This anime claims to know where the famous One Hundred Ghost Stories from Japan came from! A certain Yamaoka Momosuke decided to travel in order to collect scary legends and tales all over the country. During these endeavors, he finds a team of supernatural detectives who call themselves the Ongyou. Momosuke will live mysterious and right down horrific experiences by their side, discovering the truth behind the legends he was seeking and questioning what is right and what is wrong. Although Requiem from the darkness is probably the least similar anime to Baccano!, we have an exciting journey revolving around crime here, as with the Transcontinental train. The novel treatment of such a traditional topic as ghost stories sets Requiem from the Darkness apart. Its graphic style resembles inked drawings and the anime from the 50’s, with plain, basic colors and accented shadows. Requiem from the darkness also has a discreet usage of CG when the scene requires it. All in all, this is an accomplished and interesting anime.

What happens when your family is forcefully taken away from you (killed) and you are mistreated and tortured on top of it? You get inspiration from a bat, build a secret cave and learn to operate weapons? Nah, who needs to become Batman when you can make a contract with a charismatic devil? That is exactly what Ciel Phantomhive did. As the heir to the watchdog family for Queen Victoria of England, Ciel swears to avenge his parents and discover the truth behind their demise. He counts on Sebastian Michaelis, his devilish butler, to achieve his objective while he investigates other peculiar crimes under her majesties command. The main similarity of this anime with Baccano is the supernatural features on a well documented historical setting. Black Butler has been a highly successful franchise, and it is easy to see why. The high quality of the animation, its elegant pace and the rich aristocratic environment invite the viewer to submerge into the plot. The two leading characters are well defined, and the subtle dark atmosphere only enhance their interactions. The latest chapter of Michaelis and Phantomhive adventures, the Book of murder OVAs, promises to deliver as much uncanny emotions as the anime show.

France on the verge of the French Revolution had a political environment far from peaceful. This is the story of a brother and a sister (D'Eon and Lia), involved with the secret police in those times. Still, nothing yells “this is a who-dun-it anime” more than finding a coffin floating down the river with Lia’s mortal remains in the very beginning of the show. And things just get better! D'Eon has to phase zombies and even becomes possessed by his sister’s soul, seeking revenge from beyond her tomb. This is another anime with a supernatural theme embedded in a well documented historical period, just like Baccano! Le Chevalier D'Eon has everything to attract anime fans: beautiful locations, a well developed and paced mystery, a strong (and possessed) leading character, and zombies. Its adaptation of the real story behind the beginnings of the French Revolution is also a point on its favor. Le Chevalier D'Eon might as well as spark your curiosity, as it plays with characters who existed in real life, including D'Eon himself. Definitely recommended.

Let’s go back to England in the decade of 1920, just after the First World War. Our protagonist is Hugh Anthony Disward, who is lucky to inherit his grandfather’s property in such a time of economic disarray. Yet, as with all things in life, there is a condition. Huey has to take custody of the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian, which is full of magical books that contain forbidden knowledge. The keeper of the books is a cute girl called Dalian, who dresses up as the most Victorian Lolita. Together, they will investigate mysterious cases involving the misuse of the Biblioteca, sealing the books back whenever is necessary. Dantalian no shoka overflows with magic, which is also an important plot device in Baccano. Plus, we are talking about two animes based on defined historical periods. Dantalian no shoka is an anime for people who like Cardcaptor Sakura, Xxxholic and the like, with powerful beasts involved in an elegant setting. Even the music, character designs, and pace are classy. So, if you like your murders and mysteries with a good English-style taste, Dantalian no Shoka might be the option for you.

We will move to a different setting now, travelling through time to a few years later, where the possibility of a Second World War could be felt in the atmosphere. Japan establishes an intelligence agency called “D Agency”under the commandment of the veteran Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki. The story revolves around eight spy agents from D Agency. These people undergo extensive training to get the best information out from other countries. What Joker game has in common with Baccano is that the stories revolve around different crime and justice factions in well defined historical periods. Here we have an imagined recreation of the Japanese Intelligence services between the wars. The story is full of dangerous situations and action, as espionage and counterespionage are no laughing jokes. Perhaps what stands out the most in Joker game is the lack of supernatural powers of the protagonists. Their trademark is the ability to manipulate other people, so, the anime is also interesting from a psychological point of view.

The quest of the Elric brothers to recover their bodies from their unfortunate experimentations with alchemy was adapted in an unforgettable anime on the year 2003. Ed and Al’s adventures included working for the police and solving crimes. They confronted dangerous homunculus and dominated the complicated laws of alchemy in order to survive another day. Nevertheless, the anime version of 2009 was adapted with a closer follow to the original manga by Hiromu Arakawa. Of course we had to mention Fullmetal Alchemist here, as this is the most similar anime to Baccano. In first place, both are reinterpretations of well documented historical periods (Europe in the Victorian Era on the case of Fullmetal Alchemist). They both deal with alchemy. They also have a dab for comedy that other recommendations don’t employ as a reccurent plot device. And finally, they have family values as an important theme, although in Baccano!, they are more into the mafia family style. So, if you enjoyed Baccano!, you surely will like Fullmetal Alchemist!

The ancient legend states that when the Demon God is revived once again, six heroes will bring up their arms to do battle with the Demon God once again. These six heroes bear the mark of the Goddess of Fate. Adlet Meyer is one such Brave. As he arrived in the capital, Adlet was wrongly imprisoned and was released once he showed proof of his mark. Setting on a journey with the princess, another brave, they reached the rendezvous point for the six heroes. However, to their shock, they realised that there were seven Braves in total. Amongst themselves, they have to discern the impostor of the mark before they are all annihilated. Rokka no Yuusha is another example of how a single series can have multiple themes but still portray an excellent story. Gearing more towards mystery, it shares the same themes of action and how the trust between comrades is important for the greater good. The story is set in medieval times as well, so most action scenes are sword fights and martial arts with a degree of special power. Both series also share the internal struggles of the protagonists and how they eventually overcome their weakness. Overall, the balanced themes of action, mystery and suspense bring about a compelling tale of the struggles in a group.

Online gamer Momonga found out that he is now stuck in the video game that he has been playing. What is even more interesting is the fact that all the NPCs have developed their own conscience and may act freely upon their will. Momonga now lives the life of the online game that he is playing. Overseeing the powerful guild Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga seeks to take over this new world with his overpowered abilities. Overlord tells the tale of every gamer’s dream – to live the life of the game that you have been playing. The action scenes in Overlord bears resemblance to Akame ga Kill. Instead of sword fights however, magic spells are more predominant in Overlord. In a sense, Overlord also tells the tale of rebelling the current world just because well – Momonga is almighty. Similarly, both stories tell of the stretch of road to overcome before each protagonist reaches their ultimate goal. Along the way lies many new challenges and foes to defeat and this responsibility lies solely on the main character.

Within Thailand exists Roanapur. Roanapur is the worst kind of society you might ever want to be in. Corruption and immorality riddle the streets. Not even social influences like the church or the police are free from this wicked grip. Rokurou Okajima is just a simply businessman who was dispatched here for work. To his horror, Rokurou was captured by a group known as Black Lagoon and he was to be used to be as a bargaining chip. Betrayed by his former employees, Rokurou joins the Black Lagoon and must not adapt and change from a humble businessman to a ruthless mercenary. Black Lagoon does not occur in a medieval setting and is more modernistic. Imagine Akame ga Kill but more relatable because it’s closer to the kind of world we live in. Similarly, the group is a band of outlaws with the main protagonist joining this group. The anime itself is violent in nature and shares the same level of brutal killings with Akame ga Kill. Last but not least, both protagonists embark on a journey of self-discovery as they have to quickly adapt and get used to their new careers while maintaining the same level of epicness.

Yukiteru Amano spends his days by writing his diary on his phone. Conjuring up two entities he calls his friends, Yukiteru is shocked to find out that they actually exist. What’s more, one of them is a god and grants Yukiteru the power of a future diary. This diary details the important events of the future. However, he is not the only one as there are 11 other diary holders out there and they are embroiled in a battle royale where the last man standing is crowned the king of time and space. Yukiteru managed to find companionship with an obsessive stalker of his named Yuno Gasai and together, they fight against the other diary holders to be the last survivors. Mirai Nikki showcases once again how multiple themes can converge into one beautifully executed story. Playing on the themes of romance and mystery, Mirai Nikki expertly balances these themes to complement each other as the story progresses. Similarly, the story is fast paced like Akame ga Kill with every individual having their own goals and targets to meet. Also, Mirai Nikki touches on the theme of tragedy whereby not every death is a pleasant death and sometimes, even the antagonists are worth pitying for. If you liked the fast paced setting and dim outlook of Akame ga Kill, definitely give Mirai Nikki a try!

The Holy Knights of Britannia are known to be the most powerful knights in this Middle Ages setting. When a small faction detach from this almighty group to overthrow the rulers of Liones, they were swiftly defeated. They were only known as the Seven Deadly Sins. Years later, the Knights themselves staged a revolution and became the new rulers of the kingdom. The princess of the kingdom, bitter at the upheaval of her kingdom, journeys to locate these Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to take her kingdom back and bring peace to it once more. Both Akame ga Kill and Nanatsu shares the common theme of rebelling against a greater power. They are set in a similar setting whereby a degree of supernatural powers are utilised during action scenes. Each character of the rebellion group has their own different styles of personality. Both series are also packed with spectacular fight scenes that leave you tingling with excitement. If there is any anime that bears the most resemblance to Akame ga Kill, it would have to be Nanatsu no Taizai.

Shingeki no Kyojin is set in a world where mankind is threatened by giant humanoids figures known as Titans. These man-devouring Titans are kept at bay by the walls constructed by humanity. Eren Yeager is a young man who yearns to be part of the group that repels the Titans after suffering the loss of his mother in the hands of the Titans. Together with his adopted sister, Mikasa Ackerman, they set off to join the Survey Corps. Along the way, the mysteries of the Titans and their nature are also slowly brought to light. Shingeki no Kyojin and Akame ga Kill shares similar concepts such as the fragility of human life. One of the defining factors to motivate both protagonists is the loss of a loved one which eventually spurred them to overcome their personal issues and come back stronger than ever before. Both series also highlights the extent that humanity will go to fight for their cause with SnK encompassing a wider scale. Both anime also have undertones of sadness and their own share of depressing moments as well. However, amidst the cesspool of despair, hope still exists.

Tokyo Ghoul looks at the city from a corrupt and merciless perspective, as vicious evil creatures called ghouls now exist alongside humans. The citizens who once lived in a peaceful society are now facing fear as the ghouls are now terrorizing the city, devouring every helpless human in their path. The worst part of it all is their ability to take the form of humans and blend in with the rest of the community. Much of the story revolves main protagonist Ken Kaneki who unfortunately meets his demise when Rize confronts him, leading him down a dark path of uncertainty. After he awakens and looks in the mirror, Ken now realizes he has transformed into a half ghoul, half-human and must now find a way to blend in with the evil corrupt society. Tokyo Ghoul and Blue Exorcist star two main characters who initially have a normal life which eventually ends up turning into a crazy mess. They become introduced to a world that was unknown to them and must now come up with solutions to solve these new problems that they're confronted with. Their unexpected encounters opened up a new world where both Rin and Ken must now deal with humanity versus the opposing race, Rin disposing of demons, while Ken must kill ghouls to restore order in the system.

Allen must deal with his dark past, and cope with the loss of his mother along with his torment. A much darker future awaits him as the evil Millennium Earl plots to destroy the entire existence of humanity with his creation of Akuma. This special weapon uses the souls of the dead which are then trapped within it until the use of Innocence, an Anti-Akuma weapon, releases them from their prison. After spending a number of years under the guidance of General Cross, Allen signs up with The Black Order in hopes to prevent Earl's evil reign of terror, while using his new weapons to bring peace back to the souls that have been tormented. Allen and Rin were both cursed in the sense that, they were born into their struggles, and must find a way to ensure their skills are put to good use. The two realize that their lives are being threatened, and so they enlist in organizations that will guide them along their journey, entrusting them with stronger weapons. Allen and Rin are out for some sort of revenge for their past, and so they team up with other strong individuals in order to seek the answers they're looking for. Both have a mission to stop demons from creating a massacre, and must deal with new threats at every waking moment. The action packed in these anime are absolutely nuts, so we really suggest checking them out along with D.Gray Man's second season which is currently airing!

As a reminder, we'll be focusing on the first season of Ushio to Tora, but we encourage you to check out its second season because it's truly epic. In the first season, Ushio comes across a mysterious creature located in his grandfather's secret storage area. The intimidating creature, Tora, was sealed there with the legendary Beast Spear and cannot leave unless someone pulls the spear from out of his shoulder. Ushio confronts Tora reluctantly with Tora warning him if he were to do so, he would not hesitate to rip him apart. Having no fear in his heart, Ushio rips the spear from Tora's shoulder thus granting him the supreme power of the Beast Spear. From here, the two join forces to help put a stop to the endless army of ghouls who terrorize the city, and to discover the truth behind who created the Beast Spear. Both Ao no Exorcist and Ushio to Tora feature two characters who are out to eliminate a deadly enemy that threatens their existence. Ghouls invade their territory and so they must rely on their partners to get the job done quickly, without causing harm to the environment around them. The two are relatively young and still in school, so much of their life is either saving the lives of others, or saving their grades. Ushio looks up to Tora as his brother much like Rin looks up to Yukio, and despite their disagreements at times they both show compassion for the main character when in trouble.

Blood Lad stars Staz, who is the boss of vampires in the demon world, but has no intention to seek blood from the human race. Staz comes across a teenage girl named Fuyumi, who mysteriously found herself in this new universe. Staz finds himself allured by Fuyumi and befriends her. This friendship soon turns deadly however, as Fuyumi is killed by a monster while Staz had his back turned. This unfortunate death led Staz to fight for the sake of Fuyumi to bring her back to life. Rin and Blood are both out for revenge for someone being taken from them. Staz finds himself in harms way in every direction, trying to discover the right solutions while avoiding death. Rin follows the same path also, along with Yukio, as they risk their lives to bring down the evil that's corrupting the nation. Rin and Staz are quite hot headed and need the assistance of others in order to see clearly, and keep their focus primarily on the priority at hand. The relationship that Staz has with his brother Vlad is very similar to that of Rin and his father Satan, where there are constant disagreements which lead to even bigger troubles along the way.

