10 More Mythical Tales To Explore!
Spirited Away is a wonderful anime people like to use to get folks into the medium. It offers excellent visuals, a fantastical world, and a gripping adventure. It’s one of Studio Ghibli’s best works that’ll make anyone feel like a child again. While the imagery can be terrifying for specific audiences, this anime evokes feelings of wholesomeness and comfort.
Fear not if you’re having trouble finding anime similar to Spirited Away! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as Spirited Away.
Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet your appetite when you’ve finished streaming Spirited Away!
Howl’s Moving Castle
Similarities – Surrealism & Coming of Age
Howl’s Moving Castle is a beautiful Studio Ghibli film. It offers well-rounded characters, a fun plot, and a magical setting. It takes place in a world where a large metallic aircraft can be seen floating in the sky. This aircraft is home to the talented wizard Howl, who is infamous for magical abilities and charm on women.
Meanwhile, in a small town, we follow Sophie, who is trying to find her purpose in life outside of being a hatmaker. She gets roped into a crime scene but Howl saves her. This makes the Witch of the Waste jealous and entices her to implant a curse on Sophie. Now an elderly woman, Sophie must travel with Howl on a quest to return to normal.
Sophie will travel through multiple dimensions, each feeling more bizarre than the last. She’ll encounter multiple magical entities from fire demons to wandering scarecrows. Her bond with Howl grows gradually over time and transforms into something beautiful by the film’s conclusion. If you’re looking for another fun coming-of-age tale with a hint of surrealism, give this a watch.
A Whisker Away
Similarities – Supernatural & Romance
Dogs and cats are incredible pets to own. They nurture us when we’re feeling gloomy and play with us when we’re feeling lonely. A Whisker Away is an incredible story where a feline stars as its central protagonist. It revolves around a girl named Miyo, who transforms into a cat to win her classmate Kento’s heart.
Viewers will adore seeing our characters bond over time. Like Spirited Away, it evokes strong feelings of enchantment. From talking spirits to its beautiful settings, it’ll be hard for viewers to avert their attention toward something else. Furthermore, both anime center around a fun female protagonist who makes and receives help from multiple people.
With its joyous conclusion and romantic tension, A Whisker Away is a great anime to check out after Spirited Away.
The Boy and The Beast
Similarities – Japanese Mythos & Story
The Boy and The Beast evokes strong Disney vibes. Not only does it contain a similar character dynamic to Mowgli and Baloo from The Jungle Book, but it shares similar themes to Spirited Away. Both anime showcase the strong friendship between humans and creatures. The characters in this anime are well-rounded and have likable personalities.
This anime features some emotionally-heavy scenes and some ounces of comedy. From silly facial expressions to incredible social interactions, you’ll find yourself falling in love with this world’s narrative and cast. This anime follows Ren, a 9-year-old who is shunned by his family. He flees into the streets and meets an anthropomorphic bear named Kumatetsu.
Ren follows Kumatetsu to the Shibuten beast dimension to replace Shibuten’s current lord. Despite having different views, Kumatetsu and Ren form a tight connection. With a bit more action than Spirited Away, this is an incredible anime film to watch.
Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light
Similarities – Supernatural & Romance
Into the Forest of Fireflies Light offers a similar-sounding tale to Spirited Away. It involves a young girl named Hotaru exploring a spirit-infested forest alone. Despite being scared, she meets Gin, a wanderer who offers a helping hand. She learns about Gin’s terrible curse that prohibits him from touching human beings.
Regardless, Hotaru gives Gin some company. Like Chihiro and Haku, fans will adore seeing Gin and Hotaru’s relationship develop. As time flies by, they mature as individuals and develop a proper understanding of each other’s circumstances and emotions. Their relationship evokes wholesome vibes and will make viewers smile with glee.
With some impressive visuals and excellent build-up, Into the Forest of Fireflies Light is a great film to watch.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices
Similarities – Lighthearted Family Entertainment
Children Who Chase Lost Voices is a wonderful anime directed by the famous Makoto Shinkai. This anime can be enjoyed by the whole family. It delivers a relaxing atmosphere and a comfy tale about an adventurous girl. The girl in question’s Asuna and she shares similar personality traits to Chihiro.
She’s courageous, adventurous, and remotely curious about the mystical world she finds herself in. She’ll engage with many creatures with imaginative designs and backgrounds. She’ll endure her share of hardships, but finds the strength to overcome those obstacles. Like Shinkai’s other works, this anime contains great artwork and stellar animation.
