Bakemonogatari
Alt titles: A Monster Story
Synopsis:
Koyomi Araragi is an aloof boy who holds a strange, supernatural secret which inadvertently leads him to others with similar stories. Gods, spirits and afflictions can be pesky things, taking important memories or causing unusual tendencies – a fact that Koyomi and others are unfortunately aware of. Using the help of an eccentric homeless man, Koyomi is able to help new friends he meets along the way with their own paranormal conundrums…
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Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Alt titles: Goodbye, Despair Teacher
- TV (12 eps)
- 2007
Life is simply not worth living for down and out school teacher Itoshiki Nozomu. He has no hope of progress, no prospect of promotion, no chance at happiness… he is in despair! Even his name spells 'zetsubou' – 'despair', when compressed. But when the time comes to end it all, Itoshiki's attempted suicide on the first day of the new school year is foiled by relentlessly positive Fuura Kafuka. This saves Itoshiki long enough to meet his new class, and the quirky range of students under his care. Will Itoshiki Nozomu depress his students with his anguish? Or will Fuura show Zetsubou-sensei the joys of life and hope?
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5 people think you'd like this because...
add recBoth are animes featuring surrealist drawing style, little actual plot, curious characters, and random discussions about life the universe and everyting.
The same studio's work. Flashly amazing graphics and sharp and hilarious dialogs wrapped in a pretty interesting story revolving about the surreal and supernatural. And the messeges in the backgroud - If you liked Zetsubou Sensei or Bakemonogatari, you should the other one. I assure you like it.
The eyecatcher in both Bakemonogatari and SZS is the artstyle. The way the Shaft animated both series gives them a unique look and feel, and is possibly the only example I know in which the animation influences the anime this much. Apart from the animation, both series have a reasonably large cast of interesting characters, most with their own little background and distinct personalities. I feel that if you liked one of these, you shouldn't be missing out on the other, despite differences in genres.
The style of animation and art directing is next to identical and even if SZS has deeper meanings to it's conversation, both show's conversations are random and confusion in humorous ways.
Alright, on the surface, these two anime have not a whole lot of similarities, apart from their presentation. But in the end, their presentation is so unique and esoteric in a way they're an acquired taste. If you like the visual feast that is SZS or Bakemonogatari , you'll probably love the other.
Setting that aside, both are primarily comedies, both feed off a great deal of contemporary humor and witty dialogues.
XXXHOLiC
- TV (24 eps)
- 2006
- Spring 2006
Kimihiro Watanuki is cursed with the ability to see evil spirits known as Youkai. Due to this power, the Youkai are attracted to him like a magnet, and each time he is close to being devoured. One day, fate drew him to a strange store and there, he met Yuuko, who was dressed in a very exquisite fashion. As destiny would have it, Yuuko has the ability to save Kimihiro from seeing the Youkai, but for a price: Kimihiro must work for Yuuko by performing chores around the store and other odd tasks, until she deems fit. With his "friend" Doumeki, and his secret crush Himawari, they will discover that the world they live in is nowhere close to ordinary!
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3 people think you'd like this because...
add recBoth animes have a wandering almost completely normal protagonist which grows with his encounters with the super natural. XXXHolic is a bit more focused with comedy, but it's serious moments surpass those of Bakemonogatari. Bakemonogatari however has a focus on mature themes and relationship issues as well. Both are the best of the supernatural/superstition genre of anime and should not be missed by fans of this category!
Both shows deal with quite "heavy" supernatural stories, even if xxxHOLiC deals more with the stories and Bakemonogatari deals more with the interactions and conversations between the characters. They have plenty of smaller similarities as well, like some slightly different versions of the same myth and how many similarities Oshino and Yuuko share.
There are quite a few episodic series about supernatural stories/spirits.monsters/etc. Bakemonogatari and xxxHolic are different from the rest of these because of the emphasis on comedy, espacially in the dialogue between characters. I prefer xxxHolic, because Bakemonogatari seems to pander to the harem/moe crowd, but I can easily see how the same people would like both.
Mushishi
It isn't unusual for a person to feel that the world around them is strange and has unexpected secrets lying just beyond their sight. However, for most people this is just an occasional sensation that greets them upon awakening or chases them into sleep. For the mushi researcher Ginko, it isn't a feeling at all; it is a knowledge which guides his travels and motivates his life. Found in the cracks between what is conceivable and what is not, are the varied life forms collectively known as mushi. They surround us and affect us, but their intensely different nature makes them unrecognizable to most. Ginko brings these life forms into perspective for the lives of those most affected and most in need of an explanation.
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2 people think you'd like this because...
add recCrest of the Stars
Alt titles: Seikai no Monshou
- TV (13 eps)
- 1999
In the distant future, mankind has mastered space and spread empires across the galaxy. While many choose to colonize distant planets, others choose to remain amidst the stars, ultimately giving rise to a new brand of humanity known as the Abh. Both genetically and culturally different from their Earth-dwelling peers, the Abh soon find themselves engaged in a bloody war that rages across hundreds of planets and set out to restore peace by means of conquest. Enter Jinto, a nobleman and ambassador of the recently acquired Hyde system whose duty is to represent his peoples' interests and rule on the Abh's behalf. In order to be officially coronated to this position, a cold-but-beautiful Abh princess named Lafiel arrives at Hyde to escort him back to the empire's capital. When they are suddenly attacked by an anti-Abh liberation front, however, the festivities are cut short, and the two must flee for their lives against all odds.
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Air
- TV (12 eps)
- 2005
The 'girl in the sky' is a legend passed down through the ranks of one special family. Armed with the magical puppet skills he learned from his mother, Kunisaki Yukito follows in her footsteps, traveling from place to place, ever searching for that girl in the sky, ever chasing after that legend. His journeys have led him to a small costal town where he meets a girl that has a peculiar interest in him -- could she be the one? As events slowly start to unfold in front of his very eyes, Kunisaki Yukito finds himself amidst a story that spans a thousand summers...
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1 person thinks you'd like this because...
add recAt the core and it's visual style, these shows are quite differnt, but they are both set up as harem shows and it's only hinted that most of the girls are interested in the male lead in a romantic way. They both deal a bit with magical and supernatural powers, even if Bakemonogatari plays on that part much heavier than Air.