Owari no Seraph is a post apocalyptic supernatural anime that looks at the life of Yuuichirou and his constant search for retribution, while fighting for friendship and loyalty against what seems to be an impossible journey. Yuuichirou was the victim of a hostage takeover and was taken captive, along with other children. Being the only survivor of a deadly massacre by the vampires, Yuuichirou is discovered by the Moon Demon Company, a military unit dedicated to exterminating vampires in Japan. He now vows to seek revenge for the death of his family, not realizing the cost that he must pay throughout the ordeal. Rin and Yuuichirou have both been stripped of their dignity as well as their family, and so they must learn to fight back to regain it all. They decide to enlist in a powerful organization that will allow them to avenge their loved ones, and to take down evil as soon as possible. They both find themselves in tight binds constantly throughout the series, where they must decide whether they must kill an enemy or leave it behind in order to seek out more clues to the problems lying ahead.

The tale of Tokyo Ravens begins when main protagonist Harutora Tsuchimikado, is attacked by Suzuka, a powerful onmyodo-user. She is convinced that he is to be the heir of the Tsuchimikado family,who intends to conduct the exact same ritual that led to a terrible disaster in the past. Suzuka then comes to realize that her beliefs were a mistake, but now in order to defeat her, Harutora fulfills a childhood promise he made to Natsume, the true heir of their family. He decides to become her familiar to aid her in a battle between onmyouji. Rin and Harutora deal with a new threat which forces them out of their comfort zone, and into a world they're clearly not prepared for. Both start off as ordinary students, until a new hurdle is placed in front of them prompting some sort of change. They both undergo intense training in order to fend off evil demons that threaten to kill anything in their path, so they must rely on their instinct and special abilities to protect the ones they care for. The two had been attacked early on in the story by random enemies, which prompted them to react and figure out a way to stop what was in front of them. They eventually develop enough confidence and strength to overcome and slay the demons with relative ease, bringing peace back to their surroundings.

A simple school trip to a prison goes horribly wrong when a mysterious man in red massacred Ganta Igarashi's class. Now, Ganta is sentenced to the same prison that he was supposed to visit. Young Ganta must live amongst the sadistic and criminally insane. He lives his life bind to a collar that is lethal. As he tries to uncover the identity of the red man, Ganta must also discern his friends from his foes in this harsh, new environment.  Both Mirai Nikki and Deadman Wonderland share the same atmosphere of despair. Where death and killings looms in the air every single day, it provides for a very depressing anime. Essentially, it boils down to the simple rule of survival in both animes. Both animes feature the protagonist fighting in order to survive. As a viewer, you will also be placed in a situation where you will not know what will happen next. As an objective person, you can share and sympathize with the protagonist's despair and helplessness similar to Mirai Nikki in which you can never be too sure on who will die next.

Maebara Keiichi moves into the quaint town of Hinamizawa. There he met some new classmates whom all became quick friends. However, a series of strange murders and incidents puts the lives of these friends in danger. As the town is shrouded in a mystery of darkness, Keiichi resolves to get to the bottom of the true nature of Hinamizawa together with his friends. However, can his friends really be trusted at all?  As panic ensues, an individual will often be driven to take drastic measures. Both Mirai Nikki and Higurashi explore what it takes to drive an individual to undertake severe measures to the point of being psychotic. Both share the same level of bloodshed. However, Higurashi focuses more on its mystery theme than of an action theme like Mirai Nikki. However, you can be assured that both animes feature at least one psychotic character. If you think the cover art for Higurashi is all about cute characters going about their daily school lives, you can’t be more wrong. Higurashi features psychotic and crazy characters that are simply unfathomable. Some of the characters even share traits with the characters of Mirai Nikki such as being delusional, crazy, jealous and even merciless.

Ever since the mysterious death of a Yomiyama student, the town of Yomiyama was enveloped with an aura of fear. What's even more mysterious for transfer student Kouichi Sakakibara is the existence of Mei Misaki. Everyone is distancing themselves away from her as though as she doesn't exist at all. Disregarding the advice of others to stay away from her, he starts being close to her. What he does not know is that he is now ever closer to the grisly truth behind Yomiyama.  Another also features plenty of deaths in a gruesome manner. Both anime discusses on the topic of death and its effects it has on others. Generally, both anime has dark themes around them. Identically, both also features twisted ends to characters; you'll never know who is going to die next. The manner in which the characters die off are equally as gruesome as Mirai Nikki so for people who enjoy blood and gore or sick, twisted ends for whatever reasons, Another provides the same level of gory deaths as Mirai Nikki. It should come as no surprise that both ends in a way that is simply unimaginable, providing closure that you did not ask for from the beginning. 

Makoto Itou was travelling to school one day when he happened to gaze upon the beautiful Kotonoha Katsura. Since then, he has been riding the same train as her every day. He snaps a screenshot of her in the hope that his wallpaper charm will allow interaction between the both of them. His friend Sekai Saionji chances upon this wallpaper. Being the good friend that she is, she sets him up with Kotonoha. The trouble soon starts when Sekai starts having feelings for Makoto as well. If you think this is going to be a high school romance anime, you can think again. There’s a reason why School Days has an infamous reputation. For starters, both animes feature yandere characters that will go to the ends of the world to secure their love – including murder. School Days is a representation of what will happen to the relationship between Yuno and Yukiteru. Most prominent of all, it displays what a true yandere is capable of just to protect their relationship. So for you Mirai Nikki fans out there who is focused on the romance portion of Mirai Nikki, give School Days a try!

Megumi Shizumu was born in a simple village. However, her extravagant ideals give her the urge and desire to move out into the city. Unfortunately, her untimely demise puts a stop to her plans leaving family members not only devastated but baffled as well. All of a sudden, numerous villagers started dying off one by one as well. A young doctor, Toshio Ozaki and a city teenager Natsuno Yuki teamed up in order to unravel the dark truth of the mysterious truths. At the end of their search, can they take in the reality of the true reason for the dying villagers? Similar to Mirai Nikki, Shiki has the same undertones of darkness and survival. At the climax of the story of Shiki, an all-out war was staged with many deaths as well. With death and despair being the common themes between this two anime, both animes have the same persistent emotions of melancholy and desolation as every character in both animes more or less has their own background and circumstances. Similarly, in both animes, the survivors will have to seek out the truth of their situation while surviving amidst depraved conditions. Likewise, both stories develops in a manner such that it is easy to understand but ends off unexpectedly. Sometimes, the truth really does hurt...

A zombie outbreak has happened in Japan. High schooler Takashi Kimuro was forced to kill his best friend and swore to protect his girlfriend Rei Miyamoto. As they tried to leave the school, they realise that the whole of Japan was plunged into chaos. Along the way, they met with more students and together, they journeyed to find their family members and find the cause of the outbreak. Will the fate of the world lie in these high-school students? Survival is the main theme for the HOTD. Both animes share the same premise of fighting to survive. Whereas Mirai Nikki structures it in the form of a battle royale game, HOTD is situational. However, the main goal for both animes is to fight it out and survive for as long as possible. In survival animes, the well-being of every character is tested to its limits. Some characters will be able to withstand the pressure and some will finally snap, driving them to insanity. Further, both animes also features fast paced action sequences and plenty of bloodshed. HOTD is basically Mirai Nikki in the form of an apocalypse.

When a bunch of ragtag fighters band together to survive, who knows what are the consequences and their future. Whisked away into a foreign land, they are act primarily on an instinct to survive, relying on their primal emotion to push them on – fear. They have no recollection of their name and only have their fragmented memories as their keepsake. This bunch of fighters signed up for the only job available to them – soldiers of the Reserve Army. Between trying to understand where they are at and trying to survive in this new world – a new adventure awaits these bold individuals! The similarity between both animes lies in their stuck in a fantasy game concept. Both showcases the main protagonists will to survive in this new world. However, both explored different concepts. Log Horizon focuses more on structure of the world and dealing with politics whereas Grimgar deals primarily in surviving day to day and coming from rock bottom. Both also discuss typical MMORPG tactics such as skills, party system and battle strategies. Grimgar is pretty much like an extension story to Log Horizon, exploring another side to the stuck in a game world concept and is a must watch if you liked Log Horizon!

Bullied and unpopular, Haruyuki Arita escapes into the virtual realm in order to forget the reality that he is in. This goes on until one day; he discovers that his high scores have all been beaten by a player known as Kuroyukihime. In reality, she is actually the vice president of the student council. Taking note of his talents, she invites him to the student council to play an augmented reality game through a headset known as Brain Burst. Through Arita, she hopes to discover the reason for the Burst’s existence. To repay her for saving him from the bullies, this duo vowed to reach the very top and eventually meet the creator of the Brain Burst and the truth behind it. With a similar concept, the premise of Accel World is also set within a video game. Planning strategies and working towards every side goal are also common in both animes. While Log Horizon features a situation that is forced upon the characters, Accel World gives its characters the privilege of entering the virtual world as and when as they like. However, both animes features the protagonists assimilating the virtual world as their new world. Battle sequences wise, both shares common action sequence that is reminiscent of MMORPG.

Orario is the only known city in the world to possess a Dungeon. Known throughout as the ‘Dungeon’, this strange and obvious name attracts much excitement. Teeming with monsters, it takes an adventurer party 5 days to reach the 50th floor. Hopeful adventurer Bell Cranel was one such adventurer to venture into the dungeons where he finds not gold nor treasures but a tiny God called Hestia. One thing led to another and Hestia eventually tagged along with Bell. Now the story can start as Bell fulfils his ambition of being the greatest adventurer and Hestia – just your typical goddess who don’t have any followers and is trying to find one. While DanMachi is not a player being confined to the virtual world, it shares the similarity of an adventure MMO in which dungeons and monster kills are important. However, Bell seeks to improve himself as an adventurer instead of trying to improve the world in Log Horizon. Both animes emanates the same kind of vibe, being that both are reminiscent of playing a video game. Whereas Log Horizon emphasizes on strategizing and tactical play, DanMachi emphasizes on being high levelled and powerful skills. Skills and dungeon raids are present in DanMachi as well, with loots being used to further improve Bell.

Sora and Shiro are two brilliant siblings with a penchant for video games. Their reputation is splashed all across the high score boards and top player ranks amongst the various MMORPGs in their world. A strange email that they received one day however will soon change their lives. Tet – the God of Games has invited them to participate in a world known as Disboard whereby all conflicts and actions are to be resolved by way of games. These games are all high risk games in which both players must stake something of equitable value to their opponents. This strange tale where games are the pivotal point of the story is now put in motion as genius siblings Sora and Shiro sets off to become the overall ruler of Disboard. If intellectual gaming is your thing, you might want to give No Game No Life a chance as well. Log Horizon prides itself to be an anime of strategy and unorthodox methods that are both unique and interesting. Likewise, the methods that are employed by Sora are highly unconventional and unpredictable as well. Both animes are set in a reality that is forced upon the protagonists as well. In Log Horizon, the world status and its politics are discussed. Similarly, the plot of No Game No Life is mainly on the taking over of the world and managing the race of humanity as well its relations with the other races. As such, both animes share very common themes and concepts.

At the closing of the game servers of Yggdrasil, Momonga decides to wait until the final moment where the game shuts down as he recalls the numerous memories he has with his guild-members and the game. As he awakes, he found himself in a familiar environment – the game. Astonishingly, he did not log off automatically as the game shuts down and was instead trapped within the game itself! What’s even weirder is that the NPCs in the game are now sentient and can communicate with him freely. Quickly understanding his situation, Momonga has decided to further investigate this new world and hopefully, take control of it. Momonga unlike Shiroe of Log Horizon is vastly overpowered. However that does not stop him from using his intellects once in awhile as he was shown to be quite perceptive as well- fitting for his overlord title. In both animes, the protagonists are stuck within a game and now live by the rules of the new world. Both protagonists seek to improve the current world that they are now bound to instead of seeking for a way to escape it. Both also feature high paced action sequence to spice up the story. So if you liked Log Horizon, do remember to give Overlord a try!

Virtual Reality Gaming has finally been made available to the general public. In the current year, NerveGear can control their avatars in an almost lifelike manner and in a total immersive manner. Kazuto Kirigaya alias Kirito is one of the few lucky beta testers of a new game called Sword Art Online. It wasn’t long however before him and all the other online gamers found out that the moderators have removed the log off button, forcing them to be in the game forever. In order to escape, they will have to defeat the game’s hundred level dungeon and death within the game equates to actual physical death. Together with Asuna Yuuki, Kirito aims to break free from this virtual prison. Of course you would expect Sword Art Online to be in this list! The concept of being stuck in a videogame is made popular by SAO. However, Log Horizon sets the benchmark for this concept. In retrospect, Log Horizon and SAO are quite similar to each other, both having gaming characteristics such as guilds, skills, party members and alliance. Both also feature life or death situations and the protagonist’s desperation to get out of that situation. While the SAO’s popularity is quite overwhelming, Log Horizon is a little bit underrated so if you’ve missed either anime’s, you can watch them both sequentially.

A tragic event takes place where Kazuki gets killed while trying to save a mysterious girl from a monster, only to wake up the next morning in his dorm believing it to be a dream. He soon discovers however, that it was all a reality as he is attacked by a huge serpent creature along with his sister. The mysterious girl he had saved prior explains to him that these monsters are known as Homunculus, and that because he had been killed, she replaced his heart with a Kakugane Medallion. She further explains that the medallion is a device created by alchemy and that when activated, it takes form based on the user of the Kakugane called “Busou Renkin”. Kazuki forms his own Busou Renkin called the “Sunlight Heart”, a huge lance that he'll now use in order to prevent the Homunculus from destroying mankind. Alchemy plays such a major role in both anime, where both main characters use their newly discovered powers in order to put an end to the terror lying ahead. The Homunculus play a role in both as well, since they're the primary antagonists of the series, and can only be stopped by the use of alchemy. When death had stood face to face with both characters, they were brought back to life with the magic force of alchemy in order to survive. Elric and Kazuki are extremely devoted characters, who seek out to retain balance in the world around them and to ensure their powers don't go to waste.

