Best tv shows like Great Pretender
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Supposedly Japan’s greatest swindler, Makoto Edamura gets more than he bargained for when he tries to con Laurent Thierry, a real world-class crook.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, light, intellectual, humorous, captivating, entertaining
Best tv shows and movies like Great Pretender (2020):
Similar in 76%
Sweetness & Lightning (2016)
Plot Summary:
Kouhei Inuzuka is a teacher who has been caring for his little daughter on his own since his wife's death. He's no good at cooking, so he and his daughter Tsumugi have been eating packaged meals from the convenience store. A series of events lead him one evening to a restaurant run by the mother of one of his students, Kotori. Her mother isn't there, but Kotori does her best to feed them both. It turns out Kotori is often alone since her parents are divorced and her mother is frequently not around. The three of them begin to meet and cook tasty food together.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 774
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, light, captivating, entertaining, seinen
Similar in 83%
Non Non Biyori (2013)
Plot Summary:
Hotaru Ichijo, a fifth grader from Tokyo, transfers into Asahigaoka Branch School, far out at the countryside, and has to adjust to her new environment with her new friends.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, light, seinen, feel good, humorous, captivating, relaxing, retro, manga, crying
Similar in 80%
Hayate, the Combat Butler (2007)
Plot Summary:
16-year-old Hayate is really down on his luck. Because his unemployed parents are good-for-nothings who waste what money they have on gambling, Hayate had to start working at a young age to help out his family. Although such experience has made him inhumanly fast and tough and skilled at things boys aren't normally skilled at, it has also left him in an awkward position, as his parents have racked up such a huge gambling debt that they have sold Hayate to the yakuza for the value of his organs. In a desperate attempt to avoid that fate, Hayate decides to become a "bad guy" and kidnap someone to be held for ransom, but his efforts to do so are mistaken as a confession of love by the girl he targets. When he helps save the (as it turns out) ultra-wealthy 13-year-old Nagi from real kidnappers, she takes him in and gives him a job as her new personal butler (and love interest) until he can pay off his debt. But Hayate is more attracted to Nagi's beautiful teenage maid Maria, and head butler Klaus is initially disapproving of a boy with such a poor look. And then there's Nagi's pet Tama, who is also a force to be reckoned with.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 335
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, humorous, captivating, entertaining, parody, shounen, super sentai
Similar in 87%
Katanagatari (2010)
Plot Summary:
The historical epic centers on Shichika Yasuri, the seventh generational head of the Kyotō-ryū school of martial arts in medieval Japan. He and his older sister Nanami live on an isolated island, until a military advisor named Togame tells him of the final 12 swords forged by a legendary swordsmith. At Togame's bidding, Shichika embarks on a journey to find all 12 of the swords.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, light, humorous, captivating, ecchi, manga, seinen, shounen
Similar in 78%
The Helpful Fox Senko-san (2019)
Plot Summary:
Nakano is an employee of an exploitative "black" company, who meets a divine fox spirit named Senko. While she looks like a young girl, Senko is in fact 800 years old. She offers to spoil Nakano as much as possible, and begins looking after him.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 863
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, feel good, sincere, light, entertaining, humorous, shoujo, iyashikei
Similar in 89%
Michiko & Hatchin (2008)
Plot Summary:
The story takes place in a fictional country with cultural traces from South American countries, mostly from Brazil. The title's Michiko is a free-willed "sexy diva" who escapes from a supposedly inescapable prison fortress, while Hatchin is a girl fleeing her abusive foster family. The two join forces on an improbable escape to freedom.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, captivating, touching, entertaining, serious, realistic, stylized
Similar in 81%
Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! (2019)
Plot Summary:
Having stood out from others most of her life due to her exceptional character, Misato Kurihara has lived without neither the joy of having close friends nor the experience of having a regular life. However, after a sudden death, she was transported to a divine realm to be reincarnated—and granted one wish to top it off. Thinking about the ordinary life that she had always wanted, she wished to be born as a normal person, with abilities that are average for the world she will resurrect in. Reborn as Adele von Ascham—the daughter of a noble—she possesses magic powers completely exceeding what one would label average. Still desiring to carry out the life she wanted, she leaves her home and enrolls at a hunter school in a faraway kingdom using "Mile" as an alias. However, try as she might to hide her overpowering potential, attaining her goal will be difficult—especially when facing against the crazy situations that ensue!.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 781
