Animes that might be worth watching
Coco, a humble dressmaker's daughter, has always been fascinated by magic and the witches who cast it, despite the strict precautions they take to hide their methods from the public. However, when Coco takes advantage of a golden chance to spy on the skilled witch Qifrey, she realizes that her favorite picture book was a disguised magic book all along! In her excitement, she immediately starts testing out the various spells. When a spell causes a disaster in her home, Qifrey rescues her just in time and decides to train her, realizing that she is the first lead he has found that could help him track down the Brimmed Caps—a dangerous group of heretics who experiment with forbidden body-altering magic and spread magical artifacts among the commoners. But before Coco and Qifrey can confront the Brimmed Caps, she is going to have to improve her magical skills and learn to get along with Qifrey's other apprentices. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Third season of One Punch Man.
Fifth season of Kingdom.
New Beastars sequel.
When you look up at the sky, what do you see? A blue sky? Freedom? A hopeful future? The people of Tokyo see none of these. Instead, an ominous alien mothership looms overhead, engulfing the city skyscape. Three years ago, they came. The arrival of the "Invaders" sparked the greatest war humanity had ever faced—one that threatened to end the world. The Japanese government scrambled to fight the Invaders. Weapons were mass-produced, sparking controversy and pacifist movements. That day, everything changed. And yet, nothing has changed. Kadode Koyama and Ouran Nakagawa live their final days like they always have: going to school, playing with friends, and doing what any carefree high school girl would do. As they grow up, they come to learn what it truly means to be an adult, in a world where adults seem to be demons who only deceive and destroy. They come to learn the real threat to humanity is not the Invaders, but humanity itself. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
"I can see people's hearts in 'color.'" Totsuko, a high school girl from Nagasaki City who attends a mission school, can see people's emotions as "colors"—happy colors, sad colors, calm colors, frightened colors... To avoid darkening the "color" of friends and family, she pays attention, reads the atmosphere, and tells lies to conceal the situation. Totsuko ends up forming a band with a girl with beautiful colors and a boy who loves music after finding herself in a second-hand bookstore in a remote part of the city. Three overly delicate people gather and begin to play youth. (Source: MAL News)
(No synopsis yet.)
15th century Poland—a time when heretical ideas led those who possessed such a mindset to be burned at the stake for their beliefs. Rafał, a child prodigy, is expected to major in theology at university, the most important subject at the time. However, one day he meets a mysterious man, and begins researching a potential "truth" amid heretical ideas! (Source: MAL News)
In the town of Kurouzu-cho, Kirie Goshima lives a fairly normal life with her family. As she walks to the train station one day to meet her boyfriend, Shuuichi Saito, she sees his father staring at a snail shell in an alley. Thinking nothing of it, she mentions the incident to Shuuichi, who says that his father has been acting weird lately. Shuuichi reveals his rising desire to leave the town with Kirie, saying that the town is infected with spirals. But his father's obsession with the shape soon proves deadly, beginning a chain of horrific and unexplainable events that causes the residents of Kurouzu-cho to spiral into madness. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Set near the end of the Showa period in the late 1980s, an old mansion in Misaki Town is rumored to be the home of a witch. Aoko abruptly enters the world of magi after her grandfather suddenly decides to have Aoko become the Aozaki family's successor. Since then, Aoko moves into the Kuonji Mansion and begins to learn magecraft from the young magus Alice Kuonji, the rumored witch of the mansion. After witnessing the two using magecraft, Soujuurou Shizuki is also forced to live with them until a rune to remove his memories is discovered. (Source: Type-Moon Fandom Wiki)
Second season of Youjo Senki.