D.Gray Man focuses on the life of Allen Walker, who grew up with a deformed left arm, resulting in his family abandoning him claiming that he's not human. With his dark past behind him, a much darker future awaits him as the evil Millennium Earl plots to destroy the entire existence of humanity with his creation of Akuma. This weapon uses the souls of the dead which are then trapped within it until the use of Innocence, an Anti-Akuma weapon, breaks them free. After spending several years under the teachings of General Cross, Allen enlists in an organization called Black Order in hopes to prevent Earl's evil from spreading, while using his new weapons to bring peace back to the souls that have been tormented. What is strikingly similar is that the two were initially cursed because they tried to revive someone they loved, and had to come up with solutions on how to cope with their setback. Both Elric and Allen suffered at the cost of losing an arm, but then are blessed with a new one which gives them supreme power. Both must use their newly acquired abilities to put an end to an evil that threatens to inflict pain upon the world, while protecting the ones they care about most. The two enlist in an organization in order to find out more about the threat that draws near, while going through various experiences that help to shape their character along the way. The second season of D.Gray Man is now available to watch, so to know more about Allen and his mission to stop Earl, be sure to check it out.

The story starts off with Rin, who comes to discover that he's the son of Satan, and that his father wishes that he return to Assiah so they can conquer it together. After being attacked by demons Rin declines the offer, and instead trains to become an exorcist to put a stop to the demon terrors that lie beneath. Ao no Exorcist follows Rin along with the help of his brother Yukio, as they work together to put an end to the catastrophic events taking place, and to defend his territory with everything they've got. It's a tale of companionship, devotion, and betrayal as the two must come face to face with their father and to restore peace to Assiah before it's too late. The plot of the two anime deviate away from one another, but where they connect is in the partnership of two brothers who strive hard to overcome the obstacles that lie ahead of them. Elric is the older of the two much like Rin, and the two share a very low tolerance for patience. They get hot headed fairly quickly, while Yukio and Alphonse are more level headed and help guide their older siblings along the right path using their sound judgment. The pair fight for a greater goal which is to unify the world around them, while strengthening their bond as brothers.

Arslan Senki's second season just begun so we highly encourage you to tune in after reading this, since a lot more is in store for Arslan and his military contingent. Under the rule of the aggressive king Andragoras III, the once harmonious kingdom of Pars find themselves at war with the neighboring empire, Lusitania. Arslan is the total opposite of his father and sets out to prove his valor on the battlefield for the very first time. However, when Andragoras is betrayed by one of his most trusted officials, the Parsian army is wiped out and the capital city of Ecbatana is conquered. With the army in pieces and the Lusitanians out for his head, Arslan is forced to go on the run. With respected general Daryun as his support, Arslan soon sets off on a turbulent journey in search of allies that will help him take back his home. One interesting similarity that we'd point out is that both shows were created and written by Hiromu Arakawa. The character artwork share a lot in common, and both main characters are out to reshape the world they live in after witnessing corruption and brutality within their respected kingdoms. Many wars and conflicts have tore many people apart, which guides both characters on a path which isn't paved full of uncertainty. Daryun acts a lot like a bigger brother to Arslan and helps him to stop enemies who threaten Arslan's life, but to also provide strategy on how to become more assertive on the battlefield. The two build a strong bond along with the rest of the team, and overcome many obstacles together to form such an unstoppable force.

Coming in at number five is Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic which stars the very curious and adventurous Aladdin who seeks out to discover more about the Djinns that rule over the Labyrinths. Along with his mentor Ugo, a Djinn that Aladdin can summon with his flute, and local merchant Alibaba, they all set out to explore the dungeons that wait for them. This epic adventure follows the trio as they journey throughout many dungeons to seek out more truth behind the work of rare magicians, while coming face to face with their own fates as the world evolves around them. The wonderful aspects of both anime are that they try to get you involved as much as possible, without disclosing too much information as to the ending. They both lead you in various directions pertaining to government corruption, broken policies, social structure, and history pertaining to their eras. It's always a blast to watch an anime and not only be entertained but be educated all at the same time. Alibaba served as the older brother to Aladdin who always had a thirst for adventure, and Aladdin was there as a provider with the help of Ugo to fend off enemies in desperate times. Both capture the true essence of companionship, where individuals must use their differences in personality in order to reshape the course of their future, and create a wonderful balance that shines brightly all throughout.

The Royal Empire and the Republic of Frost have been in constant war with one another, causing panic within the kingdom and many pleading for their lives. Fortunately a ceasefire had been put in place which allowed a war relief to commence. For both The Royal Empire and Republic to establish a better alliance, the Intelligence Army State Section III, or Pumpkin Scissors was put into place. Many considered the new rule to be a waste of efforts, while others thought it be more of a propaganda for more credibility. What none of these naysayers knew however, was that behind the curtains stood a corrupt corporal with a mysterious past and the intentions of this individual remain unknown. It's now up to Randal to uncover the truth behind this mystery, while fighting to ensure the Pumpkin Scissors remain in tact to restore balance. Both Full Metal Alchemist and Pumpkin Scissors take place within a military establishment, where corruption hides behind a shadow of deceit and conspiracy. Both main characters must first uncover the truth behind what truly is transpiring, but to also dive deeper into their own pasts in order to seek more definitive answers to solve new problems along their journey. Randal is somewhat careless in his endeavors much like Elric, and so their partners must provide direction using logic to get them out of sticky situations. There's so much action that take place that it's hard to even keep up at times, but the adventures are definitely worth watching.

Kuroko no Basket tells the story of Tetsuya Kuroko, a small and dismissive high school basketball player with no discernible skills, and Taiga Kagami, a gifted and aggressive high school basketball player who just returned from the United States. Both Tetsuya and Taiga agree to have their team become the best basketball team in all of Japan, by competing and winning the “Interhigh Championship”. But standing in their way are several other school with their own star players, who were once an unstoppable team known as the "Generation of Miracles". Can Tetsuya and Taiga overcome these unstoppable foes and lead their team to victory or is their desire for stardom only a unreachable dream? Kuroko no Basket and Prince of Tennis share similarities, as both Taiga Kagami in Kuroko no Basket and Ryoma Echizen from Prince of Tennis seem to be “prodigies” at their respective sport. Both series contain a cast of characters who have their own unique play styles and specialties, making each one a necessity to have on their respective teams. The drama that occurs during the matches in Prince of Tennis is transferred over to Kuroko no Basket as well. This is definitively worth a watch for those who enjoy basketball. Even if you don’t really like basketball, Kuroko no Basket is guaranteed to keep you entertained and make you at least admire the sport.

Haikyuu!! Is about a young middle school l student named Shouyou Hinata, who dreams of becoming a great volleyball player. Sadly, he is rather small. And VERY clumsy. Despite suffering a crushing defeat during his first tournament match, Shouyouu decides to become the best volleyball player there is. To do this, he marks Tobio Kageyama, an arrogant, self-centered but extremely skilled player, as his rival and swears to one day surpass him. As fate would have it, the two become teammates once they reach high school, being forced to work together or else be kicked off the team. Can the two put aside their differences and bring their team to victory? Haikyuu!! and Prince of Tennis share a similarity in their cast of characters. Both Tobio Kageyama from Haikyuu!! and Ryoma Echizen from Prince of Tennis are masters at their chosen sport, being both arrogant and self-centered, but eventually learning the importance of teamwork and friendship. The artwork between the two is eerily similar to one another as well. Great detail is drawn in both series, specifically during the action scenes. Muscles flex, sweat droplets fall, and characters actually get tired during the matches. If you enjoyed Prince of Tennis, then Haikyuu!! is a must watch!

Hajime no Ippo revolves around the meek and timid character Ippo Makunouchi. Young Ippo works everyday on a boat with his widowed mother, when not attending school. Because of his meek nature and busy schedule, Ippo has no friends, and is frequently bullied. During one bully session, Ippo is seriously injured, but saved by a random jogger, named Mamoru Takamura, who ends up taking him to a gym to recover from his wounds. While there Mamoru goads Ippo into hitting a punching bag, showing the gym (and Ippo) that he has some surprising power in his punches. This motivates Ippo to learn boxing in order to protect himself. Eventually, Ippo learns he might have what it takes to become a great boxer. Perhaps, even one day, a boxing champion. Both Prince of Tennis and Hajime no Ippo contain a wide cast of characters, with each person being a fully fleshed out character, and not a simple “filler” person. Both stories revolve around a young man who finds great happiness when playing the sport they love, as well as both stories contain great attention to detail between matches, building up the perfect amount of tension for its viewers. This along with the amazing character development and action scenes makes Hajime no Ippo a great watch!

Ookiku Furikabutte is the the story of Ren Mihashi, a young and very under confidante high school student with a love for baseball, but a fear for playing it. It ends up, that Ren was once a pitcher for his middle school team, something that he loved. Unfortunately, his team had a huge losing streak, and blames Ren for it, citing that the only reason he was even on the team, was because of his family connections. This of course, leaves poor Ren Mihashi crushed, who vows to never play again. That is, until he literally gets dragged into the sport again during his first year of high school. Here, we get to watch Ren develop not only as a pitcher, but as a person as well, finding friends, teamwork and confidence with each game played. Ookiku Furikabutte and Prince of Tennis share some similarities, especially in its willingness to explain rules and concepts of the sport to the viewer. This makes it perfect for those who don’t understand the rules or terminology in baseball or tennis, respectively. They both also share a unique art style, with emphasis on the actual matches. Ookiku Furikabutte is perfect for those who enjoyed Prince of Tennis, but want a little more comedy added into the mix.

Area no Kishi is the soccer fueled story of Kakeru Aizawa and his brother Suguru. Kakeru acts as a manager of sorts for his brother Suguru, who is a promising young athlete, with his goal of winning the World Cup. Both brothers have a passion for soccer and always motivate one another to do their best. That is, until fate intervenes. Due to a sudden accident, Kakeru must abandon his role as a manager, and fulfill his brother’s dream of winning the world cup. But is he just as talented as his brother? Can he bring home the cup? Or is it just a fleeting dream? Area no Kishi and Prince of Tennis are similar in the aspect that both rely heavily on the actual matches to develop the characters and explain the rules and terminology in soccer. Also in both series, the characters play sports in a realistic manner (for the most part), AKA; no super human flying soccer/tennis blasts. Almost all moves done are plays or moves that can be seen in real life. This is perfect for those who wish to see a realistic game instead of an “over the top” one. With its strong story, detailed growth of Kakeru Aizawa, and realistic feel, Area no Kishi is easily a good anime to watch and genuinely enjoy.

Baby Steps is about a young overworked high school, honor role student named Eiichiro Maruo. After a series of study sessions, Eiichiro decides he needs to do something that will allow him to maintain his health and take his mind of of studying. He eventually decides to start playing tennis, slowly gaining a love for the game. At first he is actually no good at it. But he eventually starts to become adept at the game, and even starts to add in his study habits into the game, allowing him to calculate chances and create advanced plans to give him an edge in the game. But the viewer has to wonder, will it be enough for to succeed at the sport? Or should Eiichiro Maruo just stick to his studies? Baby Steps, like almost every other anime mentioned on this list, has an art style that is very similar to Prince of Tennis. In Baby Steps, the main character Eiichiro Maruo has a similar skill/talent to Sadaharu Inui from Prince of Tennis, as they both use data and calculations to give them an edge in the game. And of course, Baby Steps is similar to Prince of Tennis, as they both are, about tennis. A great watch for those who want to see a person with no talent become a pro at the game.

In a world where survival is the only means to live, Ryouta finds himself in the midst of a game of death, where every choice he makes can either make or break his entire existence. In Btooom!, we see Ryouta being transported from the video game world which he had a passion for, onto a mysterious island filled with killers out for his head, and their own survival. An unknown individual sought out to recreate the ultra violet Btooom, and equipped every player with heavy explosives called BIM. His video game fantasy soon turns into a harsh reality, as he now must use the power of the embedded crystal in his hand, equipped with various tools of his own to not only escape this island, but to stay alive. Ganta is found guilty of a crime he didn't commit and is thrown into the fire to fend for himself. Every minute of his life is tested by random encounters who only have the intention to survive for themselves. Ryouta is in the exact same dilemma where he finds himself in a world where danger lurks around every corner, and he must use extreme caution if he intends to stay alive much longer. The game of life and death haunts them both as they're outnumbered and have limited options to choose from, which force them to use strategy and what ever weapons they find lying around. Ganta and Ryouta are forced to team up with a female lead who also has to keep her neck in tact, so that she can also get out in one piece.

Mirai Nikki follows the turbulent life of Yukiteru who soon discovers that his habit of conversing with imaginary friends through his diary, eventually becomes a fearful reality. As fate would have it, Yukiteru is confronted with a girl named Yuno who he builds a strong attraction to throughout the series. This close relationship however eventually becomes a survival game, where both Yukiteru and Yuno must pursue and take down their enemies, while using their equipped diaries that allow them to assist one another in this fierce battle conducted by God himself. The winner is rewarded with the ultimate power of becoming the ultimate leader of the universe. Yukiteru and Ganta are thrown into a game of survival where the two must rely on sound judgment in order to make it out alive. They're accompanied by a female protagonist who aids in their survival, but also find themselves trapped in the entire game of uncertainty. They're under constant attack by a barrage of enemies who don't have any remorse for them, and only see their death as a means to their own way out. There's a large reward that's given to the winner who manages to survive, which all comes from the sick and twisted mind of a creator who finds satisfaction in their suffering. Each character now must rely solely on what they possess, and use it to the best of their abilities.

Thor and his twin brother, Rai, two strong and determined characters, are cast off to a forsaken planet by unknown masked men after witnessing the suspicious death of their parents. Given only the choice of using a beam knife and a smelly satchel, they explore together in search of civilization on the primarily plant based world. They soon discover the plants have the upper hand and other agendas. Only the strong survive; the ones who throw away their humanity and become the beasts humans once were. What all of these anime have in common is that every character is thrown into the lion's den, and are only given specific items to aid them in their survival. In the case of Rai, he can only rely on a beam knife and satchel while his enemies have an overabundance of tools to use at their disposal. This limitation is what creates the thrill factor of the survival game, since you can only fight your way through every obstacle with what's provided. Ganta and Rai are both placed in a world they both had no place being in due to an unfortunate circumstance they had no control over. The action grows intense in each scene as both characters are put under severe pressure, and have to act fast otherwise it may cost them.

