Nocturnalgloria

At first glance, these two seem very different but they are kindred spirits in how they thoughtfully tackle growing up, working, and dealing with trauma. The strong focus on character development, the interaction between the members of the cast and how the story is told from a feminine perspective tie them even further together. It also helps that they have the same kind of fluid visual representation, with great attention given to detail and with scenes of sheer beauty that flow perfectly with whatever is going on, be it banter, self-reflection, sorrow or a blend of them all.  If you are longing for something off the beaten track, these two titles are both excellent and complementary. 

At first glance, these two seem very different but they are kindred spirits in how they thoughtfully tackle growing up, working, and dealing with trauma. The strong focus on character development, the interaction between the members of the cast and how the story is told from a feminine perspective tie them even further together. It also helps that they have the same kind of fluid visual representation, with great attention given to detail and with scenes of sheer beauty that flow perfectly with whatever is going on, be it banter, self-reflection, sorrow or a blend of them all.  If you are longing for something off the beaten track, these two titles are both excellent and complementary. 

These are anime about social anxiety. The leads find themselves utterly isolated, despite desperately wanting to have friends, and a lot of the humor revolves around their misconceptions. While friendship is a common theme in anime, for the eponymous Bocchi and Sawako, it is an existential challenge of sorts. Kimi ni also has romance, while Bocchi has music but few titles out there manage to give such centrality to the female experience as it intersects with social anxiety.  

These are anime about social anxiety. The leads find themselves utterly isolated, despite desperately wanting to have friends, and a lot of the humor revolves around their misconceptions. While friendship is a common theme in anime, for the eponymous Bocchi and Sawako, it is an existential challenge of sorts. Kimi ni also has romance, while Bocchi has music but few titles out there manage to give such centrality to the female experience as it intersects with social anxiety.  

A first blush, this may seem an odd recomendation but Given and A Place operate in the same fictional space in which the emotional development of the cast is at the very centre. In both, grief plays a central role as well, with loss and absence being portrayed beautifully throughout.  There is plenty of humor in both, it gives the cast an another dimension. Said cast is also realistic and fully immersed in a world very close to ours, complete with the way the characters speak, to the technology available, brands and the like.  Given has romance and is told in the masculine, while A Place is all about friendship (with sapphic readings being entirely possible, if not canonical) and told in the feminine, which makes them complementary, in a sense. 

A first blush, this may seem an odd recomendation but Given and A Place operate in the same fictional space in which the emotional development of the cast is at the very centre. In both, grief plays a central role as well, with loss and absence being portrayed beautifully throughout.  There is plenty of humor in both, it gives the cast an another dimension. Said cast is also realistic and fully immersed in a world very close to ours, complete with the way the characters speak, to the technology available, brands and the like.  Given has romance and is told in the masculine, while A Place is all about friendship (with sapphic readings being entirely possible, if not canonical) and told in the feminine, which makes them complementary, in a sense. 

Both are thoughtful stories, about dealing with the loss of a parent. Told exclusively in the feminine, they are very different from the typical anime by delving deep, having a strong commitment to its cast and by providing a narrative free of so cliché. What Tamayura does with photography, A Place does with Antarctica: means of expression, a way of connecting- and possibly, an obstacle- with the lost parent, with an ambivalence that evolves as the characters do. As an aside, from a visual POV, the viewer is spoiled with lush imagery, great detail, with a mixture of daily routine and the visionary that does much to convey the emotional impact. 

Both are thoughtful stories, about dealing with the loss of a parent. Told exclusively in the feminine, they are very different from the typical anime by delving deep, having a strong commitment to its cast and by providing a narrative free of so cliché. What Tamayura does with photography, A Place does with Antarctica: means of expression, a way of connecting- and possibly, an obstacle- with the lost parent, with an ambivalence that evolves as the characters do. As an aside, from a visual POV, the viewer is spoiled with lush imagery, great detail, with a mixture of daily routine and the visionary that does much to convey the emotional impact. 

Both are about female leads with severe social anxiety, trying to navigate their new high school life. Hilarious moments follow, complete with delusions galore. Bocchi is heartwarming and skirts being depressing, despite the eponymous lead starting out as a loner doing her best- and often failing- to overcome her issues; Watamote leans heavily on a darker kind of comedy, being mostly sardonic and with precious little in terms of optimism. 

