Flying Witch - Recommendations

• Movie (1 ep)
• 1989

Kiki is a young witch who has just turned thirteen, and as tradition dictates she must now leave the safety of her home for a year to undergo witch training. One clear night, Kiki takes off with her cat Jiji and her mother's broomstick to start her new life, and finds herself in a town near the ocean - but she's disappointed to find that people aren't nearly as friendly as she'd imagined they'd be. With nowhere to stay and no outstanding magical skills besides flying, Kiki begins to wonder if she's come to the right place; but after returning a pacifier to a customer of a local shop, its owner, Osono, offers her a place to stay. Kiki soon decides that she'll start her own delivery service, and with the help of newfound friends she sets forth on a journey to discover who she is and how to make it on her own.

• TV (12 eps)
• 2003

In a modern world, magic has become a service industry. From transforming a house, to arranging an article in the newspaper, no job is too big or too small for a mage, who are thought of highly in the public eye. Kikuchi Yume, daughter of a famous mage, has finally reached the age of apprenticeship, and must move to Tokyo to find a mentor. Under the tutelage of the esteemed mage (and nightclub owner) Oyamada Masami, she will learn what it means to be able to bring magic to others' lives.

• TV (12 eps)
• 2016

30 year-old web designer Souta Tawara takes a leave of absence from his job in Tokyo to return to his hometown and sort out his family's affairs. His recently-deceased father's udon restaurant is now closed, and the house Souta and his sister grew up in stands empty. Ridden with guilt over disappointing his father, Souta is beginning to doubt the choices he's made in life thus far. While trying to figure out how he should move forward, he meets what appears to be a small boy sleeping in one of his father's old kitchen pots, but who turns out to be a shape-shifting tanuki! Cute, playful and full of energy, Souta names him Poco and the two develop a strong bond. But now he faces a conundrum: should he quit his job in Tokyo and remain in the countryside, or will he again leave his childhood home in favor of the big city, leaving Poco all alone?

• TV (12 eps)
• 2014

When calligrapher Sei "Seishuu" Handa becomes so enraged at a judge's critique of his work that he actually punches the old man, his father decides that Sei needs to reflect on his behavior and sends him to a remote island to live. Far from the modern conveniences of the city, the moody artist must adapt to his rural environment and his quirky but well-intentioned neighbors. How can he focus on his art when his appliances frequently don't work, his neighbors keep bothering him, and the neighborhood children have turned his house into a secret base?

• TV (13 eps)
• 2016

Ashiya has spent the first seven days of high school stuck in the infirmary because of a youkai attaching itself to him. He ends up asking the owner of a small tea room called the "Mononokean" for help. Mysterious stories involving the very morose owner of Mononokean guiding the youkai that happened to wander into this world go to the next world.

• OVA (3 eps)
• 2015

Ai is practicing on the gondola with Akari. As they travel through a canal, they meet Aika and Alice. All three have not had much time to meet since becoming Prima undines. Considering even the little time they spend together a "miracle," Akari remembers a certain incident and relates it to Ai. 

• Movie (1 ep)
• 2012

Hana was a student before she was a mother. She was bright and pretty, and her future held endless possibilities. Then she met a man, who turned out to be a wolf, and together they built a family. Hana loved her mate fiercely, but fate took him from her, leaving her alone with two unusual kids she didn’t know how to raise. Frightened of being discovered, Hana and her wolf children fled to the countryside to build a new life. Raising her little wild things was an adventure. It left Hana bruised, scratched, exhausted, and joyously overwhelmed as her pups grew stronger and wandered further every day. This is a mother’s journey. Teach your children to chase their dreams – and smile through the tears as they disappear into the world in search of who they will become. Hana wasn’t always a mother, but it was always what she was meant to be.

• TV (12 eps)
• 2015

The slow-paced yet heartwarming life of the four girls in the tiny Asahioka Branch School continues as Natsumi, Komari, Renge, and Hotaru attend school in the one-room schoolhouse that holds only 5 students. Although the laid-back environment and atmosphere is a big change for Hotaru, who came from bustling Tokyo, there’s just something charming and calming about life in the Japanese countryside. 

• TV (12 eps)
• 2013

When Hotaru transfers from a school in bustling Tokyo to a tiny school in a quiet country village, she’s in for a big adjustment. Although her new school only has five students, there's something about the laidback lifestyle that makes her feel right at home. It's a big change from the big city, but there are still plenty of new adventures to look forward to with her quirky new friends as Hotaru learns that “home” really is where the heart is.

• TV (13 eps)
• 2008

The water-laden city of Neo-Venezia is a haven for tourists and dream chasers. While in the city, gondoliers known as Undines ferry the visitors from place to place, showing them the sights or simply lending a sympathetic ear. Akari Mizunashi is an apprentice at the Aria Company, one of three companies in the city, and wishes to be promoted someday to the title of Prima. With the help of her friends, Akari accomplishes many things including helping to shuttle frequent visitors to the unknown sights of the city, gazing at beautiful paintings, and pondering the existence of the planet before it was called Aqua.