When Kei Kurono is killed without warning, he thus finds himself caught in such a game—a test of his skills, morals, and will to survive. Kei’s life is not his own; his death is spat on and squashed over and over again. He is unable to make much out of his situation since there's a much higher form of control above him. What happens if Kei fails to adhere to the rules? Only the higher power knows of his fate. Just a word of caution: Gantz is not for the weak at heart, but neither is it as simple as it looks. Kei must witness acts of rape, gruesome murders and must come to terms with all of it, while doing his very best to understand why he's here in the first place. Gantz is a popular series in Japan which saw a movie release, showcasing much of what the anime explained. Kei is killed instantly without reason, and now he finds himself racing against time as he must use his skills to survive at all costs. A higher power has all the control over the destiny of each protagonist, and so they can play whatever game they want with them as they please. This sick fantasy is what creates the game of survival, where both Ganta and Kei are constantly pushed to their limits, testing their morals in order to see another day. When the exit seems to be closing in, another extreme test is placed upon them creating even more risk along the way.

Kiritsugu now stands at the center of a deadly game of survival, squaring off against six other fierce competitors, each armed with an ancient familiar, and fueled by unique desires and ideals. Accompanied by his own familiar, Saber, the notorious mercenary soon finds his greatest opponent in Kirei Kotomine, a powerful priest who seeks salvation from the dark void within himself in pursuit of Kiritsugu. Fate/Zero depicts the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War—10 years prior to Fate/stay night. Watch as Kiritsugu must fight his way through a battle royale in which no one is guaranteed to survive. Kiritsugu is an epic character who just embodies a cool looking character, with a supreme will to survive. His life is on the line at every moment, while six other opponents are after him for the same reason; to survive and reclaim their freedom as quickly as possible. Sabre and Kiritsugu must work together much like Ganta and Shiro in order to make it out alive of this epic battle to the death. Each character in the series has had their life stolen from them in an instant, and now they must fight for their right to live which proves to be an extremely difficult and deadly ordeal.

The story starts off Jin Kanzaki, a young man with the ability to transform into a superhuman being known as Zet, and Kouga Amagi, a young man with a strong sense of justice who uses technology to fight as Alphas. The fates of these two men and those around them come together as they fight to protect mankind and destroy monstrous man eating abominations known as Players. Both main protagonists are given very little to survive, while a psychopath holds all the answers to their existence. They must obtain and use any information to destroy the enemy before it's too late. Kouga and Jin work as a team using their superhuman powers to fight off evil, while Ganta and Shiro must do the same while digging deeper to seek out the truth behind all that's transpiring. Their fate relies on their ability to work together under severe pressure, while pinpointing the weak spots of their enemy and eliminating them as swiftly as possible before they become the victims of another survival game. Each time Ganta or Kouga find themselves on the brink of death, their sidekick always comes in to save them but then are both placed under life threatening scenarios. It's always a game of back and forth since there's never a guarantee of making it out alive, despite how skillful you are.

A reserved and classical piano player Kaoru Nishimi had just recently transferred to a Kyushu high school. Due to the constant movement of his family, he lost all hopes of blending and fitting into his new environment. That is until he meets a delinquent named Sentarou Kawabuchi. Sentarou's endless love for the jazz genre piqued Kaoru's interest. Slowly but surely, he started to play the piano for the sake of jazz. With his skills, he realised that he had the power to bring joy to others listening to his music. Sakamachi is a story about the relationships that forms through the power of music. Sakamachi is quite similar to Shigatsu in the way that we see an uninspired musician finding joy in playing his instrument again. Aided by another individual, the characters manage to play music that not only transforms their audience, but themselves as well. Whereas Shigatsu emphasizes love, Sakamichi emphasizes friendship but both uses music as a catalyst for forming relationships. Both music animes taught us that music is the expression of the soul and how through using music, we can understand ourselves better. This is clearly seen when the music in both animes also portrays the emotions of the characters. Definitely a must try if you loved Shigatsu!

Haruki Kitahara's beloved light music club was about to be disbanded. With the dissolvent of the club, so too does his dreams of playing at the stage of the school festival. Powerless and unsure of what to do, Haruki strummed along to a piece named White Album. Little does he know that this piece was about to be the first piece he would ever play. As soon as he does that, an unknown voice began to harmonize and resonate with this guitar. This inspiring, ad hoc performance marks the beginning of Haruki's dreams. Both White Album 2 and Shigatsu use music as a plot device to progress the story as well as the relationship between characters. White Album 2 purely focuses on the romance genre though not as tragic. Both protagonists are also struggling in an aspect in their lives when a female protagonist comes along and changes their outlook on life. OSTs wise, both uses music to express the character's feelings and emotions and eventually, how it harnesses the power to transform individual lives. While not as tragic as Shigatsu, White Album 2 is equally as popular and you should definitely give it a try!

Giftias are android robots that are created to possess human emotions. The downside to this is that they come with a fixed expiry date. Thereafter, all of their memories are wiped clean. Tsukasa Mizugaki had failed his college entrance exams but because of his connections, he manages to secure a job with a corporation that deals with Giftias. Particularly, Tsukasa is assigned to collect Giftias that have lapsed their service time. His partner, Isla also happens to be a Giftias. Both of them will have to come to terms with their feelings for each other before she is finally put to rest. Although Plastic Memories does not use music as a central theme, one of the themes exhibited in Shigatsu is extremely depicted well in Plastic Memories. The theme of tragic love is heavily explored in this anime. Both animes shares the same deep level of character development in order for the concept to be fully realised. Instead of music, the emotion of love is used as the plot device to showcase its transformative effects on a human. Despite being a story of tragic love, the story does have quite a positive ending and effect for the main protagonist similar to Shigatsu.

Kahoko Hino is a student enrolled in one of the most prestigious school. Divided into 2 sections - the Normal Branch which she is in, and the Music Branch. However, Kahoko does not possess any musical knowledge until the appearance of a fairy named Lili. She was bestowed a magical violin that plays directly from her emotions. Due to this encounter, Kahoko became the only Normal student to play in the musical competition organized by the school. Now, she becomes embroiled in a competition amongst fellow competitors and her peers. Kiniro no Corda explores the struggles of being a musician. Likewise in Shigatsu, where its characters are shown to be in internal conflict with their play style, Kiniro emphasizes on the importance of using feelings and emotions to play a piece. The protagonists for both animes also feature a violinist. The romantic aspect was not touched in Kiniro, but the level of music chosen for the anime beautifully complements the story line as well with classical music being the choice and style of music used. If you're a fan of music anime and the musical component of Shigatsu, you can give Kiniro a try!

A recital is held every year at Shirahamazaka High School for music students to showcase their musical talents. Konatsu Miyamoto was a choir student but because of her performance in the previous year, she had since been barred from taking part in this recital. Earnest and sincere however, she sets up a second choir to pursue her dreams. Konatsu realises that it is harder than she thought. She has to reach the minimum number of students to form a club. Will she be able to find the people she needs and become good enough to sing at the recital this year? Tari Tari is a touching story on how singing in unison has the effect of bringing a group together as well. Once again like Shigatsu, it shows us the transformative effects of music in developing and nurturing ourselves. Wakanai Sakai in Tari Tari also shares the jaded view of music and has since sworn off it. But with circumstances and a little push, she comes back stronger than ever and even more inspiring than ever. Truly, music has become synonymous with the human emotions such that it breaks the boundaries of words. If you loved the effect that music has on the protagonists in Shigatsu, Tari Tari has a similar plot to showcase the effects of music.

Chiaki Shinichi is a perfectionist in the field of music. With his talents, he aims to play amongst the virtuosos in Europe. His life was about to change with his meeting with Noda Megumi - a free spirited pianist who simply can't follow the music sheets. Chiaki is baffled at Megumi's take on music and is appalled by her. However, Chiaki starts to change when he hears her playing every time. The music, although the same piece, sounds and feels different. Is this difference in playing due to skills or can it be something else that makes it sounds magical? He will have all the time to find out as he finds out that Megumi happens to be his neighbour, adding to his chagrin. Nodame does not have the same tragic love concept in Shigatsu. However, it utilizes music to further the blossoming relationship between the two protagonists. We see similar characters like the perfect and pianist and the free-spirited musician that changes the outlook and perspective of music for the former. Similarly, it showcases how injecting emotions into a score transform it into music. Both animes revolve around music and the pieces selected fits the mood perfectly. Nodame like Shigatsu is an inspiration to budding musicians and is a must watch if you love the music genre!

Days is one of the sport shows we mentioned above of this amazing summer season. The story revolves around Tsukushi Tsukamoto, who is a shy and clumsy teenager about to start his high school life. While Tsukushi was being bullied, Jin Kazama appeared and sent the bullies away. After the ruckus, short on player for a soccer match, Jin asked him if he wanted to try playing. On that same night, after the umpteenth quarrel with some bullies, Tsukushi showed up at the soccer match, with a hurt foot and after running for miles under the rain. He isn't a good player, but he can run, and he does in spite of his hurt foot, instilling motivation within the other teammates. That's how Tsukushi gets dragged into the wonderful world of soccer, in spite being clumsy, shy and frail! Both Days and Cheer Danshi!! are about sport: soccer and cheerleading. The premises are the same; there are two boys, Tsukushi and Jin for Days, and Haru and Kazu for Cheer Danshi!!. This dualism is a common point because in Days we find Jin, who is a good soccer player, who manages to drag Tsukushi into the world of soccer. In Cheer Danshi!! we find Kazu, focused on his goal to form a cheerleading club, that manages to drag his childhood friend Haru along. Haru, on the other hand – just like Tsukushi – is not that good, or either interested in the beginning. What's more, Tsukushi and Haru share some peculiar traits, like their shyness, or the fact that when they start something, they put all of their efforts in it. In both Days and Cheer Danshi!! you can find the main themes of friendship, dedication and teamwork, but that's a given talking about sports anime. So we suggest for you to add Days to your summer season list! And we guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Yowamushi Pedal revolves around an otaku boy – Sakamichi Onoda – who is willing to join the anime club of his new school. Sad news informs him that the club has been disbanded, so Onoda decides to revive it. He has no luck, though, as finding new members proves to be a hard task. Disheartened, he jumps on his old bicycle and decides to go to Akihabara, where he meets Shunsuke Imaizumi, a first year student cyclist. Their meeting will change Onoda's life; Imaizumi, surprised by Onoda's climbing abilities, challenges him and promises that if Onoda wins, he will join the brand-new anime club. That's how Onoda will be dragged into the cycling world and will meet new friends and rivals! Even in Yowamushi Pedal we find exactly the same themes we can glimpse in Cheer Danshi!! We find here a common boy who has no experience with cycling and stuff, and just wanted to start his high school life peacefully, while attending the anime club. Yet, he was dragged by Imaizumi, a skilled cyclist, into the world of cycling, discovering to be talented. Similarly, Haru, who just wanted to quit judo and understand what to do with his life, was dragged by Kazu into the world of cheerleading. So once again everything starts with two boys, who gradually meet their teammates and start to work as a team, building step by step their mutual trust. If you are enjoying Cheer Danshi!! so far, you should totally give Yowamushi Pedal a try!

Haikyuu!! revolves around the short boy Shouyou Hinata, who fell in love with the “Little Giant”, a volleyball ace he can identify with because of his height. To Hinata's eyes, the “Little Giant” was the proof that impossible is nothing when you work hard toward your dreams. With that in mind, he decided to start the volleyball club in his middle school, even if he was the only member. However, thanks to his best friends who went along with his idea moved by Hinata's efforts, they even made it to a tournament where Hinata met Tobio Kageyama. This encounter will be the starting point that will change Hinata's high school life later on. In fact, he will attend the Karasuno High School and finally realize his dream to join a proper volleyball club! As for the things that Haikyuu!! and Cheer Danshi!! share, we could start talking about the relationship between the two main characters. In Haikyuu!! we have Hinata and Tobio, and Tobio is the skilled one who will help Hinata improve; in Cheer Danshi!! we have Haru and Kazu, and Kazu is the one who will drag Haru into the club, and motivate him. As for the vibes that both shows give, there's the same idea of working hard even though the goal is still distant. In fact, in Haikyuu!! the volleyball club is now in a downfall, and all the teammates, working together and improving together, will try to bring it back to its former glory. Similarly, in Cheer Danshi!! all the teammates are just beginner, and they will work together toward their dream to become a real cheerleading team in the future. As you can see, both these shows share the same themes, so it's not a stretch to say that you'll like Haikyuu!! all the same.

The five members of the “Generation of Miracles” – three years in a row champions in the basketball tournament – of Teikou Junior High are now all split in five different high schools. Tetsuo Kuroko, who played with them as the “Phantom Sixth Man” and who has the ability to move around unnoticed, now attends the Seirin High School. He joins the basketball club together with another first year, Taiga Kagami, who just returned from US and who is very talented. The two boys, together with the other teammates, will start a hard journey with a sole purpose: to win the Interhigh Championship, by defeating one by one the former members of the “Generation of Miracles”! What Kuroko No Basket and Cheer Danshi!! share is easily said. We have in both these shows everything starting by a school club. In both there's the classical shounen duo who has to struggle for something. In Kuroko No Basket we find Kuroko and Kagami, who are complementary. Since they're both so different, they will work together to make those differences work. The same happens in Cheer Danshi!!, where the differences between Haru and Kazu are basically only in their characters and so Kazu will become the motivation making Haru move towards their goal. Maybe pointless to mention, but both these shows are full of other characters who will grow together with the protagonists. All of their efforts will result in the creation of a very solid team – based on the teammates mutual trust – that will be able to progress toward the common dream. It's time for you to watch Kuroko No Basket, all the more when you're liking Cheer Danshi!! so far!

