Top Dancing Anime Recommendations

Zombie Land Saga

Also known as ZOMBIE LAND SAGA.

Studio: MAPPA
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Supernatural

A typical morning. The usual music. Their normal lives. The peace these seven girls experience will suddenly be destroyed. By the living dead... zombies. A reality that they never wanted a part of, an amazing and terrifying zombie world. They all share one wish: "We want to live." These girls will struggle through this saga, in order to achieve a miracle. MAPPA, Avex Pictures, and Cygames team up to bring you a juicy, 100% original anime. A timeless shocker for all audiences, a brand new style of zombie anime, will soon rise.



Tags: Zombie , Idol , Monster Girl , Primarily Female Cast , Surreal Comedy , Female Protagonist , Satire , Necromancy , Parody , Ensemble Cast , Amnesia , Dancing , CGI , Time Skip , Rural , Transgender , Oiran , LGBTQ+ Themes , Episodic , Motorcycles , Gangs , Hip-hop Music

Love Live! School idol project

Also known as Love Live! School Idol Project.

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

Otonokizaka High School stands on the border of three cities: Akihabara—a pop culture mecca that's evolving by the minute; Kanda—a conservative, cultured city where history and tradition reign supreme; and Jinbo—a quiet area reserved for a more mature, sophisticated population. Amidst this culture clash, the school now faces closure due to the enrollment of fewer and fewer students.

With the school planning to close within three years, nine female students come together with one thing in mind—form a pop idol group to revive the school's popularity and keep it from shutting down. "In order to protect our beloved school, there's only one thing we can do... become pop stars!"

Their goal is simple: Become an overnight sensation and use their nationwide media exposure to promote their school and bring in a wave of new students to the ailing area. A simple but solid plan, they figure. Naturally, they're nervous and wonder if this plan can really succeed, but for better or worse their new journey has begun...

"All we can ask for is just a tiny bit of support from you. We truly believe that with your help, we can change the world around us. We will make our dreams come true!"



Tags: Idol , Dancing , Primarily Female Cast , School Club , Ensemble Cast , School , Female Protagonist , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Teen Cast , CGI , Tsundere , Tomboy , Fashion , Maids , Shrine Maiden , Espionage

Paripi Koumei

Also known as Ya Boy Kongming!.

Studio: P.A. Works
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Music , Supernatural

Fate and reincarnation deliver brilliant military strategist, Kongming, from warring, ancient China to Japan’s modern party hot spot in Shibuya City, Tokyo. After a lifetime of battles and military skirmishes, Kongming wished with his last breath to be reborn in a world of peace and prosperity. It’s nearly two millennia later and he’s finding his way in a very different world than that of his past life. When he meets Eiko, an amateur musician with big dreams, the unlikely duo strikes up an even unlikelier friendship. Eiko has street smarts to help Kongming navigate this strange new world, and Kongming will use his strategic mind to help Eiko achieve stardom!



An advanced online screening of the first episode was held on March 31, 2022, but the weekly TV release began on April 5, 2022.

Tags: Reincarnation , Urban , Band , Anachronism , Primarily Adult Cast , Idol , Historical , Hip-hop Music , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Work , Bar , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Military , Classic Literature , Time Manipulation , Rock Music , Dancing , Fugitive

Cider no You ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru

Also known as Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop.

Studio: Signal.MD , Sublimation
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

Ballroom e Youkoso

Also known as Welcome to the Ballroom.

Studio: Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Sports

Fujita has drifted through middle school aimlessly, unable to find friends or anything that can hold his attention. Then, one day, he's attacked by a gang and saved by a mysterious man. But this isn't a karate master; it's a ballroom dance instructor! Reluctantly, Fujita takes a few beginner's classes, only to find his inspiration... an entrancing, teenage dance prodigy named Shizuku.
It's Fujita's first step into the high-octane world of competitive dance!



Tags: Dancing , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Coming of Age , Shounen , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , School , Bullying , Rehabilitation , CGI , LGBTQ+ Themes

Zombie Land Saga: Revenge

Also known as ZOMBIE LAND SAGA REVENGE.

