Fugitive , Surreal Comedy , Incest , Slapstick , Time Manipulation , Crime , Bar , Inseki , Suicide

Twilight Q

Studio: Ajiado , Studio DEEN
Status: Finished
Genres: Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

A Knot in Time - Reflection Mayu found a camera floating in the ocean while she was on vacation. A very unusual camera. The film, mostly intact, reveals a picture of herself with a man she has never seen before. But that is not all. The unusual part is that this camera has not been made yet... and will not be made for another two years. And soon, Mayu finds herself swinging uncontrollably back and forth through time like a pendulum...

Mystery Case - File 538 A down-on-his-luck detective accepts the first case to come his way: surveillance of a man and a little girl. But who are they? And why do aeroplanes that fly over them turn into giant imperial carp? An investigator's normal methods do not apply when reality itself no longer applies...



Note: The series was meant to be a showcase for various anime directors. Unfortunately, only two parts ever got made.

Tags: Detective , Time Manipulation , Episodic , Anthology , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Denpa , Gods

Dandadan

Also known as DAN DA DAN.

Studio: Science SARU , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Science SARU , Shueisha , Dentsu , Aniplex , Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

This is a story about Momo, a high school girl who comes from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult fanatic. After Momo rescues Okarun from being bullied, they begin talking. However, an argument ensues between them since Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens exist, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts exist.

To prove to each other what they believe in is real, Momo goes to an abandoned hospital where a UFO has been spotted and Okarun goes to a tunnel rumored to be haunted. To their surprise, they each encounter overwhelming paranormal activities that transcend comprehension. Amid these predicaments, Momo awakens her hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse to overcome these new dangers! Their fateful love begins as well!?

The story of the occult battle and adolescence starts!



Notes:
Worldwide premiere of Episode 1 before the Japanese television premiere occurred at Anime Expo July 6, 2024.
Episodes 1-3 titled as DAN DA DAN: FIRST ENCOUNTER was pre-screened in advance in theaters on August 31, 2024 in Asia, September 7, 2024 in Europe and September 13, 2024 in North America. The regular TV broadcast began October 4, 2024.

Tags: Urban Fantasy , Ghost , Youkai , Aliens , Super Power , Surreal Comedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Shounen , Henshin , Heterosexual , Exorcism , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , School , Gyaru , Cult , Demons , Love Triangle , CGI , Zombie , Tokusatsu , Achromatic , Tragedy