Haruka Nanase – a boy who loves swimming more than anything else – together with his friends Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki and Rin Matsuoka, won a relay race. After that victory, they all split just to reunite during high school years. Rin Matsuoka attends Samezuka High School, and has just one thing in mind: to be a better swimmer than Haru. While Haru, Makoto and Nagisa, who attend the Iwatobi High School, are trying so hard to revive their school's swim club. They need one more member, though, and when they meet Rei Ryuugazaki – a former member of the track team – their dream to take part to a tournament gets closer. There are a lot of things to fix, though, first of it all is to teach Rei how to swim! Free! and Cheer Danshi!! have a lot in common. Both shows begin with a group of boys wanting to start, or revive a club. In Free! we find Haru and Makoto, who are childhood friends, and who – being same age – never split during school years. Together with Nagisa, they will try to take the Iwatobi Swim Club to its former glory. Their goal is to be able to swim together once again. In Cheer Danshi!!, we find Haru and Kazu, two childhood friends who did judo together for years. After quitting, they decided to remain together and create the cheerleading club. So in both these shows we can find childhood friends trying to create something together and then working with the other teammates to realize something. Both these shows have some emotional moments, and some gags that can make you burst into laughter thanks to secondary characters who are very funny. If you are liking Cheer Danshi!!, you will like Free! as well as both have exactly the same good vibes.

Prince of Stride: Alternative is a sport anime revolving around a new kind of extreme sport, known as “stride”. This kind of sport involves six players per team, and their goal is to run a relay race in the town, with all the risks that this may involve. Riku Yagami is a first year in Honan Academy, and a talent in basically every sport. Takeru Fujiwara – a stride player – and Nana Sakurai – a girl who aims to be the club manager – are recruiting members to reactivate the Stride club. Together, they will coerce Riku to join the club. Once the club is back, their members purpose is just one: to win the “End of Summer” competition against the other schools! Prince of Stride: Alternative and Cheer Danshi!! both are stories about very uncommon sports, so their premises are the same. In both stories we find a boy who is literally dragged into the club, without really wanting at first. In fact, both Riku and Haru weren't willing to join the club, and yet they both found themselves giving their best for it. Riku and Haru are similar; they both lived in the shadows of their own siblings. Riku's brother is a very good stride player, so Riku always felt the rivalry against him, and the need to show everyone that he could become just as skilled; Haru's sister is a judo's ace, and so Haru always lived in her shadow, having to prove his parents that he could be good at judo as well. What's more, in Prince of Stride: Alternative we can find the same good relationship between two boys, in fact – similarly to Haru and Kazu – Riku and Takeru will become good friends, in spite their huge difference in character. Mizoguchi, the boy who will become the third member of the cheerleading club, is very similar to Yuujirou Dan – the coach of Honan Stride Club – as both of them talk by set phrases or quotes, in a total nonsensical way, causing gags where it's impossible not to laugh. What else is left to say? Both of these anime show how very different people start doing something together and put all their efforts into it. They grow together and work together as teammates, and learn how to trust each other, and what being friends mean. If you like sports anime, some funny gags and even the right amount of emotional moments, both these shows are what you're searching for!

Meliodas and his team of knights were framed for destroying the empire, while the true identity of the suspect remains unknown. To earn the trust and love of their beloved kingdom, Meliodas must reunite with his squad in order to reveal who the true enemy is, and to put an end to the evil trickery this unknown character is about to unleash to the world. Many of the seven knights have either been exiled or sealed away, so with the help of Elizabeth along with the hilarious Hawk to lead the way, the journey to put an end to this terror begins. Luffy and Meliodas have such a happy-go-lucky attitude that it's hard to dislike them. We all dream of one day having the opportunity to live a life that is free of turmoil, and just be surrounded by the warm hearts of our friends and loved ones. Nothing speaks freedom more than following your heart and caring less for what the mediocre think, and just pursuing what you feel is best in your soul. A lot of people will call you names, and try to pull you away from your vision, but it's those that continue to hold onto their passion that truly soar to greater heights. Luffy and Meliodas are definitely very stubborn and somewhat narrow minded, but because of their ability to focus on the one thing that brings them joy, those words are only just a compliment to their overall future of success. Throughout their wonderful adventures they come to learn more about themselves, but also establish a greater connection with the ones they admire most.

Fairy Tail is a spectacular tale of adventure that follows Lucy and Natsu as they encounter numerous battles, while encountering new allies along the way. The two work for the legendary Fairy Tail Guild, which bring together all of the best wizards under one roof. All of their great new encounters become overshadowed however, when evil powers of malicious guilds seek out to bring down the weaker guilds that stand in their way, and the evil Wizard Zeref commanding an army out for destruction. Their lives now take a surprising turn as they must face off against uncertain events, while putting together the clues of their past and understand why the Earth has transformed into the state that it's in. One Piece and Fairy Tail are all searching for that inner clue to help reel success closer to them. Both anime remind us of the importance of forming strong relationships, and why having them in our lives can help to create a much healthier lifestyle. These shows are so fantastic that they just grab your attention so quickly, and their high energy resonates with you long after watching. These two anime don't just provide us with action and excitement, but also a personal journey to help us understand how important it is to stay focused on what you believe in, no matter what obstacles the enemy places in front of you.

You can never leave Dragonball out of any article, since it just reaches a wide audience, and takes you on such a wild adventure. This series has spanned over three decades, and thanks to Toriyama , it has seen countless series upgrades over its time with the now recent Dragonball Super taking over. We choose anime that not only represents the genre it belongs to, but how it resonates within the hearts and souls of everyone. We watch as Goku and his group of friends race across the galaxy to fight off sinister enemies, with a plot to destroy the universe. Every character represented in Dragonball Z has their own list of characteristics , ranging from the fierce and determined Vegeta, to the more light hearted and jubilant Goku. We all can relate to these characters in one way or another, which is what captures the purity of what this anime defines: sheer drive and passion. So let us hop right into why we feel Dragonball Z deserves to be on our six anime list. One Piece and Dragonball Z share so much in common its as if they were soul mates. Both anime have never ending stories that just keep going on and on for ages. Every saga that we're introduced to brings us on a new everlasting journey with our favorite characters, as they travel through vast lands and encounter stronger enemies, that only motivate them more to keep going. The two anime have a goal that the protagonist must obtain, Luffy with the One Piece, and Goku with the seven dragonballs. To do so, they have to team up with old friends, while meeting ones along the way to build a unit strong enough to battle evil. You never get bored of watching because there's never an episode that you don't learn something from, and due to the overwhelming cast of characters to choose from, there's always something to learn and admire.

The story captures the lives of chosen students, Maka, Black Star, and Death the Kid along with their demon weapons as they take on various missions to collect souls, and protect the city from the threats of the world. Each character brings a new energy to the team, with Maka only seeming to care about what's cool, the short tempered and assertive Black Star, and the inflated behaviors of Death the Kid. Their personalities paired with the demon weapons make for a fantastic experience that we recommend you check out. Soul Eater is all about team work, and finding the right companion to seek adventures with. Their mission is to collect souls, while Luffy has a passion to obtain the revered One Piece. There's never a shortage of excitement as each member of the team has a beloved story of their own, and you're left captivated by it all. Boredom doesn't seem to exist in either story because you're so drawn in by everything that's happening, that you can't veer your eyes away for even a second. The attention to detail is remarkable despite the array of characters that are in each show. You have such a large list of characters who all have great development pertaining to how they obtained their powers, and how they contribute to the entire team. Adventure, teamwork, and a love for exploration are what make these anime so fantastic, so we hope you check them out too!

Naruto never fails to impress the millions of anime fans out there with its action packed scenes, epic tales of hardships and triumphs, but most importantly a sense of reward. A huge demon known as the NineTails spoils the party and destroys the local village that Naruto resides in, leaving nothing but fear and emptiness within the townspeople. To put a stop to the onslaught and save what was left of the village, the fourth hokage sacrificed his own life and sealed the furious beast inside the newborn Naruto. The story continues as we follow Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja that is constantly searching for recognition, and has dreams to become the top hokage in order to put a stop to all evil and become a strong leader for everyone. One of the more frantic franchises out there is none other than Naruto. If there's any anime that takes you from one place to the next, and then back to where it all began, this is surely the one. Naruto takes you on countless journeys that leave you hanging on so many different occasions, that your emotions can never really find harmony. Each saga that you encounter on the show always has a different mission, which leads you down unknown territory, only to realize that you're back to where you started. It's because of this emotional roller coaster that One Piece and Naruto end up being so similar in what they try to accomplish. Of course, the two are extremely popular worldwide with manga volumes still continuing even after decades of their initial release.

The story begins as the International Gourmet Organization carries the most weight in the world, and is responsible for maintaining the balance of the distribution of various ingredients worldwide. One day, the young chef Komatsu is sent on a mission to locate one of the most revered gourmet huntsman in existence, Toriko, and to befriend him for a very special job. However, impressed by Toriko's skill and fiery passion, what started out as a simple mission gradually grows into a deep friendship. Combine the talents of Gourmet Hunter Toriko, who aspires to come up with the ultimate Full Course meal, and Chef Komatsu, who aspires to become a Master Chef, and the recipe for success may just be in arms reach. Who doesn't love eating food while having the great pleasure of traveling in search for more of it? That is probably one of the best things we could ever dream of doing, since it wouldn't even feel like a job anymore. Toriko takes us on an incredible journey through the deep and dark caves, to the bright and blue skies that leave you hungry for more. Both Toriko and Luffy have such a powerful passion that is so infectious that, after you watch one episode you are full of energy to seek out your own dreams and fulfill them. The two almost always find themselves in a rut, but then manage to come out of it with an abundance of treasure and most importantly, long lasting friendships. Funny enough, the two characters made cameos on each of their shows, and it makes sense since they're under the same Jump! comics roof. This is a must watch series for those who enjoy a taste of adventure, but also a little spice of action.

Sore ga Seiyuu looks at the wonderful life of Futaba, who aspires to become a revered professional voice actress, and entertain millions with her voice. Her deep rooted passion has her frantically searching for auditions and performance sessions, so that she could develop her talent. She tries her best to build a strong network by contacting big names in the industry, while trying to create her own unique voice and style. Along the way, Futaba befriends two important allies: Ichigo Moesaki and Rin Kohana who help to ensure that Futaba stays on track, while they all strive to brave the ups and downs of the entertainment industry and make a name for themselves. This is a fantastic story where luck and hard work crosses paths with opportunity, and opens a huge door into a world of excitement and new horizons. Futaba is passionate about what she loves, which is to provide the voicing for characters in the thing she loves most, anime. She never gives up on her purpose and surrounds herself with like minded people who only push her closer to success. Aoba is very much the same where she truly loved video games and had a desire to work on the very same game she grew up with. With enough push and determination these two young females achieved what they believed in, and made it much further than they anticipated.

The exciting story of Mangirl follows a team of girls with zero experience in manga editing, and are running toward their dream of creating the biggest manga magazine across the nation. No matter what they try differently, they always seem to run into problems and failures but never letting those same burdens dampen their motivation to succeed. Hana must learn that success doesn't come easy, and that through hard work and dedication her team can move forward to making a name for themselves in Japan. Both of these great anime take place in an environment that is very corporate, and both main protagonists must get used to their environment as soon as possible. All characters throughout the series are quite young much like Aoba and her team, and they all have their own special perks that sprinkle the show with flavor and zest. Their goal is to create the best manga magazine possible while Aoba and her team strive to create the best RPG game for the PZ3. All of their egos must be put behind them and learn how to better communicate with everyone around them, developing stronger relationships along the way.

Shirobako starts off with the five members of the Kaminoyama High School animation club all making a promise to put in their best efforts on their very first amateur production and transform it into a success. After presenting their work to an audience at a culture festival, that very promise they initially made turned into a huge opportunity; to move to Tokyo, acquire jobs in the anime industry, and one day come together to create something spectacular. However, as the girls come to realize, the animation industry is a lot more demanding than they had imagined. Living your dream never comes easy and anyone who tells you otherwise probably isn't doing it right. Anything that you love, especially your dream, will never come to you immediately and you need to work as hard as you can to see the fruits of your labor shine through. Aoba and Aoi have very similar challenges in that, the two must come face to face with reality and realize that doing what they love requires doing a little extra work. The demands are high and so their new jobs become a proving grounds to see just how much they love what they do, and strive to become masters at their craft. Both take place in industries that are not very forgiving and overtime is mandatory in order to reach deadlines. The two must now cope with their environment, build a solid network of friends, while pushing themselves beyond what they thought was impossible and strive to succeed.

The story of Gochuuman Usagi Desu Ka revolves around Kokoa Hoto, who just moved into a new town in hopes to start fresh life in school. On her adventure to seek housing she unexpectedly comes across a cafe called Rabbit House, which to her imagination was filled with very cute rabbits that she could cuddle and play with.After some research, Kokoa comes to realize that the boarding house she had been searching for was the very same one she was standing in, and that her job was to be a waitress. This slice of life comedy follows her life of being a waitress, while learning to balance her school and work lifestyle through making new friends. Kokoa shares a very similar beginning as Aoba, as the two are on a path to pursue their dream career. Both had to work very hard in order to ensure that they could live out what they had wished for, and having to cope with a new environment. The two are also very young and so a lot of their development comes from various challenges that their job places upon them, but they receive nothing but support from their close colleagues. Both Kokoa and Aoba take on new responsibilities while building strong relationships with everyone around them, ensuring that their experience continues to flourish.

Based on the slice-of-life manga by Namori, Yuru Yuri is an energetic comedy about a group of girls who love nothing more than to drink tea and spend their time together in their favorite club. The trio initially had created a tea club in which they would all sit down and chit chat about random things. Once the club disbanded, they all reform a new club under the name Amusement Club where its purpose is to provide entertainment for its members. While the premise of the story isn't particularly similar to that of Aoba's journey, the premise of what's happening is quite clear. Two young girls have a dream to live their lives doing what they love most, and strive to achieve it despite some hardships that confront them along the way. Chinatsu decides to join the Nanamori Chu Goraku Bu in hopes that she could fulfill her destiny, while Aoba joins with Eagle Jump to do the same. The two have very strong work ethic and make sure that nothing stands in their way of making sure their demands are met, while enjoying their new life with great friends.

