A world where demons and humans coexist. Every time when the hearts of these two individuals draw close, it is the existence of the demon that pulls the two of them apart. What fate awaits these two, and what exactly are “demons”? The ultimate story of love begins now!

In the northern Kanto area in Japan, there is Binan City… At Binan High School, as per usual, the “Earth Defense Club (lol)” was a club that did nothing. The club members Kyoutarou Shuzenji, Ryouma Kirishima, Nanao Wakura, Taishi Manza, and Ichiro Dogou nonchalantly enjoyed tea while having pointless conversations that amount to nothing. All of them have now gathered at Kurotama Bath after school. When Ryouma pulls Kyoutarou Shuzenji by his arm out of water that he claims feels too good, together with his towel comes a pretty boy in strange clothing. These five boys are then dragged into a battle for the heir of the magical kingdom, Honila Land...

In the realm of the dead where Ayakashi (ghosts) reside, there is a long-standing inn known as Tenjinya. Aoi is a female university student who, thanks to her recently deceased grandfather, inherited his ability to see Ayakashi. Excellent at cooking, just when Aoi is feeding some rural Ayakashi one day, she is suddenly swept up by a fierce god who is the master of Tenjinya. The master declares that the collateral for the debt her grandfather left behind is that she must become his bride. As a plan to recover from this hopeless situation, she agrees to work at Tenjinya to repay the debt but…

This is Rokuhoudou, a Japanese-style cafe. Sui is the owner in charge of tea, Gre is in charge of latte art, Tokitaka is in charge of food, and Tsubaki is in charge of sweets. These four, with their individual specialities, work at this popular hidden cafe. While serving their customers, they also help solve their customers worries. Now, who will today’s customer be…?

The time is the 25th year of the Taisho Era. Tokyo, Imperial Capital. Tsugumi Kuze, a member of nobility, is on the threshold of deciding to marry in order to save her declining household. Then, her younger brother is sucked into an accident that was caused by a book titled “Maremono”. This book causes a massive influence on the people who read it. Through this incident, somehow Tsugumi is now able to see the sentiments that reside within Maremono which are called Aura. In front of this very confused girl, an organization charged with the defense and management of Maremono known as Teikoku Tosho Jouhou Shisan Kanrikyoku (Imperial Library Information Asset Management Bureau), Fukurou for short, appears and requests her cooperation with conducting an investigation into Maremono. In a state of confusion, she agrees to accept their offer and work with Fukurou investigating Maremono. This is the story of the fate of one girl whose fate is swaying and fluctuating like a scale balancing.

Kouma Jinguji aka Jay is the student council president who is sharp and handsome. With a single, refreshing smile he is able to make any girl a prisoner of love. Tsubasa Hayakawa aka Hayakawa is a versatile, talented, and warmhearted character. He is a popular café employee able to draw owl latte art on top of lattes making him extremely popular with the ladies. These two men are long-time enemies with a rivalry that goes beyond time!? This superpower battle and slapstick school comedy about interweaving characters overflowing with allure known as butlers is finally going to be revealed this winter! One thousand years of consanguinity and one hundred years of feelings are, now, going to intersect.

Spell formulists are those who use skills known as Jushiki (spell formulas) and act as bounty hunters, hunting down criminals and “the grotesque ones.” In the city of Eridana, there live two spell formulists: Gaius, who overcomes bad luck with his quick wit, and Gigina, a cruel but beautiful swordsman. These two may be natural enemies with serious compatibility issues, but when it comes to battle, they somehow work together perfectly. Standing in the way of these two are “the grotesque ones”, such as dragons and giants, as well as a perilous tragedy to humankind. Despite the hostility between them, Giaus and Gigina continue to live on.

Ichiru, being the more outwardly emotional of the twins, is giving an impassioned speech to his brother Issei and fellow idol Eichi about how they need to look at every obstacle as a chance to gain experience. Seeing his determined smile is enough to attract the attention of SolidS member Tsubasa. He sneaks his arm around Ichiru and brings his lips close to Ichiru's ear while Ichiru tries to throw him off. Undeterred, Tsubasa muses that Ichiru is fired up and Ichiru looks annoyed, yet blushes at the remark. Is it because he's afraid to be seen as serious about improving, or being so close to Tsubasa?? After a short chat, Tsubasa pats Ichiru's head before walking away. Ichiru gives up trying to keep Tsubasa from making contact and accepts it. He gets quite heated when Issei suggests the two are alike and Eichi says Ichiru isn't being honest about his feelings. Perhaps he doesn't mind being touched as much as it seems!

Tsubasa is the most flirty of our Tsukipro boys, which is why he appears more than once. But with a guy as outwardly affectionate and suggestive as he is, he can't be ignored! After getting their scripts for a commercial, the members of SolidS go over their different characters to get more of a feel for how to portray them. Tsubasa is taking his role seriously and after a brief talk with the other members turns to Shiki and gives him a playful wink. “Darling, did you memorize your lines properly?” he asks. From what we've seen of Shiki so far, he's quiet and serious and doesn't joke around much or have much emotional expression. So it's VERY surprising when, without missing a beat, he turns to Tsubasa and replies “Leave it to me, Honey.” But wait, perhaps they are simply slipping into their characters for the commercial and it's all an act! But when we see the finished product, there's no insinuation that their characters are anything more than acquaintances at the same bar. What happened before was all Tsubasa and Shiki flirting it up.

Issei and Ichiru are given the opportunity to perform in a play, something they've never done before. Upon hearing the news, Eichi immediately wants to inform Tsubasa despite Ichiru's protests and struggles to break free of Ichiru's grasp. Issei admits quietly to Shu that he's worried about he and Ichiru being able to pull off such a grand task. He seems resigned to do his best no matter how much he'll have to struggle and Shu can't help but pat Issei's head reassuringly. Issei doesn't react as if he's used to this closeness with Shu. The older man smiles and tells Ichiru not to worry too much and to just have fun with it. As the two talk a little more, Shu moves his hand to Issei's back and leaves it there for the duration of their talk. It seems so natural for the two to touch each other and their affection and admiration for each other shines through in this touching moment!

Eichi becomes worried that there seems to be some rumor of Shu and Shiki of SolidS not getting along even though everyone else in Quell and SolidS are on good terms. Eichi decides to pry into Shu's thoughts about Shiki only for his worst fears to be realized. After a quiet moment, Shu reveals that when he and Shiki were in the same group long ago, they were immediately inseparable. Flashbacks from their teenage years show Shu and Shiki leaning back to back and sharing earbuds and Shiki smiling at his younger friend. Shu reveals they spent every day together and he admired how mature and straightforward Shiki was. But their happy days together were cut short when Shiki broke the news to Shu that he was leaving the group. Shiki had always had a very strong sense of the music he wanted to create, and the direction of the group wasn't going the way he wanted it to. He didn't want to cause problems for everyone, but Shiki knew he couldn't deny the music in his heart. Shu angrily tells Shiki he doesn't have to leave to do that but Shiki's resolve is absolute. He places his hand on Shu's shoulder and says "Shu... I'm sorry." He looks into Shu's eyes for a few more moments, as if there was something else he wanted to say. But instead, he just apologizes again before walking away. All Shu can do is call out Shiki's name quietly as he fades into the night. The scene ends as the present-day Shu stares down at the ground and says "Shiki left me behind." This is our longest and most tragic scene, and you can really feel the pain of unfulfilled feelings from both boys as they begin walking separate paths.

Dai has always held respect and awe for Rikka, the pretty, confident member of SolidS whose good looks surpass gender norms. While Rikka is very comfortable in front of a camera, Dai feels nervous that he can't measure up to Rikka's professionalism. Dai plays a prince and Rikka, a princess, and their commercial is a great success. In the last few moments of the episode, a moment of reflection takes place between the two as the other members leave to bring other friends to watch with them. Dai clearly feels like he can't measure up to Rikka's performance and shoots down several compliments Rikka pays him. Realizing he'll have to admit his own embarrassment, Rikka reveals to Dai that after seeing Dai practice for the commercial, he asked the director to change some of his makeup and the direction of the commercial. "I didn't know you could make that sort of expression" He muses to a surprised Dai. Rikka says he too doesn't want to lose to Dai, and they come to an understanding that they push each other to succeed. Rikka then closes the distance between them and asks to take a picture together. Rikka's beautiful face so close to Dai's as he admits his jealousy over not getting pictures with him makes your heart pound! Rikka takes the picture on his phone with their heads close together and they really resemble an adorable couple.

In 1988, there is a boy with psychic powers who terrorizes Tokyo before triggering World War III. He is eventually subdued and that is the end of that. Tokyo, however, does not recover. Neo-Tokyo as it is known now, is ravaged by violence, gangs, and terrorism. The story is focused on Shoutarou, a leader of a pseudo-gang who ride around on motorcycles being loud and of course, trying to piss off their rivals, the clowns. When Shoutarou’s best friend Tetsuo is attacked one day, he starts developing weird, psychic-like powers. That is when he realizes that there is more to the attack than he realizes. Now as the government is hot on his trail to put a stop to Tetsuo and Shoutarou finds himself in a hard place. This is the movie that launched Katsuhiro Otomo to stardom, so this movie has to be here. A lot of the themes, including the main of a corrupt organization chasing after the protagonists, are shared between the two movies. The bonus point too is that some of the staff from Akira also worked on Steamboy so things like direction and even some art, are similar. While Akira is cyberpunk as opposed to steampunk, both share niche markets and really do the most to drag the viewer into their worlds which are both open and sprawling. If you liked Steamboy, why haven’t you seen Akira yet?