The OST is equally impressive and will help viewers immerse themselves in the anime’s world. With engaging visuals and strong supernatural occurrences, Children Who Chase Lost Voices is a fun anime that’ll keep your family entertained.
Princess Mononoke
Similarities – Characters & Fantasy
Princess Mononoke is a captivating fantasy epic. It boasts incredible visuals, well-rounded characters, and a gripping plot that’ll make you appreciate the natural world. It takes place amidst a fight between a boar and a remote village. Prince Ashitaka is the film’s lead protagonist and obtains demonic powers after confronting this fearsome boar.
This forces Ashitaka to flee to Tatara to find a cure. He stumbles upon an external conflict between Tatara’s Lady Eboshi and Princess San who argue for and against deforestation. Ashitaka must find a way to settle their differences while battling the inner demon that lies within his body. Princess Mononoke contains more violence than Spirited Away.
Both films contain imaginative creature designs though. You’ll adore the amount of detail that went into each world’s setting too. If you’re looking for a more violent work with a stronger message, check out Princess Mononoke.
Mushishi
Similarities – Imaginative Fantasy Works
Mushishi is an atmospheric experience from beginning to end. Fans will adore this anime for its imaginative setting and creature designs. This show evokes strong relaxing sensations and can be a joy for those needing to wind down. It follows the adventures of Ginko, a traveler who enjoys helping people and spiritual organisms out with their issues.
Like Spirited Away, Mushishi never feels dull. Everything from its surroundings to its citizens feels lively and energetic. Ginko may not be as rowdy as Chihiro, but fans will enjoy seeing him establish new bonds with the people he encounters along the way. Furthermore, the animation feels majestic and magical, almost like a fairy tale. If you’re looking for a magnificent anime with a great plot, likable protagonist, and engrossing atmosphere, check out Mushishi.
Paprika
Similarities – Dream-Like Atmosphere
Where Mushishi felt calm, Paprika is a bundle of energy. This anime evokes a similar dream-like atmosphere as Spirited Away. It contains imagery and animation that’s otherworldly and bizarre. You’ll see human faces on robotic toys to men smiling while diving off large buildings in unison. It’s a bizarre experience that’s one of a kind and shouldn’t be overlooked.
In it, we Atsuko Chiba and Kosaku Tokita. They develop tech capable of exploring patients’ minds and curing them of their disorders. This device gets into the wrong hands, causing Atsuko and Kosaku to experience mind-numbing things. To resolve this issue, they must catch the perpetrator by traveling through their world and the dream realm.
It’s a fabulous adventure series with great symbolism, themes, and thought-provoking concepts. You’ll need to pay close attention to this one if you hope to make sense of it. If you’re okay with bizarre and experimental anime, check out Paprika,
Welcome to THE SPACE SHOW
Similarities – Story & Fantasy
Welcome to the Space Show is another fantastical work with a fun plot and an interesting cast. This anime revolves around five students who are spending their summer in a remote village. They find an injured dog and nurse him back to health. Suddenly, the canine speaks and reveals himself as Pochi, an alien tasked with investigating Earth’s plant life.
They travel with Pochi to the moon and discover an alien metropolis. After his higher-ups learn of Pochi’s injuries, they prohibit the kids from returning home. The children must band together to locate a means of returning home while monitored on the alien’s Space Show. This anime will give viewers strong adventurous vibes as they traverse worlds unfamiliar to their own.
It’s similar to what Chihiro goes through in Spirited Away. The kids find themselves completing several tasks while traveling across the cosmos. They’ll meet various aliens, who have intruiging designs and personalities. Give this one a watch if you’re looking for something with a bit more sci-fi elements.
Haibanei Renmei
Similarities – Story, Characters, Themes
Haibane Renmei is a great psychological series. It tackles topics regarding death, purgatory, and the afterlife. In it, we follow Rakka, a girl with gray wings whose born from a cocoon. She has no memories of her past and learns that she can’t escape this world. Unlike Chihiro, Rakka has no urge to escape. We also get to peer into the side characters’ minds and hear their take on life.
Over time, Rakka will develop mature feelings and knowledge of this world. She’ll take part in activities that allow her to form strong connections with its residents. This series contains a lurking sense of dread and anguish. If you’re hoping for ounces of humor or any action-packed scenery, you’ll be severely disappointed with this one.
Haibane Renmei can feel slow-paced at times too. If you’re okay with shows that are entirely gloomy and offer very few heartwarming scenarios then check out Haibane Renmei.
So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with Spirited Away!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!