2004
Theatrical (Studio Ghibli)
Romance Fantasy Adventure
Sophie, a young hatter, is cursed by a witch and aged into an old woman. She stumbles into the mysterious, traveling castle of the wizard Howl — vain, brilliant…
Both are built around questions of who you really are under the person you've been told to be. Same magical and adventurous energy throughout.
2021
23 eps
Fuji TV / Crunchyroll
Fantasy Adventure Drama
Prince Bojji is deaf, tiny, and considered the weakest prince in a world that ranks kingdoms by military strength. When he befriends Kage, a shadow creature and…
Like Spirited Away, it leans hard into coming of age. At its core, it's about questions of who you really are under the person you've been told to be. The pacing is emotionally heavy — you'll need to sit with it after.
2023
28 eps
Nippon TV / Crunchyroll
Fantasy Adventure Drama
The demon king is dead. The hero's party won. The story is over — except for Frieren, an elf mage who lived a thousand years before the quest and will live a th…
Like Spirited Away, it leans hard into coming of age. The emotional territory — memory — is the same. Same beautiful and bittersweet energy throughout.
1997
Theatrical (Studio Ghibli)
Action Fantasy Drama
Ashitaka is cursed by a demon boar and travels west to find the source of the corruption — discovering a war between industrializing humans and the ancient spir…
Both are built around questions of who you really are under the person you've been told to be. Same beautiful energy throughout.
2009
64 eps
TBS / Crunchyroll
Action Adventure Fantasy
Two brothers use forbidden alchemy to try to resurrect their dead mother. It goes catastrophically wrong — one loses his body entirely, the other loses limbs. N…
Both are built around questions of who you really are under the person you've been told to be. The pacing is emotionally heavy — you'll need to sit with it after.