Eight-year-old Tokiyuki Houjou, the next successor of the Kamakura shogunate, is a young boy lacking talent in everything besides hide-and-seek. One day, his carefree life is abruptly turned upside down when Takauji Ashikaga brutally seizes power from the Kamakuras, ending their reign. Rescued by a self-proclaimed prophetic priest, Tokiyuki manages to escape with his life. Now he must evade those trying to kill him while recruiting comrades who can help him restore the Kamakura Shogunate to its former glory. Set during the Nanboku-chou period of Japanese history, Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi is a tale of redemption, documenting the life of the forgotten hero that altered Japan's destiny by running away. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Yuuta Asamura gets a new stepsister after his father remarries, Saki Ayase, who happens to be the number one beauty of the school year. They promise each other not to be too close, not to be too opposing, and to simply keep a vague and comfortable distance, having learned important values about men and women relationships from their parents' previous ones. Saki, who has worked alone for the sake of her family, doesn't know how to properly rely on others, whereas Yuuta is unsure of how to truly treat her. Standing on fairly equal ground, these two gradually learn the comfort of living together. Their relationship progresses from strangers to friends as the days pass. This is a story that may one day lead to love. (Source: MAL News)
Three years into the war, Mahito Maki loses his mother in a tragic fire at the hospital. Shortly thereafter, his father marries Natsuko, the younger sister of Mahito's mother. They take Mahito out of Tokyo to seek refuge in his late mother's rural family home. There, Mahito is constantly taunted by a strange gray heron, who seems to have taken an interest in him. Unable to come to terms with his loss and struggling to adjust to a new life in an unfamiliar place, the boy is shocked to discover that Natsuko is pregnant. To make matters worse, the pesky heron can speak—and claims that Mahito's mother is still alive. Luring him into a mysterious tower near the residence, the heron says that Mahito can save her from death, but the boy is not easily swayed. When Natsuko disappears one day, however, Mahito watches her walk into the tower and becomes compelled to venture in to rescue her. He soon finds himself falling into another world below his, where life and death seem to be entwined. As he navigates through this foreign realm to find Natsuko, Mahito must understand what it means to live if he wants to safely return home. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Year TS 2XXX AD. Humanity has formed a "relaxed world government." Everything was entrusted to the international AI network Sapientia, and people lived according to their rational judgment... However, Sapientia's "moon reclamation project" created a schism between the Earth—which maintains peace by sending pollutants and criminals to the moon—and the moon, which is forced to live in poverty, becoming a source of fire for the War of Independence. The main character, Jack, who was involved in bombing terrorism, was robbed of his family one day by the Moon Rebels, who were plotting to liberate him from Earth. Jack, sworn to vengeance, decided to travel to the moon with his friends as an earth army investigator. (Source: MAL News)
The year is 2052—an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity prevails across the globe. The reason for this: mankind has been freed from sickness and pain. Nobel Prize winning neuroscientist Dr. Skinner has developed a miracle cure-all drug with no apparent drawbacks called Hapuna. Hapuna soon becomes ubiquitous... and essential. However, soon after Hapuna is officially introduced, Dr. Skinner vanishes. Three years later, the world has moved on. But Dr. Skinner has returned—this time, as a harbinger of doom. Skinner announces that Hapuna has a short half-life. Everyone who has taken it will die approximately three years later. Death is coming for this sinful world—and coming soon. As a response to this threat, a special task force of 5 agents is gathered from across the world to save humanity from Skinner’s plan. This group is called "Lazarus." Can they find Skinner and develop a vaccine before time runs out? (Source: Adult Swim, edited)
(No synopsis yet.)
(No synopsis yet.)
