Back to Lemon's Profile Lemon's Profile

If you liked Chihayafuru add

...then you might like Fune wo Amu add

Words, poetry, definitions, meanings, language. Chihayafuru is based around teenagers connected by the Japanese card game karuta, based on classical poetry. Pacing/atmosphere-wise; think teen romance, passion, and the spring of youth. Fune wo Amu is based around adults trying to write a Japanese dictionary. Like a ship, the pace and atmosphere is slow but steady.

If you liked Chihayafuru add

...then you might like Sakamichi no Apollon add

Teen romances with a love triangle between the girl, the quiet glasses guy, and the jock-y looking guy set before a backdrop of their shared hobby. Jazz music in Sakamichi no Apollon and karuta in Chihayafuru.

If you liked Chihayafuru add

...then you might like 3-gatsu no Lion add

Traditional Japanese games that are not so popular in the digital age 3gatsu has a much grander vision, whilst focused on its high school protagonist, it still gives plenty of screen time to everyone else from the professional Shogi world, taking care to explore their stories as well for a more 'whole' sort of experience. Granted the pro Shogi circle is very small, there are very few 'mob' competitors whose sole purpose is to explore some aspect the protagonist. Chihayafuru is more focused on the high schoolers with their lives, their loves, and their drama taking main stage. The characters also feel flatter compared to 3gatsu no Lion. Romance is a main theme in Chihayafuru whereas it's not so in 3gatsu. Childhood bullying and the aftermaths of it are explored in both.

If you liked Chihayafuru add

...then you might like Meitantei Conan Movie 21: Karakurenai no Love Letter add

R A R E karuta anime. The Conan movie works okay as a standalone as long as you have a rough idea of who the regular characters are.

If you liked Chihayafuru add

...then you might like Koe no Katachi add

- Teen romance anime that also have more going on underneath the who-likes-who - Realistic depictions of grade-school kids (little shits) - Language. Japanese Sign Language in Koe no Katachi, and classic Japanese poetry in Chihayafuru - Romance drama with believable characters

If you liked Gyakusatsu Kikan add

...then you might like Subete ga F ni Naru add

So deep. So edgy. Wow. Very nice visuals with a good solid dose of trying to present philosophical ideas in the smuggest way possible. The writing is positively oozing with self-satisfaction. Everything is F is a murder mystery, and Genocidal Organ is a military adventure thriller but they both have a very similar feel to them despite the differences in setting and plot. Being the more active of the two, the animation is much more impressive in Genocidal Organ, but the design and art sense is more interesting and refreshing in F.

If you liked Gyakusatsu Kikan add

...then you might like Ajin add

- CGI heavy: much smoother and slicker in Gyakusatsu Kikan, MMD level blockiness in Ajin - Broody, dark atmosphere: because who needs colour when you have E D G E. - Edgy af: gore, blood, death, suffering, the usual. - Cold, logical, emotionless, ultra-super-duper-extra intelligent protag: to get you feel hot under that fedora. - Very nice animation: far more consistent and nicer in Gyakusatsu Kikan. Great fight scenes in Ajin too but being a TV series, they were obviously more time/budget restricted. - Philosophising: if we talk enough about the nature of morality they won't see the glaring plot holes right? That said, if you did enjoy one, give the other a try.

If you liked Gyakusatsu Kikan add

...then you might like Shisha no Teikoku add

Written by the same person so inevitably many stylistic similarities in the writing, but also: - Very similar themes around thought and language. Soul, conscience, consciousness, morality, the power of words, etc. Equally vapid and self-congratulatory, but that's just me talking. - Amazing animation and attention to detail. Both historical detail in Shisha no Teitoku, and the near-future technology in Genocidal Organ. - Large variety of real world locations show in substantial detail. - One single femme fatale character because any more will feel off-putting to the neckbeard fedora crowd the two films are aimed at. - Very nice background art.

If you liked Jin-Rou add

...then you might like Gyakusatsu Kikan add

Gritty, moody, dark, military-based philosophising that takes itself very seriously. Extremely broody decent looking male protagonists of the kind greasy fedora tippers fancy themselves to be. Whilst the art style is very different, you can see a lot of effort has been put into it and the animation is fantastic, especially in Genocidal Organ.