Shisha no Teikoku is set in a world where corpses can be brought back to life. One never needs to be sad again over the loss of a loved one! Or so humanity thought. There is one major issue that has cropped up: corpses cannot and do not possess a soul. So they are more or less dolls, bending to the wills of humanity that still possess souls. That is until one day when Doctor Victor Frankenstein was able to bring back a corpse with a soul, or so the rumor goes. Now, our main character John Watson now aims to bring back a dead one with a soul. That person is his lost partner, Friday. As John works for the government doing research for them and pouring over the now disappeared doctor Frankenstein’s notes., he learns a truth that will rattle him to his core. Even though these movies are more than a decade apart, if you love steampunk, you’ll love Shisha no Teikoku. One of the fantastic things about both movies is that they rip off the head of the concept of how a story should go or how characters should develop. Both movies are set in an industrial revolution/ victorian era with steampunk ideas. Ultimately too, the struggle of whether or not to use their gift for good or evil is something that both Ray and John face. If you are still not convinced, then know this, WIT Studio made Shisha no Teikoku.

If you ever want a glimpse of what a future dystopian society could be, then you should watch Metropolis. Humans and robots live side by side in this sprawling, thriving metropolis. However with the rise of robots, humanity has now had to throw something out and that something was ethics. Shunsaku Ban & Kenichi are here in Metropolis to track down a doctor who was in organ trafficking. When they raid his lab though, they meet a girl. This girl has no memories, but it is clear she is at risk of being kidnapped, so he takes her hand and they run. Together with Shunsaku, they go too far and find out about Duke Red, a man who should not be, but is, running Metropolis. Now, Kenichi has to keep this girl he’s just met safe while others track her down. However, who she really is, and what she really can do, are all connected yet shrouded in mystery. Just like with Steamboy, Metropolis features a massive, sprawling city that the characters make their way through as if it is no big deal. Both Kenichi and Ray are being pursued by individuals that would do them harm and both have something that needs to be protected. Not that it needs to be said, but both are overflowing with steampunk elements though Metropolis is a bit more modernized and closer to cyberpunk. If you love action and adventure in your punk movies, then this is one for you.

Sheeta is a young girl who lives in a steampunk world. Life is not in plastic though, as she is being pursued by the government for her necklace. After she’s captured, she is somehow rescued by pirates who have a heart of gold, and makes her escape. It is here that she meets Pazu, a boy who just can’t leave her alone, and so taking the hand of a complete stranger, the two run off. Where are they going? Well, supposedly Sheeta is of an ancient race. Her necklace will guide her to a castle in the sky that she can access. However, she’s not the only one as the government wants the power in the castle for their own. Starting out, both movies are set in a steampunk world and feature some of the greatest and most beloved directors of Japanese animation. Note, SOME; not all. Both main characters are being pursued for something that is in their possession that, should it fall in the wrong hands, could spell out doom for everyone around them. And of course, both sport rich, wide-open worlds with lots to enjoy.

Meet Sophie, a woman who works as the daughter of a hatmaker. When she tells the wrong customer that her store is closed one day, the customer reveals herself to be a witch! Placing a curse on her, Sophie is now old and unable to speak of her condition to anyone. Torn between what to do, she runs away to the countryside and somehow ends up seeing the strangest thing: a castle that moves. She picks herself up and heads on over to it climbing in. Inside, she meets Howl, the master of the castle and a wizard. Her life has just moved from cursed to extraordinary in the blink of an eye. Now, she tries to accustom herself to living in this new environment with a colorful array of characters. If you love fantasy worlds, then the move from the Steampunk of Steamboy to the fantasy steampunk of Howl’s Moving Castle will feel almost seamless. Both movies feature a character who is being pursued to varying degrees while randomly picking up allies. Each has a duty to protect what they are around even though it feels more often that Sophie is being protected rather than protecting. A vast, open world is also shown in both movies lending to fantastic cityscapes.

Layton is invited along with Luke and Remi to see a play about eternal life. They agree that it sounds like a good idea, and Layton and Luke go. The play is a fantastic story about a beloved queen who dies. Right after she does too, a cure is made for death in the form of an elixir of immortality. The people drink the elixir in hopes that they too will one day meet their queen again. When the curtain drops though, a mysterious individual appears saying that it’s time to play a game. The winner gets to have eternal life while everyone else will die. At first glance, these movies seem worlds apart, but a look under the hood brings it all into context. Both movies have races against time and others and should the previous items, i.e. the steam ball and the elixir fall into the wrong hands, surely it will spell the downfall for both of our main characters. Both movies also overflow with steampunk elements and while the conclusions are not entirely the same 100%, they both end on a similar note.

Mokoto Kusanagi works with section 9, a government organization that has free reign–for the most part–to investigate crimes, handle hostage situations, and more. As the leader, Motoko has the most freedom in this futuristic society which is overflowing with technology and that includes being able to transfer your consciousness, or ghost, from one cybernetic body to another. When a strange incident takes them further and further down the rabbit hole, a name appears: The Puppetmaster. As they investigate this hacker, Motoko and her team learn that they had no idea what they were up against. In fact, is The Puppetmaster even human? Ghost in the Shell and Mardock Scramble go hand in hand, especially with both being on an extremely grey side of the law. Motoko freely moves her ghost around into different cyberized bodies and Rune is put into one in order to not only keep her alive, but get her testimony as well. Both movies boast an incredibly futuristic society teeming with every sort of sin imaginable while also showing the more gritty sides of life through the characters. Both also eventually question what it means to be human, but whether or not the viewer is moved is up to them. Finally, both movies also feature a powerful, hard to catch villain. If you love sci-fi, then this is a movie that you need to be watching asap.

Rin is immortal. No really, she ate time fruit from the tree Yggdrasil and now she cannot die. In fact, she has been killed. Multiple times. However, because of the curse, or blessing depending on how you look at it, she cannot die and always comes back to life. She works at a detective agency that investigates dangerous cases. When she notices that fellow Mnemosyne like her are somehow being killed, it piques her interest. A fateful encounter with someone named Koki Maeno is going to not only change her fate, but push her towards her own judgement day. If you liked Murdock Scramble for the action and violence, then you will love Mnemosyne. The gritty reality crashing down all around Rune and Rin will definitely keep your attention while drawing a very dark curtain over the story. The world has advanced, but that does not only mean in good ways in both worlds. Both Rune and Rin suffer from immortality as well. Do not be worried about these movies being the same though! Rin is a headstrong individual who has lived for decades while Rune needs time to figure out who she is and is very timid for a while.

Touko Aozaki is the head of a detective agency. When a string of back to back suicides occurs, they dispatch Mikiya Kokutou and Shiki Ryougi to investigate. While the public view these murders as unconnected, the detective agency can discern that all girls have jumped from the same building meaning that it is not a coincidence. Mikiya is cool and calm while Shiki has an ability that allows her to not only see many things, but also she can bring the end about for many things. Their digging only reveals something that is much darker than they were expecting. Right off the bat, you do swap sci-fi for supernatural when going from Mardock Scramble to Kara no Kyoukai, however, you do not lose a gritty, dark reality that is staring our main characters down. Oddly, the villains between the two movies act and think similarly and both female leads have many issues. If you are a fate fan, then you need to see this one!

Humanity has advanced enough that corpses can be brought back to life. One never needs to be sad again over the loss of a loved one! Or so humanity thought. There is one problem… These corpses cannot and do not possess a soul. Thus, they have to be programmed by humanity. Ideally, they make a great labor force. A rumor floats in the shadows that a Doctor Victor Frankenstein was able to bring back a corpse with a soul. John Watson now aims to do the same thing but with his recently deceased partner, Friday. John works for the government doing research for them and pouring over the now disappeared Doctor Frankenstein’s notes. He has to make a choice to pay the price to continue his research or give up trying to put a soul back into Friday. Just in case you like puns, Shisha no Teikoku is all about western literature references while Mardock Scramble is about egg ones. The character names are all connected and it is quite obvious at points who some are supposed to be. Violence abounds in these cities where greed ultimately will bring about your destruction. Again, with both movies, you have that fine line of what being human means as a theme and whether or not it is really worth looking into something like bringing someone back from the dead. Mardock Scramble is a bit more advanced than the world of Shisha no Teikoku, but nonetheless, both are excellent watches.

