Top Bowling Anime Recommendations

Death Parade

Also known as Death Parade.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

When two people die at the same time, they’re sent to a place that’s neither heaven nor hell—a lavish bar between worlds where the stakes are high and the rules are simple: if you win you live again, if you die… you’re gone for good.

Decim is the bartender charged with serving the souls who enter Quindecim. He may make a mean cocktail, but his true profession is to play the role of arbiter—a judge who determines whether or not a soul is worthy of reincarnation. To aid in his judgment, the bar’s patrons are forced to play simple games laced with sadistic twists designed to bring their true natures to light. To Decim, judgment has always been black and white—that is—until he meets a mysterious young woman whose fate seems impossible to decide. His indecision shakes the very foundation of the games and raises the biggest question of all: Who is fit to judge the dead?



Tags: Afterlife , Death Game , Philosophy , Tragedy , Amnesia , Memory Manipulation , Reincarnation , Bar , Primarily Adult Cast , Episodic , Suicide , Gambling , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Mythology , Kuudere , Bowling , Gyaru , Ice Skating , Revenge , CGI , Tanned Skin

Hyouka

Also known as Hyouka.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Mystery , Romance , Slice of Life

Energy-conservative high school student Houtarou Oreki ends up with more than he bargained for when he signs up for the Classic Literature Club at his sister's behest—especially when he realizes how deep-rooted the club's history really is. Begrudgingly, Oreki is dragged into an investigation concerning the 45-year-old mystery that surrounds the club room.

Accompanied by his fellow club members, the knowledgeable Satoshi Fukube, the stern but benign Mayaka Ibara, and the ever-curious Eru Chitanda, Oreki must combat deadlines and lack of information with resourcefulness and hidden talent, in order to not only find the truth buried beneath the dust of works created years before them, but of other side cases as well.

Based on the award-winning Koten-bu light novel series, and directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto of Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu, Hyouka shows that normal life can be full of small mysteries, be it family history, a student film, or even the withered flowers that make up a ghost story.



Tags: School Club , Detective , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Episodic , Classic Literature , Bowling , Heterosexual , Rural , Iyashikei , Filmmaking , Otaku Culture , Politics , Tsundere , Cosplay , Shrine Maiden , Bullying

Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san

Also known as Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie.

Studio: Doga Kobo
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

The ultimate "heartthrob girlfriend" appears! Naturally unlucky high school student Izumi's girlfriend is his classmate Shikimori. She has a beautiful smile and kind personality and always seems happy when she's with Izumi. She's a pretty, cute, and loving girlfriend, but when Izumi's in trouble… she transforms into a super cool "heartthrob girlfriend!" The fun lives of the cute and cool Shikimori, Izumi, and their good friends never end!



Tags: Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , School , Tomboy , Coming of Age , Episodic , Athletics , Kuudere , Tsundere , Shounen , Meta , Gender Bending , Basketball , Martial Arts , Love Triangle , Football , Bowling

SHIROBAKO

Also known as SHIROBAKO.

Studio: P.A.WORKS
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Slice of Life

Once upon a time, five girls made an animated film and it was so much fun that they pledged to get jobs in animation so that someday they could make another film together. Now, two years later, Aoi, Shizuka, Ema, Misa and Midori have learned the truth about the anime industry: it's not always fun, it's anything but easy, and having talent isn't always enough to open the right doors.

Which is why Aoi's overwhelmed by her job as a production assistant, Shizuka's waiting on tables between auditions, Midori's currently scriptless, Misa's switched to C.G., and Ema's working long hours as a key animator. Is it what they imagined? No. But are they ready to give up? Not just yet! Sometimes, when things happen in animation, they can happen in the most wonderful ways!



Tags: Work , Primarily Adult Cast , Drawing , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Meta , Otaku Culture , Educational , Office Lady , Primarily Female Cast , Coming of Age , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Office , Urban , Acting , Cars , Bowling , Kuudere , Primarily Teen Cast

BLACK LAGOON: The Second Barrage

Also known as Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Thriller

Okajima Rokuro - now known almost exclusively as 'Rock' - was once a typical, put-upon Japanese businessman. Then, on a routine business trip, he was kidnapped and ransomed by the Lagoon Company: a band of mercenary pirates operating out of the crime-riddled city of Roanapur. Abandoned by his bosses, he joined the Lagoon Company. Now he must try and stay afloat amongst the ever-shifting politics of the criminal underworld, while simultaneously avoiding death at the hands of his quick-tempered, gun-toting co-worker, 'Two Hand' Revy.



Tags: Crime , Guns , Anti-Hero , Gangs , Tomboy , Mafia , Pirates , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Assassins , Seinen , Foreign , Yakuza , Triads , Ships , Male Protagonist , Noir , Travel , Ensemble Cast , Suicide , Delinquents , Language Barrier , Twins , Nudity , Gore , Bowling

Love Live! School idol project 2nd Season

Also known as Love Live! School Idol Project 2nd Season.

