Anime like Mimi wo Sumaseba

Majo no Takkyuubin

Also known as Kiki's Delivery Service.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Studio Hibari , Walt Disney Studios , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Slice of Life

Kiki is an enterprising young girl who must follow tradition to become a full-fledged witch. Venturing out with only her chatty black cat, Jiji, Kiki flies off for the adventure of a lifetime. Landing in a far-off city, she sets up a high-flying delivery service and begins a wonderful experience of independence and responsibility as she finds her place in the world.



Tags: Coming of Age , Witch , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Magic , Primarily Female Cast , Work , Urban , Primarily Adult Cast , Aviation , Travel , Drawing , Motorcycles , Iyashikei

Coquelicot-zaka kara

Also known as From Up on Poppy Hill.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Yokohama, 1963. Umi is a high school student living in her family's hillside home overlooking the sea. Every morning she hoists two signal flags towards the bay, sending out a message. A poem about the flags is published in the school newspaper. Could the author be Shun, the daring newspaper editor who has drawn Umi's attention?

While the two teenagers join in the campaign to save their school's old clubhouse, their budding relationship takes an unexpected turn when they discover a secret surrounding their past. In a Japan at the crossroads of tradition and modernization, Umi and Shun share a moving story of friendship, love and hope.



Tags: School , Historical , Coming of Age , Shoujo , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , School Club , Ships , Outdoor , Family Life , Incest

Neko no Ongaeshi

Also known as The Cat Returns.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Walt Disney Studios , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Fantasy

The Cat Returns is something of a loose spin-off of "Whisper of the Heart" as it features two characters from that film: Muta (the cat from "Whisper") and the Baron (the cat statue from "Whisper"). There is no other connection between the two movies and this is not a sequel. The story is based on Neko no Danshaku (Baron of Cat) by Hiiragi Aoi.

The main character of the story, Haru, is a clueless, ordinary 17-year-old girl. She has no special abilities and neither is she an extraordinary beauty. When faced with reality, she is unable to make decisions for herself, thus often sways to others' opinions to avoid challenge. One day, Haru saves the life of a cat without considering her own safety. The cat turns out to be the Cat Prince from the Kingdom of Cats, however as a result, Haru is trapped in the world of cats. Can Baron and Muta rescue Haru who has wandered into the world of cats?



Tags: Animals , Anthropomorphism , Nekomimi , Fairy Tale , Female Protagonist , Kemonomimi , Isekai , Primarily Animal Cast , Royal Affairs , Heterosexual , Arranged Marriage , Shoujo , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Swordplay , Crossover , Body Horror

Karigurashi no Arrietty

Also known as The Secret World of Arrietty.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Walt Disney Studios
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

Arrietty, a tiny but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper. Like all little people, Arrietty remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to "borrow" scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shou, a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty's family from the home and straight into danger.



Tags: Rural , Family Life , Classic Literature , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , Work , Iyashikei

Umi ga Kikoeru

Also known as Ocean Waves.

Studio: J.C. Staff , Studio Ghibli , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Ocean Waves is high school love story set in Kochi, Japan. Morisaki Taku and Matsuno Yutaka are best friends when a girl from Tokyo named Muto Rikako transfers to their school. Excluding herself from group activities, she’s eventually labeled a snob. Matsuno has a crush on Rikako, so it’s no surprise that he gets a little jealous when Morisaki and Rikako start spending more time together. The rumors around school get worse, but Morisaki still insists there is nothing between him and Rikako.


Tags: School , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Coastal , Female Protagonist , Love Triangle , Primarily Teen Cast , Travel , Historical , Time Skip , School Club

Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou

Also known as His and Her Circumstances.

Studio: Gainax , J.C. Staff , The Right Stuf International , GANSIS , TV Tokyo
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Miyazawa Yukino is the perfect student. Kind, intelligent, pretty and modest, it's unbelievable that such a person could exist. Little did everyone know Yukino's perfection was just a facade. An act to fulfill her desire for praise and admiration. Her life took a turn however, as a newcomer to their school Arima Soichiro topped the exam rankings. Arima is more than just intelligent, he's also kind, handsome and modest, an unbelievable person who can actually exist. Even worse luck, Arima found out Yukino's secret, blackmailing her to help him out. Their odd relationship soon develops into friendship and eventually into love. But can their love prevail through the many problems that come their way?