If you liked Mardock Scramble: The First Compression add

...then you might like Shisha no Teikoku add

Character names are all connected references lacking any subtlety. Mardock Scrambles for egg references, Shisha no Teitoku for Western Literary canon references. Both equally disconcerting. They're also both quite self-absorbed in their philosophising but with excellent visuals. If you didn't mind how pretentious and pseudo-intellectual one was, be sure to give the other one a try, you'll probably be able to appreciate it more than I did.

If you liked JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders add

...then you might like Shisha no Teikoku add

Bros travelling the world in search of that thing they gotta find. Not many anime feature real-world location outside of the US or UK, so it's always exciting to see Afghanistan and Pakistan, or Singapore and India being featured. Lots of nicely animated fights and action in both, but have very different tone. With Shisha no Teitoku being more serious and self-absorbed, and Stardust Crusaders being more fun and fabulous in every sense of the word. Shisha no Teitoku is a steampunk adventure movie set in an world where zombies are commonplace and the bros are travelling around the world trying to get their hands on some important notes. Stardust Crusaders is about some bros fighting their way around the world to fight an incredibly powerful glamrock vampire.

If you liked Koutetsujou no Kabaneri add

...then you might like Shisha no Teikoku add

Steampunk zombies. Dealt with very differently, as the zombies are neutral entities in Shisha no Teitoku, the story is more inquisitive; a mystery-solving gallivanting adventure. The literary references are pretty off-putting if you're familiar with the works, but they're not heavy references, more Easter eggs for a Japanese audience who may not be as familiar with Western literary canon. Kotetsujou no Kabaneri is more drama based, with good vs. evil. Focusing more on the sadness and loss that comes with fighting. The colours and art style for Koutetsujou is darker and the sketchy lines really helps to bring out the atmosphere. Both have a good deal of action and the steampunk aesthetic is executed very well in both.

If you liked Hai to Gensou no Grimgar add

...then you might like Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau add

Stylistically very similar. Depicts dark themes and stories with a delicate and light colour palette and whimsical style, the contrast works very well in both. Light twinkly music. Storywise Grimgar is very much rooted in JRPG traditions whereas Whale Children has a more unique mythology and setting.

If you liked Sakasama no Patema add

...then you might like Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau add

Shows where the setting provides a calm but ominous sense of mystery. It was clearly a world quite similar to ours at one point before deviating into their current state. Both protagonists meet someone who it very different from themselves and their people, which prompts them to explore the world they thought they knew with fresh insight.

If you liked Classroom☆Crisis add

...then you might like RoboMasters the Animated Series add

Groups of people chilling (but not really), learning about teamwork, and building mechs. RoboMasters is set in university and is based on the irl competition RoboMasters. Classroom Crisis is set in the future with space drag races, big bucks, and big dramatic plots. CC is grander in scale whereas RoboMasters is essentially a down to Earth school club show with cute little robos. Neither are life-changing masterpieces and neither stands out much over the other execution-wise, both are enjoyable but underwatched. If you liked one, give the other a try.

If you liked Natsume Yuujinchou add

...then you might like Mahoutsukai no Yome add

- Slow, calm atmosphere - Magical beings (Western folklore in MahouYome and Japanese in Natsume) - Ostracised protag with lots of childhood trauma, but are actually low-key powerful - High-key powerful supernatural protective figures - More or less episodic Natsume is the definitely the better executed of the two.

If you liked Hoozuki no Reitetsu add

...then you might like Sakamoto desu ga? add

Cool headed protag being cool. Everyone is very impressed and/or paralysed with fear and awe. Hilarity ensues. Sakamoto jokes are easier to understand for Western audiences whereas Hoozuki has a lot of cultural references, cult/current event reference, anime references, and puns that translate very poorly. A lot are either missed by translators or left unexplained maybe because they didn't want to fill the screen with TN text. Despite that Hoozuki is the richer of the two with a more interesting setting and side characters that have a little more personality. Both are silly and fun.

If you liked Senyuu. add

...then you might like Bikini Warriors add

Short, fun, and satisfying RPG game parodies. Bikini Warriors being the more ecchi of the two in case you couldn't tell.

If you liked Shinreigari add

...then you might like Persona: Trinity Soul add

Kids solving spoopy supernatural mysteries in a small town. High school in Trinity Soul and middle school is Ghost Hound. Psychobabble and creepy atmosphere.

If you liked Shinreigari add

...then you might like Occultic;Nine add

Children dabbling in superstition, conspiracy, and pseudoscience. Occultic;Boob derives its mysticism from electronics, and Ghost Hound from neurology; both equally loaded with bullshit but probably easy enough to disregard if you know literally nothing about the topic. Maybe. Vapid but atmospheric. Have good visuals for the time they were made.