Sansha Sanyou is a moving story of three young girls all with unique personalities who come together to overcome their differences, and learn to appreciate the finer aspects of life. Futaba is a new transfer student at the school, and is fueled with an energetic personality. Teru Hayama is the class president who has a very stern and cold exterior despite being very cute, and Youko who comes from a wealthy background who suffered a major financial loss and now must deal with the results of those unfortunate events. So you're probably wondering where does this all fit in with New Game! and how these characters mesh with those in Aoba's story. Aoba comes from a relatively strict background, where her success depends on the career choice she decides on. She must grow to overcome her differences and create new friendships with her new colleagues at work. The same can be said with Futaba and her relationships as well, since she now has to work with people she's unfamiliar with, while coming to understand her own strengths and weaknesses. They both tell a story of a young female who is striving to change, and to do so, must learn to be more open minded and respect her peers equally in order to succeed. Also just a little tidbit of information, both of these shows are made by the same creator, Doga Kobo.

In a very unique introduction, Ritsuka Tachibana is introduced and then promptly summoned by the student council. Suddenly Rem Kaginuki considers her, a very good student, to be somewhat of a problem? Suddenly they break out in song? She gets out but then strange things start to happen… Her mother is kidnapped, Vampires reveal themselves to her, and then werewolves do. She is the carrier of something called a “Grimoire” and both of these creatures are after whatever she seems to have. Did we mention yet that the boys often break out in song? Welcome to Dance with Devils. When looking at parallels, some people may have issues going beyond the surface. Dance with Devils and Ouran are actually essential on two very foundational levels, both have a strong vein of Romance and both are about female protagonists being pursued by male leads aka reverse harems. Tamaki is after Haruhi with his charms while Rem is after Ritsuka for the “grimoire”… right… sure, Rem… whatever helps you sleep at night. Both stories too are something that once you pick up, you just cannot put down! Don’t take our word for it, though, enjoy this unique take on reverse harem and let us know!

Hotaru Tachibana has a positive and courageous personality. She is quick to speak up against anything that goes against her sense of justice. So one day, she decides to help out her friend and confront a host. When she confronts him in his own territory, he challenges her to a survival game. Not knowing what this means, she agrees. After getting her but kicked, she is coerced into joining a team called Toy Gun Gun where she is now accepted as a boy? Whoops. She has been wearing a male uniform non stop so she has been mistaken for a boy. Hotaru is working her way as a boy into the group when she starts to begin a friendship with her teammates. They decide to become the best team at “survival games” in Japan. Aoharu is more action than one would think. However, much like Haruhi now has to pass herself off as a male host, Hotaru has to pose as a boy in Toy Gun Gun or be kicked out for being a girl. The blurring of the lines of gender here is fantastic. Ouran is a bit heavier on the comedy than Aoharu, but Aoharu will keep you entertained plenty with its action scenes!

Yup! Kaichou wa Maid-sama is about Misaki, one of the most difficult and strict school council presidents around. She has to be! She is the first female president in a school that recently became co-ed. Misaki though has a dark Secret. She actually works at a maid café. She does so to help pay bills at home. Complete with a maid uniform, she is discovered one day by the most popular boy in school, Takumi! Rather than ratting her out to the whole school, he offers to keep her secret safe as a way to get what he wants and just happens to start to get closer to her. This could just be his lucky break! Starting at the surface, Romance, School settings are comedy are a great place to start when looking at similarities. Both Haruhi and Misaki are in situations that are less than ideal but they do begin to accept their positions and lots. Haruhi and Misaki are both targeted by the popular boys in school who could have anyone but choose them. Both are incredibly stubborn as well in their own ways. Don’t take our word for it though, take a look at it yourself.

Chiyo Sakura is in love with a boy named Umetarou Nozaki in her school. She tries her luck and confesses to him! She's then handed an autograph? Confused, Chiyo looks into it and learns that Umetarou is actually a famous shoujo manga artist! Through some events, she is now his assistant! She is determined to help Umetarou while also getting him to notice her! Hijinks abound with these two series and the comedy in them. Nozaki-kun feels like a shoujo, which is what Ouran is, but it is actually Shounen showing that shows can cross over. The funny thing too is that Haruhi is hilariously out of touch, which is exactly how Nozaki-kun is as well. Just check this one out and be ready to enjoy!

Kaho Nikaidou has it all. Money, perfect friends, perfect life, and she has had it! She moves out and moves to Tokyo for high school. While unpacking though she goes to chase an item that has fallen out and is rolling down the road. In derpy anime female character fashion, she wanders out to wander right in front of an oncoming truck! Someone grabs her and saves her. She immediately thinks that this boy is meant for her. She confesses her love and he agrees until he turns around and she sees a big while 5-1 and his name, Takahashi, written on his shirt. This means he is an elementary student. What transpires after that is pure comedy. From someone’s genitalia disappearing, to her misunderstanding things, Hatsukoi Monster is a clear summer hit. While these two shows, Ouran and Hatsukoi Monster are similar shows, they are still slightly enjoyably different. Comedy is rich in both of these shows, and while Ouran focuses on people losing face, Hatsukoi Monster goes all out with potty humor. Both are Romance as well while Tamaki chases Haruhi, Kaho is clearly after Kanade until she realizes that he is like ten, but she stays with it. Stick with the well deserved hype and get on this show now!

Ema Hinata leads an ordinary life with her father until one day her father remarries and brings home a lot of baggage! Her new mother has thirteen, that’s right, THIRTEEN children that are now all her step-siblings. Skip a few scenes forward and in order to adjust as well as give her father and new step-mother some space, she and the boys move into a mansion. However she soon begins to learn maybe it’s too late for them to become brother and sister, but what about lovers? Ouran and Brothers Conflict are, right off the bat, reverse harems. Haruhi has a club of hormone raging boys after her while Ema has thirteen boys now after her. Both clearly also play to their romance and shoujo tropes as well with a path for the clear target of romance appearing at some point in the series. Ouran has rich boys and surprise surprise, Ema’s brothers are all right too. Both series even include a set of twins and a set of cross-dressing characters! Haruhi wears it for work and Hikaru wears them to get into the minds of criminals for his novels.

Living the life of a gangster is no easy task, as main characters Issac and Miria experience throughout their adventures.The war between mafia gangs grow worse, while ambitious scientists desperately search for the missing bottles of immortality elixir.Baccano! follows several events that initially seem unrelated, both in time and place, but paint a much bigger picture; one of alchemy, corruption, survival and the chance at immortality. Baccano! takes place in a very similar world like 91 Days, where backstabbing and corruption have taken over the town, while mafia groups are at constant war for who can claim ownership over turf. Both take place in the prohibition era, where the distribution of alcohol was deemed a danger to the town, and people would go out of their way by any means to obtain what they could. While 91 Days shares a more grittier tale, the two focus primarily on characters who must fight their way up the ranks while making pacts with certain mafia families in order to survive.

In Joker Game, the story takes place in an era stricken by war, as World War II is just around the corner, and Japan creates an eight man team of spies in order to gather information that could prove essential in their battle. These highly trained men have been assigned to report on any developments associated with the war, and must use extreme tactics such as manipulation in order to seek the information they need to get the upper hand over their enemies. Joker Game and 91 Days follow the same premise where characters must work together in order to gather enough information to take out the opposition. Avilio uses his tact and manipulation skills to get closer to the mafia group that murdered his entire family, while being very incognito about everything. He acts as if he respects the family, but deep down seeks revenge. Similarly, Yuuki gathered very well-trained individuals to seek out and gather whatever secrets they could dig up on their enemy to take them out when necessary. Each posed as someone who worked alongside the opposition, but their real agenda was to create a smokescreen in order to seek out answers.

Gangsta is a story about revenge and redemption, as Nicholas and Worwick team together to take down the corrupted factions that plague the city of Ergastalum. Known as the “Handymen”, the two set out on a bloody journey as mercenaries, hired by powerful mob syndicates to take out the enemy. As the town faces an overwhelming amount of violence towards the Twilights, they must come face to face with an underground organization that sets out to kill everything in their path, and must protect the safety and well being of the Twilights at all costs. Both anime are focused on the very dark and gritty reality of the gang lifestyle, and how it can shape the face of society in many ways. Both Avilio and Nicholas have a vendetta against an organization that threatened their family, and the two must now use every weapon they have in order to find peace within their revenge stricken hearts. Every confrontation always ends up in bloodshed, as corrupt mafia groups are slain at the hands of the protagonist, while both must climb up the ladder of a dysfunctional society in order to seek out the truth. Limbs fly, bullets ricochet off the skulls of the suspects, while Avilio and Nicholas both try to keep their bodies in one piece.

Gankutsuou is a grim story based around Albert Morcerf, a young and praised individual who happens to make ties with a wealthy nobleman, The Count of Monte Cristo. The two come into contact through a series of bizarre events which lead up to the two working closely together. Fascinated by the Count's suave, Albert invites him to meet his friends and family, who all belong to the upper class society of Paris, France. Unfortunately, little does Albert realize that the Count has ulterior motives in mind that would change the life of Albert forever. Albert much like Avilio are unaware of what's about to take place in their life, and are both shocked by the harsh reality that soon confronts them. They both have been betrayed in a big way, and now are out on a mission for revenge to destroy the people who destroyed their life. The two are thrown into the pit of fire where every decision they make could trigger a huge turn of events which may cost them their life, so they both use extreme caution when approaching their enemy. While 91 Days features a more bloodier tale, Gankutsuou really drives it home with the premise that family is everything and you'll do anything in order to protect them.

Based off of the video game of the same name, Gungrave is a gripping story of two close friends whose lives are turned upside down when an extremely tragic event changed their entire lives. They soon came to realize how unforgiving the world is, their happiness fleeting, learning that change cannot be undone. Millennion, a large scale mafia organization both peak their interest as the two join the organization to climb the ranks. The main difference however is that Brandon isn't out to join the crowd, he's out to take back what he desires most: the woman he loves. Both Gungrave and 91 Days tell a fantastic story of a man crippled by his past, and now must find all of the answers in order to bring calm back to his tortured soul. Brandon and his close friend Harry decide to join up with Millennion in hopes to become gang leaders in a society that reeks of death and corruption. Brandon however realizes the dark truth behind the syndicate and must now save the love of his life before it's too late. Similar to Avilio, the two decide to join the very same organization that created their violent spiral into darkness in order to obtain more information as to who the ring leader is. They don't care for their ranks, all that is necessary is ensuring the leader is taken care of with their own hands and no forgiveness will be granted.

Yoshino is an ordinary teenager whose life takes a turn for the worse after a strange number of events take place. Yoshino was dating Aiko, Mahiro's younger sister, but when she mysteriously dies, the two are desperate to seek out why. Mahiro wanders off in hopes to find the one responsible for killing his sister, while Yoshino tries his best to carry on with his ordinary life. Suddenly Yoshino's life changes yet again when he's held at gunpoint by a girl and out of the blue Mahiro jumps in to save him. Yoshino comes to realize that Mahiro had received information about his sisters death from a witch named Hakaze, and learns about the existence of the Tree of Exodus. The two friends must now carry out a mission to uncover the truth behind Aiko's death, helping Hakaze save the world, and making sure to stay alive at all costs. Both shows are very cold in their story telling, where two characters are plagued with death in the family and must now seek revenge on the people who started it all. The two characters in Zetsuen no Tempest, Yoshino and Mahiro, both share similar personalities to that of Avilio and childhood friend Corteo. Corteo is the much quieter and more keen of the duo, and later becomes the voice of reason for Avilio in is decision making. The same can be said about both Yoshino and Mahiro, where one is irate and ready to take out anyone who stands in his way, while the other tries to provide reasoning behind every judgment made.

Arslan Senki's second season is slowly unraveling, so we highly encourage you to tune in after watching the first season, since a lot more is in store for Arslan and his military contingent. Under the rule of the aggressive king Andragoras III, the once blissful kingdom of Pars find themselves in turmoil with the neighboring empire, Lusitania. Prince Arslan is the polar opposite of his father and sets out to prove his position on the battlefield for the very first time. However, when Andragoras is betrayed by one of his most trusted officials, the Parsian army is torn apart and the capital city of Ecbatana is conquered. With the army in shambles and the Lusitanians out for his head, Arslan is forced to go on the run. With respected general Daryun as his support, Arslan soon sets off on a tumultuous journey in search of allies that will help him take back his home. Prince Arslan is up to his neck in responsibilities as he strives to become the new king of pars, while his arch nemesis seeks to kill him to reclaim what's rightfully his. What makes this very similar to that of Alderamin takes place in an era where warring states are in a constant battle to seek the throne, while dealing with corruption taking place in the underworld. Both Arslan and Ikuta are very young and initially had no confidence in their inner genius, but once they teamed up with allies that brought out the best in them, their leadership skills blossomed as well as their power. The two use very tact plans of action with the assistance of their allies, overlooking the battlefield and deciding where to place their men. The battlefield was their game of chess, and managed to outsmart the enemy at every opportunity that passed.

Kingdom is an incredible anime that looks at China’s Warring States period, and the many ordeals that transpired during that era. In the kingdom of Qin, Xin Li, a war-orphaned slave, trains intensely with fellow slave and best friend, Piao, who shares his proud dream of one day becoming a Great General of the Heavens. Their lives change forever when the two are suddenly forced to go separate ways, and Piao is sent out to work in the royal palace by a retainer of the King. Kingdom follows Xin as he takes his first steps into the great blood-stained pages of China's history. He must carve his own path to glory on his long quest to become a Great General of the historic Seven Warring States. Xin and Ikuta are both orphans who are forced out of their natural habitat, and must now rely on their past training in order to survive in a war of full of bloodshed. The two share an incredible gift, in that on the battlefield they wield the ability to devise strategies without much thought, taking out their enemies with little effort and wounded casualties. They must now carve a path of their own seeking out assistance when they can from other experienced soldiers, while ensuring that their close friends stay alive and move ahead towards glory.