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, funny, captivating, entertaining, light, parody, meta, shounen, tsundere, 2d animation
Similar in 89%
The Royal Tutor (2017)
Plot Summary:
Heine Wittgenstein is a pint-sized man given a monumental task. He's recently hired by the King of Grannzreich to whip four of his five sons into royalty material as their tutor. At first glance, the princes have all the allure and refinement Heine would expect but underneath their manicured exteriors are four potentially terrible tyrants.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 267
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, entertaining, satirical, semi serious
Similar in 83%
Patalliro Saiyuki! (2005)
Plot Summary:
Genjō Sanzō is a Buddhist monk sent by the Emperor on a journey to find the sacred Buddhist scriptures. One day, Sanzō meets an Earth Deity who tells him that Buddha has sent him a disciple: the mischievous Monkey Deity Son Goku, who was sealed inside of a mountain for five hundred years after wreaking havoc in Heaven! Together with the alcohol-loving playboy Cho Hakkai; the heavenly army General Sha Gojyō; and their horse, the Dragon Crown Prince Ryūba; there are plenty of adventures to be had.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 20
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining, folk tale
Similar in 75%
The Rolling Girls (2015)
Plot Summary:
Ten years after the Great Tokyo War, each prefecture in Japan has split up into independent nations. Each nation is ruled by a prophet called "Mosa" and an army called "Mob" as they start to compete to take over other countries. Four "Mob" girls from the Saitama clan, Nozomi, Yukina, Ai, and Chiaya, are ordered by their "Mosa" to travel around Japan riding their motorcycles to mediate multiple battles between nations and clans as they emerge.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 102
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, light, feel good, humorous, contemplative, unusual plot structure
Similar in 75%
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 86%
Brave 10 (2012)
Plot Summary:
Brave 10 is a manga series by Kairi Shimotsuki, serialized in Media Factory's Comic Flapper from 2007 to 2010. The series was resumed on June 15, 2011 and retitled Brave 10 Spiral, better known as Brave 10 S, serialized in Monthly Comic Gene. An anime adaptation by Studio Sakimakura and TMS Entertainment began airing on January 8, 2012. The original manga series is licensed by Tokyopop, though no volumes have been released as of 2012. The series is based on the legendary Sanada Ten Braves, a group of ninja that assisted warlord Sanada Yukimura during the Sengoku period of Japan. The series had been licensed for streaming on Crunchyroll.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 435
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, entertaining, humorous, captivating, stylized, semi serious, seinen
Similar in 80%
Banana Fish (2018)
Plot Summary:
Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of "Papa" Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands—and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: anime, suspense, exciting, captivating, yaoi, bleak, humorous, yuri, noir, adult animation
Similar in 79%
FLCL Progressive (2018)
Plot Summary:
Many years have passed since Naota and Haruhara Haruko shared their adventure together. Meanwhile, the war between the two entities known as Medical Mechanica and Fraternity rages across the galaxy. Enter Hidomi, a young teenaged girl who believes there is nothing amazing to expect from her average life, until one day when a new teacher named Haruko arrives at her school. Soon enough, Medical Mechanica is attacking her town and Hidomi discovers a secret within her that could save everyone, a secret that only Haruko can unlock. But why did Haruko return to Earth? What happened to her Rickenbacker 4001 she left with Naota? And where did the human-type robot "Canti" go?.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 880
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, entertaining, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Lupin the Third (1971)
Plot Summary:
Arsene Lupin III is the grandson of the master thief Arsene Lupin. With his cohorts Daisuke Jigen and Goemon Ishikawa XIII and his love interest Fujiko Mine, he pulls off the greatest heists of all time while always escaping the grasp of Inspector Koichi Zenigata.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, adult animation, manga, exciting, humorous, witty, stylized, semi serious, detective, vintage