Koutarou visits Komada Distillery for a project on Japanese craft whisky. Led by young female president Rui, who took over the family business, the distillery works hard to reproduce its signature whisky, Koma, which they had to stop making years ago. However, not to mention financial backing, too many clues are missing to revive the once lost whisky. (Source: Annecy Festival, edited)
Fate/strange Fake centers around an imperfect copy of a Grail War based on the Third Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. Following the conclusion of the third Grail War, a US-based organization with magi distinct from the London-based Mage Association, used data from Fuyuki's Grail War to plan their own ritual. Seventy years later, they used the city of Snowfield as the Sacred Land for their own Grail War. However, they were unable to successfully replicate every aspect of the ritual, resulting in it acting only as an imitation that has lost the Saber class and allowed for the summoning of strange Servants due to the blurring of the definition of a "hero." Rohngall and his pupil, Faldeus, have been dispatched by the Mage's Association to investigate the city and the state of the war. Faldeus, a US organization spy, has Rohngall sniped upon his arrival, despite knowing that Rohngall is a puppet. He declares that their Holy Grail War has been in development and is real, causing a commotion at the Clock Tower, and that he wishes to "advertise" the project to the Association. (Source: MAL News)
Jun Shirasaki and the Jinguuji sisters are childhood friends and neighbors. When Jun's first girlfriend, the older sister Ryuumi, breaks up with him, she says something that complicates the three people's relationship, their first loves, and their romance—? (Source: MAL News)
Meet Haru Tennouji, a charismatic communicator beloved by all, regardless of age or gender. He may come across as easygoing, but beneath that façade lies an unwavering ambition for success. When offered a prestigious position at the nation's largest IT company, "Dragon Bank," he does the unexpected—turning it down in favor of embarking on an entrepreneurial journey alongside his friend, Manabu Taira. Their audacious objective: to amass a staggering 1 trillion dollars. Now, let's introduce Manabu, a brilliant engineer armed with remarkable IT acumen. Personality-wise, he's the antithesis of Haru—introverted, and a tad awkward in social interactions. Having faced rejection from "Dragon Bank" due to his communication challenges, he joins forces with Haru, sharing in the colossal ambition of earning that elusive 1 trillion dollars. (Source: MAL News)
"The word 'no' doesn't exist in a concierge's dictionary." That's just one of the demanding rules that Akino must abide by in her new job as a saleswoman at the elegant and expansive Hokkyoku Department Store. It's a very special store — the customers are all animals, and the most valued among them are of extinct species. Sea minks, laughing owls, Japanese wolves, even an enormous mammoth — that's Mr. Woolly, the celebrated sculptor whose works are showcased at the store. It's still a luxury retail space, though, and anxious Akino finds her hands full with the customers' challenging requests. These range from hard-to-find merchandise to more complicated matters of the heart. Can the inexperienced Akino fulfill their whims and meet their expectations? If she wants to keep her job, she'll have to succeed while under constant observation by the fussy floor manager Mr. Todo, a creepy consultant eager to downsize the staff, and the store's enigmatic president (who is not a penguin, by the way!). (Source: Fantasia Festival)
Rudger is Amanda Shuffleup's imaginary friend. Nobody else can see Rudger—until the evil Mr. Bunting arrives at Amanda's door. Mr. Bunting hunts imaginaries. Rumor has it that he even eats them. And now he's found Rudger. Soon Rudger is alone, and running for his imaginary life. He needs to find Amanda before Mr. Bunting catches him—and before Amanda forgets him and he fades away to nothing. But how can an unreal boy stand alone in the real world? (Source: Bloomsbury Publishing, edited)
Miwa Kurushima and her colleague Yukari Higuchi hunt for a skilled individual to run the counter bar at the famous Hotel Cardinal. The chairman of the hotel demands only one thing of the potential hire: the bartender must be able to craft the ultimate drink known as the "Glass of God." Because Miwa does not fully understand the requirement, her search runs dry after everyone she has scouted cannot get past the chairman's scrutiny. Nestled in a quiet and secluded place among the bustling alleys of Ginza is Eden Hall. This cozy bar is maintained by Ryuu Sasakura, a prodigy mixologist who knows exactly what drink will ease his customers' worries at any given time. Every glass that he serves is garnished with humility, providing much-needed solace to people from all walks of life in their time of need. In a chance encounter, the chairman is left speechless by Ryuu's astute bartending skills and is determined to have him join Hotel Cardinal. He becomes one of Ryuu's regulars, attempting daily to convince Ryuu to leave Eden Hall. But even with the assistance of Miwa, it is more difficult than expected to recruit this particular bartender. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Chika Suzugamori, a rookie manga artist, has been rejected every time she submits a new draft. On the verge of giving up, she suddenly gets the idea of going on a journey—a journey that heals precisely because it's rough. This is the ultimate travel comic! (Source: Kadokawa, translated)
Eiji Kitahama, a second year high school student, just wants to be popular. To help him realize this dream, Rin Nanakura, his junior in the drama club, uses her acting skills to create a harem of loving girls for him. Though the various "girls" all show fondness toward Eiji, the affection of the actress behind them is very real. Rin's colorful acting continuously delights Eiji, but will the starlet herself ever make her way into his heart? [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Taiki Inomata, a third-year student in junior high, attends Eimei Academy, an integrated school with a major sports program. Having joined the high school badminton team, Taiki tries to attend open practice as early as possible. But no matter how early he goes, he always arrives second in the gymnasium. The person one step ahead of him is Chinatsu Kano, a first-year student in senior high and Taiki's crush. Chinatsu is the rising star of the basketball team, and the gap between her and Taiki could not be greater. Although Taiki is a decent badminton player, his popularity is nowhere near Chinatsu's, making it even less likely for his feelings to be reciprocated. However, in a strange twist of fate, she ends up living in Taiki's house! Wanting to become a worthy match for Chinatsu, Taiki pursues the same dream as his crush: to partake in the Nationals. Taiki starts training harder than ever before, all for the sake of building a strong relationship with his new housemate. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Seventh season of Natsume Yuujinchou.