The Sibyl System is working so well now, that Japan has started letting other countries as well explore using it and thus, they lend it out to a country that is suffering greatly from all sorts of crimes. Nothing goes that easily though as a group of terrorists arrive in Japan. Wanting to make sure that they are stopped, Akane Tsunemori is dispatched, but she then finds out that there is credible belief that Shinya Kougami is helping them. Nothing is going to be easy for Akane ever. If you are a fan of the gritty, dark story that is in Mardock Scramble, then the Psycho-Pass movie will be right up your alley. Both movies sport the question of what is justice and is it an absolute while also showing that revenge is a dirty game. Naturally, too, both movies sport a great amount of futuristic sci-fi settings.

This is a bit of a different version of Appleseed where Briareos is a cyborg and he is still with Deunan. In Alpha, the two are working to search for the city of Olympus. Hired by an organization, they need to wipe out machines that run rampant in this ruined, desolate city. They ultimately need to stop a cyborg from activating a death machine, but when one of their new allies is the key to starting it up, Duenan and Briareos have their work cut out for them. The final entry on this list takes us to a different world. Now we are in the world of two soldiers on a mission and one is a full cyborg. While he doesn’t look like Rune, the two are more or less the same, a human consciousness transported into a mechanical body. The violent fights that break out almost always lead to death, but while Briareos and Deunan do it for the money, Rune does it for the revenge and satisfaction. Both also do not brood too much on the story at hard; rather, they let the action do the storytelling and both feature a strong female lead!

The time and place is 19th century London. Here, on the old roads made of cobblestone, lives a man named Cain with a weight on his shoulder few would understand. Due to Cain’s father recently passing, Cain has become an earl and is now responsible for his family line the Hargreaves. However, the Hargreaves aren’t a normal noble family and their past is riddled with mystery and dark elements. Cain’s life now will also be thrown into this dark world as he must deal with crimes and mysteries that will haunt his every waking step… Horror in modern day can be pretty creepy, when done correctly. However, add some historical elements, a tinge of supernatural themes and a captivating romance with shoujo and shounen ai themes and you get manga like God Child. First released in 2001, God Child was created by Yuki Kaori and really is underappreciated in the horror manga world. Not only is the art simply stunning, the narrative dives back and forth between being dark and equally mysterious. Cain’s adventure is very interesting and its one you’ll want to take alongside the noblemen in God Child.

For as long as she could remember, Yurara Tsukinowa has had a special gift that she doesn’t wish for everyone to know about. Not only can Yurara see spirits but she can feel their emotions as well. Equally, Yurara even has the ability to defeat evil spirits via a hidden power with her emanating from a guardian spirit who gives Yurara powers, as well as slightly making her attitude and appearance seem different. Yurara, despite hiding these powers for so long, is about to meet two men—Mei Tendo and Yako Hoshino—who just so happen to fight off evil spirits. Together, these three will join forces to keep their city safe. Ghost Hunt’s main female lead Mai Taniyama and Yurara no Tsuki’s lead girl Yurara might be from different series, but they sure could be sisters. Both manga follow women who are supernatural warriors and both have a few handsome dudes nearby to be with. Yurara no Tsuki also has some romantic situations between some of the characters—we won’t spoil who those characters are though—which makes it a solid shoujo story as well. If you need a manga with more emphasis on supernatural and mystery than horror, you might want to check our Yurara no Tsuki. Plus, there is a spin-off sequel called Rasetsu no Hana that will help you not feel too sad when you binge read Yurara no Tsuki like we know you might once you begin it.

Despite being only 10 years old, young Hotate Yamamoto has dealt with a lot in her life. When her mother passed away, Hotate was sent to live with her grandmother. However, after a while, Hotate’s grandmother sent her to live with her uncle because she was unable care for her anymore. Hotate once more lives in a new place and also must attend a new school. Hotate will try her best in this new school despite having a gift probably no one will understand. Our little Hotate can see the dead… Yamamoto Zenjirou to Moushimasu is a 5 volume long manga created by the mangaka Maki Youko. While Yamamoto Zenjirou to Moushimasu is a bit less horror filled—despite having ghosts and such in it—than Ghost Hunt, the two manga share a lot in common. Yamamoto Zenjirou to Moushimasu focuses on telling a shoujo themed story and that means you can expect beautiful shoujo artwork and a narrative that ebbs on romantic. Likewise, Yamamoto Zenjirou to Moushimasu aims to share some supernatural stories thanks to Hotate’s gift of seeing dead people. We loved Yamamoto Zenjirou to Moushimasu for its beautiful artwork and great narrative and knew it would be perfect for our 6 Manga Like Ghost Hunt list.

Eiji Asuma is your average high school delinquent through and through. Always having issues at school, single—despite trying not to be—and able to kick butt, Eiji just seems to be just another delinquent, ultimately. However, Eiji does have one thing that makes him quite unique from almost everyone. When Eiji touches an item or even a person, he can see their memories and understand their thoughts. Through a chance encounter with Ryouko Shima, Eiji says goodbye to his normal life of a high school delinquent and becomes an ally in solving unsolved homicides and various mysteries that only his powers can find the answers to. Let’s step away from the shoujo romances and look at a shounen story that might appeal to you if you like the more mystery and supernatural elements of Ghost Hunt. Psychometrer Eiji might be slightly old—it did release in 1996—but this series is great for those who love shounen stories with a cool main protagonist and plenty of mystery/crime solving situations. We still love the art of Psychometrer Eiji as it pops with that old school shounen charm we’re so use to here at Honey’s Anime. We don’t often hear people talking about this classic series and we hope you’ll change that by checking out our recommendation, Psychometrer Eiji.

Mizuki Mochizuki has always found her life a torrent of pain that seems never ending. When Mizuki meets a singer named Adam, she finally finds some escape from the pain as the two steadily fall in love. However, Adam’s friends and no one in general can see Mizuki. What is really going on with Mizuki and is she a normal girl or something more? Find out in this haunting tale called Kagen no Tsuki. Kagen no Tsuki is a story that from the very first chapter you’re going to find yourself hooked. Mizuki’s sad tale is one of death, sadness and unobtained love which makes it a truly dramatic shoujo tale that continues to deliver emotional blows one after another. Like Ghost Hunt, Kagen no Tsuki keeps readers constantly surprised thanks to the effort of a brilliant story handled by mangaka Yazawa Ai. If you haven’t ever heard of Kagen no Tsuki, you’re missing out on a story we can’t recommend enough here at Honey’s Anime. Did we also mention that Kagen no Tsuki is one nice looking manga even in 2018? Don’t judge a series by its date, folks; just look at Ghost Hunt, it was released in 1997 and still holds up even now!

College student—if you can call him a student—Saitou Yakumo isn’t interested in much. What Saitou finds most enjoyable is sleeping and being left to himself. Unfortunately for Saitou, this isn’t possible seeing as how he has a special power hidden in left eye. With a crimson color, Saitou’s eye can see spirits and even allow him to understand what they are saying. This power has caused Saitou nothing but heartache and when he runs into a young woman begging for help named Ozawa Haruka, Saitou’s peaceful college days are about to be a thing of the past. Let us conclude our 6 Manga Like Ghost Hunt list with one of our favorite—more modern—manga series, Shinrei Tantei Yakumo. At 14 volumes, Saitou’s psychic endeavors have continued to provide us entertainment with a mixture of supernatural action and tons of mysteries to be solved by our main characters. Equally, Shinrei Tantei Yakumo is absolutely stunning art wise with dark images and impressive designs. Saitou’s story will be sure to appeal to anyone who loved Ghost Hunt and we definitely recommend reading Shinrei Tantei Yakumo whenever you can! When you’re done, we also recommend watching the anime as it’s a pretty solid series despite ending on a bit of a ho hum note.

After Japan’s law enforcement quality drops to a low the nation has never before experienced, many criminals have become opportunists and often kidnap the rich and famous in order to gain. This often goes unmitigated and so people have hired bodyguards to keep constant surveillance on their movements and interactions. Schools have been opened with the end goal of training skilled bodyguards and vigilante groups consisting of highly trained individuals handle law enforcement. Asahi is hired as a bodyguard for the heir of the rich Kisaragi family; however, she finds herself mismatched as her person of interest is cold and unsociable while she is compassionate. Can romance bloom here? Grand Sun’s similarities to Tokyo Crazy Paradise are outright and they are at first glance very similar shows. This is due to the presence of the same plot devices and themes present in both of them. Naturally, both of them are Shoujo romance manga, which then open up the idea of romance between the two main characters. In both manga, the protagonist is a female bodyguard protecting her male person of interest who is standoffish and cold.

Kurono Ran’s older brother was killed while protecting Otori Sei, the next head of the elite Otori family. Ever since his death, Ran has dedicated her life to one day becoming the knight of the next head of the Otori family, even if it takes discarding her very womanhood. Her family has served the Otori for generations; however, other knights are fixing their gaze upon knighthood within the Otori family as it would give them undue power. On the other hand, the next head of the family is facing a crisis of her own as her suitability for the title is tested. Hana no Kishi’s protagonist is similar in occupation to that of Tokyo Crazy Paradise as a bodyguard to the head of a particular family group. In this case, it is Otori Sei as the next head of the Otori family, while in Tokyo Crazy Paradise it is Ryuji, the new head of the Kuryugumi Yakuza group. Both manga deal with romance blossoming between the bodyguard and the person of interest, showing proximity to be a good precursor to romantic feelings.