Both are about female leads with severe social anxiety, trying to navigate their new high school life. Hilarious moments follow, complete with delusions galore. Bocchi is heartwarming and skirts being depressing, despite the eponymous lead starting out as a loner doing her best- and often failing- to overcome her issues; Watamote leans heavily on a darker kind of comedy, being mostly sardonic and with precious little in terms of optimism. 

Haibane Renmei and Shadows House are unique in ways that bring them together. In both, a young girl is tossed into sprawling buildings in which she has to follow a strict hierarchy and work at menial tasks that involve a lot of cleaning. There are mysterious rules, taboos, and even masked arbiterers of these, along with a sense of unease. The aura of mystery is part and parcel of the viewing experience. On top of all this, the fictional universes are lo-tech, harking back to early/pre-Industrial times so that dark spaces naturally sprawl a bit all over the vast architecture.  It is all brougt together by a very string bond between two female leads. HR is more psychological and deliberately ambiguous, with the mystery taking on an existential slant, while SH marshals mystery mostly as a means of plot progression and suspense.  

Haibane Renmei and Shadows House are unique in ways that bring them together. In both, a young girl is tossed into sprawling buildings in which she has to follow a strict hierarchy and work at menial tasks that involve a lot of cleaning. There are mysterious rules, taboos, and even masked arbiterers of these, along with a sense of unease. The aura of mystery is part and parcel of the viewing experience. On top of all this, the fictional universes are lo-tech, harking back to early/pre-Industrial times so that dark spaces naturally sprawl a bit all over the vast architecture.  It is all brougt together by a very string bond between two female leads. HR is more psychological and deliberately ambiguous, with the mystery taking on an existential slant, while SH marshals mystery mostly as a means of plot progression and suspense.  

Both are early takes on robot children, so they share the same kind of retro look. Astro Boy is more about adventure and sci-fi, with plenty of action and a fictional universe in which robots are a feature. Miracle Limit-chan has more slice-of-life, the sci-fi being toned down as robots and advanced technology are exclusive to Limit herself. The way in which the anime handle being a robot and a kid is quite similar, as is the school life angle and episodic nature of the narrative. If you'd like to see how early shounen and shoujo converge and diverge in their notions of androids, these titles are pretty much mandatory viewing. 

Both are early takes on robot children, so they share the same kind of retro look. Astro Boy is more about adventure and sci-fi, with plenty of action and a fictional universe in which robots are a feature. Miracle Limit-chan has more slice-of-life, the sci-fi being toned down as robots and advanced technology are exclusive to Limit herself. The way in which the anime handle being a robot and a kid is quite similar, as is the school life angle and episodic nature of the narrative. If you'd like to see how early shounen and shoujo converge and diverge in their notions of androids, these titles are pretty much mandatory viewing. 

Both are visionally stunning movies about a child dealing with the grief over the loss of their mother. This personal tragedy is framed in the context of the Japanese experience, in Suzume it is the earthquake and aftermath of 11 March, 2011; in The Boy and the Heron, it is WWII.  Anime as a medium is stretched to the very limit, in order to create a kind of coming of age narrative in which wide perspectives, great heights, sea scapes galore, are matched with fluid action and adventure. All this serves as a kind of modern hero's journey, be it in a fantasy and highly symbolically charged world as in The Boy, or in modern Japan, enlivened by magic battles, as in Suzume.  The meaning of family, loss, growth, all these potentially heavy messages are beautifully conveyed through the score as well as the animation.

Both are visionally stunning movies about a child dealing with the grief over the loss of their mother. This personal tragedy is framed in the context of the Japanese experience, in Suzume it is the earthquake and aftermath of 11 March, 2011; in The Boy and the Heron, it is WWII.  Anime as a medium is stretched to the very limit, in order to create a kind of coming of age narrative in which wide perspectives, great heights, sea scapes galore, are matched with fluid action and adventure. All this serves as a kind of modern hero's journey, be it in a fantasy and highly symbolically charged world as in The Boy, or in modern Japan, enlivened by magic battles, as in Suzume.  The meaning of family, loss, growth, all these potentially heavy messages are beautifully conveyed through the score as well as the animation.