The continent, called Europa, is divided into two main super powers: The Imperial Empire, a monarchy located in the east, and the alliance of democracies called the Federation in the west. Both seek out a very important resource called ragnite which can perform a range of things from fueling weapons of war to use in medical treatments. Since ragnite is such a vital resource to many, both nations are constantly at war with each other for it. Much of the story takes place in the neutral country of Gallia, known for its abundance of ragnite, when the greedy Empire decides to invade and seize the ragnite for themselves. Welkin, along with other comrades must band together to fight the Imperials in the ragtag Gallian militia group, Squad 7. Senjyou no Valkyria or as we all know it as Valkyria Chronicles is all about determining the right strategy, and fulfilling that strategy at all costs. Much like the video game franchise, Welkin must join forces with his allies in order to stop the Imperials from bringing pain and suffering to the Empire. What's great about both shows is that there's a lot to learn with regards to history, and how many people survived during a time that was full of terror and gunfire. Both teach us that power is in numbers but more so, in your ability as a captain to lead your entire team to victory and restore peace back into the world you reside in.

Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta is another military style anime which takes place in an era riddled with war, and dictatorship. In order to uncover the "end of the sky," as spoken of in ancient mythology, main protagonist Kal-el Albus is sent to the island of Isla, which is situated in the sky. There he attends the prestigious Cadoques High's Aerial Division, where Kal-el enjoys a carefree life with his schoolmates. That suddenly all changes when a surprise attack by the feared air tribe touches down on the island, and begins to create havoc among the townspeople. Everyone must now band together to stop this bloody war from turning into a deadly massacre. Ikuta and Kal-el don't really care for war and would rather not participate in such petty events. Unfortunately for them the enemy creates a major threat and the two are forced to join the army in order to put an end to all the terror. At first we see them as very collected individuals who are quite lazy in their approach to life, but when on the battlefield they become untouchable in their tactical efforts to restore balance to their society. Both stories are very moving and have you really rooting for them to overcome the obstacles that they're confronted with, while still maintaining a cool attitude about everything.

JSDF officer and passionate otaku, Youji Itami, is on his way to attend a doujin convention in Ginza, when a mysterious portal in the shape of a large gate suddenly appears. From this unfortunate incident, Youji is then tasked with leading a special recon team, as part of a JSDF task force, that will be dispatched to the world beyond the gate known as the “Special Region”. The task force must now travel into this unfamiliar world in order to learn more about what they're up against, and attempt to befriend the locals in hopes of creating peaceful unions with the empire. What they're in for however is no walk in the park, and if they fail, there's a lot more at stake than they imagined. Youji is an otaku who really didn't care much about his job as part of the JSDF task force, and felt that it was taking precious time away from his true purpose in life. All he really wanted to do was live the otaku life and attend events to keep him happy. Similarly, Ikuta just felt life would be better lying on a hammock than to participate in something that didn't serve a purpose for him. Unfortunately for these two, destiny was having none of that, and the two begrudgingly took the position just to fight in a war they didn't care about. Surprisingly Ikuta and Youji are extremely intuitive individuals and manage their teams effectively, even building great rapport with new allies along their adventures. Their strong sense of awareness keeps them moving forward, and defeat every enemy that comes their way.

The infamous eyes of "Alpha Stigma" are known to analyze a wide variety of magic. However, they are more infamously known as cursed eyes that bring upon destruction and death to those around them. Ryner, an Alpha Stigma bearer and powerful mage, was once a student of the Roland Empire's Magician Academy, which dedicated its time to training magicians for military objectives. Unfortunately after the untimely deaths of many of his classmates due to war, he makes a promise to himself to make the nation a more peaceful one, along with his best friend, Sion Astal. Together they all seek to uncover the secrets behind his cursed eyes. Ryner much like Ikuta is teamed up with a beautiful female support who wields swords, and can decimate any enemy at will. Both are very close to one another and always coach each other on how to take our the enemy without taking too much damage. Ryner is a deep thinker much like Ikuta and is an incredible team leader, who always makes sure to bring morale up to where it should be. Their calm, cool, and collected demeanor really helps them out in battle, simply because they don't panic very easily under extreme pressure and ensure their plans are rightfully carried out by their team.

In the midst of the industrial revolution, a monster called Kabane, hunts down humanity. Currently on the island of Hinomoto, humans are now living in stations to keep safe from this zombie-like creatures. Unfortunately, one locomotive has been hijacked by the Kabane, turning the once peaceful city in a storm. Ikoma, a steam smith, has invented the tsuranukizutsu to kill the Kabane but he was infected through the process. Not wanting to be like those undead monsters, he finds a way to stop the spreading of the virus in his body, making him a Kabaneri which is a hybrid of being a human and a Kabane. The plot of Koutetsujou no Kabaneri and God Eater are almost one and the same starting how the main characters, Ikoma & Utsugi, Lenka are so dead focused on killing the monsters that plague's their world. Just like Aragami that must be killed by special means, Kabane must have different strategic ways to kill them depending on their type. Humans also rely on living in fortresses, in this case, stations, to avoid being attacked by the Kabane. If you want a post-apocalyptic setting with a lot of action, disgusting gory moments, give Koutetsujou no Kabaneri a chance. The Anime just finished airing so it’s a good time to marathon this one.

The application Nicaea is now becoming trendy as of late. However, after a train accident, Kuze, Hibiki was given a chance to live again. He chooses to live, but he is now able to summon demons making him a devil summoner. After knowing that monsters called Septentriones are out to get humanity, Hibiki, and his companions fight with their demons to survive the week-long war against these frightening godlike monsters. God Eater and Devil Survivor 2 share being based on a game of the same name. They are similar in a way that humans must fight mysterious monsters in order to survive with the help of specialized weapons. In God Eater, humans that are infused with Oracle Cells are able to use “God Arcs” to eliminate the Aragami. While in Devil Survivor 2, humans who download the application called Nicaea, are given the power to summon demons albeit, with the price of dying first and choosing to live. Devil Survivor 2 starts with a normal modern day setting until Septentriones (unknown creatures that invade the earth for the purpose erasing the world) wreak havoc on planet earth, making the place having a more apocalyptic feeling to it. If you love humans trying to survive in a war against monsters, like in God Eater, you can’t go wrong with Devil Survivor 2.

In Mikado City, a portal suddenly appears with beings called Neighbor, intending to take the world for themselves. It is now the job of the organization known as Border, to keep these monsters in line. The story starts when a border agent, Mikumo, Osamu meets Kuga Yuuma, a humanoid neighbor. If God Eater has the Fenrir, Oracle Cells, God Arcs, and Aragami, World Trigger has Border, Trion, Trigger, and Neighbors as equivalent to those mentioned for God Eater. World Trigger has an organization called the Border in order to fend off the monster invaders known as Neighbors. Since Trion is the primary energy that resides inside every human being, they use this as their power source to use the Trigger technology to advance their weapons. Both shows are stunningly good to watch, still, we would like to add that World Trigger is more like the milder version of God Eater when comparing intense action and death.

Itami, Youji was supposedly having his normal daily routine when a large portal showed up out of know where. In the portal, there is a large gate where mysterious creatures are coming out from the inside, harming humans and destroying everything in their way just so they can conquer the human world. Months have passed after the attack, Youji together with his team are given a mission to go to the other side of the gate to investigate. Despite the fact that the ones who are invading are not monsters, but a different kind of species from another dimension, GATE is still similar with God Eater because humans try to fight back against these strange beings that want their world. Like Aragami, these creatures leave death in their wake. Thankfully, there is a military force named JSDF, or Japan Special Defense Forces, to protect its fellow citizens from being harmed. Much like God Eater, proper military actions or tactics must be taken if humans want to survive this new all out war. If you want something similar to God Eater, why not give GATE a go?

Schwarzesmarken is from the Muv-Luv series taking place before Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse. During 1980 in East Germany, an army known as the Black Marks, is on the move to save humanity from aliens called BETA, or Beings of Extraterrestrial Origin. Yet another anime show that you surely don’t want to miss is Schwarzesmarken which is, by the way, based on a visual novel released in November of 2015 with its second part being planned to release in September of 2016. The main plot of these two shows is very simple, fighting monsters, or in this case, aliens to save their own kind. Simply put, this is like the sci-fi mecha version of God Eater. They use high-end technology in order to kill these BETA as they are hard to kill due to their unpredictable traits. These two shows are bloody and very gory, yet, what Schwarzesmarken has that separates it from God Eater must be its politics. It’s not the boring kind that might make you sleepy, but Schwarzesmarken presents its political side in an interestingly and intriguing manner.

Ever since he was a child, Sorey believed the legend of olden times that Seraphim (Blessed spirits that cannot be seen by humans) and Humans once lived in harmony, just like how he, a human, currently lives with his Seraphim family. As he ventures out to explore the world for the very first time, he takes the responsibility of being the Shepherd (one who cleanses malevolence) not knowing the hardships and tribulations he must face to make the legends he once believed in a reality. Akin to God Eater and our other selection above that is Devil Survivor 2, Tales of Zestiria is an anime based on a game. Both anime are made by studio Ufotable, having the same beautiful soundtracks and awe-stunning visuals. While God Eater's are tasked with killing Aragami by the use of God Arcs, Tales of Zestiria, on the other hand, has Sorey as the chosen Shepard to purify malevolence and hellions alike with the power of purification that was given to him by the Lady of the Lake. Although Tales of Zestiria tackles more about adventure and finding the truth about the world, it will never fail to give the audiences the action and drama needed that God Eater delivered us. Hopefully, the show can give us more extra insights about the game and the upcoming Tales game that is Tales of Berseria. Since it’s airing right now, why not give it a shot? It’s much lighter compared to all of the selections above and a must for all original fans of the tales game franchise.

Risa Koizumi wants to live every woman's fantasy to fall in love and have a beautiful romantic story to share with her friends. At first, she becomes infatuated with Ryouji Suzuki, who is a handsome boy in another class. Risa is primarily attracted to Ryouji because of his height since Risa herself is quite tall for a girl, reaching the height of 172 centimeters, which by Japanese standards is quite the gap. Unfortunately, her love did not last, as Suzuki falls for another girl in their school, who Atsushi Ootani admired. Risa and Atsushi start to discover a relationship of their own, and an attraction starts to form between them. School life is always full of ups and downs, and when romance comes into the mix it creates an emotional whirlwind that can spiral out of control. In this case, this whirlwind ends up becoming the catalyst which brings everything all together. Much like Uchimaki and Umaki, Risa and Atsushi initially have a strange issue to overcome, which results in some incredibly funny moments. Both shows have a character who has to deal with a certain stereotype, and somehow must find a solution to breaking their habit. Umaki is always firing off direct shots towards Uchimaki, who just laughs it off and even mocks her by turning her into a 2D waifu during his painting. On the other end, Risa is always being mocked for being too tall, which gives off the impression of her being the more dominant and manly of the two. Both shows demonstrate that our feelings can be hard to handle, but being honest with them is the only way for the other person to truly understand what you’re going through.

Much of the story follows the passionate life of Chiyo, as she shows determination to assist Nozaki in his manga so that perhaps over time he’ll be able to notice her true feelings. All she wants from Nozaki in return is some attention, but instead receives a random autograph for her efforts. This situation then sparks more ideas in her as she tries really hard to plant her seed of love into Nozaki’s dull mind. What she doesn’t realize however, is that Nozaki is actually a very popular mangaka who writes under the name Sakiko Yumeno. Through many confusing moments and misunderstandings, Chiyo eventually becomes his assistant and from there a lot of the funny moments begin. While having to work towards confessing her love to Nozaki, Chiyo must also learn to understand and balance other relationships around her in order to truly buy Nozaki’s attention. Both Nozaki and Uchimaki are obsessed with the 2D world of art and don't seem to fancy the more three dimensional women that are out there. They don't seem to realize the prize that's lying in front of them, and both girls assume that their actions are out of selfishness when truthfully they're just too dense to realize. So with a little strategy and flirting, the two girls try to help both men notice their true feelings, while at the same time coming to terms with how to deal with their own growing emotions. Every situation the two find themselves in are awkwardly entertaining since both are observing each other from two different planets, and so they try to find a common ground to make it all work while making us laugh at it all.

Naïve otaku Hideki "Rusian" Nishimura is devastated when he builds up the courage to propose to a girl in an online game, only to be rejected by her severely. To make matters worse, the girl reveals that she is actually an older man outside of the game. With his dreams crushed and his heart broken, Rusian comes comes to an immediate decision in the midst of his raging fit, that he will never trust another girl in an online game again. After many years have passed, Rusian is now in a guild with three other players, one of whom possesses a female character by the name of "Ako." Ako is deeply in love with Rusian and desires to marry him. Being through this scenario before and keeping his guard up along the way, Rusian accepts her proposal, claiming that her gender doesn't matter as long as she is cute in the game. In spite of all that, after a discussion between guild members that led to all of them having an offline meeting, Rusian finds out that Ako, along with the other members, are not just girls, but also his schoolmates. Ako shares the same temperament like Umaki, where the two fight with all of their might to portray their emotions to the ones they love. The two become almost obsessive in their approach, trying every plan in their emotional notebook to proving just how much they love the person. Unfortunately both male protagonists aren't really convinced nor do they actually realize that both girls have genuine feelings for them, and just find it difficult to express it without coming off too strong. Ultimately the two male protagonists start to slowly realize what's happening, but still fall flat on their faces when trying to decipher the female code.

Tsumiki Miniwa is madly in love with her best friend Io Otonashi. The only issue is that she can't bring herself to come out and admit her true feelings. Io however doesn't seem to be able to pick up the obvious clues, even with all of their friends teasing that there's no one better suited for her than Io himself. The story follows Tsumiki and her circle of friends as they go through their day-to-day lives as students, while learning the values of love and relationship. Only time will tell if Tsumiki will gain the courage to finally say how she truly feels. Tsumiki just can't seem to confront her emotions and let Io know how she truly feels, and whenever she tries she turns a tomato red and avoids the topic all together. Similarly, Uchimaki is a bit of a dunce when it comes to love and he would rather not focus on 3D girls, since he fancies the life of 2D so much. Whenever the two get close together Usami just can't seem to maintain her sanity and often lashes out on Uchimaki who is just a wall. The two gather friends together to drop hints towards both males, but the two are so far off in their own distant world that the message gets lost in translation and everything fails. Both shows are a wonderful slice of life comedy that anyone can enjoy since we all can relate to the characters and their antics.