After being aggressively rejected, Momo Ayase finds herself sulking when she stumbles across a boy being bullied. Saved by her rash kindness, the alien-obsessed boy attempts to speak to her about extraterrestrial interests he believes they share. Rejecting his claims, Ayase proclaimed that she instead is a believer in ghosts, starting an argument between the two over which is real. In a bet to determine who is correct, the two decide to separately visit locations associated with both the extraterrestrial and the supernatural—Ayase visiting the former and the boy visiting the latter. When the two reach their respective places, it turns out that neither was wrong and that both aliens and ghosts do exist. This marks the beginning of Ayase and the boy's adventure, as they attempt to fix the surreal, supernatural, and extraterrestrial elements around them to return to a normal life. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Sequel to Seishun Buta Yarou wa Randoseru Girl no Yume wo Minai.
"I will definitely become the world's best Jazz player!" Blue Giant follows Dai Miyamoto, who is a member of the basketball club. While attending junior high school one day, a friend takes him to a live jazz performance, which inspires him deeply. Thereafter, he begins practicing the tenor saxophone by himself, without the ability to read sheet music. Rain or shine, day or night, Dai continues to practice. During his first performance, he is criticized by the audience, however, Dai passionately blows away at his saxophone. A tale of reaching his goal recklessly and sincerely begins. (Source: MAL News)
Hotaru Hinase has lived nearly sixteen years without romance. She is satisfied alone as long as she can enjoy the little things in life with her beloved friends and family. In her mind, she is not meant to fall in love, nor does she understand the concept. While out with a friend, Hotaru witnesses the severe breakup of her schoolmate Hananoi, to whom she has never spoken. Afterward, she sees him sitting in the snow and holds her umbrella over him. To her surprise, this gesture results in him confessing his feelings for her at school the next day. Though Hotaru rejects him, Hananoi insists on letting her get to know him. He does whatever he can to woo her, from changing his hairstyle to finding her lost hairpin in the snow. Although she has no romantic feelings towards him, Hotaru believes that by spending more time with him, she will learn how to love. She agrees to date him and slowly begins to navigate what being a girlfriend entails, including how to reciprocate the kind gestures that Hananoi continues to perform for her. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
"The feeling of wanting to cheer someone on... where does it come from?" Six high school girls with diverse hobbies, skills, and personalities. Each carrying their own worries, they run, shout, collide, daydream... When the pure desire to support aligns, their cheers resonate in the hearts of those involved. The support of these six high school girls from Gunma might just change the world a little bit? (Source: MAL News)
"Let's help each other and aim to become perfect ordinary citizens." Kobato, who once had a bitter experience through deduction activities known as "wisdom work," was determined to become an honest and humble citizen. He secretly formed a reciprocal relationship with his classmate, Osanai, who shared the same aspiration, planning to make their high school debut as ordinary citizens and lead peaceful days. However, for some reason, mysterious incidents and misfortunes keep coming one after another into their school lives. Will Kobato and Osanai be able to achieve peaceful days as ordinary citizens? (Source: MAL News)
Fourth-grader Ayumu Fujino regularly draws four-panel manga for her school newspaper and is lauded as having the best artwork in her class. One day, she is asked by her teacher to turn over one of her manga slots in the school newspaper to a truant student named Kyomoto. When Kyomoto's manga pops up alongside Fujino's, it receives high praises for its detailed artwork, making Fujino furiously jealous. Refusing to be beaten by someone who barely attends school, Fujino devotes herself to learning to create manga. As time goes on though, her goal of outshining Kyomoto seems to only get further and further away, and Fujino, now in sixth grade, eventually gives up and quits making manga. Graduation day arrives, and Fujino is asked to deliver Kyomoto's graduation certificate to her. Through chance, the two end up coming face to face, and their unexpected meeting will end up having consequences far beyond what either of them could ever predict. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Will Serfort dreams of keeping his promise to a childhood friend by becoming a Magia Vander, one of the mighty magicians who sit atop the Wizard's Tower. However, he is unable to cast even the simplest of spells, leaving him to fight dungeon monsters to earn credits at Regarden Magical Academy. As if that weren't enough, he finds himself putting his sword skills to the test against a bullying professor! (Source: Kodansha USA)
