Anime like Thunderbolt Fantasy: Seiyuu Genka

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

Also known as NieR:Automata Ver1.1a.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Psychological , Sci-Fi

The distant future, 5012.
The sudden aerial invasion of Earth by ＜Aliens＞ and their creations ＜Machine Lifeforms＞led mankind to the brink of extinction. The surviving number of humans who took refuge on the moon to organize a counterattack using ＜android＞ soldiers to recapture Earth.

However, the war reaches a stalemate as the ＜Machine Lifeforms＞ continue to multiply infinitely. In turn, humanity deploys anew unit of android soldiers as an ultimate weapon: ＜YoRHa＞

Newly dispatched to Earth ＜2B＞ joins＜9S＞, the analyst currently stationed there, where amid their mission, they encounter a myriad of mysterious phenomena...

This is the story of these lifeless ＜androids＞ and their endless fight for the sake of mankind.



Note: Episodes 9, 10, 11, 12 aired back-to-back on July 23, 2023.

Tags: Artificial Intelligence , Robots , Tragedy , Lost Civilization , Post-Apocalyptic , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Anthropomorphism , Aliens , Swordplay , CGI , Dystopian , War , Memory Manipulation , Real Robot , Proxy Battle , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Amnesia , Body Swapping , Puppetry , Gods , Desert , Virtual World

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a 2nd Season

Also known as NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Cour 2.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Psychological , Sci-Fi

The second season of NieR:Automata Ver1.1a.

The year 11954. YoRHa Soldiers 2B and 9S are newly dispatched to Earth to carry out and support the 243rd Descent Operation. There, they succeed in destroying the machine lifeform core units, Adam and Eve. With the annihilation of these enemies, the Army of Humanity takes this chance to end this long-lasting war and decides on an all-out attack against the machine lifeforms. This is a record of the battles and hopes of Androids and the fate which dictates them all…

As war rages on, Unit 2B and others like her question their role. Reclaiming the planet will take sacrifice, but how much more can they give and is humanity worth the cost?



Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Lost Civilization , Philosophy , Robots , Artificial Intelligence , Revenge , Tragedy , War , Female Protagonist , Real Robot , Anthropomorphism , Swordplay , Heterosexual , Guns , Proxy Battle , Male Protagonist , Dystopian , Aliens , Suicide , Puppetry , Space , Twins , Desert , CGI , Gods

Monogatari Series: Off & Monster Season - Zankoku Douwa: Utsukushi-hime

Also known as MONOGATARI Series: OFF & MONSTER Season - A Cruel Fairy Tale: The Beautiful Princess.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Supernatural

Episode 6.5 of Monogatari Series: Off & Monster Season, adapting the short story "Utsukushi-hime/The Princess Beauty"

Once upon a time, there was a true story that happened about 600 years ago. It's a story of a very beautiful girl who lived in a country that no longer exists.



Tags: Fairy Tale , Tragedy , Suicide , Female Protagonist , Magic , Witch , Mixed Media , Medieval , Puppetry

Thunderbolt Fantasy: Touriken Yuuki

Also known as Thunderbolt Fantasy: Sword Travels in the East.

Studio: Pili International Multimedia
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy

In an Eastern-styled fantasy setting, a brother and sister team of sacred guardians is beset by the Xuan Gui Zong, minions of Miè Tian Hai, who seeks the Tian Xing Jiàn sword that they possess. Hai's appearance leads to the defeat of the brother, but his sister, Dan Fei, jumps off a cliff to temporary safety. Later, a wandering swordsman comes across a ruined temple, where a statue of Buddha is protected by an umbrella against the rain. When he takes the umbrella for himself, a man resting under a tree nearby informs him that he must be compassionate to the next traveler he meets as a trade-off for taking the umbrella. That next traveler is Dan Fei, still being pursued by the Xuan Gui Zong minions. Both his promise and the enemy's sorcery leaves the wanderer unable to avoid getting involved.



Tags: Swordplay , Puppetry , Wuxia , Primarily Adult Cast , Anti-Hero , Philosophy , Ensemble Cast , Foreign , Magic , Demons , Tragedy , Gore , Tokusatsu , Cultivation , Historical , Assassins , CGI , Mixed Media

Thunderbolt Fantasy: Touriken Yuuki 2

Also known as Thunderbolt Fantasy Sword Seekers 2.