Studio: MAPPA
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Supernatural

The second season of Zombie Land Saga.

From throughout the ages, a group of legendary girls have become zombie idols to save Saga Prefecture. It's the return of the cutting-edge zombie idol anime! One day, Minamoto Sakura lost her life in an unfortunate accident. Then, ten years later… After Sakura wakes up in a strange mansion, mysterious idol producer Tatsumi Kotaro tells her that she will be joining a group of legendary girls to form an idol unit. The seven girls are charged with a quest to save the fading Saga Prefecture and adopt the group name Franchouchou. After overcoming the difficulties stemming from their different ages and different periods of history, their undead zombie bodies allow them to defy expectations of what idols can be. During the final winter of the Heisei era they performed their first featured concert at Karatsu's Furusato Exhibition Hall, Arpino, taking another step towards becoming a legend. Now, in the modern Reiwa Era… The curtain rises on a new chapter in the story of Franchouchou, as they march towards a bright future full of hope.



Tags: Idol , Female Protagonist , Zombie , Primarily Female Cast , Surreal Comedy , Dancing , Historical , Parody , Work , Natural Disaster , Revenge , Monster Girl , Satire , CGI , Oiran , Ensemble Cast , Time Skip , Rural , Episodic , Bar , LGBTQ+ Themes , Rakugo , Achronological Order , Transgender , Tragedy , Swordplay , Urban Fantasy

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 , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Teen Cast , CGI , Shrine Maiden , Tomboy , Tsundere

Love Live! Sunshine!!

Also known as Love Live! Sunshine!!.

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

Uranohoshi Girls’ High School, a private school in the seaside neighborhood of Uchiura at Numazu city, Shizuoka prefecture. A small high school in a corner of Suruga Bay, it is home to nine teens, led by second-year student Chika Takami, driven by one seriously big dream: To become the next generation of bright, sparkling “school idols”! As long as we don’t give up, any dream can come true... All we have to do now is keep pushing hard for fame and glory! Now their “School Idol Project” begins to make their dreams come true!



Tags: Idol , Primarily Female Cast , School Club , Dancing , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , School , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Ensemble Cast , Coastal , Rural , Chuunibyou , CGI

Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight

Also known as Revue Starlight.

Studio: Kinema Citrus
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Music , Psychological

The franchise centers on "Starlight" — the song and dance revue troupe loved throughout the world. Karen and Hikari make a promise with each other when they're young that one day they'll stand on that stage together. Time passes, and now the girls are 16 years old. Karen is very enthusiastic about the lessons she takes every day, holding her promise close to her heart. Hikari has transferred schools and is now away from Karen. But the cogs of fate turn, and the two are destined to meet again. The girls and other "Stage Girls" will compete in a mysterious audition process to gain acceptance into the revue.



Tags: Musical Theater , Primarily Female Cast , Ensemble Cast , Acting , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , Meta , Fairy Tale , Battle Royale , Yuri , School , Coming of Age , Henshin , Time Loop , Swordplay , Dancing , Time Manipulation , Boarding School , LGBTQ+ Themes , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Revenge , Tomboy , Archery , Writing , Motorcycles , Baseball

Senki Zesshou Symphogear

Also known as Symphogear.

Studio: Satelight , Encourage Films , Studio Pastoral
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mahou Shoujo , Music , Sci-Fi

With the coming of spring, Hibiki Tachibana and Miku Kohinata start their first year in high school school at the prestigious Lydian Music Academy. That their idol, the singer Tsubasa Kazanari, also attends Lydian is just an added bonus. Neither of them know that their lives are about to change forever. Neither of them know that the first, awakening beat is almost upon them.



