Millennium Actress - Recommendations

Alt title: Sennen Joyuu

If you're looking for anime similar to Millennium Actress, you might like these titles.

Glass Mask (2005)

Glass Mask (2005)

Maya is a dreamy young girl whose clumsiness is matched only by her absent-mindedness. While others have given up on her, the legendary actress Tsukikage sees her hidden potential and offers to take Maya under her tutelage. Maya loves the theatre more than anything, and as there's not much she can do about it at home, she chooses to run away with Tsukikage. The world of theatre is harsh, however, especially for a naive young girl far away from home. While she finds new friends who support her, her mentor has powerful enemies and Maya is often on the receiving end of their ruthless plans. In face of the adversity, Maya must constantly fight to develop her skills to catch up with her unbelievably talented rival, Ayumi, if she hopes to inherit Tsukikage's legendary role: The Crimson Goddess.

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Reasons you might like Glass Mask (2005)...

AlmightyHanakoChan AlmightyHanakoChan says...

Both are about a young girls journey through the world of acting and their love (though eventual on Glass Mask's side) for an older man.

Night Raid 1931

Night Raid 1931

Amidst the turbulent political climate following WWI and the first Sino-Japanese war, the Japanese are taking a rapidly-increasing economic and political interest in the northern Chinese region of Manchuria. Japan and its Kwangtung Army wish to take over the region from China in order to safeguard their interests from the imposing Soviet Union and the spread of communism. The members of the Sakurai Kikan, a special intelligence agency among the ranks of the Kwangtung Army, must overcome film theft, foreign espionage, the spread of Pan- Asianism, and their most testing trial of all - the Manchurian Incident.

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AirCommodore AirCommodore says...

Before I make this rec, I must first make it clear that Millennium Actress and Senkou no Night Raid have few/no similarities in terms of theme, characters, plot, atmosphere, and merit (Millennium Actress is MUCH MUCH better).

However, both are set (at least partly) in 30s-era Japan-dominated Manchuria, a rare setting for anime. If you liked the tumultuous political climate of either, you may enjoy it in the other.

Ojii-san no Lamp

Ojii-san no Lamp

One day while playing hide-and-seek with his friends, Toichi finds an old oil lamp in the attic. Seeing how entranced his grandson is with the object, the boy's grandfather decides to regale him with a story from fifty years ago. Minosuke is a young orphan who picks up any odd jobs he can in order to scrape a living. After taking on another errand, Minosuke becomes enamored with the various lamps decorating the night-time streets in town. Determined to illuminate his village with this new technology, the strong-willed boy begins selling the items to his fellow villagers and soon becomes a successful merchant. However, the advent of electricity soon spells doom for the humble lamp seller's trade...

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snivets snivets says...

In both Ojii-san no Lamp and Millennium Actress, an older person reflects on their life and the past through storytelling. Threads of Japanese history and the development of the country are woven into the individuals' narratives. Furthermore, in both, valuable questions are raised about the significance of life and love in light of the changes that take place in the world around us, often beyond our control.

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Revolutionary Girl Utena

When Utena Tenjou was very little her parents died, and a prince comforted her in her time of loss, giving her a ring with a rose seal. He so impressed her that she decided to become a prince herself one day. Now, Utena is a teenager at Ohtori Academy who's athletic and notorious for dressing in a boy's uniform. When a member of the Student Council humiliates a friend of hers Utena challenges him to a duel, and he accepts only when he sees she possesses a rose seal ring. She soon discovers that this is no normal duel - it's a bizarre and ritualistic battle that the Student Council regularly conducts. In fact when she wins, Utena finds to her considerable chagrin that she gets to have Anthy Himemiya, a rather docile student, as her 'Rose Bride'. If she wants to keep Anthy she'll have to win more duels against members of the Student Council and others. What is the ultimate purpose of these duels and Anthy's role as the Rose Bride?

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Reasons you might like Revolutionary Girl Utena...

apocalypticGnostic apocalypticGnostic says...

They both are surreal, and seemingly pointless events happen often. They both do not care if audience keeps up.