Studio: Pili International Multimedia
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy

The second season of Thunderbolt Fantasy.

Tags: Puppetry , Swordplay , Foreign , Wuxia , Tragedy , Samurai , Desert , Philosophy , Tokusatsu , Magic , Anti-Hero , Dragons , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Cultivation , Historical , Crime , Gore , Henshin , Fugitive , Mixed Media

Thunderbolt Fantasy: Touriken Yuuki 3

Also known as Thunderbolt Fantasy Sword Seekers 3.

Studio: Pili International Multimedia
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy

The third season of Thunderbolt Fantasy.

Tags: Puppetry , Demons , Swordplay , Magic , Primarily Adult Cast , Wuxia , Cultivation , Time Manipulation , Politics , Gore , Anti-Hero , Yandere , Isekai , Disability , Historical

Osomatsu-san Short Film Series

Also known as Mr. Osomatsu Short Film Series.

Studio: Studio Pierrot , 10GAUGE
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy

Shorts included in the Osomatsu-san BD & DVD releases.

Tags: Chibi , Parody , Episodic , Puppetry , Twins

Fuyu no Hi

Also known as Winter Days.

Status: Finished
Genres:

Fuyu no Hin is a 2003 animated film directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto. It is based upon the renga of the same name by the 17th-century Japanese poet Basho.

The creation of the film followed the traditional collaborative nature of the source material—the visuals for each of the 36 stanzas were independently created by 35 different animators. As well as many Japanese animators, Kawamoto assembled leading names of animation from across the world. Each animator was asked to contribute at least 30 seconds to illustrate their stanza, and most of the sequences are under a minute (Yuriy Norshteyn's, though, is nearly two minutes long).

The released film consists of the 40-minute animation, followed by an hour-long "Making of" documentary, including interviews with the animators. Fuyu no Hi won the Grand Prize of the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2003.



Tags: Anthology , No Dialogue , Classic Literature , Puppetry , Historical , Stop Motion

Thunderbolt Fantasy: Seiyuu Genka

Also known as Thunderbolt Fantasy - Bewitching Melody of the West.

Studio: Pili International Multimedia
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Music

Lang Wu Yao is a boy born with a supernatural singing voice. Secluded in the snowy mountains, he is put through severe training by his blind mother. Her wish is for her son's voice to be unrivaled, so that it will be heard by the imperial court. But the intense training results in a tragic accident, where she dies. Left an orphan as a result, Lang wanders the land. His voice is used as a tool by the wicked and greedy, with his heart being ground down in the process. Eventually his strange singing catches the ear of the princess of Xi You, and Lang is elevated to the stage his mother had dreamt of. But what awaits him is a life or death battle performance against other musicians for the amusement of the members of the court. Until one day, Lang learns of the rumors of the Sword Plundering Nemesis, an infamous bandit known through all of Xi You for stealing magical weapons. What he doesn't know is that the next weapon in the sights of this thief has been hidden by the emperor in the same castle Lang has been performing in.



Tags: Puppetry , Swordplay , Wuxia , Philosophy , Mixed Media , Gore , Henshin

Thunderbolt Fantasy: Seishi Ikken

Also known as Thunderbolt Fantasy: The Sword of Life and Death.

Studio: Pili International Multimedia
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Fantasy

Movie adaptation of Thunderbolt Fantasy sidestory novels, split into two parts. The first part tells the backstory of the Screaming Phoenix Killer, Shā Wú Shēng and the second part features a Shāng Bù Huàn story set between Thunderbolt Fantasy seasons 1 and 2.



Tags: Swordplay , Puppetry , Wuxia , Philosophy , Anti-Hero , Foreign , Gore , Mixed Media

Michi

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

The My Road series - Scarlet Road (2002), White Road (2003), Indigo Road (2006), and the most recent instalment Lemon Road (2008) - can be read as meditations on loss and mourning. These poetic films tell their story through motif, character expression, music and montage and require repeated viewing for one to absorb the subtly evoked layers of meaning.



Tags: Stop Motion , Philosophy , No Dialogue , Rehabilitation , Puppetry , Rural , Male Protagonist , Episodic

Eguchi Hisashi no NANTOKA NARUDESHO!

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy

Part anime, part live action, and part puppet show.