Similar in 82%
Durarara!! (2010)
Plot Summary:
Durarara!!, often shortened to DRRR!!, is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita, with illustrations by Suzuhito Yasuda, that has also been adapted into a Japanese anime series. As of May 2012, eleven volumes have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation by Akiyo Satorigi started serialization in the shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy on April 18, 2009. An anime adaptation began airing in Japan in January 2010. Durarara!! tells the story of a dullahan working as an underworld courier in Ikebukuro, an internet-based anonymous gang called The Dollars, and the chaos that unfolds around the most dangerous people in Ikebukuro. Two games based on the series for the PlayStation Portable were released.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, touching, manga, exciting, humorous, serious, stylized, feel good
Similar in 79%
The Prince of Tennis (2001)
Plot Summary:
Prince of Tennis follows the story of a 12 year old boy Ryoma Echizen who won four consecutive titles in the American Junior Tennis tournaments. He's an amazing tennis player and is considered a prodigy. He moved from America to Japan and attends Seishun Academy Middle School or Seigaku as it is commonly referred to in the anime. The anime follows the matches between Seigaku and other middle schools such as Hyotei and Fudomine, and Seigaku's preparations for the matches.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 901
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Sport
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: anime, stylized, humorous, semi serious, captivating, exciting, realistic, campy
Similar in 83%
Yakitate!! Japan (2004)
Plot Summary:
Azuma Kazuma isn't terribly clever, but he's got a good heart and great skill - at baking. Since childhood, he's been on a quest to create the perfect bread to represent Japan internationally. Now, he seeks to enter the famous bakery Pantasia, in hopes of reaching his goal. But plots abound.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 477
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, funny, light, feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining
Similar in 79%
Girl's High (2006)
Plot Summary:
Eriko and her friends Yuma and Ayano are excited about entering high school. Their excitement leads to their breaking of the rules when they toured the school before the opening ceremony. They find out their preconceptions about the all female school may not be as true as they had first thought. Despite that, Eriko and her friends are joined by new friends. They aim to get through high school life together.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 123
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, light, feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining, ecchi
Similar in 82%
Wasteful Days of High School Girls (2019)
Plot Summary:
One day out of boredom, Tanaka decided to give her classmates nicknames based on their quirks. Her friend Sakuchi became "Ota" for her nerdy interests, and her other friend Saginomiya became "Robo" because of her expressionless personality. In retaliation, her friends decided to name Tanaka "Baka." These are the ridiculous days of three high school friends claiming (or not) the height of their youth.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 323
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, humorous, sincere, feel good, captivating, entertaining, seinen, super sentai
Similar in 79%
Uta no Prince-sama (2011)
Plot Summary:
With dreams of becoming a composer and someday writing a song for her favorite idol, Haruka enters the Saotome Academy, a prestigious performing arts school. If successful there, she’ll be able to join the Shining Agency after graduation. However, it won’t be so easy when Haruka is already surrounded by potential idols and composers. On top of that, her homeroom teacher is a current idol, the headmaster was a record-breaking singer, and the academy itself is a chaotic place where anything can happen. Which prince of song will be paired up with Haruka?! Uta no Prince Sama is an exciting, coming-of-age romantic comedy that will be like sweet music to your eyes and ears!.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 375
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: shoujo, anime, humorous, captivating, feel good, light, sincere, manga, touching, realistic
Similar in 77%
Armed Girl's Machiavellism (2017)
Plot Summary:
The Private Aichi Symbiosis Academy was originally a high school for high-class girls. When it became co-ed, the girls, out of fear, asked to be permitted to bring weapons to school. When that was enforced, a five-member vigilante corps-like organization called the "Supreme Five Swords" was also formed. After many generations, the five swords eventually became a group which corrected problematic students, and the academy started proactively accepting such students in order to correct them. Nomura Fudou was sent to this school after being part of a huge brawl. What will he do when the only options he has after enrolling are being expelled from that school or being corrected the way the rest of the male students there were...by being forced to dress and act like a girl!.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 518