Studio: Sunrise
Status: Finished
Genres: Music , Slice of Life

The second season of Love Live! School idol project.

At the intersection of three cities—Akihabara, Kanda, and Jinbocho—the traditional Otonokizaka High was facing a crisis of being closed down. Second-year student, Honoka Kosaka, decided to become a school idol, a trend that has been growing in popularity, in order to increase the number of students applying for her school. With her childhood friends, Kotori Minami and Umi Sonoda, they combined their efforts to form the group, μ's.

A while later, Maki Nishikino, a songwriter, Hanayo Koizumi, who always dreamed of being a school idol, Rin Hoshizora, Hanayo's friend, and Nico Yazawa, the president of the Idol Study Club, joined the group, all with the aim of entering the school idol festival, Love Live.

Additionally, Eli Ayase, the student council president, and Nozomi Tojo, the student council vice president, joined μ's, bringing the group to a total of nine members. After overcoming many problems, ranging from the closing of the school to Kotori's study-abroad incident to μ's going on hiatus, what will the girls aim for next!?



Tags: Idol , Primarily Female Cast , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Dancing , School Club , School , Female Protagonist , Urban , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Teen Cast , Tomboy , CGI , Shrine Maiden , Tsundere , Bowling

Asu no Yoichi!

Also known as Samurai Harem.

Studio: AIC
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Ecchi , Romance

His skill with a sword is magnificent but his social skills still need a lot of work!

After many long years perfecting the art of fighting, 17-year-old Yoichi Karasuma is sent down from the remote mountains where he has been raised thinking that he's going to study some new martial arts techniques... but what he's really going to learn about are some slightly more practical things, like electrical appliances, modern clothing and, most especially, how NOT to make girls want to kill you!

Unfortunately, that last lesson is one Yoichi may not survive, as his new dojo is infested with the infernal creatures in the form of the Ikaruga sisters, and they don't really seem to understand how "proper" girls are "supposed" to behave! Will Yoichi's bushido blade be struck down by the fearsome charms of Ibuki, Ayame, Chihaya, and Kagome? Or will the equally lethal girls from the rival Tsubame school be his undoing?



Tags: Female Harem , Shounen , Martial Arts , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Samurai , Cohabitation , Tsundere , Achromatic , School , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Bowling

Ame to Kimi to

Also known as With You and the Rain.

Studio: Lesprit
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

On a rainy day, Fuji meets a cute critter posing as a dog and offering an umbrella and a cue card that says, “Please take me home” and she can’t resist. With this dog-poster’s quirky charm and mysterious ways, life together becomes a heartwarming adventure of friendship and shared seasons.



Tags: Iyashikei , Female Protagonist , Animals , Seinen , Urban , Primarily Adult Cast , Writing , Episodic , Bowling , Pregnancy , Nudity

Heppoko Jikken Animation Excel Saga

Also known as Excel Saga.

Studio: J.C.STAFF
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Sci-Fi

Excel Saga is a one-of-a kind work of art that can only be described as the ultimate parody of anime. From the opening credits - a rather odd spoof of Japanese pop videos - to the ending song featuring Menchi the dog singing/barking a plaintive ballad while a human interpreter translates for viewers, nothing is sacred in the world of Excel Saga.



Tags: Parody , Meta , Surreal Comedy , Slapstick , Female Protagonist , Tokusatsu , Kuudere , Henshin , Robots , Animals , Guns , Assassins , Bowling , Shounen , Amnesia , Musical Theater

Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai 2

Also known as Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Season 2.

Studio: Sunrise
Status: Finished
Genres: Music , Slice of Life

The second season of Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai.

Tags: Idol , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Dancing , Ensemble Cast , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , School , Yuri , Bowling

Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa

Also known as Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Psychological

Teiai Group is one of Japan's largest firms. Yukio Tonegawa, a man with a larger-than-life presence and sharp intellect, works as the right-hand man of Chairman Kazutaka Hyodo. One day, the chairman commands Tonegawa to spearhead "Game of Death," an evil project that employs debtors. He rallies his direct reports and scrambles to form Team Tonegawa, only to encounter a barrage of challenges from the erratic chairman and his disloyal employees, ultimately leading to his demotion.

Team Tonegawa is bombarded with an onslaught of wide-ranging problems! "Mr. Tonegawa - Middle Management Blues -" is a spinoff of "Kaiji," the hit manga series that boasts a total circulation of over 20 million printed copies.



Note: Episode 14-15, parts of 18, and parts of 20-23 of this entry adapts the Kaiji spin-off manga Ichinichi Gaishutsuroku Hanchou.

Tags: Work , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Parody , Seinen , Office , Food , Card Battle , Episodic , Bowling , Slavery , Mahjong , Pandemic , Acting , Camping , Memory Manipulation

Turkey!