Tags: Parody , Surreal Comedy , Anthology , Puppetry , Shoujo , Kaiju , Trains , Incest , Tragedy , Nudity

Kataku

Status: Finished
Genres: Supernatural

Many years ago, a young woman named Unai-Otome lived in the village of Ikuta. As she was beautiful it was no surprise that she had two suitors, both deeply in love with her. The girl was torn apart over which one to choose. In her desperation she chose a third option - taking her own life. Although her intentions were absolutely pure, not even in death did she find the solace she desired. Many decades later, a pilgrim walking by her grave meets a beautiful young woman and her story once again rises from the depths of time.... With a plot based on a classic play of Noh traditional theatre, the film presents the peak of Kawamoto’s mastery thanks to its expert mediation of the absurdity of the human condition.

Source: http://www.kviff.com/en/film-archive-detail/20050895-house-of-flames/

Tags: Demons , Historical , Afterlife , Puppetry , Stop Motion

Thunderbolt Fantasy: Touriken Yuuki 4

Studio: Pili International Multimedia
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy

The fourth season of Thunderbolt Fantasy: Touriken Yuuki.

Tags: Puppetry , Demons , Swordplay , Primarily Adult Cast , Magic , Time Manipulation , Gore

Doujouji

Status: Finished
Genres: Supernatural

Based on an ancient legend, Dojoji Temple tells the story of a young priest who finds himself the object of intense infatuation and lust from a young woman. As he rebuffs her advances she becomes more and more desperate eventually turning herself into a gigantic serpent. The priest is hidden under the bell of the temple but the woman's passion is so intense that escape is impossible.

A short animation from filmaker Kihachiro Kawamoto. This film utilizes both stop motion and standard animation techniques.

Tags: No Dialogue , Historical , Religion , Puppetry , Stop Motion , Mythology , Dragons , Demons

Akiba-chan

Also known as Maison de Castle.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Akiba-chan focuses on the daily life of Akiba-chan and four fellow TV and game fans in the Maison de Akiba apartments.

Tags: Stop Motion , Puppetry , Kids , Nekomimi , Primarily Female Cast , Mixed Media

Oni

Status: Finished
Genres: Supernatural

One morning, two brothers living in a hut with their mother set out for the mountains to set traps for deer. They move silently through the forest undergrowth until suddenly a demon's arm reaches out from the treetops and grabs the younger brother. The older brother aims carefully, calms the shaking of his hands and lets an arrow fly, thus saving his brother's life. The demon's arm is left behind and somehow it looks familiar. After returning home a horrible truth is revealed.... Drawing on an early medieval Japanese legend, the film is reminiscent of the horror psychodrama Kwaidan. The Demon (1972) took awards at many animation festivals.



Tags: Demons , Historical , Stop Motion , Puppetry , Tragedy , Cannibalism , Archery , Primarily Adult Cast , Rural , Gore , Outdoor Activities

Fate/Grand Order x Thunderbolt Fantasy 3

Studio: Pili International Multimedia
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Fantasy

April Fools crossover of Fate/Grand Order and Thunderbolt Fantasy 3.

Tags: Swordplay , Crossover , Puppetry , Magic , Isekai

JUNK HEAD

Also known as JUNK HEAD.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Sci-Fi , Thriller

Mankind can no longer reproduce because of gene manipulation aimed at making life longer. The clones ruling the bottomless underworld may have become fertile. Parton is selected to go on a mission through a subterranean labyrinth crawling with monsters to secure humanity's future.

Tags: Stop Motion , Cyborg , Gore , Post-Apocalyptic , Clone , Dystopian , Amnesia , Body Horror , CGI , Surreal Comedy , Cyberpunk , Philosophy , Primarily Adult Cast , Pandemic , Lost Civilization , Eco-Horror , Slapstick , Puppetry , Matriarchy

Ibara-Hime mata wa Nemuri-Hime

Also known as Briar-Rose or the Sleeping Beauty.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Supernatural

An alternate retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. The story begins in the same way as the original story but our young heroine instead of falling under the mystical spell begins to uncover the mystery of the man who cursed her and his relationship with her mother. It is a realistic reminder that "They lived happily ever after...", may not be as happy as we once envisioned.

Tags: Historical , Fairy Tale , Puppetry , Stop Motion , Demons , Nudity , Age Gap