Tags: Henshin , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Super Power , Primarily Teen Cast , Conspiracy , Guns , Urban , Tragedy , Mythology , Idol , Dancing , Tsundere , School , Swordplay , Spearplay , Superhero , Gore , Motorcycles , Drugs , Military , Orphan , Nudity

THE IDOLM@STER

Also known as The Idol Master.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Music , Slice of Life

765 Production Studio manages the unique talents of 13 professional idols as they slowly make their way to the top and become country-wide celebrities. But the girls' journey is far from just fun and games: hard work, sweat, and tears are some of the prerequisites needed to flourish in this industry—and for 765 Pro in particular, a watchful eye out for their rival, the infamous 961 Production. As the girls' fame grows, however, their time together as a family diminishes, and now the very popularity they sought is threatening to tear them apart. A difficult balance of work and bonding must be achieved, or they risk everyone going their separate ways. The personal and professional ordeals of these idols can't be conquered alone, but with each other's loving support, any obstacle or hardship can be overcome!

Tags: Idol , Primarily Female Cast , Ensemble Cast , Found Family , Work , Dancing , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Tsundere , Twins , Office Lady , Tomboy , Acting , Animals , Athletics

Ikebukuro West Gate Park

Also known as Ikebukuro West Gate Park.

Studio: Doga Kobo
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery

Based on a series of urban mystery novels.

Crime-ridden Ikebukuro is a haven for violent gangs, the Yakuza, and home to Makoto Majima. To protect his friends, this charismatic troubleshooter mediates disputes among the warring factions—even fixing problems the police can’t. But when a rising tide of violence results in Makoto losing a loved one, can he ride out the storm, or will he drown in all the spilled blood that floods his streets?



Tags: Crime , Gangs , Primarily Adult Cast , Episodic , Primarily Male Cast , Urban , Yakuza , Drugs , Dancing , Ensemble Cast , Parody

Princess Tutu

Also known as Princess Tutu.

Studio: Hal Film Maker
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Mystery , Psychological , Romance

In a fairy tale come to life, the clumsy, sweet, and gentle Ahiru (Japanese for 'duck') seems like an unlikely protagonist. In reality, Ahiru is just as magical as the talking cats and crocodiles that inhabit her town - for Ahiru really is a duck! Transformed by the mysterious Drosselmeyer into a human girl, Ahiru soon learns the reason for her existence. Using her magical egg-shaped pendant, Ahiru can transform into Princess Tutu - a beautiful and talented ballet dancer whose dances relieve people of the turmoil in their hearts. With her newfound ability, Ahiru accepts the challenge of collecting the lost shards of her prince's heart, for long ago he had shattered it in order to seal an evil raven away for all eternity.

Princess Tutu is a tale of heroes and their struggle against fate. Their beliefs, their feelings, and ultimately their actions will determine whether this fairy tale can reach its "happily ever after."

Princess Tutu aired in two parts. The first part included 13 25-minute-long episodes, while the second part consisted of 24 12-minute-long episodes with a 25-minute-long final episode for a total of 38 episodes.

Tags: Fairy Tale , Dancing , Meta , Henshin , Writing , Female Protagonist , Surreal Comedy , Tragedy , Magic , Anthropomorphism , Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Animals , Tsundere , Episodic , Boarding School , Unrequited Love , Shounen , Shapeshifting , Foreign , Reincarnation , School , Dissociative Identities , Ghost

Space☆Dandy 2

Also known as Space Dandy 2.

Studio: bones
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Sci-Fi

The second season of Space☆Dandy.

Space Dandy is a dandy guy, in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Each new species he discovers earns him a hefty reward, but this dandy has to be quick on his feet because it's first come, first served! Accompanied by his sidekicks, a rundown robot named QT and Meow the cat-looking space alien, Dandy bravely explores unknown worlds inhabited by a variety of aliens. Join the best dressed alien hunter in all of space and time as he embarks on an adventure that ends at the edge of the universe!



Tags: Space , Episodic , Surreal Comedy , Aliens , Parody , Achronological Order , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Musical Theater , Philosophy , Robots , Gods , Afterlife , Dancing , Heterosexual , Meta , Band

true tears

Also known as True Tears.