Supernatural mystery thrillers, that take part in massive mansions where a creepy family presides: it's not that common a combination but it fits both these titles. There is also a lavish feeling to both, with Victorian-like clothing and a very eerie atmosphere of dread that keeps the viewer guessing at what precisely is going on, as much as it does the cast.  Umineko is graphic in ways that Shadows House is not, though, but fans of one are likely to also enjoy the other. 

Supernatural mystery thrillers, that take part in massive mansions where a creepy family presides: it's not that common a combination but it fits both these titles. There is also a lavish feeling to both, with Victorian-like clothing and a very eerie atmosphere of dread that keeps the viewer guessing at what precisely is going on, as much as it does the cast.  Umineko is graphic in ways that Shadows House is not, though, but fans of one are likely to also enjoy the other. 

These are very self-conscious entries in their vast, respective franchises. As such, they rely on the same kind of background knoweldge of Digimon and Gundam for a greater enjoyment, although this is not mandatory. If cool proxy battles is something you enjoy, you will probably like these two. Both take place in a kind of near future that allows for a lot of sci-fi elements to permeate yet the fictional universes are very close to ours.  Perhaps more importantly, the two focus on a close friendship between two boys, with a take on the lead that is deliberately "against the grain", so to speak: Haru from Digimon Universe is aware that he is not the common shounen hero and fears he lacks skills in this regard; Sei from Gundam Build Fighters is deeply steeped in Gundam lore and gunpla in particular is not a good pilot. This angle is another aspect of the way these titles go full meta, being self-aware by definition. 

These are very self-conscious entries in their vast, respective franchises. As such, they rely on the same kind of background knoweldge of Digimon and Gundam for a greater enjoyment, although this is not mandatory. If cool proxy battles is something you enjoy, you will probably like these two. Both take place in a kind of near future that allows for a lot of sci-fi elements to permeate yet the fictional universes are very close to ours.  Perhaps more importantly, the two focus on a close friendship between two boys, with a take on the lead that is deliberately "against the grain", so to speak: Haru from Digimon Universe is aware that he is not the common shounen hero and fears he lacks skills in this regard; Sei from Gundam Build Fighters is deeply steeped in Gundam lore and gunpla in particular is not a good pilot. This angle is another aspect of the way these titles go full meta, being self-aware by definition. 

These are mecha in which very advanced technology is introduced to a timeline that is roughly in the early stages of the industrial age. The contrast and eventually collaboration that develops from this gap proves to be one of the most important themes that only brings these titles together as it sets them apart from most within the genre. On top of this, the emphasis given to slice-of-life, of civilian pursuits and learning how to navigate a new environment and the resultant relationships also firmly tie them together. 

These are mecha in which very advanced technology is introduced to a timeline that is roughly in the early stages of the industrial age. The contrast and eventually collaboration that develops from this gap proves to be one of the most important themes that only brings these titles together as it sets them apart from most within the genre. On top of this, the emphasis given to slice-of-life, of civilian pursuits and learning how to navigate a new environment and the resultant relationships also firmly tie them together. 

These are some of the darkest entries in the very vast Gundam universe, the kind that presents the horrors of war with unflinching relentlessness. More, in both the toll of piloting on a human body is pushed to the absolute limit. Be it IBO's Alaya Vijnana system, a brutal, highly intrusive surgical procedure that maximizes a pilot's abilities, and that only 30% even survive; or Thunderbolt's Psycho Zaku, in which a pilot's limbs are amputated thus allowing them to interact with the mobile suit's mechanical arms and legs as if they were their own, and increases piloting ability by orders of magnitude, these are gritty, horrifyingly cruel world where death is cheap and one loses much of oneself before the actual end. It is not just the physical toll either, both titles are very emphatic on how war warps the mind in its spiral of all-consuming  violence. Nor for the faint of heart, fans of one are very likely to appreciate the other as well. 

