Anime like Hoshi no Koe

Byousoku 5 Centimeter

Also known as 5 Centimeters per Second.

Studio: CoMix Wave , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Tohno Takaki and Shinohara Akari, two very close friends and classmates, are torn apart when Akari's family is transferred to another region of Japan due to her family's job. Despite separation, they continue to keep in touch through mail. When Takaki finds out that his family is also moving, he decides to meet with Akari one last time.

As years pass by, they continue down their own paths, their distance slowly growing wider and their contact with one another fades. Yet, they keep remembering one another and the times they have shared together, wondering if they will have the chance to meet once again.

Tags: Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Unrequited Love , Time Skip , Tragedy , Denpa , Travel , Trains , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , School , Surfing , Archery , Mopeds

Kimi no Na wa.

Also known as Your Name..

Studio: CoMix Wave , Kadokawa Pictures Japan , Funimation , NYAV Post , Toho , Madman Entertainment , Selecta Visión
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Supernatural

Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl, yearns to live the life of a boy in the bustling city of Tokyo—a dream that stands in stark contrast to her present life in the countryside. Meanwhile in the city, Taki Tachibana lives a busy life as a high school student while juggling his part-time job and hopes for a future in architecture.

One day, Mitsuha awakens in a room that is not her own and suddenly finds herself living the dream life in Tokyo—but in Taki's body! Elsewhere, Taki finds himself living Mitsuha's life in the humble countryside. In pursuit of an answer to this strange phenomenon, they begin to search for one another.

Kimi no Na wa. revolves around Mitsuha and Taki's actions, which begin to have a dramatic impact on each other's lives, weaving them into a fabric held together by fate and circumstance.



Tags: Body Swapping , Time Manipulation , Urban Fantasy , Coming of Age , Memory Manipulation , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Urban , Rural , Gender Bending , Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Time Skip , Environmental , Mythology , Alternate Universe , Trains , Shrine Maiden , School

Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho

Also known as The Place Promised in Our Early Days.

Studio: ADV Films , CoMix Wave
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi

In an alternate timeline, Japan was divided after losing World War II: Hokkaido was annexed by "Union" while Honshu and other southern islands were under US sovereignty. A gigantic yet mysterious tower was constructed at Hokkaido and could be seen clearly from Aomori (the northernmost prefecture of Honshu) across Tsugaru Strait. In the summer of 1996, three 9th-graders had made a promise that one day they'll build an aircraft and unravel the tower's mystery, but their project was abandoned after the girl, Sayuri Sawatari, began experiencing sleeping sickness and transferred to Tokyo for better treatment. Three years later, Hiroki Fujisawa accidentally found out that Sayuri had been in a coma since then, and he asked Takuya Shirakawa to help him finding a way to revive her. What they don't know yet is that Sayuri's unconsciousness is somehow linked with secrets of the tower and the world.



Tags: Heterosexual , Alternate Universe , Military , Coming of Age , Aviation , Terrorism , Trains , CGI , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , School

Top wo Nerae! GunBuster

Also known as Gunbuster.

Studio: Gainax , Studio Fantasia , Bandai Visual , Victor Entertainment , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In the very near future, a race of huge, insect like aliens is discovered traveling the galaxy. These aliens seem dedicated to the eradication of the human species as it takes its first steps away from the solar system, and they are getting closer and closer to Earth. Humanity has responded by developing spacegoing battleships and giant fighting robots. These robots are piloted by the best and brightest of Earth's youth, picked from training schools around the world.

The story begins in the year 2023, not long after the first battles with the aliens, and centers on young Noriko Takaya. Although Noriko's father was a famous Captain in the space fleet who was killed during one of the first battles of the war, her own talents as a pilot are questionable. Nonetheless, she has entered a training school. Through the series Noriko, joined by the beautiful and talented Kazumi Amano, will fight to overcome the trauma of war, the doubts of her peers, and her own lack of confidence.



Tags: Space , Female Protagonist , Military , Coming of Age , Space Opera , War , Super Robot , Time Manipulation , Primarily Female Cast , Aliens , Time Skip , Cosmic Horror , Kaiju , Tragedy , Tomboy , Philosophy , Heterosexual , Bullying , Nudity , Age Gap , Astronomy , Achromatic , School , Travel , Parody , Henshin , Love Triangle

Kotonoha no Niwa

Also known as The Garden of Words.

