Anime like Mashiro no Oto

Kono Oto Tomare!

Also known as Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life.

Studio: Platinum Vision
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life

In the story, Takezou is the last remaining member of the koto club, a club dedicated to the traditional Japanese string instrument. If he doesn't find new members, the koto club will be terminated. One day, Takezou is alone in the club room when a student barges in and demands to join. The student is delinquent Chika Kudou, a guy who even scares delinquent upperclassmen at other schools.



Tags: School Club , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Male Protagonist , Tsundere , Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Delinquents , Bullying , Band , Shounen , Primarily Male Cast , Kuudere

Chihayafuru

Also known as Chihayafuru.

Studio: MADHOUSE , VAP , Nippon Television Network
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life , Sports

Chihaya Ayase is a girl who has spent most of her life simply supporting her sister in her model career. That changes when she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, a talented karuta player who recognizes Chihaya's potential to become a great player herself. As Chihaya takes on a new dream of becoming Japan's best karuta player, she is soon separated from her karuta playing friends, Taichi Mashima and Arata Wataya, as they grow up. Now in high school, Chihaya still continues to play karuta in the hope that she will one day meet her friends again.



Tags: Karuta , Female Protagonist , School Club , Coming of Age , Love Triangle , Josei , School , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Unrequited Love , Athletics , Tomboy , Bullying , CGI , Slapstick

3-gatsu no Lion

Also known as March comes in like a lion.

Studio: Shaft , Aniplex
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

Rei Kiriyama is a 17 year old boy who recently started living alone, financed by his salary as a professional Shogi player. Despite his independence, however, he's yet to mature emotionally, and his problems continue to haunt him in his daily life. His relationship with his adoptive family is strained, and he has difficulties interacting with his fellow high school students.

Meanwhile, his professional career in Shogi has entered a slump. Burdened with the heavy expectations placed upon him, his wins and losses are fluctuating as his record and progression into the ranks begin to stagnate.

Acquainted with Rei are the three Kawamoto sisters: Akari, Hinata, and Momo. Unlike Rei, they live happily in their modest home, which they warmly welcome Rei into as if he were one of their own. He frequently visits the family, interacting with them and receiving the kind of care and affection he never quite had while under his foster home.
This is the story of Rei's triumphs and failures, relationships new and old, and his growth as a person.



Tags: Coming of Age , Rehabilitation , Shogi , Seinen , Found Family , Board Game , Family Life , Estranged Family , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Bullying , Unrequited Love , Food , School , School Club , Baseball

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Also known as Your lie in April.

Studio: A-1 Pictures , Aniplex , Dentsu , Fuji TV , Kodansha , Aniplex of America , Kansai TV , KYORAKU
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life

Piano prodigy Arima Kousei dominated the competition and all child musicians knew his name. But after his mother, who was also his instructor, passed away, he had a mental breakdown while performing at a recital. This resulted in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano playing. Two years later, Kousei hasn’t touched the piano and views the world without any flair or color. He was content at living out his life with his good friends Tsubaki and Watari until, one day, a girl changed everything. Miyazono Kaori is a pretty, free spirited violinist whose playing style reflects her personality. Kaori helps Kousei return to the music world and show that it should be free and mold breaking unlike the structured and rigid style Kousei was used to.

Tags: Tragedy , Classical Music , Primarily Teen Cast , Disability , Coming of Age , Rehabilitation , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Love Triangle , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , School , Philosophy , Slapstick , CGI , Unrequited Love , Tsundere , Tomboy , Ancient China

Sakamichi no Apollon

Also known as Kids on the Slope.

Studio: Dentsu , Fuji TV , Tezuka Productions , Toho , DAX Production , Sentai Filmworks , MAPPA , Sony Music Entertainment , Hanabee Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life

The beginning of summer, 1966.

Because of his father's job situation, freshman high school student Kaoru Nishimi moves by himself from Yokosuka to Kyushu to live with relatives. Until then, Kaoru was an honor roll student who tended to keep to himself, but meeting notorious bad boy Sentaro Kawabuchi starts to change him. Through his devil-may-care classmate, Kaoru learns the attractions of jazz and finds the first person he can call a "friend". He also discovers how much fun it is to play music with a pal.