These are some of the darkest entries in the very vast Gundam universe, the kind that presents the horrors of war with unflinching relentlessness. More, in both the toll of piloting on a human body is pushed to the absolute limit. Be it IBO's Alaya Vijnana system, a brutal, highly intrusive surgical procedure that maximizes a pilot's abilities, and that only 30% even survive; or Thunderbolt's Psycho Zaku, in which a pilot's limbs are amputated thus allowing them to interact with the mobile suit's mechanical arms and legs as if they were their own, and increases piloting ability by orders of magnitude, these are gritty, horrifyingly cruel world where death is cheap and one loses much of oneself before the actual end. It is not just the physical toll either, both titles are very emphatic on how war warps the mind in its spiral of all-consuming  violence. Nor for the faint of heart, fans of one are very likely to appreciate the other as well. 

Apart from both being mecha, the very peculiar background of the lead characters make these titles a match despite being very dissimilar in tone. For Tanizake from Knights of Sidonia and Suletta from Witch from Mercury, piloting is second nature as they have been doing it from the earliest of ages. More than that, they grew up in an environment with not much in terms of social interaction, having none with people their age. Prior to the events of their respective series, they were close to their parent figures and thus struggle and are challenged by being thrust into a wider world. The adjustment to living in society is very important, and the sci-fi angle where the bulk of the action takes place in what are effectively space colonies brings these two even closer. 

Apart from both being mecha, the very peculiar background of the lead characters make these titles a match despite being very dissimilar in tone. For Tanizake from Knights of Sidonia and Suletta from Witch from Mercury, piloting is second nature as they have been doing it from the earliest of ages. More than that, they grew up in an environment with not much in terms of social interaction, having none with people their age. Prior to the events of their respective series, they were close to their parent figures and thus struggle and are challenged by being thrust into a wider world. The adjustment to living in society is very important, and the sci-fi angle where the bulk of the action takes place in what are effectively space colonies brings these two even closer. 

If you are looking for a serious exploration on privilege and its consequences- what happens to those who are pushed to the margins- in a sci-fi universe that is very immersive, then look no further.  The Earthians in Witch from Gundam are in a very similar situation to everyone who does not live in a city in No. 6 and both titles use this unfairness to explore its cast. Walking the line between idealism and the gritty reality, they also push against gender roles, on top of being queer. There are plenty of parallels between Suletta and Mio from WfG and Shio and Nezumi from No. 6, both couples represent the tensions with their respective fictional universes, which results in tension between them as well. This connection between wider issues and universal implication and the lived experience, personality and destiny of its cast, is what makes these two titles nothing short of exceptional. 

If you are looking for a serious exploration on privilege and its consequences- what happens to those who are pushed to the margins- in a sci-fi universe that is very immersive, then look no further.  The Earthians in Witch from Gundam are in a very similar situation to everyone who does not live in a city in No. 6 and both titles use this unfairness to explore its cast. Walking the line between idealism and the gritty reality, they also push against gender roles, on top of being queer. There are plenty of parallels between Suletta and Mio from WfG and Shio and Nezumi from No. 6, both couples represent the tensions with their respective fictional universes, which results in tension between them as well. This connection between wider issues and universal implication and the lived experience, personality and destiny of its cast, is what makes these two titles nothing short of exceptional. 

These are anime about the moral responsibilities of war, helmeted by two female characters whose very strong bonds and contrasting personalities are immensely refreshing. In both, witches are central as figures of subversive power and Izetta is, in many ways, Suletta's sister. The two are able of wielding weapons of sheer destruction, in ways no one quite else can, and must figure out just what to do with them: and what that power means to them, their loved ones, and humanity as a whole. Highly recommended as a pair, also for being queer friendly, apart from the typical queer baiting fodder that plagues so much anime. 

These are anime about the moral responsibilities of war, helmeted by two female characters whose very strong bonds and contrasting personalities are immensely refreshing. In both, witches are central as figures of subversive power and Izetta is, in many ways, Suletta's sister. The two are able of wielding weapons of sheer destruction, in ways no one quite else can, and must figure out just what to do with them: and what that power means to them, their loved ones, and humanity as a whole. Highly recommended as a pair, also for being queer friendly, apart from the typical queer baiting fodder that plagues so much anime.