Studio: P.A. Works
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

Shinichiro is a student living in what would be a dream come true for most high school boys, but for him is mostly a frustration. A well liked girl in school named Hiromi has lived in his house for a year along with his family. Her father was a close friend of the family, and when he died they immediately took her in. She is popular and well liked, always smiles, is talented in sports- but Shinichiro knows there must be tears inside her. Having an artistic tendency, he makes watercolours of her and thinks about wishing to ease her tears. Yet he cannot bring up the nerve to talk to her even in his own home. She, too, is quiet and withdrawn in their house, quite unlike at school. Shinichiro is also distracted by teasing from his friend Nobuse for watching Hiromi from afar, a curse of bad luck from a strange girl named Noe, and being forced to perform Muhiga dancing. By helping Noe he hopes to ease his own problems, yet he seems to have difficulty helping himself.



Tags: Love Triangle , School , Heterosexual , Drawing , Basketball , Suicide , Dancing

Love Live! The School Idol Movie

Also known as Love Live! The School Idol Movie.

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

Although μ's, the defending champions of the school idol tournament, plans to dissolve their group after the graduation of their senior members, they receive news that leads them to holding a concert event! The 9 girls continue to learn and grow in this new and unfamiliar world. What is the last thing that these girls can do as school idols? With the clock ticking, what kind of meaning will the μ's members find in performing the most exciting live performance?



Tags: Idol , Dancing , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , School Club , Ensemble Cast , School , Foreign , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Teen Cast , CGI , Cosplay , Tomboy , Tsundere , Language Barrier

Tsuritama

Also known as Tsuritama.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life , Sports

You can't catch fish if you don't go fishing, and you can't make friends if you don't at least try.

Which is how relationship-challenged student Yuki finds himself on a fishing trip to a tiny island with three other boys he barely knows. Well, two other boys and Haru, who claims that he's an alien. Not that constantly stewing Natsuki or mysterious Akira are any more likely as prospects for good companionship.

But there's something about fishing that makes it unlike any other pastime, and maybe that quiet sense of companionship and hopeful expectation is just what Yuki needs to start charting the unfamiliar waters of personal connections. Or maybe it will turn out that Haru's right and they're going to have to save the entire planet.

There are lots of different kinds of fish stories, from the "ones that got away" to the "best catches ever," but whichever way the currents of life take them, for four young men, this trip may turn out to be the biggest whopper ever!



Tags: Fishing , Coming of Age , Aliens , Male Protagonist , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Tanned Skin , Primarily Teen Cast , Family Life , Coastal , Shapeshifting , Memory Manipulation , Primarily Male Cast , Fugitive , Outdoor , Dancing , School

Love Live! Sunshine!! 2nd Season

Also known as Love Live! Sunshine!! Season 2.

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

After failing in the preliminary tournament of the previous Love Live, the members of Aqours have rededicated themselves to succeeding both as idols and as saviors of their school, making sure their home will never be taken away. But Mari learns some terrible news about their upcoming school open house event and it seems like all of their efforts will be for naught. Chika and her friends must find some way to preserve their school and carry on as idols. Either way, it looks like they'll need a miracle to get through this, fortunately, from µ's to Aqours, miracles are what idols do best.



Tags: Idol , Dancing , Primarily Female Cast , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Coastal , School Club , Ensemble Cast , Female Protagonist , School , Primarily Teen Cast , CGI , Chuunibyou

Hanayamata

Also known as HaNaYaMaTa.

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

Normal appearance, normal intelligence, normal in arts and sports... just normal. This is the entirely normal 14-year-old, Naru Sekiya. While she admires "Heroines" she continues to live a normal life until one moonlit night she meets a fairy. This foreign girl then guides her into the extraordinary world of the yosakoi dance.


Tags: Dancing , School Club , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Female Cast , School , Iyashikei , Seinen , Tsundere , Band , Idol

Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai

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

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

Nijigasaki High School is known for their diverse subjects and the freedom they give to students. Second-year student Yuu Takasaki has been turned on to the charms of school idols, so she knocks on the door of the School Idol Club with her friend, Ayumu Uehara. Sometimes friends, sometimes rivals, the members of this club each contribute their own thoughts and motivations to the group.



Tags: Idol , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Dancing , School , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Teen Cast , Kuudere , Episodic , CGI