Other characters include Sentaro's kind childhood chum, Ritsuko, who is the daughter of a record shop owner; the mysterious upperclassman, Yurika; and Brother Jun, the much-admired leader among their peers. Set against the backdrop of a seaside town with a scent of American culture, this series is a drama about young people coming into their own, crossing each other's paths, and finding friendship, love, and music!



Tags: Coming of Age , Band , Love Triangle , Josei , Jazz Music , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Found Family , Primarily Male Cast , School , Rural , Religion , Historical , Primarily Teen Cast , Unrequited Love , Age Gap , Time Skip

Barakamon

Also known as Barakamon.

Studio: Kinema Citrus , VAP , Nippon Television Network
Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life

Seishuu Handa is an up-and-coming calligrapher: young, handsome, talented, and unfortunately, a narcissist to boot. When a veteran labels his award-winning piece as "unoriginal," Seishuu quickly loses his cool with severe repercussions.

As punishment, and also in order to aid him in self-reflection, Seishuu's father exiles him to the Goto Islands, far from the comfortable Tokyo lifestyle the temperamental artist is used to. Now thrown into a rural setting, Seishuu must attempt to find new inspiration and develop his own unique art style—that is, if boisterous children (headed by the frisky Naru Kotoishi), fujoshi middle schoolers, and energetic old men stop barging into his house! The newest addition to the intimate and quirky Goto community only wants to get some work done, but the islands are far from the peaceful countryside he signed up for. Thanks to his wacky neighbors who are entirely incapable of minding their own business, the arrogant calligrapher learns so much more than he ever hoped to.



Tags: Rural , Calligraphy , Found Family , Iyashikei , Episodic , Male Protagonist , Rehabilitation , Seinen , Slapstick , Family Life , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Coastal , Teacher , Tsundere , Fishing

Ao no Orchestra

Studio: Nippon Animation , NHK , NHK Enterprises
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music

Hajime Aono was a prodigy violinist until he grew jaded with playing the violin due to personal reasons. Now in his third year of middle school, he struggles to decide his academic path. One day in school, he meets Ritsuko Akine, a hotheaded novice violinist who wants to enroll in a high school with a distinguished orchestra club. When he finds himself getting closer to Ritsuko and being brought back to the world of violinists, time starts moving again for him.

This is the beginning of a youthful drama where sounds and hearts alike resound in harmony.

Tags: Band , Male Protagonist , School Club , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Classical Music , Seinen , Estranged Family , CGI , Bullying

Kono Oto Tomare! 2

Also known as Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life Season 2.

Studio: Platinum Vision
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life

The second season of Kono Oto Tomare!

Despite their best efforts during the Kanto Region Music Festival, the Koto Club is hit with the harsh reality of their poor performance. In the face of disappointment, they still decide to hone their skills and set sight on their next target.

Tags: School Club , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Band , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Delinquents , Bullying , Primarily Male Cast , Female Protagonist

NITABOH: Tsugaru Shamisen Shiso Gaibun

Studio: WAO World
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music

At a young age, Nitaroh is stricken with an illness that leaves him blind. He inherits the shamisen guitar once used by his mother and is taught its basics by a blind travelling shamisen player. In time with the help of friends old and new, he walks the paths that leads to his ultimate fate - that of founder of the Tsugaru style of shamisen play.



Tags: Historical , Disability , Primarily Adult Cast , Rural , Biographical , Male Protagonist , Orphan , Bullying , Ships , Travel , Tragedy

Blue Period

Also known as Blue Period.

Studio: Seven Arcs , DMM music , Kodansha , DMM pictures , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Bit grooove promotion , Netflix
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

The studious Yatora leaves a dry life of study and good manners behind for a new passion: painting. But untethering yourself from all your past expectations is dangerous as well as thrilling…



Note: The anime premiered on Netflix on Sep 25, 2021 in Japan. The TV broadcast started on Oct 2, 2021.

Tags: Drawing , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Educational , Seinen , Philosophy , School Club , Bisexual , Time Skip , Transgender , Urban , LGBTQ+ Themes , Crossdressing , Femboy , Nudity