A Letter to Momo - Recommendations

AirCommodore says...

A young girl (or two) move to a small town where the meet several magical creature-things. Unfortunately for Momo, the traditional youkai she runs into aren't anywhere near as cute as Totoro or the Cat Bus, but their intentions are just as good-hearted. Though they're extremely similar, I think Letter to Momo will appeal to an older audience than Totoro- while it's much less fun, it has more emotional nuance.

Karasune says...

Totoro is much more light-hearted and carefree than A Letter to Momo, but they're still very similar. A small family moves into a new home, only for the children to discover that supernatural beings are living alongside them. Both are very cute and silly at times, but A Letter to Momo also touches on some emotional and difficult subjects. Still, a fan of one could probably appreciate the other. 

Sianeka says...

If you enjoyed either A Letter to Momo or My Neighbor Totoro, I think you'd also enjoy the other. With a similar plotline to both (young girl moves to a new place with her single parent, and befriends the supernatural beings discovered to live there) and the same warm friendly feelings evoked by both, these are two anime cut from the same cloth.

YuiYui says...

Both of these anime are cute and family friendly. They both have fantasy elements and are based around a girl who is being looked after by a single parent. My Neighbor Totoro and A letter to Momo do have sad elements but a detailed storyline. The animation in both are pretty similar and I believe if you like one you should really like the other.

hyperactve says...

Both the films center around an individual developing a bond with spirit. While, My Neighbor Totoro is age old and classic, A Letter to Momo is relatively new. The stories also have similarities. And the climax is somewhere similar (catbus to spirit tunnel). So, if you liked A Letter to Momo I urge you to watch My Neighbor Totoro.

FloralFawn says...

Both movies include a young female character who is having to deal with growing up a little sooner than they expected.  This is due to their parents struggeling with a difficult life situation.  Both of them find comforting distraction with the spirits that enter their lives.

MwrulesC says...

While the actual storyline of the two are different, A Letter to Momo reminded me of Miyori no Mori. Both anime features a child that moves from the city to the countryside due to family reasons. While there, they both discover the ability to see spirits (or youka), and have to learn to adjust to both this ability and their new living situation.

AnnaSartin says...

The young female chracters of both films must adjust to rural life when family troubles force them to move out of the city. They also encounter friendly Japanese spirits in their new homes.

JONDAMAN says...

both are coming of age movies about a young girl who is forced to move to the countryside and first becomes upset about it but then cheers up after encountering and making friends with spirits/yokai there.

TheTuhafsama says...

Travel to a village. Meet mysterious events and feel good. Both of two main character learn they are still loved by hers dead parents.

SentientCrab says...

In plot direction these movies are identical; misfit girl travels to a village, meets some spirits and becomes a better person.

minusha97 says...

• Both of them have nice animation
• Both of the are centred around young heroine who is forced to spend some time in countryside
• Both of them happen during the summer
• Both of them are heartwarming coming of age stories
• Both of them have character development as key point of the story
• Both of them talks about dealing with death of parent/s
• Both of them have something mystical interrupt heroine's lives

ibarbar says...

Both films are about a young girl moving to the country and having to go through difficult, 'coming of age' experiences involving supernatural beings. 'A Letter to Momo' takes a while to get going and is more 'slice of life' for the first half (the second half more than makes up for it), while 'Spirited Away' happens in the spirit world almost entirely and is a bit more exciting, with more characters. Momo's story is also very touching (and a bit more mature), because of her family situation. If you liked one, you'll most likely enjoy the other too.

Nekoniiara says...

Since Spirited Away is one of my all-time favorite movies I can definitely say for sure that if you like Spirited away you'll enjoy this movie as well. 

They begin in the same sort of way, a girl moving to a different town and missing the old home, and then she meets spirits/guardians/monsters, then they go different ways with different stories, Chihiro never gets home for example ahaha. 

But in my own opinion, I actually like more Spirited Away, probably because I watched it so much as a kid (more than Disney movies), but this doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this movie, you should definitely watch it or watch spirited away if you already watched A Letter to Momo you won't be disappointed either way.

AirCommodore says...

In both these films, a mother and her young child(ren) relocated from a big city to a rural farm/town after the death of her husband. The stories diverge from there, but both have a similarly charming rural magical-realism thing going on. Recommended if you like family films that mix realism with a touch of the supernatural.

Sianeka says...

If you enjoyed A Letter to Momo, I'd recommend you watch Wolf Children.  While both tackle a similar story (single parent raising her young), each anime takes the opposite view to relate the story.  Momo is told from the perspective of Momo, a young girl who encounters supernatural beings when she moves out to the countryside with her mom. Wolf Children is told from the perspective of Yuki, a young girl who relates the struggles her Mom goes through when the family moves out to the countryside to deal with the supernatural aspects inherited from the werewolf father of the group.

If you enjoyed the slice-of-life tale of Momo's new life story after her father dies, you will most likely also enjoy the slice of life tale of Yuki and Ame's lives after their father dies.

AirCommodore says...

Both of these anime focus on traditional youkai, and have matching mostly-somber atmospheres (with occasional bursts of action or comedy), a pervading sense of loss/loneliness, and washed-out color palettes. I think they'll appeal to the same audience.

Karasune says...

If you enjoyed seeing the protagonist of one show interacting with youkai while trying to solve their problems (usually brought on by the youkai), you should check out the other. Natsume Yuujinchou includes many different adventures and stories while A Letter to Momo focuses on one, but fans of one should definitely take interest to the other. Both share a similar somber yet gentle atmosphere while the main characters also share the same experiences of loss and loneliness. 

AirCommodore says...

While Colorful is much more somber/serious than A Letter to Momo, both movies address death and its consequences with a lot of heart and a touch of the paranormal. I definitely think they'll appeal to the same audience.

abunai says...

Slow-paced, thoughtful stories aren't everybody's cup of tea. When you're used to action-packed shounen or emotional shoujo anime, a gentle and introspective story can seem a bit slow, even boring. Nothing wrong with that, anime is a big medium. Go watch something where they level up in power until they're over 9000 and still shout "I want to be stronger!" -- No worries, these anime will still be waiting when you're done with that. But if you're mature enough to appreciate a different, more human story, then both Only Yesterday and A Letter to Momo are the kind of story you want. They're stories about life and memories, and about missed opportunities that may be found again. If you like one of these, you'll probably like the other. And if you've ever regretted a choice in your life, or lost something precious, you may want to have some tissues to hand.

AnnaSartin says...

Both stories are about young girls who move to the countryside where their grandparents live and encounter youkai.

EdWood says...

Both beautiful movies about coping with the death of loved ones in very different ways.