15-year-old Yamate Midori is what many would call a tomboy. When Hino Tsukasa visits her island on holiday, he teaches her how to play football and she quickly falls in love with the sport. She continues to play it, hoping to meet Tsukasa again one day. They eventually do meet again; however, he does something vile to Midori, earning her wrath. A vengeful Midori wishes to defeat Tsukasa on the football pitch, choosing to enroll at a boys’ high school undercover, under a new identity: Midori-kun. Diverging from the bodyguard trope we saw in Tokyo Crazy Paradise and other titles on this list, Uwasa no Midori-kun finds its similarity to Tokyo Crazy Paradise in its genderbending. Midori choosing to enrol at an all-boys school with a male identity and play soccer is the same as Tokyo Crazy Paradise’s Tsukasa being raised as a boy and pretending to be male.

Aizawa Kyo is excited because she is going to attend Seisyu Academy, a school famous for its fashionable girls’ uniforms. Unfortunately for Kyo, her uniform pack came bearing a boy’s uniform. Her father explains that the school’s basketball program is top-notch and that he wants her to live his dream of becoming an NBA star. To make things worse, Kyo also has to live in the boys’ dorms and she really does not get along with her roommate. Like Tokyo Crazy Paradise, Power!! features a female protagonist who is forced to live as a male because of her parents’ sentiments. They are hence alike in their genderbending aspect. They also bring in a male character with whom our protagonist barely gets along, if at all. These conditions set the scene for romance in both Tokyo Crazy Paradise and Power!!.

Tomoe is the heir of the Fushiki Corporation and his father’s youngest child. However, Tomoe is the illegitimate child of the head of the Fushiki Corporation, but he is still the first in line to take over the company once his father no longer assumes that role. Being the heir to a massive company means constant danger as people will attempt to take his life and so his family hires a clumsy, ill-mannered maid to defend Tomoe with everything she’s got! The biggest similarity between You Are My Captive and Tokyo Crazy Paradise lies in the presentation of female bodyguards for rich male persons of interest. In this manga, the protagonist is the heir to a large corporation while the person of interest in Tokyo Crazy Paradise is next-in-line to head a group involved in organised crime. Both manga come bearing a lot of action given that they involve the protection of an individual from harm and given their statuses, harm comes by their way quite often.

With her parents threatening to disown her, former delinquent Kurosaki Mafuyu begins a new life at Midorigaoka Academy. In addition to having to adapt to her new school, she also has to learn to live on her own as the school dormitories were full upon her arrival. With no real life skills, Mafuyu struggles with a lack of money and her dream of becoming the perfect example of a fashionable high school girl. However, her sense of style is unordinary and she is a magnet for trouble. Things become much worse with her homeroom teacher’s methods spilling over into the realm of the illegal and her first new friend, a delinquent named Hayasaka Kaori. Much like Tokyo Crazy Paradise, Oresama Teacher draws upon genderbending tropes with Mafuyu often dressing up as a male student going by the name “Natsuo”. Both main characters deal with having a tough financial situation as a result of extenuating circumstances. Another similarity is the incredible fighting ability of both protagonists, as well as their innate sense of justice.

High schooler Yuuto Sakuraba is a proud otaku who was never interested in 3D girls until he met Kotone Kashiwagi. Unfortunately for Yuuto, his dreams of being able to talk to her are dashed when he is told Kotone hates otaku. One day while working his job at a manga shop, Yuuto runs into a girl from his school looking at the manga. The girl turns out to be Kotone who has been a closet otaku since elementary school, when a group of girls teased everyone for liking manga, forcing Kotone to hide her hobbies in fear of being teased as well. Yuuto promises not to tell anyone that he saw Kotone at the store and he starts to slowly befriend Kotone and learn more about her. Despite knowing one of Kotone's secrets, Yuuto still hasn't learned that Kotone is the online artist Sayane. Both manga have similar setups, with the main characters in both Tonari no Kashiwagi-san and Horimiya connected by the secret sides of themselves that they don't show to others. Hori, Miyamura, and Kotone all keep parts of themselves hidden in fear of what others will think about them, but these secrets are what ultimately lead them to a new form of happiness they hadn't experienced before. Miyamura and Kotone are both cold and they don't have many friends, but after their secrets are revealed to a few people, they start to open up to everyone and their personalities start to change for the better. Tonari no Kashiwagi-san and Horimiya are both slow paced romantic stories, with the characters taking their time in their romantic endeavors making it all the more satisfying when their relationship progresses. Both stories have a nice mix of comedy, romance, and show off the daily lives of its characters that keep the stories from getting stale.

As a child, Mao Motomiya was always alone, her parents always worked and even when they were home, Mao felt like her family wasn't together. Mao's intuition was right as her parents would soon get divorced forcing Mao to choose to live with her father instead of her mother. The only comfort she ever found as a child was when she would eat dinner at the Nakamura house. Mao's happiness there wouldn't last long, as the parents of the Nakamura house both passed away and the two younger children went to live with other family members, leaving just the oldest son Hiro in the house. Now in high school, Mao's father has remarried and grown even further from Mao. After Mao leaves the house in anger, Mao's father tells her not to come home and asks Hiro if he would take care of Mao. Hiro and Mao start to regain some of the happiness that their childhoods provided and begin to grow even closer. While Taiyou no Ie starts out with a more serious tone, it doesn't take long for the story to show off the comedy and romance that make the manga similar to Horimiya. Both manga feature the couples slowly developing their relationship with one another as they come to care for one another and learn that the feelings they have is love. Mao and Hiro also have a bond due to a secret they keep from others that eventually leads them to become closer similar to Hori and Miyamura's situation. Both manga also show both of their main character's internal monologues, giving the reader a look into both of their minds and how they are approaching their lives.

Haduki Masaka spends her days doing nothing but working and reading manga. At 25-years-old, Haduki has never been in a relationship and can never join in when her coworkers talk about relationships. Haduki's sister Miya decides it is time for Haduki to be happy and introduces her to a 16-year-old boy from her class named Yukimura Iwai. Despite not knowing what being in a relationship is like, the inexperienced Haduki and the timid Yukimura begin to experience love for the first time. Hitorimi Haduki-san is a wonderfully pure romance manga with a splash of comedy. The main characters in both Hitorimi Haduki-san to and Horimiya play similar roles in the relationship with Yukimura and Miyamura being shy and timid when they start their relationship while Haduki and Hori are the ones who are pushing the relationship forward. This gives the story of Hitorimi Haduki-san to a similar vibe to Horimiya with how the relationships develop. Both manga focus on the romance elements as they show off a couple that is romantically naive and they learn what all love has to offer.

Hoshino, Me wo Tsubutte tells the story of the antisocial Kobayakawa and the outgoing and popular Hoshino. Koboyakawa lives his high school life not wanting to get involved with any of the popular people and spends his days drawing portraits. One day after school, Kobayakawa runs into Hoshino who is trying to save a cat stuck in the water. After Kobayakawa jumps into the water to save the cat, he ends up almost drowning as well. Kobayakawa gets saved by a plain looking girl who turns out to be Hoshino without any makeup. Ever since middle school, Hoshino has been hiding her insecurities behind her makeup and fears that if her friends saw her without it, they would all leave her. Now that Kobayakawa knows Hoshino's secret, Kobayakawa's uneventful life is going to get a lot more exciting. Hoshino, Me wo Tsubutte has a similar setup to Horimiya with the main characters bonding over the secret appearances they hide from other people. Although Kobayakawa and Hoshino are brought together and bond like Hori and Miyamura, Hoshino, Me wo Tsubutte is closer to Horimiya with the style and execution of its comedy more than its romance. The comedy in both manga revolve around the banter of the two main characters and will often lead to serious situations allowing them to grow closer. Hoshino, Me wo Tsubutte and Horimiya also show the main characters growing to not only love each other, but also learning to love themselves for who they are.

Umiho started her new math class without anybody she knew, but she quickly became friends with the boy sitting next to her named Namose. Every day, Umiho would let Namose look at her notes and she eventually came to develop feelings for Namose. Unfortunately for Umiho, Namose's bad grades and lack of effort got him demoted to the lower math class separating the two of them. After hearing Umiho talking about her problems, a strange girl named Yachiyo encourages her to confess her feelings to Namose. As the sole member of the promise-keeping club, Yachiyo decides to help Umiho to confess in any way possible. After Umiho confesses to Namose, Umiho and Yachiyo become friends and began to support each other in both love and life. Unlike many of the manga on this list, Hana to Rakurai doesn't start with secrets that bring the main characters together and although romance plays a key part in the story, the story focuses on the friendship that forms between Umiho and Yachiyo. The way Umiho and Yachiyo begin to support each other and help them get through troubling times is similar to how Miyamura and Hori acted when they became friends. This serves as the main thing carrying both stories forward allowing them to throw in the romance and comedy round out the story. With Hana to Rakurai only being eight chapters long, it isn't able to flesh out the characters as well as Horimiya is able to, but it is able to give you a great story featuring romance, friendship, and a lot of drama that puts it on par with some of the best chapters of Horimiya.