If you liked Amatsuki add

...then you might like Nobunaga Concerto add

Boy who doesn't listen in history class gets trapped in history. Nobunaga Concerto is more in tune with the actual history of the Sengoku Period whereas Amatsuki is such a gratuitous fantasy Edo such that it might as well be any random fantasy world, despite being based on a real museum (the Edo Tokyo Museum). Nobunaga Concerto has a much more engaging protagonist and bounces off from weird anachronisms, the 3D works oddly well. Amatsuki takes itself more seriously which in turn makes it appear rather silly. Neither are ever going to get a season 2 despite cliffhanger endings. Ha.

If you liked Hellsing Ultimate add

...then you might like Vatican Kiseki Chousakan add

... because Christian imagery and Nazis are exotic or something. Hellsing is heavier on the Nazis and VKC is more focused on Catholic esoterica but plenty of both in each. Both are gratuitously dark, with plenty of death but also plenty of black humour to lighten things up. Hellsing being the gorier of the two.

If you liked Samurai Flamenco add

...then you might like Vatican Kiseki Chousakan add

Plot twist/escalation extravaganza + highkey homoromantic tension. SamuMenco has one continuous plot whereas Vatican Kiseki Chousakan are separated into (more or less) discrete independent cases. Incredible whiplash inducing pace but since they're fairly divisive shows if you really enjoyed one, give the other a try.

If you liked Nihon Animator Mihonichi add

...then you might like Yume ga Sameru made add

There are some real gems in the Animator Mihonichi series, and this short would fit right in as one.

If you liked Sweet Valerian add

...then you might like Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE! add

Good people overcome by their flaws getting turned into monsters, but fear not because our post-transformation magical beautiful transforming warriors are here to save the day in true magical girl style! - Cute anime sidekick - Unmotivated protagonists - Magical girl parody - Cute and dumb and fun - Unexpected funny with slightly out-there jokes

If you liked Sweet Valerian add

...then you might like Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt add

Sweet Valerian is like the spiritual predecessor to Panty and Stocking. Clearly influenced by the Powerpuff Girl standard, Sweet Valerian pays homage to both 90's Western animation and 90's Japanese shoujo. Compared to PSaG though it's much cleaner, family friendly fun. Both are very kitsch and very enjoyable, especially if you enjoy cross cultural references and homages.

If you liked Sweet Valerian add

...then you might like Uchuu Patrol Luluco add

Very energetic parodies/meta-parodies of the magical girl genre. Stylistically quite Western but with a clear Japanese base. Great fun! Sweet Valerian is pretty old, but rest assured, the animation is still top notch for a 3min short from its time.

If you liked Souryo to Majiwaru Shikiyoku no Yoru ni... add

...then you might like Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono deshita. add

Intensely toxic non-con pretty-much-porn aimed at the same sort of people who enjoy the most tasteless 'ladies' comics' on offer. Because glorified sexual violent and predatory behaviour is so vogue. Hot social pariahs force themselves onto generic female protagonist. If you liked one, give the other a try I guess.

If you liked Yakitate!! Japan add

...then you might like Hunter x Hunter (2011) add

Shounen adventure anime about a very talented kid protagonist (more so than surrounding adults) and their relentless, single minded quest for something important to them. Lots of hard training, challenges, overcoming challenges, making friends, etc. Set in clear arcs a la classic shounen style. Hunter x Hunter is more serious and focused on the adventuring whereas Yakitate is a comedy. Yakitate is very wordplay heavy and uses lots of reference, so Japanese cultural/linguistic knowledge will definitely help (that said, it aired during the golden age of fansubbing so a lot of thing are explained if you don't get the joke).

If you liked Thermae Romae add

...then you might like Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE! add

Shows for distinguished lovers of bath culture. Binan Bouei-bu is a 'magical girl' parody with lots of references to classic magical girl tropes but also to baths and popular bathing hotspots around Japan. The gang also spends a decent chunk of time lounging around in a public bath; as befitting a tasteful magical boy brigade. Good job gang. Thermae Romae is more for the purists. Baths. Nothing but baths. Mostly Roman baths and Japanese baths; idiosyncratic in style but also educational in nature. A quality piece of animation for someone looking to relax and/or get very worked up about baths (preferable post-bath, with a cool drink in hand).