Studio: CoMix Wave , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance , Slice of Life

Some people revel and play in the rain; others dread it and hide at the first drop. For high school student Takao, a summer shower is a source of artistic inspiration… but when he skips school in order to sketch in a rainy garden, Takao finds an even greater muse in Yukino, an older woman who seems adrift in the world. Despite the difference in their ages and lives, they strike up a comfortable relationship that slowly evolves as they randomly meet in the same garden whenever it rains. But with the rainy season coming to a close, Takao wonders if there's enough time left to put his feelings into actions and words.



Tags: Coming of Age , Age Gap , Teacher , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Feet , Urban , Bullying , Drawing , School , CGI , Psychosexual

Natsu e no Tunnel, Sayonara no Deguchi

Also known as The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes.

Studio: CLAP , Pony Canyon
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Supernatural

Urashima Tunnel - Once you enter that tunnel, you can get whatever you want, but at a price. Kaoru Tohno, who seems to have an elusive personality and traumatic past, and Anzu Hanashiro, who is struggling to reconcile her ideal image and true-to-heart attitude, team up to investigate the Urashima Tunnel and get what they want. This is an unforgettable summer story of nostalgia and sprinting in a remote countryside.



Tags: Time Manipulation , Rural , Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Time Skip , Male Protagonist , Kuudere , Tragedy , School , Age Gap , Female Protagonist , Mythology , Drawing , Bullying , Coastal

Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo

Also known as Children who Chase Lost Voices.

Studio: Media Factory , Movic , CoMix Wave , Yahoo! Japan , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Strange sounds in the darkness... Unearthly music from an old crystal radio... These are all the warning Asuna Watase has before a simple walk to her clubhouse catapults her into a nightmarish adventure that will take her beneath the Earth to a lost land beyond the realm of legend! Attacked by a strange monstrous creature, rescued by a mysterious stranger and pursued by a relentless enemy, Asuna finds herself enmeshed in a centuries old mystery that will bind her to a strange young defender and lead her inevitably, towards a secret that may hold the key to life itself!



Tags: Mythology , Lost Civilization , Gods , Philosophy , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Magic , Rural , Urban Fantasy , Demons , Travel , Guns

Tenki no Ko

Also known as Weathering With You.

Studio: CoMix Wave , JR Higashi Nihon Kikaku , Toho , Lawson Entertainment , Kadokawa Shoten , STORY Inc. , GKIDS , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life , Supernatural

High school student Hodaka leaves his home on an isolated island and moves to Tokyo, but he immediately becomes broke. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds a job as a writer for a shady occult magazine. After he starts his job, the weather has been rainy day after day. In a corner of the crowded and busy city, Hodaka meets a young woman named Hina. Due to certain circumstances, Hina and her younger brother live together, but have a cheerful and sturdy life. Hina also has a certain power: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky.



Tags: Urban Fantasy , Urban , Environmental , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Fugitive , Orphan , Family Life , Heterosexual , Magic , Work , Gods , Super Power , Guns , Found Family , Crossdressing , Time Skip , Estranged Family , Restaurant

Suzume no Tojimari

Also known as Suzume.

Studio: CoMix Wave , STORY Inc. , Toho
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Mystery , Supernatural

The story follows Suzume, a 17-year-old girl from a quiet Kyushu town who meets a young man looking for a door. They find a door within ruins in the mountain, and Suzume opens it. Soon, more doors begin to open around Japan, bringing disasters from the other side. The film depicts Suzume's liberation and growth, as she closes the doors that are causing disaster.



Tags: Urban Fantasy , Female Protagonist , Travel , Coming of Age , Magic , Shapeshifting , Orphan , Family Life , Gods , Kaiju , Natural Disaster , Animals , Age Gap , Found Family , Environmental , Time Manipulation , Tragedy , Parenthood , Heterosexual , CGI

I Byeore Piryohan

Also known as Lost in Starlight.

Studio: Netflix
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi

In 2050 Seoul, astronaut Nan-young’s ultimate goal is to visit Mars. But she fails the final test to onboard the fourth Mars Expedition Project. The musician Jay buries his dreams in a vintage audio equipment shop. The two fall in love after a chance encounter. As they root for each other and dream of a new future. Nan-young is given another chance to fly to Mars, which is all she ever wanted…



Tags: Heterosexual , Space Opera , Primarily Adult Cast , Astronomy , Travel , Urban , Band , Space , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Cyberpunk