Suki demo Kirai na Amanojaku tells the story of Hiiragi Yatsuse, a first-year high school student who struggles to make friends despite his efforts to please others. His life takes an unexpected turn when one summer day, he meets Tsumugi, an oni (demon) girl on a quest to find her mother in the human world. Snow mysteriously begins to fall... and their adventure begins. (Source: Netflix, edited)
The novel depicts the 10 years of a girl who aims to be an idol. Yuu Azuma, a high school girl, aims to be an idol. To achieve her dream, she sets four rules for herself: she will not be active on social media, she will not have a boyfriend, she will not stand out in school, and she will make friends with beautiful girls from the north, south, east, and west. (Source: ANN, edited)
Thirty-five-year-old novelist Makio Koudai never had a good relationship with her older sister Minori, who always berated her for being different. Due to this, Makio is not stricken with grief upon hearing the news that Minori and her husband die in a car crash. But when Makio is asked to identify their bodies, she runs into her 15-year-old niece, Asa Takumi, whom she has not seen in years. Struggling to process her parents' death, Makio reassures Asa that her complicated feelings are valid and suggests that the teenager start writing in a diary as a way to cope with the loss. Upon learning that no other relatives wanted to take in Asa, Makio decides to become her guardian despite her lack of experience. In a world full of uncertainty, the novelist and teenager must learn to live with each other while figuring themselves out. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
This omnibus adolescent drama is about a group of young girls who all attend a "girls-only musical school," recounting the formative years they shared, at times shifting between different characters' viewpoints and time. Awajima Musical School Training Camp, dubbed the "boarding house," is where young girls gather from all over Japan to perform on stage. Tabata Wakana aspires to be a musical star; housemaster Takehara Kinue attends to carry on her best friend's wishes; beautiful Okabe Emi is a scholarship student who is always at the center of attention; and Ibuki Katsurako, who became a teacher at the school though originally from a family of actresses. The unique environment of the musical school is simultaneously a respite space for these aspiring girls and also a harsh battleground that pits young students against each other. It is a place where perseverance can lead to blossoming talents, but also to a cruel reality at times. The clear depiction and psychological portrayal allow the subtle inner workings of each character to come through. (Source: Japan Media Arts Festival, edited)
In the autumn of his first year of middle school, Arata Kouda meets Kujima, a strange creature that sort-of looks like a bird. Since Kujima is hungry, Arata brings it home with him... But because of his older brother who failed his entrance exams, Kujima gets carried away by the situation and ends up freeloading at the Kouda residence. He says it's just until he makes it through winter, and the warmth of spring comes, but... (Source: Shogakukan, translated)
The Animal Liberation Alliance, an eco-terrorist organization, rescues a pregnant chimpanzee from an animal testing lab—only for it to give birth to a half-human, half-chimpanzee "humanzee" named Charlie! Fifteen years later, Charlie's human foster parents are finally ready to send him to a normal high school, where he makes his first friend: a human girl named Lucy. In the meantime, however, the ALA's stance has become ever more extreme, and now they're here to drag Charlie into their terrorist plot... (Source: Kodansha USA)
Autumn 2023. Akutsu, an elderly inmate serving life in prison, is on the verge of a lonely death in his single cell. A flower, touch-me-not, that can talk like humans says to him, "What a rotten life you had." Through their "conversation," Akutsu starts reflecting on his past. Summer 1986. Akutsu is living with Nana, a woman six years his junior, and her son Kensuke in a shabby apartment with a garden full of touch-me-nots. A one-night victorious comeback by a dying yakuza, and the story of his family recounted by a flower that blooms in prison. (Source: Annecy Festival)
