Best tv shows like Area 88
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The adventures of a young pilot in a war torn country. Shin Kazama was duped into singing a three-year contract at Area 88, a secluded mercenary air force base. Determined to earn $1.5 million to buy his way out of the obligation and return home, killing becomes second nature to Shin as he quickly rises to the top rank at Area 88. He begins to question whether he is still fighting for survival, or like his fellow mercenaries, for the sheer excitement and camaraderie of battle.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 140
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime
Best tv shows and movies like Area 88 (2004):
Similar in 86%
Angolmois: Record of Mongol Invasion (2018)
Plot Summary:
The story follows a group of samurai attempting to defend Japan from the first Mongol invasion in 1274.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 290
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, breathtaking, epic, captivating, factual
Similar in 77%
Venus Versus Virus (2007)
Plot Summary:
Venus Versus Virus revolves around the life of a young girl named Sumire Takahana who has had the power to see ghosts since she was a small child, though no one believes her. One night while running to her dorm building to make curfew, a broach flies out of no where and she pricks her finger on it and sees a demon. Suddenly, another girl clad in gothic lolita clothing arrives bearing a huge gun and kills the demon. Once the ordeal is overwith, the girl gives Sumire a flier for a local clothing store, Venus Vanguard. When Sumire comes to the store, the girl, whose name is Lucia Nabashi, she explains to her that because she pricked her finger on Lucia's broach, Sumire now has the power to see demons as well as ghosts. Additionally, Lucia now wants Sumire to help her rid the world of these demons called Virus that threaten to consume all of humanity.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 88
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, captivating, suspenseful, manga
Similar in 90%
Whistle! (2002)
Plot Summary:
Everybody has a dream, and for Shou Kazamatsuri, that dream is simple: he wants to be the best soccer player he can possibly be. Although he is not very good at the game and he's not very tall.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 35
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sport
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 84%
Clamp School (1997)
Plot Summary:
CLAMP School has all the size and resources of a small city. Over 10,000 people - students and their families - live, work, and study within its self-sufficient campus. Any student with talent, regardless of wealth, is gladly accepted into this amazing facility. Covering kindergarten through graduate school, it is without equal anywhere in the world. Nokoru Imonoyama, Student Council President of the Elementary School Division, as well as the Treasurer, Akira, and Secretary, Suoh, are three of the most well-liked and idolized students in school. Nokoru decides that he and his two friends are going to start a detective service, solving any mystery or crime, great or small. But, as Nokoru is a bit theatrical and a shameless romantic, he declares that these detectives will focus on aiding mostly girls and women. With all the resources the school has to offer at their disposal, the CLAMP School Detectives are on a mission to help damsels in distress.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 72
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, shoujo, detective
Similar in 89%
CARDFIGHT!! VANGUARD (2021)
Plot Summary:
Third-year middle school student Yu-yu Kondo lives in Kanazawa city of the country of Kaga. Being unable to reject requests, Yu-yu often gets caught up in his sister's hobbies. When Yu-yu could no longer bear it and ran away from home, he was saved by Megumi Okura. Megumi invites Yu-yu to the Night Amusement Park "Wonder Hill" where her friends gather. The amusement park is where many youths of the Vanguard-centric group "Team Blackout" gather. And this is how Yu-yu encounters Vanguard and was drawn in by the appeal of Vanguard and the world and friends he had never seen before.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 28
Genere: Animation, Action
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, shounen
Similar in 87%
Green Legend Ran (1992)
Plot Summary:
The mysterious Rodo fell to earth ages ago, stealing away the air, water and life from the planet. It's up to Ran, a daring young man, and Aira, a silver-haired girl with a mysterious connection to the Rodo, to save the planet.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 336
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 89%
Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory (2018)
Plot Summary:
Sousuke Sagara, a member of a covert anti-terrorist private military organization known as Mithril, tasked with protecting Kaname Chidori, a spirited Japanese high school girl.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 441
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, mecha, psychological, suspense, futuristic, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 83%
Gangsta. (2015)
Plot Summary:
In the crime-ridden, mafia-governed city of Ergastulum, Worick and Nicolas are two "handymen" known as "Benriya" who would take any dirty job from either police or mafia -- for a good price. After an assignment from police the two met and later joined by Alex, a former prostitute who got interested in the mysterious background of the team, in particular of Nicolas' abilities.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, manga, adult anime, seinen, silent, silent film
Similar in 81%
Pumpkin Scissors (2006)
Plot Summary:
Pumpkin Scissors is a manga created and authored by Ryotaro Iwanaga. Originally serialized in Magazine GREAT in 2002 it was later moved to Monthly Shonen Magazine in October 2006. The manga has been licensed by Del Rey. An anime adaptation of Pumpkin Scissors has been released, produced by Gonzo and AIC, which began airing on October 2, 2006 across several Japanese television stations and ended with the 24th episode on March 19, 2007. The series was originally licensed to the North American market by ADV Films for $780,000. In 2008 it became one of over thirty titles transferred from ADV Films to FUNimation, the main distributor of anime in the English speaking world.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 260
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, captivating, tense, humorous, entertaining, serious, realistic
Similar in 76%
RideBack (2009)
Plot Summary:
Rin Yugata, a dancer, attends college after quitting ballet after an injury prevents her from performing in a play.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 194
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, suspenseful, semi serious, captivating, manga, mecha
Similar in 82%
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: Gravity Front (2008)
Plot Summary:
The storyline takes place during the One Year War of the Universal Century. It explores the ground phase of the One Year War from the Earth Federation's point of view.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 72
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha
Similar in 83%
Togainu no Chi: Bloody Curs (2010)
Plot Summary:
After being devastated in the third World War (known as The Third Division), Japan was divided in two. Several years after the end of the war, a crime organization called Vischio has taken control of the destroyed city of Toshima (formerly Tokyo, Japan's capital city), where they are holding a battle game known as Igura.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 208
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 83%
FLCL Alternative (2018)
Plot Summary:
FLCL Alternative is a sequel to FLCL and FLCL Progressive.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 594
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 79%
Bibliophile Princess (2022)
Plot Summary:
When book-loving Lady Elianna spots Prince Christopher—her betrothed in name only—consorting with another noble lady, she realizes the recent rumors must be true. The prince has someone he truly loves, which means the annulment of their engagement is both inevitable and fast-approaching. What she doesn't realize is that this is merely a surface ripple—one of many where the truth runs deep, in a conspiracy surpassing her imagination!.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 144
Genere: Animation, Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 82%
Gasaraki (1998)
Plot Summary:
Gasaraki is a mecha anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was directed by Ryousuke Takahashi, who also co-created the series along with Sunrise and was assisted by Goro Taniguchi. The screenplay was written by Toru Nozaki. The series centers on Yushiro Gowa who pilots a bipedal weapons system known as a TA, short for Tactical Armor. Much of the initial plot is driven by means of news reports. Set in the near-future the series is formed around political narratives that concern a fictional war between the US and the fictional Middle Eastern country of Belgistan. An influential Japanese family, the Gowa, produce a bipedal weapon, the TA. When US military forces attempt to seize the capital they are systematically wiped out by what appear to be rival TAs. The Gowa Family seizes this opportunity to demonstrate their weapon system, and civilian pilot Yuushiro Gowa and the military squad to which he is attached are deployed to Begilstan. There, he meets rival TA pilot Miharu, with whom he seems to share a deep spiritual bond. The series has a mix of futuristic and historical narratives and includes elements of Japanese culture, such as Noh and Shinto, rigid family hierarchies, corruption of government by Zaibatsu and Samurai appear throughout the series.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 300
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 625 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, rough, bleak, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 81%
Area 88: The Blue Skies of Betrayal (1985)
Plot Summary:
Compilation of Area 88 Acts I-III. A pilot struggles to retain his humanity when he is shanghaied into a mercenary jet fighter force.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 469
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 200 min
Plot tags: anime, shounen, vintage
Similar in 81%
Yukikaze (2002)
Plot Summary:
Thirty-three years ago, an alien force known as the "JAM" invaded Earth through a dimensional portal over Antarctica. Earth's forces managed to drive the JAM away to a distant planet designated as "Fairy". While the majority of Earth's population is unaware of the JAM's presence, the war continues on Fairy, where Rei Fukai is an SAF (Special Air Force) pilot assigned to pilot "Yukikaze"—an advanced reconnaissance fighter plane equipped with a near-sentient A.I. that detects the presence of the JAM within its path.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 352
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 47 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, psychological
Similar in 80%
Aoharu x Machinegun (2015)
Plot Summary:
When Hotaru moves into a new apartment alone, there's a mysterious man standing nearby the apartment. Hotaru decides to confront the man, who turns out to live in the neighboring apartment. The next day at school, Hotaru's best friend Kanae tells Hotaru that a host tricked her out of her money. When Hotaru goes to confront the host, he happens to be none other than Hotaru's neighbor, Masamune?!.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 216
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, shounen, super sentai
Similar in 89%
Sola (2007)
Plot Summary:
Sola is a Japanese work originally conceived by Naoki Hisaya with original character design by Naru Nanao. Sola is a mixed media project, first unveiled through the prologue of the manga featured in the Japanese manga magazine Dengeki Daioh on December 21, 2006, published by MediaWorks. The manga, which is illustrated by Chako Abeno, ended serialization on February 21, 2008. The manga has been licensed for distribution in North America by Broccoli Books with the first volume being released in June 2008. A short drama CD which also served as a prologue to the series was released at Comiket 71 in December 2006, and a second drama CD was released in May 2008. An anime version aired in Japan between April and June 2007; the anime contained thirteen episodes, and two additional DVD-exclusive episodes followed. The anime was licensed by Bandai Entertainment for distribution in North America in a subtitle-only box set of all fifteen episodes. The title, Sola, is close in pronunciation to the Japanese word sora. At the end of 2007, Japanese anime fans voted Sola as the best anime of the year.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 195
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 81%
Unlimited Psychic Squad (2008)
Plot Summary:
A breeze flutters the lovely silver hair atop the head of a young man wearing a uniform so black, it seems to be mourning something. His name is Hyoubu Kyousuke. He commands the criminal esper organization P.A.N.D.R.A. and continues to soar on midnight black wings through the dark sky, going so far as to start a revolution for the sake of his brethren who share his psychic powers. The antagonist hero of Shiina Takashi's original work, Zettai Karen Children, is the star of the original story in this new spin-off anime! Fight back against the fate of time itself, and set infinity loose!.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 312
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, stylized, semi serious, captivating, super sentai
Similar in 76%
Legends of the Dark King: A Fist of the North Star Story (2008)
Plot Summary:
The world has been reduced to a wasteland, populated by desperate villagers, marauding bandits, and ruthless warriors. One such warrior, Raoh, dares to challenge the Demon King.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 212
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, captivating, tense, suspense, bleak, serious, suspenseful, stylized, splatter
Similar in 87%
Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho (2007)
Plot Summary:
Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchō Tō is a Japanese anime series, which premiered in Japan on the anime satellite TV network Animax. A large part of Tokyo Majin Gakuen, it is loosely based on a series of Japan-only video games, and is directed by Shinji Ishihara. The first season first aired on January 19, 2007 and ended on April 20, 2007; all the episodes in the series were called the 'Dark Law Chapters'. A second season, titled Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchō Tō: Dai Ni Maku started airing on July 27, 2007; its first five episodes are called the 'Martial Fist Chapters', its next five episodes are called the 'Stars of Fate Chapters', and its last two episodes are called the 'Extra'. On June 26, 2007, ADV announced that they had acquired the license to this series. ADV distributed the series under the title of Tokyo Majin, dropping "Gakuen Kenpuchō Tō" from the title. In 2008, the anime became one of over 30 ADV titles whose licenses were transferred to Funimation.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 158
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, exciting, tense, captivating, seinen
Similar in 83%
Fire Force (2019)
Plot Summary:
Year 198 of the Solar Era in Tokyo, special fire brigades are fighting against a phenomenon called spontaneous human combustion where humans beings are turned into living infernos called "Infernals". While the Infernals are first generation cases of spontaneous human combustion, later generations possess the ability to manipulate flames while retaining human form. Shinra Kusakabe, a youth who gained the nickname Devil's Footprints for his ability to ignite his feet at will, joins the Special Fire Force Company 8 which composes of other flames users as they work to extinguish any Infernals they encounter. As a faction that is creating Infernals appears, Shira begins to uncover the truth behind a mysterious fire that caused the death of his family twelve years ago.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, captivating, inspirational, manga, shounen, psychological, suspense