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, ecchi, exciting, light, humorous, captivating, entertaining, shounen, super sentai, 2d animation
Similar in 83%
Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan (2021)
Plot Summary:
Being an adult is hard, and for Uramichi Omota, that truth weighs on him. While on TV, he’s the upbeat exercise instructor for a children’s show, but he and his coworkers keep revealing the plight of adulthood on air. At least they’re working through it.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 743
Genere: Animation, Comedy
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, humorous, captivating, entertaining, josei
Similar in 84%
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 90%
Lupin the Third: Operation: Return the Treasure (2003)
Plot Summary:
After robbing a Moscow casino right under Zenigata's nose, Lupin sets his sights on stealing the Trick Diamond. He and Jigen head to the estate of the recently deceased Mark Williams, another master thief who's had the diamond, as well as other treasures, in his possession for years. However, instead of finding the diamond, Lupin & Jigen find Fujiko, who tells them about Mark's dying wish - Lupin must return all the treasures the old thief stole to their rightful place. If this is done in time, the location of the diamond will be revealed, and Lupin can use it to get the real treasure, hidden in Gaudí's Sagrada Familia. Returning the stolen goods isn't easy though, as Zenigata and the casino boss' ruthless gang are on Lupin and friends' tail.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 318
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Country: Japan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, semi serious, exciting, humorous, realistic, fast, detective
Similar in 87%
Don't Hurt Me, My Healer! (2022)
Plot Summary:
The misadventures of a knight and a healer begin in this new fantasy comedy series!.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 156
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, funny, feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining, satirical, semi serious, seinen
Similar in 82%
The Numbers (2016)
Plot Summary:
Four men are assigned to the prison: Jūgo, a man who attempted to break out of prison and ended up extending his jail time; Uno, a man who likes to gamble with women; Rock, a man who likes to get into fights; and Nico, a man who likes anime.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 437
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: anime, humorous, entertaining, captivating
Similar in 89%
Tiger & Bunny (2011)
Plot Summary:
Tiger & Bunny is a 2011 Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise under the direction of Keiichi Satou. The screenplay was written by Masafumi Nishida, with original character design by Masakazu Katsura. The series began its broadcast run in Japan on April 3, 2011 on Tokyo MX, followed by rebroadcasts on BS11 and MBS, and ended on September 17, 2011. Viz Media are also simulcasting the series, streaming on Hulu and Anime News Network. It is set in a futuristic city where heroes fight crime whilst promoting real life sponsors, focusing on two superheroes, the old-fashioned "Wild Tiger" and the rookie hero Barnaby Brooks Jr., as they are forced by their employers to work together. A one-shot manga drawn by Masakazu Katsura was published in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump magazine on August 4, 2011 and the production of two films based on the series were announced during a special event on November, 2011. The first film, entitled Gekijō-ban Tiger & Bunny -The Beginning was released on September 22, 2012. The second film, Gekijō-ban Tiger & Bunny -The Rising-, will be released in February 2014.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, humorous, captivating, tense, entertaining, mecha, manga, shounen, futuristic
Similar in 79%
Space Dandy (2014)
Plot Summary:
Space Dandy is a dandy in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Each new species he discovers earns him a hefty reward, but this dandy has to be quick on his feet because it’s first come – first served! Accompanied by his sidekicks, a rundown robot named QT and Meow the cat-looking space alien, Dandy bravely explores unknown worlds inhabited by a variety aliens. Join the best dressed alien hunter in all of space and time as he embarks on an adventure that ends at the edge of the universe!.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, not serious, humorous, adult animation, captivating, entertaining, psychedelic, adult anime, parody, seinen