Akina Komatsu is a photographer for the school newspaper who has never experienced love. One day, Aoi of the student council asks Akina to be his girlfriend. Akina is unsure of her feelings for Aoi and isn't sure if she should date him or not. With Aoi always surrounded by pretty girls, Akina starts to doubt herself even more. Growing tired of waiting for a response, Aoi gives Akina a week to give him an answer. After battling with her lack of confidence, Akina decides that sometimes in life, you just have to take a leap of faith. Shinbun-bu no Komatsu-san takes place in the same universe as Mizuno’s other manga, Seishun Trickers, both telling the story of a romance between two of the side characters. Despite being only one volume, Shinbun-bu no Komatsu-san still features a romance that gives off the same vibes you get while reading Horimiya. Although the story never explains why Aoi has feelings for Akina, it does shows the thought Akina puts into their relationship and shows how she develops her feelings for Aoi. The relationship between Akina and Aoi builds slowly with Akina coming to learn what it means to love somebody, similar to how Hori and Miyamura build their relationship. Horimiya and Shinbun-bu no Komatsu-san also focus on the comedy just as much as the romance giving the manga a good mix of emotions for the reader.

Considering Takuma and Kazuma barely ever go anywhere without their other half, we’re going to put the twins on the tenth place as one. Kazuma, the ever-smiling one, and Takuma, the ever-crying one, are almost inseparable. Of course, they care very much about one another, especially because they’ve always been together since birth. However, both twins are also very caring and considerate to the people around them .When Takuma caught a cold and Kazuma had to spend an entire day without Takuma in the daycare, for example, Kazuma tried to not make the adults worry and played happily with the rest of the kids—at least until nap time was over and Kazuma got so lonely he sat by himself by the school’s front gate to wait for Takuma and their mother to come pick him up. On the other hand, the meek Takuma might be quieter, but he’s also very caring and considerate of his twin and friends. Despite being scared of playing in the inflatable pool and visibly upset because Kazuma preferred playing in the water rather than getting back to the daycare with him, Takuma still comforted Kazuma and his friends when all the kids were upset after the inflatable pool was rendered unusable by an unfortunate accident with a cat. Both twins were also notably very caring towards their parents—from bravely going together to the convenience store to help their mother buy milk to being patient with their father when he tried his best to make omurice for them. It’s a toddler’s brand of caring, yes, but it’s so adorable and heartwarming you can’t help but say “Aaww,” every time the twins do it!

When you’re born into a rather family with a lot of children that is struggling with finances, how do you show your family that you care about them? Nezu Chuukichi, best friend of one of the most popular guys in Morinomiya Academy Yagi Tomoya, was born as the second son in a five-sibling family whose financial situation was not great. As a scholarship student at Morinomiya Academy, Nezu had to always stay on top of his studies, but he also had a lot on his plate besides schoolwork. Not only did he have to work multiple part-time jobs to support his family’s finance, he still had to take care of his three younger siblings in his free time. And not once in the series have we ever seen him complain! Nezu was a very caring person—not only to his family, especially to his siblings who idolized him—but also towards his friends and others around him. We’ve seen him helping out with the local festival committee, sparing a minute to try and help Taka find his toy sword. He invited Yagi to spend time around his family because he knew how lonely Yagi actually was. When Kichi, his younger brother, decided to run away from home because he couldn’t afford a game he wanted, Nezu picked him up without scolding him, instead bringing him said game and gently told him to thank their parents. All in all, not only Nezu is a caring person, he’s also the very figure of a role-model older brother!

Gakuen Babysitters is an expert in showing how different people showed that they care about others around them in so many different ways. Inomata Maria embodies this the most: despite famously known by other students as awkward, easily-angered, and quick to scold the people around her for doing things they are not supposed to do. As the series went on, we discovered how much Maria actually cared about others and what they think of her. As an awkward girl with no friends ever since she was a kid, Maria never really knew how to express herself and how she cared so much, and somehow ended up getting angry and yelling precisely because she cared. Ah, the charm of a tsundere. Through the friendships she found, though, Maria slowly learned how to express how much she cared about others around her. Despite not knowing how to deal with children most of the time, Maria was always ready to help the daycare kids, no matter how silly a problem they brought her. Maria was the type to help others in need without thinking twice, but then fretted over whether or not she accidentally did something wrong, or if perhaps she offended anyone. The friendship she developed with Yuki and Kirin helped her become a more honest person in terms of expressing herself.

Kirin was a literal ray of sunshine not just for how cute she looked and the adorable the way she talked. She was like sunshine because she was such a good child—always eager to help anyone who needed help, and was almost always the first to extend a hand towards shy new friends, from Maria to Kyouko and even later, Tamako. She cared very much about her friends and parents, the way a toddler could innocently be, and while the things she did to help out didn’t always work out for good, such as that one time when she happily handed her present of bugs to Yuki, her intention was to be a good kid and to be nice to people! Even at the daycare, Kirin was often shown to be helping Usaida with Midori. When Maria first came to the daycare, crying and frustrated for not being able to deal with the kids, it was Kirin who first came up and comforted her, making them good friends ever since. Kirin also took the role of a good older sister to the other daycare kids, especially to Kotarou and Midori, and always tried to do her best. She might still be an adorable toddler who fights a lot with Taka over the silliest reason, but the way she always tried to be helpful to others around her showed that Kirin is one of the most caring characters in the series!

Another character to prove to you that one could express how much they cared about others in so many different ways: Morinomiya Youko, the owner of Morinomiya Academy, or, if we go by Kotarou’s fond nickname: “Fluffy”, for her sheep-like hair. She was the one who took both Ryuuichi and Kotarou in after they all lost their family in the same airplane accident, and later enrolled Ryuuichi in the Morinomiya Academy, as well as the one who told Ryuuichi to keep taking care of Kotarou by joining the babysitters club. While Youko always seemed to be very strict with Ryuuichi, Kotarou, and literally everyone around her, Youko was also undoubtedly one of the most caring characters in the entire series. Not only did she take in the Kashima brothers and give them financial security, she took the role of both a mother and grandmother when they were home: taking care of Ryuuichi when he was sick, taking care of Kotarou when Ryuuichi was busy with exams, and even replacing Ryuuichi at the daycare when he had to go solve the fight between Taka and Hayato. She was, by all means, Ryuuichi and Kotarou’s family now, and there was really nothing quite as heartwarming as Youko’s Christmas surprise for Ryuuichi and Kotarou, still strictly but gently, telling Ryuuichi that he should lean more on other people.

Ah, the mysterious Saikawa, whose first name we still haven’t found out. Despite technically being Youko’s secretary, Saikawa’s role seemed to be more of a butler instead of a secretary. The difference was that Saikawa didn’t do what he did because he was paid to—he did it because he cared very much about Ryuuichi, Kotarou, and the tiny daycare residents. It is kind of hard to leave Saikawa out of this list, because he was the Mother character in the series; of course, we have the babies’ actual mothers, but Saikawa’s prowess in literally everything really puts him on the top of mothers’ ranking, if such a thing existed! Saikawa had never been a mere secretary; he was the one who took care of everything at home for Youko, from cooking to cleaning to assisting Youko in her work. Despite seemingly always being chill towards everything in life, Saikawa really cares about Youko, Ryuuichi and Kotarou, and he showed it mostly through the food he cooked for them. He’d brought feasts to the dining table, packed fancy obento for Ryuuichi and Kotarou’s picnics, and took up the challenge of making the kids enjoy eating things they don’t like eating. All of this is, frankly, outside of his salary. And yet, Saikawa was one of the people who was always ready to lend a hand to Ryuuichi and the daycare—when Usaida got sick, he took over the daycare and did his best with the children’s help despite not knowing much about taking care of babies before. It’s no wonder when Ryuuichi likened his effort to making Saikawa happy with the effort a daughter spends on Mother’s Day—in a lot of sense, Saikawa was part of the family he cared so much for now!

Being one of the main teenage boys in the series, it might sound weird to have Hayato on the fourth rank in this list. Just look at him: quiet, carelessly going through his days, seemingly not interested in anything except baseball. Or at least, that was probably the first impression we got of him in the first episode of the series, along with the amusing fact that he would just hit Taka on the head when he got exasperated with his brother. Well, that first impression obviously would get thrown out the window not even five minutes after his first appearance—Hayato showed himself to actually be a very caring person the moment he left everything to help accompany Ryuuichi to the closest pediatrician clinic despite only meeting him less than fifteen minutes ago. Out of the many older brothers in the series, at the first glance, Hayato perhaps seemed like he was the one who mostly didn’t care about his brother. But as the series went, Hayato proved otherwise—he was resiliently patient against Taka’s numerous pranks and selfish demands, stayed an unexpectedly responsible member of babysitters club when he finally joined, and amazingly sensitive to his friends, and mostly Ryuuichi’s, various predicaments. He also proved to care very much about Taka even though he stayed pretty strict with his brother. Hayato didn’t always explicitly showed that he cared, being a boy with very few words, but he never left Ryuuichi alone in his times of need, always paid attention to the kids when he was with them, and one time even went as far to tell Youko about Ryuuichi needing a new phone when Ryuuichi was hesitant to do so. Not only was Hayato a good brother, he was definitely also a very caring friend!

