Looking for more anime like the Ancient Magus’ Bride? We got you covered.
One of the breakaway hits of 2017, The Ancient Magus’ Bride is a shining example of how anime can blend a fantastical setting and themes with realistic and relatable characters. From Chie’s journey in learning to love and appreciate herself and her life, to Elias’ search for belonging in a world where he doesn’t belong, the series is well worth the love and support it has gained across the anime fandom even with its flaws. That said, at only 24 episodes, it can be easy to exhaust everything the series has to offer in a matter of days, leaving a void that few other shows could hope to fill. Luckily, we’re here to help with five anime to watch if you’re looking for an anime like The Ancient Magus’ Bride.
Violet Evergarden
Anime Like The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Following a brutal war between the two rival nations, a veteran named Violet Evergarden seeks to reintegrate herself into everyday life by pursuing the vocation of an Auto Memory Doll, special individuals tasked with helping the populace write letters and correspond with one another until reading and writing become more readily known skills. Due to her experiences in the war however, Violet’s ability to empathize and convey emotions is stunted, making it difficult not only to understand the emotions of her clients but those of her friends and family. To this end, she dives headlong into learning how to connect with others, traveling across the land to talk with, and assist any she can in understanding conveying their feelings.
Filled with breathtaking visuals and piercingly powerful story moments, this series perfectly captures the struggles one faces when trying to understand, reciprocate and display one’s emotions not only to others, but to ourselves, and is another anime like The Ancient Magus’ Bride to check out. Don’t go into this series expecting to come away without having your heart strings thoroughly tugged.
Wolf Children
Anime Like The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Hana, an upbeat woman always willing to look for a solution to the hardships in her life, finds her life changed for the better when she meets a man able to change into a wolf at will. The two quickly fall in love and have two children, Are and Yuki, before he is tragically killed in an accident. With no other choice, Hana does her best to raise her two children as best she can, learning how to adapt to their special abilities passed down by their father and trying to discover how she can give them the best life possible based on who and what they end up choosing to be.
A heartwarming tale of untraditional families, overcoming hardship and accepting who one truly is, Wolf Children is an anime like The Ancient Magus’ Bride that masterfully blends fantastical ideas with very real dilemmas and relatable characters. Save for a few moments that fall under the typical anime tropes of strange and out there, this film is great for anyone who wants to watch something on par with the best fantasy works of most any other medium and wants another anime like The Ancient Magus’ Bride to watch.
Spice and Wolf
Anime Like The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Reversing the dynamic presented by Chie being dragged into a world of fantasy and magic, Spice and Wolf is an anime like The Ancient Magus’ Bride that sees Lawrence, a traveling merchant, exposed to the supernatural when he gains a traveling companion in the form of Holo, a wolf deity eager to return to her homeland after years of watching over a small farming village. Together, the two travel the land in search of clues as to what become of her home and new opportunities for Lawrence to expand his business, growing closer to each other and developing a budding romance all the while.
An intelligent series with moments of character development that feel genuine and emotional, this series has aged quite well since it first aired over a decade ago and still stands right alongside the best of fantasy and romance series. If you’re looking for a great anime like The Ancient Magus’ Bride with characters you’ll treasure long after it concludes, look no further.
Mushishi
Anime Like The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Set in a time between the Edo and Meiji periods of Japanese history, the series follows Ginko, a traveler and Mushi Master who wanders the country in search of mythical creatures known as Mushi. Capable of managing incredible feats and untold dangers ranging from predicting disasters to robbing people of their senses, these creatures interact with and prey on most anyone, forcing the people of the land to turn to Ginko in the hopes of discovering a solution or a way to co-exist with these powerful creatures.
A contemplative and mellow series, the show is perfect for anyone who is looking for anime like The Ancient Magus’ Bride, and for something to stoke their imagination while also helping them relax at the end of a long day. Each new tale of wondrous happenings and other-worldly phenomenons will draw you further into the world, stoking the embers of your childhood imagination and dreams of the fantastical lying just beyond the veil of reality.
Bungo Stray Dogs
Anime Like The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Atsushi Nakajima, an orphan who was kicked out of his orphanage after growing too old, is on the brink of death when he finds a man floating down the river in an attempted suicide. On instinct, he dives in and saves the man, who decides to thank him by offering him a free meal as well as listening to his woes and offering him a solution. This sparks Atsushi’s hiring onto the Armed Detective Agency, a special government division whose members wield special powers capable of keeping criminals and malcontents in check. In addition to discovering his own latent abilities, Atsushi also begins to gain a sense of belonging and purpose from his new home, and before long is faced with many a threat that would seek to destroy it.
A series that masterfully blends Shonen action, heartfelt character growth and an engaging world full of fantastical elements, this series is perfect for anyone who enjoyed seeing Chie and Elias grow from characters in search of purpose into ones with something they value and are willing to protect and is looking for an anime like The Ancient Magus’ Bride. Plus, with two seasons and a film available for viewing, there’s plenty to dig into before having to wait for a third season.
Know of some other shows to check out if The Ancient Magus’ Bride struck your fancy? Mention them in the comments below, and be sure to check out some of our other recommendation lists for titles like Vampire Knight and Violet Evergarden.
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