Also known as Turkey! Time to Strike.

Studio: BAKKEN RECORD
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Sports , Supernatural

"Turkey" is a bowling term for scoring three consecutive strikes.

Mai, a second-year student and captain of the Ikkokukan High School Bowling Club, is a genius who can't seem to win a match. Whenever she scores a Turkey, she mysteriously follows it up with an unyielding split—the Snake Eyes.

One day, Rina, the club’s only first-year member, confronts her "You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?"

"You’re running away from winning. But I want to win. If you have no intention of winning, I’ll quit."



Tags: Female Protagonist , Time Manipulation , Historical , Primarily Female Cast , Bowling , Primarily Teen Cast , Coming of Age , School Club , Crossdressing , Swordplay , Samurai , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Arranged Marriage , Gore , Adoption , Suicide , Twins , Time Skip

Dokidoki! Precure

Also known as Glitter Force Doki Doki.

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo

Aida Mana is a girl who is always eager to do things for the sake of others.

One day, when she was visiting the Clover Tower during her school's orientation program, an enemy who called themselves "Selfish" appeared suddenly, and tried to manipulate her inner heart! To fight this enemy, she borrowed power from a magical fairy Sharuru to transform into Pretty Cure!

To protect the peace of the world, other legendary Pretty Cure soon joined her in battle! A mysterious baby also appears, making each day a "Heartthrob" experience! The 4 Cures, always holding "love" in their hearts, are battling for the world's fate!



Tags: Magic , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Reincarnation , Isekai , School Club , Acting , Lost Civilization , Tsundere , Parenthood , School , Yuri , Kids , Henshin , Tokusatsu , Superhero , Fairy , Urban Fantasy , Primarily Child Cast , Idol , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Butler , Episodic , Urban , Bowling , Martial Arts , Female Harem , Ojou-sama , CGI , Karuta

Elysium

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In In the year 2113 A.D., a team of scientists is dispatched to Antarctica to investigate the region's abnormal seismic activity. Near the epicenter of the activity, the expedition discovers vast land markings akin to the Nazca paleoglyphs drawn in the Peruvian desert. Stranger still is the presence of an enormous underground cavern below these symbols. At the bottom of the chasm, a portion of a tremendous tower juts from the ground. Armed with ultra-digital cameras, the scientific team transmits their findings to the Command Center. One explorer traces the image of a star chart engraved on the tower's exterior. The tower begins to emit a sinister howling as if possessed by demonic forces. One by one, the members of the expedition writhe in pain and die. Those observing the scene at the Command Center watch helplessly. As the high-frequency noise suffuses their headquarters, they too succumb and die in agony. When the waves of the frequency are analyzed, they are discovered to be a beacon directed at the planet Elysium, which lies beyond Earth's solar system.

Van, the reluctant hero of the story, is an 18-year-old pizza delivery boy in Manhattan. He competes in the most popular sport of the 22nd century -- turbo jai alai racing. These races are fast paced and deadly affairs that integrate virtual reality into the competition. He's deeply in love with Lydia, a talented ballerina. In the chaotic futuristic metropolis, they only have each other and their dreams. Van and Lydia desperately want the chance to escape the polluted city-scape. Despite the dangers, Van enters a turbo jai alai race in the hopes of winning first prize -- two tickets to a galactic resort where Lydia can audition for the Jupiter Ballet.

Meanwhile, earth's deep space observation vessel, the Odyssey, patrols the planet's orbital perimeter. The Odyssey is confronted by an armada of sophisticated alien spacecraft from Elysium. The awed human crew prepares to receive the Elysian ambassador, Yaspe. Without warning, the Odyssey loses control of its weapons, fires on the ambassador's vessel and destroys it. This tragic misunderstanding results in brutal retaliation by the Elysian fleet, culminating in the destruction of the Odyssey and a full-scale attack on Earth.

Van's deadly sport of choice turns deadlier when the stadium he is competing in comes under fire from the Elysian barrage. Van struggles through the chaos on his turbo-cycle to rescue Lydia from the collapsing stands. The indiscriminate Elysian onslaught scorches cities worldwide. Van and Lydia flee through the burning streets of Manhattan seeking safety. After a series of harrowing escapes, they find refuge in a claustrophobic fall-out shelter.



Tags: Full CGI , Cheerleading , Bowling , Tsundere

Norasco

Studio: Kachidoki Studio
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Follows an easygoing Scottish Fold's mundane everyday life.

Tags: Animals , Primarily Male Cast , Baseball , Football , Bowling , Fishing

Ai Zokusei

Also known as Love Attribute.

Status: Finished
Genres:

Music video directed by Hamono Eirina for the song Love Attribute by PinocchioP featuring Hatsune Miku.

Tags: Medicine , Chibi , Female Protagonist , Suicide , Vocal Synth , Bowling , Video Games , Urban