Yes, it’s the forever-sleepy, seemingly lazy adult Usaida Yoshihito! Why, do you ask? Because while Usaida’s always shown lazing about the daycare and making fun of Ryuuichi and his friends, he was also the one person who had run the daycare for a long time before Ryuuichi and Kotarou even came to Morinomiya Academy. And considering how much of a handful the toddlers and babies were, it was clear that Usaida didn’t only help out at the daycare because it was a good part-time job for him; he did it because he loved the daycare kids and he cared about them. It was really easy to miss all the little things Usaida did that showed how much he cared about the kids, the teenagers, and even the parents, especially because Usaida would always play it off like it was nothing. The easiest would be how Usaida always took pictures of the kids on events for their parents who couldn’t always be there (even if he played it off that he would sell the pictures to them instead). There was also that one time when he caught a bad cold, but still dragged himself to the daycare in worry after Saikawa’s emergency call. Usaida was actually a sensitive and caring person, which was why he was always able to guess what’s in Ryuuichi’s head when he’s worrying about something, and was always ready to offer advice and help. His love for the daycare children is really undoubtable.

Which of the daycare kids would you choose to have as a younger brother? A lot of Gakuen Babysitters fans would probably point to Kotarou as an answer without much hesitation. Not only was Kotarou ridiculously, unbelievably cute, he was literally the ideal baby brother—one who loved his older sibling and tried his best to always be helpful and not be a burden nor an inconvenience to his beloved older brother. Quiet, well-behaved, and very kind, even if sometimes he looked too expressionless to actually be Ryuuichi’s younger brother, Kotarou was probably the one in the series who cared the most about Ryuuichi. As he was still a toddler, there were only so many ways Kotarou could show his older brother how much he cared, but perhaps nothing topped how much Kotarou cared for Ryuuichi more than the scene where he put his everything in squeezing a tangerine to make juice for Ryuuichi who had caught a cold. So much effort for one tiny drop! And yet Kotarou didn’t give up, exactly because he cared so much about Ryuuichi. Not just Ryuuichi, Kotarou was also a very good kid at the daycare who cared a lot about his fellow daycare kids. He’d comfort a crying Taka or Kirin every single time they got upset. He’d hold hands with Kazuma and Takuma when they went out for walks. Kotarou had always tried to help everyone in what little ways he could because he cared, and as we could see, those efforts paid back—even if Ryuuichi was his only family left, Kotarou’s life never lacked any warmth now with his daycare friends and their family.

The first place really should fall to our main character: the ideal older brother, the arguably kindest soul in the series, the bashful high school student who loved his younger brother more than anyone else. Kashima Ryuuichi was a person who cared for many and perhaps too much, to the point that everyone around her, and quite surely most of the audience, would want to protect him at whatever cost. Good with kids, always considerate to his friends, and tactful with the adults, Ryuuichi was the person who would always put others before him, always tried to help others around him, that he sometimes forgot about himself. Guess there is a drawback to have cared too much, huh? Not that Ryuuichi ever regretted it, though. His love and care of Kotarou is unquestionable—we’d seen Ryuuichi reject girls’ confessions because he wanted to focus on raising Kotarou, and we’d seen him choose to half-drown in sea water in attempt to hold Kotarou up and out of it. No one should doubt how much he cared for the daycare kids, either—he’d chosen to stay in the babysitters club despite being lonely that he didn’t get to spend as much time with his friends like other high school students did, and he’d always prioritize the daycare kids no matter what. It was obvious that Ryuuichi was also a caring friend—he helped Maria to be more comfortable hanging out with kids and making friends, he helped Hayato mend his relationship with his father a little, and visited everyone who caught the flu to bring them cherry blossom petals after a hanami that got cancelled. Being considerate is literally what Ryuuichi was made of, and the fact that he was such a good caretaker put him on top of this list!

Hanami has, above all else, become synonymous with drinking in Japan. You go outdoors, buy plum wine, beer, chuhai, or sake, and then sit near or under sakura trees with your friends laughing, talking, eating, and most importantly, consuming copious amounts of alcohol. It’s very common at every party there to see someone–or “someones”–hunched over in a drunken stupor or just flat out blacked out. Japanese society is still very rigid and a lot of the time, it’s events like these that allow people to let their hair down and get into some trouble. In fact, the people you feel the most sorry for are the groups of black suits you will see. Yes, not only does the public have hanami parties, but companies do as well. These companies will send people out, usually in the very early morning of the day of the party to have them stake out a space with a massive tarp so that everyone can sit somewhat comfortably. If it’s a very popular spot like at Osaka Castle Park, people will be sent out to mark places days in advance with the best spots being far away from the bathrooms and very close to the massive moat surrounding the castle. Oddly enough too, you almost never hear of anyone in Japan taking those spots either. You will see people respect others places and tend to either move around them or put down their own mats further away. The only downside is that most companies that do have mandatory hanami parties will make it fall on a weekend so as to not hinder productivity during the week. If you are ever in Japan though and stumble across one, beware of the drunks!

Azumanga Daioh is about a collection of characters that are all in the same calls. Chiyo is a genius and only 10 years old in her class, Yukari is her teacher, and is a bit of a mess. Tomo is a tomboy who acts before she thinks, Koyomi, who is a hair’s width away from snapping, Sakaki, a girl obsessed with cats who always gets bit by them, and more! These girls have the most strange and bizarre adventures each day while going about their anything but mundane, high school lives. Ah, high school, how most of us don’t miss thee~ Azumanga Daioh actually has a scene which is either translated improperly or really easy to miss. Early on in the series, it ends up being spring and the two teachers, Yukari and Minamo end up in a park. It’s not like these two need a reason to be indecent in public, but why not under the cherry blossoms? Yes, these two are actually drinking in the evening under trees in the park. Another small part of hanami is doing it at night as well and a lot of people enjoy it. Especially considering that hanami is a lot less packed during evenings and at night. Just bring a jacket so you don’t freeze as it can still get close to freezing!

The other really large aspect of hanami, besides getting lit in broad daylight in public, is enjoying the unending fields of blossoms that are only around for a few days to a week or two max. Yes, hanami season is incredibly transient due to the weather being less than favorable for it. Sakura (cherry blossom) trees in Japan need the rain that comes at the end of Winter and beginning of Spring to trigger the bloom. The problem is, with the warm winters that Japan has been having, sometimes the bloom, as it is tracked by the National Meteorological Agency, gets moved up. It should come at the end of March, but as of recent, it has been coming earlier around the 20th. That combined with the weather of Winter ending and Spring coming means that there are times where there may only be a few days to actually get out and enjoy the sakura. Not to mention too, the rain at the end of the sakura season knocks off all of the petals making roads and rivers beautiful while making trees go back to the grey-green lumps that they are for another year. When people are out, you will hear the buzzing of chatter, clinking of drinks, and more as everyone looks up and enjoy the petals falling. And boy, do they fall. Winds will really whip up the petals making them fall everywhere and rumor has it, that if a sakura petal falls into your drink, it’s good luck! For once though, people—after they take the first initial 30 photos—actually put down their phones and look up and the beautiful skies while toasting to their lives, health, and others. For one brief moment, the concrete jungle that is Tokyo and Japan overall, takes a collective sigh of relief. Where can you catch some awesome sakura scenes though?

Way back before Makoto Shinkai had his DVDs in every store and many homes across Japan, he was a nobody who released a film titles Byousoku 5 Centimeter. Two lovebirds are torn apart after Akari’s family has to move due to work. Sad that she is leaving Takaki, Akari decides to stay in contact with him via letter. However, it is not soon after that Takaki also will be moving too. They decide to meet one final time. Sadly though, their letters cannot keep the flames of passion alive. Their memories do not fade though and while they think about each other fondly, they also wonder if they will be blessed with reunion one day. This is the series with that famous scene that everyone has seen at least once even if you have not watched this movie specifically. You know the one where the town is covered in sakura and you cannot look away because the sheer beauty of the moment is captivating. Ironically, sakura reflect the theme of this movie which is fleeting transience. Much like how the relationship between Takaki and Akari is. Even though it seems the world to them, when they grow up, their relationship and memories fade. Sakura are the same. Everything is so intensely beautiful when everything is in full bloom, but as soon as they fall, they are forgotten.

Chicago, the 1930s. The Flying Pussyfoot, a transcontinental train, is about to embark on a journey which cause widespread violence across the country. In New York, a scientist is looking for the elixir of immortality, all while mafia groups in the area engage in a brutal war. With alchemists, the mafia, scientists and several seemingly unrelated stories, protagonists Miria and Isaac explore the various aspects while trying to further their own mission. Baccano!’s supernatural aspect is apparent in the way in which the anime presents the concept of immortality, explored through the concept of alchemy, which draws much from a supernatural frame of mind. The anime is an amalgamation of different concepts and elements, featuring a very familiar alchemical concept: the Homunculi. Much like in Fullmetal Alchemist, Baccano! explores some of the same themes, juxtaposing them with ideas of immortality and special abilities.