Tags: Coming of Age , Heterosexual , School , Shoujo , Primarily Teen Cast , Meta , Female Protagonist , Chibi , Adoption , Surreal Comedy , Philosophy , Tomboy , Tanned Skin

Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa

Also known as Castle in the Sky.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKids
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Sci-Fi

This high-flying adventure begins when Pazu, an engineer's apprentice, finds a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky wearing a glowing pendant. Together they discover both are searching for a legendary floating castle, Laputa, and vow to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around Sheeta's neck. Their quest won't be easy, however. There are greedy air pirates, secret government agents and astounding obstacles to keep them from the truth, and from each other.



Tags: Lost Civilization , Environmental , Steampunk , Pirates , Aviation , Fugitive , Female Protagonist , Military , Travel , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Heterosexual , Robots , Guns , Primarily Male Cast , Trains , Elderly Protagonist

Josee to Tora to Sakanatachi

Also known as Josee, the Tiger and the Fish.

Studio: bones , KADOKAWA , JR Higashi Nihon Kikaku , KDDI , Toy's Factory
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

The story centers on the relationship between Tsuneo and Josee. Tsuneo is a university student, and Josee is a young girl who has rarely gone out of the house by herself due to her being unable to walk. The two meet when Tsuneo finds Josee's grandmother taking her out for a morning walk.



Tags: Disability , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Tsundere , Heterosexual , Coming of Age , Primarily Adult Cast , Rehabilitation , Drawing , Tragedy , Scuba Diving , Coastal , Josei , College , Love Triangle , Unrequited Love , Mermaid , CGI , Time Skip

Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu

Also known as A Whisker Away.

Studio: Studio Colorido , Tohokushinsha Film Corporation , BS Fuji , KDDI , KADOKAWA , Twin Engine , Dentsu Meitetsu Communications , Fuji Creative Corporation , Fuji TV , Toho , Universal Music Japan
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Miyo Sasaki is an energetic high school girl who comes from a broken family consisting of her unconfident father and an overly invested stepmother, whose attempts at connecting with Miyo come across as bothersome. Seeing Kento Hinode as a refuge from all her personal issues, she can't help herself from forcing her unorthodox demonstrations of love onto her crush.

While Miyo is unable to get Kento's attention as herself, she manages to succeed by interacting with him in the form of a white cat, affectionately nicknamed ""Tarou"" by Kento. But Miyo soon realizes that she can't help Kento with the various problems she overhears in her cat form and is now caught between two tough choices. Will she continue her relationship with him as a cat, or will she reveal her identity and risk what they have, in order to help him as her human self?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Note: The film was slated to open in theaters in Japan on June 5, but was postponed due to COVID-19 and received an exclusive streaming on Netflix beginning on June 18.

Tags: Shapeshifting , Animals , Female Protagonist , Henshin , Kemonomimi , Family Life , Urban Fantasy , Heterosexual , School , Anthropomorphism , Bullying , Tragedy , CGI , Nekomimi , Rural

Cider no You ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru

Also known as Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop.

Studio: Signal.MD , Sublimation , flying DOG
Status: Finished
Genres: Romance , Slice of Life

Cherry is a quiet boy who loves to make haikus based off of the things he sees. One summer day in a city in the Japanese countryside…

At a shopping mall, he meets Smile, a beautiful girl in a mask. Cherry has trouble speaking in anything but haikus, and Smile wears a mask to hide her big, braces-covered front teeth. The two of them get closer as the south wind blows. One day, the two of them learn from Old Man Fujiyama, a master of Haiku who’s started going senile, that he’s searching for a certain record.

“If I can hear this record again, I can remember… Something I don’t want to forget, but can’t remember…”

Cherry and Smile decide to help. This is the story of their summer, set in a shopping mall…



Tags: Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Rural , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Calligraphy , Classic Literature , Philosophy , CGI , Delinquents , Dancing