Similar in 89%
Tokyo Revengers (2021)
Plot Summary:
Takemichi Hanagaki is a freelancer that’s reached the absolute pits of despair in his life. He finds out that the only girlfriend he ever had, in middle school, Hinata Tachibana, had been killed by the ruthless Tokyo Manji Gang. The day after hearing about her death, he’s standing on the station platform and ends up being pushed over onto the tracks by a herd of people. He closes his eyes thinking he’s about to die, but when he opens his eyes back up, he somehow had gone back in time 12 years. Now that he’s back living the best days of his life, Takemichi decides to get revenge on his life.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, tense, suspenseful, suspense, shounen, touching, crying
Similar in 75%
Tomodachi Game (2022)
Plot Summary:
Yuuichi Katagiri believes that friends are more important than money, but he also knows the hardships of not having enough funds. He works hard to save up in order to go on the high school trip, because he has promised his four best friends that they will all go together. However, after the class' money is all collected, it's stolen! Suspicion falls on two of Yuuichi's friends, Shiho Sawaragi and Makoto Shibe. Soon afterwards, the five of them are kidnapped, and wake up in a strange room with a character from a short-lived anime. Apparently, one of them has entered them into a "friendship game" in order to take care of their massive debt. But who was it, and why did they have such a debt? Could they have stolen the money from class to pay for entry into the game? Yuuichi and his best friends will have to succeed in psychological games that will test or destroy their faith in one another.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, disturbing, captivating, suspense
Similar in 87%
Macross Zero (2002)
Plot Summary:
Taking place one year before the events of the original Macross series, Macross Zero chronicles the final days of the war between the U.N. Spacy and anti-U.N. factions. After being shot down by the anti-U.N.'s newest fighter plane, ace pilot Shin Kudo finds himself on the remote island of Mayan, where technology is almost non-existent. While Shin stays on the island to heal his wounds, the tranquility of the island is shattered by a battle that involves the UN's newest fighter - the VF-0.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 35 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, suspenseful, stylized, exciting, bleak, serious, adult anime, seinen, futuristic
Similar in 75%
RahXephon (2002)
Plot Summary:
In a world where time passes at a crawl and the blood of your neighbor runs blue, 17 year old high school student Ayato Kamina goes about his daily life within Tokyo Jupiter oblivious to the world around him, having been educated with the fact that the all civilization but Tokyo has been destroyed. But all that changes when the mysterious civilization "MU" invades his home, raining destruction down from the sky in the form of strange monsters called Dolems. The events that occur next will lead Ayato to the mysterious woman named Reika Mishima, to the truth of their existence, the discovery of what and who he is, and to the powerful angelic robot RahXephon.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, atmospheric, serious, stylized, mecha, psychological
Similar in 76%
Big Order (2016)
Plot Summary:
Ten years ago, a child wished for the destruction of the world. Now, a group of people has the ability to grant their wishes depending on their power. They are called "Order User." Before these great people who have the power of "Order," one person excels the most with the ability to rule and conquer the world and turn people into puppets when it is in his jurisdiction. This power belongs to Hoshimiya Eiji, who is also responsible for the destructive phenomena that happened exactly ten years ago.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 385
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, stylized, captivating, suspense, disturbing, manga, shounen
Similar in 87%
Kingdom (2012)
Plot Summary:
Kingdom (2012) In the Warring States Period of ancient China (475-221 BCE), Shin and Hyou are war-orphans in the kingdom of Qin. They dream of one day proving themselves on the battlefield. One day, however, Hyou is taken to the palace by a minister. Winding up on the losing side of a power-struggle, Hyou manages to return to the village, barely alive. Shin then meets a boy who closely resembles Hyou, Ei Sei. For now he is the king of Qin; later he will become the emperor Shi Huangdi.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 86%
D.Gray-man Hallow (2016)
Plot Summary:
Allen Walker is an exorcist working for the Black Order whose mission is to protect mankind from the evil Millennium Earl and his deadly Akuma. Allen and his comrades must recover lost Innocence while defending against the Earl’s terrifying army. But if they fail, Innocence will be lost forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 725
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, tense, captivating, disturbing, shounen