Kageyama “Mob” Shigeo is a 14-year-old who, from an early age, has possessed incredible latent psychic potential. However, he soon realises the potential danger of his abilities and vows to suppress his powers. In an attempt to learn how to control his powers, Mob takes up one Arataka Reigen, a con artist claiming to be a psychic, up to be his mentor. Reigen; however, uses Shigeo’s authentic powers to make a quick buck. Mob now participates in exorcisms and various other paranormal activities every single day; however, if his emotions go unchecked his powers stand to cause incredible destruction for the world around him and he simply can’t be stopped. Mob Psycho 100 is written by the same author as One-Punch Man, ONE, and that is apparent in the anime’s art style. However, the presence of individuals with psychic abilities in the show. These are generally telekinetic powers; however, with the announcement of a second season for the show out, we can expect to see a plethora of other psychic abilities present in the show.

Assiah is the realm of the humans, Gehenna, the realm of the demons. Demons arrive in the human realm through possessing human beings. Satan, the ruler of the demon realm is too powerful and hence cannot find a suitable host to possess. He finally figures out a plan: he will send his son to rule Assiah and become a host suitable enough for the Demon King himself. The son, Okumura Rin, lives a difficult life as a troublesome teenager who lives in an orphanage. His life becomes more difficult when demons begin to attack him and he finds out that he is the son of Satan. He vows to become an exorcist to protect Assiah from his father with his brother Yukio. Ao no Exorcist is a fast-paced anime ripe with religious allegory and narrative, as well as sporting a roster of characters who strive to become exorcists, the supernatural content in this show is heavy. The presence of concepts of Assiah and Gehenna relate to many belief systems and superstition, as well as the obvious presence of demons, such as Amaimon, and Kuro, Rin’s demon cat.

Nakajima Atsushi’s orphanage has been under attack by a mystical tiger that only he can see. Unfortunately, he is kicked out of the orphanage into the dangerous streets where he could come into contact with the beast. While sitting on a riverbank, struggling to figure out where his next meal will be coming from, he saves a strange man named Dazai Osamu from drowning. Dazai is a supernatural detective who has been investigating the very same tiger Atsushi has been afraid of. With the help of fellow investigator, Kunikida Doppo, the tiger case is solved; however, its odd outcome sees Atsushi joining the band of supernatural investigators at their firm which handles the cases regular police simply cannot. Bungou Stray Dogs is a fast-paced, expansive, intricate supernatural anime which captures various supernatural elements, but uses a unique system for its characters. Characters’ names and abilities are all modelled on real-life authors and poets from various parts of the world, ingraining a fourth-wall breaking lore. Each episode follows Atsushi’s experience with a firm of supernatural investigators, all of whom possess supernatural abilities themselves.

The Yato God is a minor deity who calls himself a “Delivery God”, dreaming of one day having millions of worshippers. However, he currently has no shrine dedicated to his name. His days are spent collecting five yen coins per odd job, at least until his sentient weapon partner becomes sick of the life they live and leaves him. Yato’s luck finally changes when 15-year-old Iki Hiyori saves Yato from a car accident, sustaining no serious injury, apart from the fact that her soul is now loose and capable of leaving her body. She demands that Yato turn her body back to normal, but his condition is that she help him find a new weapon partner – perhaps he’ll find one who won’t leave this time around. Noragami is an anime very much influenced by the Buddhist as well as Shinto-Japanese pantheon of deities, featuring characters based on significant deities such as Bishamonten, the God of War, warriors and the punisher of evildoers. The anime applies several supernatural concepts, such as the concepts of deities, deification, souls leaving the body, as well as the concept of souls becoming posthumous tools used by deities to battle against phantoms.

In a world inspired by the European Middle Ages, the Holy Knights of Britannia use their incredible magic powers to protect the Kingdom of Liones. However, a small subset of Holy Knights fell out of favour when they attempted to overthrow the ruler of Liones in a quickly extinguished act of treason. Defeated by the Holy Knights, rumours of the survival of this group of knights, dubbed the “Seven Deadly Sins” persisted. Ten years after the defeat of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Holy Knights themselves staged a revolt and took over rule of the kingdom. Elizabeth, third princess of the Kingdom of Liones, spurred by a desire to take back the kingdom from the clutches of the Holy Knights, sets out to find the Seven Deadly Sins in order to enlist them for their help in returning justice to the kingdom. Giants, fairies, demons, enchanted weapons and magic, Nanatsu no Taizai is a medieval melting pot of mythology and legend. Incorporating elements of the Legend of King Arthur into the fabric of the story presents a unique outlook on some of the legendary characters of the legend, as well as medieval thoughts on the supernatural. The series is exciting, bringing into play extreme fights, electrifying magical techniques and skills, and, the best part: an expansive lore featuring several supernatural concepts which give an intricate kaleidoscopic feel to the show.

Demons require living hosts in order to be able to take form. However, should an individual possess a strong enough will, it is fully possible for them to overcome demonic possession and transcend both being human and a demon, a Devilman. Fudou Akira is a teenage boy who has always been considered weak and his extreme levels of empathy fuelled such labels. It is this empathy which causes Akira to agree when his childhood friend, Asuka Ryou, asks for his help in discovering demons. To his surprise, the two of them end up at Sabbath – a wild party which goes horribly wrong as blood is shed and people are killed in the midst of demons possessing the partygoers and causing intense destruction. In a bid to save his friend, Akira unwittingly merges with the powerful demon, Amon and becomes a Devilman, one with the power to defeat all the demons present. However, this new partnership changes various aspects of Akira’s personality and physical body, but not his empathetic heart. Released in 2018, Devilman: Crybaby is a reboot of Nagai Go’s 1970’s series, Devilman. The series is built around a supernatural premise, with demons being an integral part of the show’s plot and characters. It is quite an intense watch at times, not holding back on much of the gore which comes as a result of its demonic subject matter. The series does much to explore its characters in the short time that it has, in ways which can stand to jar the viewer for a very long time to come… like one is possessed by the show.

Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district is home to some of the city’s most interesting characters, as well as some of its most inexplicable happenings surrounding anonymous gangs, dangerous individuals and supernatural entities. The existence of a headless “Black Rider” is a legend which stands out to most residents of Ikebukuro. Ryuugamine Mikado has always wanted to live in the city, drawn by the potential excitement of the city. When he is convinced to move to Tokyo by his friend, Mikado has the fortune of witnessing the Black Rider on his first day in town. It seems that Mikado’s longing for an exciting life will be satisfied, but with more supernatural events occurring around Ikebukuro, Mikado finds himself mixed up in the various occurrences which bring out the life in the city. Durarara!! is an anime written with the intent of delivering several different interwoven stories at the same time, linking them all to a central figure or concept. Durarara!!’s signature concept is its shameless exploration of supernatural concepts and juxtaposing them with the mundanity of everyday life for some of the characters concerned. The anime features the Irish myth of the Dullahan, a headless rider; as well as a certain character’s experience with a demon sword.

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15-year-old Hatori Chise is a fifteen year old girl who was sold at an auction to a mysterious tall gentleman. After being abandoned at a young age and misunderstood by her peers, she sold herself to any buyer in order to have some chance of finding a home. With several strangers sizing her up, she is led by her owner to a study where he introduces himself. Elias Ainsworth, a magus. Soon after, they are teleported to Elias’ cottage in England, surrounded by various supernatural entities such as fairies and sprites. Chise’s purpose as assigned by Elias is to become his apprentice, and soon, his bride. Drawing inspiration from traditional mythological and supernatural concepts, The Ancient Magus’ Bride is an anime which beautifully blends concepts of magic and traditional fantasy world lore in order to offer us an anime which explores concepts of family, self-worth and the sense of belonging. It also incorporates slice of life elements into its episodes, developing its characters through the exploration of the ordinary living of extraordinary lives.

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Third-year high school student Araragi Koyomi survives a vampire attack during his summer break with the help of a strange man named Oshino Meme, who lives in an abandoned building. Despite maintaining his status as a human, the aftereffects of his vampiric encounter leave him with superhuman healing as well as enhanced vision. Despite all this, Koyomi still tries to live as a normal student; however, when his fellow classmate, Senjougahara Hitagi, falls down the stairs and he catches her, Koyomi realises that she is weightless. Determined to help her, Koyomi enlists the help of Oshino Meme, the expert in supernatural predicaments. Starting with the series’ name, the Monogatari Series is a collection of supernatural stories which are driven or characterised by the conditions of the characters within the show. There are several different mythological references throughout the show, with vampires, giant crab deities as well as the concept of the monkey’s paw making an appearance at several junctures within the anime. The dialogue-driven story is filled with witty interactions between characters, as well as interesting combinations of narration and exposition, all happening within an intricate supernatural context.