Aki is a passionate otaku, and has been obsessed with collecting anime along with light novels for years. He grows attached to various series which focus on captivating stories and characters. Now, Aki wants to have an opportunity of providing the same experience for others by creating his own game, but unfortunately, Tomoya cannot do this task all on his own. He decides in his mind to recruit an old friend to help illustrate and hires literary elitist Utaha to write the script for his visual novel, while he directs. Aki only needs an inspiration to base his project on, and luckily meets the beautiful Megumi who he decides to model his main character after. Using what knowledge he has, Tomoya creates a new doujin circle with dreams to touch the hearts of those who play their game. What he does not realize, is that to create these emotions, the creators would need to experience the same feelings in their own lives. Uchimaki and Aki have this crazy obsession with anime and the world of 2D, and just can't seem to wrap their head around the world of romance. They express their emotions so brilliantly in their art work, almost poetic in a way, and yet when it comes to love they require some form of instruction manual to understand it all. Both Umaki and Megumi have become inspirations for both the main characters, as they start to become part of their artwork. These boys display great romantic and genuine qualities but are so blind to it all due to their incredible dedication to what they really enjoy. So both females end up displaying cold and sarcastic behaviors, but overtime learn to also express their emotions more openly to create a more well balanced relationship.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is an incredibly entertaining romance comedy, that looks at the life of five characters who all provide an important dynamic around the story. Every character surrounds main protagonist Kanda Sorata, who is banished to Sakura Hall because of the rules pertaining to school dorms not allowing cats. Due to his overwhelming love for them, he constantly finds himself in trouble every time, which results in him deciding to live within the Sakura Hall. During his stay at the Sakura Hall is where he ends up meeting with the five characters, Misaki, Shiina, Aoyama, and Jin that change his entire life forever. The relationship between Aoyama and Kanda is where things get extremely funny, as the two are completely air headed when it comes to confessing their true feelings. Their constant back and forth with words really displayed their immaturity on the subject which made it very cute and relatable. You weren’t really sure who would win the battle, but were certain that at some point someone would fess up and the balance would be restored. Similarly, Uchimaki was like a brick wall always nonchalantly rejecting Umaki, but somehow her feelings grew stronger every time she tried listening to her emotions. Every moment you’re rooting for the two to come out, then hilariously something stupid happens and it’s back to square one again. This show had us cracking up at each characters inability to just be honest, which again is something we can admire and relate to.

Our first anime on our six anime like The Morose Mononokean is Hoozuki no Reitetsu. This fantastic yokai comedy follows the crazy yet composed Hoozuki as he spends his days troubleshooting the dark depths of hell. Most of his time is spent offering counsel to such famous folklore characters like Momotarou, or receiving diplomatic missions from hell under the supervision of Lord Enma. Hoozuki takes us on an adventure as he must deal with various characters who all pose some sort of challenge to him, and must use the right judgment when punishing each yokai that confronts him. There's great similarity between both shows as they focus on the life of a yokai master who must cope with the many random encounters that they come across, using sound judgment with regards to dealing with the situation. Hoozuki is a lot like Abeno where the two have been giving huge responsibilities, and now must rely on the assistance of others to make sure their demands are met. They always find themselves in some sort of mishap, which leads them into performing clumsy acts, but make sure to maintain their cool under pressure from their subordinates, which in Abeno's case is Ashiya. It is a spectacular show with many laughs to keep you engaged, while also learning a large chunk about Japanese folklore!

xxxHolic follows the wild life of Kimihiro Watanuki, who harnesses the ability to see spirits and other assorted supernatural creatures, which is something he finds quite troublesome. One evening on the way home while being overwhelmed by some spirits, Kimihiro is inexplicably compelled to enter an eerie house. There, he's introduced to Yuuko, a mysterious woman who claims that she could dispel the ability to see and attract the troublesome creatures, but under one condition. Yuuko insists that he work at her store that supposedly grants wishes to people, and from that very moment begins Kimihiro's adventures through weird and crazy events. Yumiko and Kimihiro share a very close relationship as the story progresses, much like Ashiya and Abeno. Initially the two find themselves in a tight bind as they try to understand one another, and through various random events they begin to form a better relationship. Yumiko shares her insight on how to deal with the spirits, while Kimihiro must use her instructions in order to dispel of the yokai that are becoming a bother. Both Yumiko and Abeno have this sort of “headquarters” that they use in order to conduct activities, with the latter being on school grounds, and Yumiko's taking place in a storefront. These shows are both light hearted in their jokes, and share a little insight on some Japanese folklore much like our previous entry.

Rolling in at number three is Natsume Yuujinchou. Main protagonist Takashi Natsume has a bizarre and ghastly secret involving yokai. He has been suffering due to his constantly being chased by these spirits for as long as he can recall. Natsume is then surprised to discover that his deceased grandmother Reiko had passed on to him the Yuujinchou, or "Book of Friends," which comprises of names of spirits whom she brought under her control many years ago. Now with the book in his possession, the book grants him the same power as his grandmother, which is why these enraged beings now haunt him in hopes of somehow attaining their freedom. In our previous entry we compared Abeno to both Yumiko and Hoozuki, but now we're going to observe Ashiya and how he relates to Natsume. Both characters encountered a very chilling experience by being chased by yokai. Ashiya is haunted by them in his school and just can't seem to get them off him, and so much like Natsume, the two discover a solution that can help to rid them of the curse but with a new condition: they must now use the same powers that the yokai uses to solver their problems. They are both accompanied by a very adorable yokai that tries to help them whenever they find themselves in a tight bind. Each of them must come to terms with their new responsibilities with the assistance of other supporting characters who guide them along the way, in order to find success in their new job.

Gugure! Kokkuri-san stars the self proclaimed doll Kohina Ichimatsu, who calls out the fox yokai Kokkuri-san with a unusual incantation. However it was a story of the strange past where Kokkuri-san was able to answer any inquiry you had in mind. Nowadays, it relies on a certain search engine, but is not very tech savvy and ends up causing more harm than usual. He had decided to possess Kohina, but got worried about her living all alone, and decides to devote himself to do chores as if he was her mother. On top of that, the dog yokai Inugami who is infatuated with Kohina and the old supernatural raccoon dog Shigaraki decide to root themselves with her as well causing all sorts of mishaps. Kohina decides to follow her heart and summon a yokai who can help her. Much to her dismay, once she summons Kokkuri-san a lot of random problems start to occur around her. Similarly, Ashiya decides to get too close to one friendly yokai and ends up having to deal with a handful of issues since the yokai becomes infatuated with him. At first they both find their scenario to be very taxing, but over time they begin to show signs of compassion for the yokai and build a close relationship with them. The shows are very funny in their animations, while really warming your heart with wonderful displays of love and commitment.

As a child, Mamiya had wandered into the woods behind her grandmother's house, and ended up disappearing. Sakura can't recall the events that occurred, but she's been seeing dead people ever since that strange day. She encounters ghosts at home, ghosts at school, and even ghosts wandering the streets. Fast forward to her life in high school, another strange thing has happened in her life. A desk next to her that had been vacant all year is suddenly filled by an odd looking boy named Rokudou Rinne. Rinne seems to be capable of seeing the same things Sakura does but other people in the vicinity can't even see him. Another world exists alongside the one that they live in and thanks to Rinne, Mamiya will get to know this world and the crazy characters that inhabit it. Mamiya is exactly like Ashiya where the two are completely unaware of what adventures lie ahead of them. The two find themselves surrounded by new creatures that are foreign to them, but must now build a relationship with them in order to understand everything. Both are accompanied by a very cute yokai that behaves sort of like their mascot, and whenever they're in a tight bind they make sure to protect them. Rinne is the very level-headed leader of the pack much like Abeno, but will lash out when their helpers make clumsy mistakes that put them in bad predicaments. Both shows take place in a yokai universe with a slice of life feel to them to keep you educated and entertained at all times.

Uchouten Kazoku follows the trials and tribulations of the Shimogamo brothers as they struggle to avoid their own terrible demise while coming ever closer to discovering the truth behind their father's untimely death. Kyoto has been populated by groups of tanuki and tengu for years, who live alongside humans who are completely unaware to their existence. Yasaburou Shimogamo is the third son of a prominent tanuki family who spends his cheerful days taking care of an old tengu, observing humans through his special ability to shapeshift, and dealing with Benten, who is an eerie and mysterious woman. The world of Uchouten Kazoku is all about dealing with yokai that tend to cause trouble in the real world, and so the main protagonists must travel back and forth between two worlds while unraveling the truth behind all that's happening. Both stories are very lighthearted and fun, with the protagonist showing us the reality that everyone has problems, and sometimes we require the help of others to solve them despite how strong we think we are. Ashiya and the Shimogamo brothers must avoid death at all times since one false move in the yokai world could spell trouble for them later, so every step they make must be taken with precaution.

Ready to get stabbed in all the feels to the point where it feels like you will never ever be able to recover? Welcome to Clannad: After Story. Picking up where the first season, CLANNAD, left off, Tomoya and Nagisa graduate from high school and Tomoya lands a job working to support his new wife aka Nagisa. They struggle a lot but together they are able to persevere with each other and Nagisa becomes pregnant. They push forward to have their child Ushio, but at what cost? Keep a box of tissues nearby because this one will make you cry. When comparing these two, some people are thrown off. Itazura na Kiss is a bright anime while Clannad After Story is very serious. Ah ha! This is where you have to look beyond the surface and first impressions. The stories are actually quite similar, high school romance that turns into something more which leads to marriage. The struggles that Nagisa and Tomoya go through are very similar to what Kotoko and Naoki go through as well. The growing pains of growing up. No one is a child forever. There is, of course, central themes like romance, and really anyone can enjoy these series. The final major thing to note is that both of these anime actually show what life is like DURING and AFTER romance. So many shows end too soon! But don’t take our word for it, check out the PV yourself!

Ready for dem good feels after bawling your eyes out? Great! Kimi ni Todoke is about Sawako Kuronuma who has a heart of gold. She just has one problem, everyone thinks she is actually super evil! People even call her Sadako, from The Ring, due to her quiet personality and long black hair combined with her scary demeanor. Till one day when she is drawn to a bright and upbeat boy named Shouta Kazehaya. Sawako though looks up to him because of his refreshing personality. Hoping to become friends with him, Sawako makes friends with unlikely classmates and Kazehaya, before suddenly things are moving in a new direction for her. Itazura na Kiss and Kimi ni Todoke are actually very very similar. Both are sweet and upbeat though the personalities are a bit dialed back. Unlike semi-aggressive Kotoko and cold Irie, Sawako and Shouta are much easier to take. If you are looking for concrete solid lines, both Shouta and Irie are super popular in their classes and the relationships that develop between the girls and the boys of the respective series are between two very unique personalities. Kimi ni Todoke will also calm you down and help you refresh and relax after bawling your eyes out at Clannad After Story.

Hikari Hanazono met Kei Takishima when she was six years old. Their fathers, both wrestler aficionados, introduced them. Hikari challenged Kei to a match and promptly lost! They became friends regardless, but Hikari was determined to beat Kei in something! Anything! She just needed the chance! So she is enrolled in an upper crust of society high school called Hakusenkan. Unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, for her, Kei is there too! He is the top student in the school and she is the student right underneath him. Completely KY, she does not realize Kei’s feelings until she begins to challenge him as her rival… Where these two shows are similar is there is that upbeat feeling and Special A also plays to its comedic elements. The upward battle of Hikari to reach Kei is much like how Kotoko pushes herself from the bottom class upwards to try and get closer to Naoki. Speaking of Naoki, he and Kei are both at the tops of their respective grades. Kotoko is quite the klutz much like Hikari as well. This is supposed to appeal to a Shoujo audience, but anyone can enjoy it!

Misaki Ayuzawa is the most terrifying student council president at her school. Why? Well, the school used to be an all-boys school, she is the first female president, and… a deep secret. She works at a Maid Café! Complete with a maid uniform, she works to help support her family who is struggling to pay their bills. Misaki is doing a fantastic job of juggling her lives until one day, the most popular boy in school just strolls into the maid café where she works! Takumi Usui could say something and watch her burn, or keep her secret. What will he do? For Misaki and Kotoko, the struggle is real – a common theme here. Kotoko has to dig herself and her grades out of a hole while Misaki has to keep juggling everything and now deal with Takumi knowing her secret. Much like with Special A, Naoki from Itazura and Takumi from Kaichou both are calling the shots at their schools from the top. The clumsy humor is also rampant in both of these series. The enjoyable difference here is that Takumi chases after Misaki while Kotoko chases after Naoki. You gotta keep things slightly different!

Chiyo Sakura is a young high school girl with a crush. In love with a boy named Umetarou Nozaki, she confesses her feelings. Umetarou is so out of it, that he hands her an autograph? Umetarou is actually another KY character who cannot realize how other people feel because he is actually a massively big shoujo manga artist! Chiyo then somehow becomes an assistant to Umetarou. She decides that she will do her best to help him while getting him to notice her feelings. Much like Itazura na Kiss, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun has an aloof male protagonist. While Naoki refuses to engage, Umetarou is just out of it. Stoic in nature they are hotly pursued by an upbeat girl who wants to be noticed by the male counterpart. Rolling in gags, they are also a bit on the comedic side while Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is actually shonen and Itazura na Kiss is Shoujo. Regardless of the target audience, fans of either will enjoy the other!

Ore Monogatari is how you properly write a romcom. Sweet and kindhearted Takeo Gouda looks nothing like the previous two adjectives. Extremely tall for a tenth grader and covered in muscles, he is the stereotype of “masculine” to a T. Takeo can never get a girlfriend though because all girls are terrified of him and they always confess to his best friend and pretty boy, Makoto Sunakawa. One day, though, Takeo saves the cutest little girl named Rinko from a train groper and through a series of mishaps, actually starts to spend time with her. Suddenly, Takeo’s love story begins. Unconventional love is a theme between these two shows. Naoki would never go after a girl so beneath him, but he eventually does. Rinko, a delicate little girl, and Takeo, a hulking brute of a man, are the last people that would get paired up in people’s minds. From day one, you are in a sea of emotions with these two as you support them and they grow together. The best part too is as you watch, the comedic jokes and the little things make you appreciate these two series even more. This is DEFINITELY one that you will want to catch!