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Mercenary Kings is a newcomer to the run and gun genre, but that’s certainly a good thing because we need more games like this to remind us just how fun the retro days were. Released back in 2014 for Windows and PlayStation 4, Mercenary Kings follows the same formula as other run and gun titles, but with a much more updated approach in relation to how enemies react and what weapon upgrades you’ll encounter. Players have the ability to craft their own arsenal of weapons along with upgrading armor, and be able to hop online with three other players to take on hordes of crazy enemies. You can also play locally too which perhaps is another great aspect about Mercenary Kings, because once again it helps to remind us of just how wonderful the 90’s were for gaming. Instead of hopping online to find a server, you’d hop in your bike and ride down to your friends house and grind it out together for hours. This is something we’re missing a lot of in our more modern day world of gaming, but Mercenary Kings keeps that nostalgia intact at all times. The art style reminds us of a more anime Contra, with added droplets of Metal Slugs fluid animations and Gunstar Heroes action.

Alien Hominid is a classic flash game that eventually took off and became a console classic. Initially starting off on popular flash websites, Alien Hominid grabbed the attention of fans around the world for its wacky art design, yet challenging and rewarding gameplay. You play as this little cute alien with a gun perhaps bigger than it is, and run around blasting away evil alien soldiers in order to restore peace to the land. It was fast paced and truly remarkable for its time, because it remained intact even when it was ported over to consoles later in its lifespan. Alien Hominid simply was a step in a different direction while still maintaining the quintessential aspects about the run and gun genre. Whether you were trying to blow up a huge spaceship, or run through a horde of enemies just waiting for you to make a mistake, Alien Hominid took you on a wild ride and you had to make sure you were strapped in real tight, because it really felt crazy. The fun really takes off when you and another friend do co op, which feels akin to that of Metal Slug where the two of you just go on a spree, taking out enemies and yelling at each other to not get killed.

Hard Corps: Uprising is a run and gun title from famed game company Arc System Works, which is the spiritual successor to Contra. As you race through the map desperately trying to collect as many powerups as possible, Hard Corps tends to throw curveballs sometimes and places random enemies in areas you’d never expect. While not as challenging as let's say Ghosts n’ Goblins or as incredibly fast as Contra, Hard Corps: Uprising walks down its own path creating a fresh new experience for those new to the genre. Leave it up to Arc System Works to create some fascinating games, with added elements for a fluid experience. The controls are smooth and easy to grasp, while enemies aren’t as deadly but still pose a decent challenge. Perhaps it’s the rockin’ music that Arc System Works is revered for that actually make this game worth playing for hours, because every time we raced through a level our heads would be bopping to the soundtrack. Boss battles can be a thrill at times because you’ll need to come up with a clever strategy to avoiding attacks, and quickly adapting to the enemy patterns. Hard Corps: Uprising is certainly a treat to play and for anyone looking for something a little more modern, this one is for you.

Shock Troopers came out in 1997 for the arcades and allowed you to take control of one or three soldiers in a wild eight-way shooter. You can choose from two modes, Lonely Wolf, which allows the player to run through the game alone. Or you have Team Battle, where you can select three soldiers all of which have their own unique attributes, and switching between them on the fly. The benefit of choosing to go lone wolf is that you receive a higher health bonus, whereas choosing the team option provides a more robust selection of weapons to play with in battle. In the beginning you can choose from a few locations, and then halfway through the game it allows you to choose whatever direction you want as an option. Whatever path you decide on will determine just how many bonus points you’ll achieve, with each stage having a big boss waiting to destroy you when you arrive. With so much versatility in how you can play the game, Shock Troopers is a classic run and gunner that has the style and finesse of earlier classics, but creates a fresh new feeling with its freedom of choice. The game was eventually ported to other systems later in its lifespan, which didn’t really make any changes to the gameplay but still felt very much like the game we knew and loved.

Whoever thought that using a wiener dog to shoot down enemies would be so satisfying. In Wild Guns Reloaded, the more recent upgrade to the original, you choose from an array of cool characters all of which come with their own distinctive playstyles. You’d then hop right into the action and shoot down enemies that stand in your way, praying that their bullets down hit you along the way. Wild Guns Reloaded comes with a ton of visual upgrades over the original, but more importantly now has an online feature where you can compete for the number one spot on the high score ranking. Local play is still very much intact just like the original, and this is where Wild Guns Reloaded becomes very wild indeed. Multiplayer run and gun games just feel so right when compared to the single player campaigns because, you’re right there with your friend trying to avoid near death while working together to tackle challenging bosses or hordes of unforgiving enemies. The soundtrack and very western style artistic direction is a great feature of the title and truly makes the shooting experience feel more genuine. Except for the weiner dog who’s clearly in a league of its own, receiving help from a small drone that zaps enemies with ease while you run around the stage with the weiner dog avoiding obstacles as much as possible.

Rapid Reload is another classic hit in the run and gun universe, which plays very similarly to that of Gunstar Heroes. Rapid Reload is short yet very very sweet, as you race through six intense levels filled with difficult enemies and gripping boss battles. You’re able to swap between four weapons, all of which come with their pros and cons in battle. Each character also comes with four of their own unique weapons also, which brings the total weapon count to eight. The game also throws in a grappling hook because hey, more weapons are always a good thing. One plus is that you’re completely invincible while using the hook, so coming up with ways to avoid enemy damage while blasting them away is great.The most unique feature however is Rapid Reload’s point system, where points will drop after the player eliminates enemies. As you collect more points the shots from your weapons become even more powerful, while finding booster items along the way help to further boost the damage you dish out. The timer on the booster however runs out so fast, so being able to rapidly reload and gun down the enemy is paramount.

Debuting in the Japan arcades back in 1985, Ghosts ‘n Goblins has evolved over time becoming more and more challenging as the sequels started to come out. The main reason behind its incredible success is due to its high level of difficulty, and that it truly tests your patience the more you invest into it. It’s Capcom’s 8th best selling game for very good reason, and Knight Arthur is a very happy man. As you run through each level taking out ghastly ghouls and creepy goblins, the player has to be constantly alert at all times because if you get hit, you start to lose parts of your armor. As you start to lose armor, you become more susceptible to higher damage and eventually succumb to a painful death. This element of difficulty is what made playing so tense a lot of the times, because you had to chuck spears and duck enemy attacks all the while paying close attention to how much armor you still have on. Throughout the game you can find much stronger armor to deflect enemy attacks, but even finding those can be daunting at times because the enemy doesn’t make it easy. Once you beat the game, it then forces you to replay the entire game on a much higher difficulty until you get the true ending, which is truly scary stuff if you ask us.

Gunstar Super Heroes is the direct sequel to the classic Gunstar Heroes which came out on the Sega Genesis way back in the 90’s. Much like its ancestor, Gunstar Super Heroes follows a run and gun style where players must gun down enemies that come from all directions, using whatever weapons you have to eliminate them before it’s too late. The story takes place after the events of the original and actually boasts a lot more features, especially in its combat system. In Gunstar Super Heroes, instead of being able to combine weapons like you were able to before, you’re now able to select from three versatile weapon types at anytime in the game. There’s also a supercharge meter that continues to fill up as you take down more enemies, and once totally filled you can unleash a monstrous attack that destroys anything in its path. The game also takes on an anime style and it suits the gameplay very well, playing out like a sci-fi action film in the palm of your hand. The great thing about Gunstar Super Heroes is that it borrows a lot of what made the original Gunstar Heroes amazing, and upgrades everything making the experience feel more fresh and satisfying. If you still own your Game Boy Advance then definitely be sure to try this one out if you’re into run'n'gun titles.

Taking inspiration from western films like Rambo and various Arnold films that were massively popular at the time, Contra throws players into a war torn world where you’ll need just about any weapon you can find to take out the enemy as quickly as possible. Contra is fast paced and incredibly challenging because enemies come at you nonstop from all different angles, and so you needed to keep your attention on every section of the screen to ensure survival. The vast array of weapons at your disposal made blasting enemies entertaining, with power ups allowing you to take out camps of enemies with one explosive move. Perhaps the greatest aspect behind Contra’s success is the boss battles, because you’d be sitting there for hours trying to figure out each pattern a boss had. That in itself created so much replay value and encouraged you to come back every time with new ways of defeating these massive enemies. Contra was like the Dark Souls of today in a way in that, you never really knew what to expect and even if you did, there’d be another surprise waiting for you.

SNK needed something to really rejuvenate the genre and so Metal Slug released initially on the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinet, and it became a huge success immediately. You star as the Peregrine Falcon Squad, a small faction who must use their abilities to topple the enemy and prevent catastrophe from happening. What made Metal Slug so popular was that unlike in Contra where the animations were limited due to hardware, SNK developed a much more seamless style that allowed for more freedom of movement. You’d be able to control various weapon types such as missiles and large machine guns, but also you could hop into a moving tank and blast enemies away with explosives. The biggest selling point however was the melee attack, which was perhaps the most powerful weapon in your disposal since all you’d need to do is run up to a group of enemies, swipe once or twice and that was it. Some enemies require that you use the melee because using guns just simply had no significant effect. This added element is what truly makes Metal Slug an incredible title, because it really takes the challenge to the next level.