Japanese TV series about alternative reality

List of the best Japanese TV series about alternative reality according to viewers: Kino's Journey: The Beautiful World - The Animated Series, Wonder Egg Priority, Devilman Crybaby, Love and Lies, Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, Baki, Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen, Beelzebub, Date a Live, Ushio and Tora.

In the top there are new series of 2023, a plot description and trailers for series that have already been released.

Country
Markimdb: 7.2
Genrefantastic, fantasy, drama, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrefantasy, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Ai, a young girl with shut-in tendencies, who tries not to interact with others. She keeps one of her eyes hidden behind her hair. One day, she happens to stop by a deserted arcade, where she meets "Aka." Spinning the gacha at their urging, she acquires a "Wonder Egg," and from that moment, her fate begins to change...

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrehorror, action, fantasy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:25

Akira Fudo learns from his best friend Ryo Asuka that demons will revive and reclaim the world from humans. With humans hopeless against this threat, Ryo suggests combining with a demon. With this, Akira becomes Devilman, a being with the power of demon but with a human heart.

Markimdb: 6.1
Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

In a futuristic society, Japan has implemented a complex system referred to as "The Red Threads of Science" to encourage successful marriages and combat increasingly low birthrates. Based on a compatibility calculation, young people at the age of 16 are assigned marriage partners by the government, with severe repercussions awaiting those who disobey the arrangement. For Yukari Nejima, a teen that considers himself average in every way, this system might be his best shot at living a fulfilling life.However, spurred by his infatuation for his classmate and long-time crush, Misaki Takasaki, Yukari defies the system and confesses his love. After some initial reluctance, Misaki reciprocates his feelings in a moment of passion. Unfortunately, before the two can further their relationship, Yukari receives his marriage notice. He is then thrown into a confusing web of love and lies when his less-than-thrilled assigned partner, Ririna Sanada, becomes fascinated with his illicit romance.

Markimdb: 8.4
Genredrama
CountryJapan

In a restaurant opening from midnight to 7AM, there is no menu but the chef cooks anything the customer wants. Each episode is about a different customer.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genreaction, cartoon, sport, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:53

The protagonist, Baki Hanma, trains with an intense focus to become strong enough to surpass his father, Yujiro Hanma, the strongest fighter in the world. Five of the world's most violent and brutal death row inmates are gathering to face Baki. Their objective is to taste defeat -- their unmatched strength and skill have led them to grow bored of life itself, and they now seek out Baki in the hopes that he can overwhelm and utterly crush them. In this crisis, other underground martial art warriors gather to fight by Baki's side: Kaoru Hanayama, Gouki Shibukawa, Retsu Kaioh, and Doppo Orochi. An epic showdown between violent death row inmates and Baki and his friends begins.

Markimdb: 7
Genrecomedy, drama, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

During the events of the original Rozen Maiden, after circling "yes" on a paper and agreeing to wind an unknown "something," a traumatized Jun Sakurada fights alongside the lifelike dolls known as the Rozen Maidens. But what would have happened if Jun had circled "no"?Jun, having gotten over his school trauma from his younger days, spends his time attending college and working in a bookstore. However, he does not feel as though he belongs anywhere. One day, he finds a book containing instructions on how to make a Rozen Maiden. Mysteriously, when he arrives home that night, the second volume in the book series has been delivered to his house, along with some pieces of a doll. But as suddenly as they started arriving, the books stop coming, and Jun gets a notice that says that the books have ceased being published. With an incomplete doll in hand, and a message from his other self in another world, this Jun also finds his way into the world of the Rozen Maidens.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrecomedy, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration25:00

Violent delinquent Oga encounters a baby one day, which crawls onto his back and immediately forms an attachment to him. Though he doesn't know it yet, this baby is named Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV, or "Baby Beel" for short—the son of the Demon Lord!

Markimdb: 6.9
Genrefantastic, comedy, melodrama, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Thirty years ago a strange phenomenon called a "spacequake" devastated the center of Eurasia, claiming the lives of at least 150 million people. Since then, smaller spacequakes plague the world on an irregular basis. Shido Itsuka, a seemingly ordinary high schooler comes across a mysterious girl at the ground zero of a spacequake and learns she is one of the "Spirits" who are the real cause of the spacequakes that occur when they manifest themselves in the world. He is recruited to make use of his mysterious ability to seal the Spirits' powers thus stopping them from being a threat to mankind. However, there is a catch: to seal a Spirit's power, he must make her fall in love with him and kiss him.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genrehorror, action, fantasy, comedy, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration10:50

Ushio thinks that his father's talk of an ancient ancestor impaling a demon on a temple altar stone with the legendary Beast Spear is nuts, but when he finds the monster in his own basement, Ushio has to take another look at the family legend! To save his friends and family from the invading spirits, Ushio is forced to release Tora from his captivity. But will the creature prove to be worse than the curse?

Markimdb: 6.7
Genrefantastic, action, fantasy, comedy, cartoon
CountryJapan, South Korea

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

Markimdb: 6.9
Genrefantastic, action, cartoon, detective, anime
CountryJapan
Duration00:25

A near future, where humans have been defeated by the viral parasites named Gastrea. They have been exiled into a small territory and live in despair, side-by-side in terror.In this world trapped in darkness—Rentaro, a boy living near Tokyo and member of the "Civil Security"—an organization specializing in fighting against the Gastrea—is used to accomplishing dangerous tasks. His partner is Enju, a precocious young girl. They fight thanks to their peculiar powers until one day, when they receive a special assignment from the government. This top secret mission is to prevent the destruction of Tokyo...Set in a near future, this thrilling heroic-action story... starts now!

Markimdb: 7.4
Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration00:25

Izumi was born in a family of celebrities. His father is a singer, his mother an artist, his older brother the lead vocalist for the popular band Crashers. Izumi himself, however, is just a nerdy college student. He loves the manga "Magical Girl Lala Lulu" and dreams of becoming a manga writer himself. One day he is roped into filming a commercial where he wears a dress. Another actor on the set, Ryoma Ichijo, mistakes him for a woman and falls in love at first sight. As it turns out, though, they met ten years in the past. And Ryoma feelings don't change when he finds out Izumi is a boy.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrefantasy, melodrama, cartoon, detective, anime
CountryJapan

Kogarashi has the ability to see supernatural, and has been possessed by ghosts since he was a kid but now he has learned to fight back against them! Unfortunately, he's now also very poor, homeless, and hoping for a happier, more normal, high school life. In his search for housing, he's introduced to a very cheap boarding house called Yuragi Manor, which was formerly a hot springs inn. It's so cheap because the house is haunted by the spirit of a high school student whose corpse was found there.Kogarashi doesn't think this is going to be a problem for him. Soon he finds that Yuragi Manor's ghost is a 16-year-old girl named Yuna, who lives in his room. Kogarashi has no desire to hurt a ghost girl, and instead he ends up agreeing to help her to figure out her unfinished business so that she can move onto the afterlife before turning evil. Once it is clear that he is fine with Yuna, the other tenants reveal their own secrets—his life in Yuragi Manor is going to be far from ordinary!

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Moriko Morioka is a 30-year-old single NEET woman. After dropping out from reality, she has taken off in search for a fulfilling life and ended up in a net game or "netoge." In the netoge world, she began her new life as a refreshing and handsome character named Hayashi. While starting out as a beginner, a pretty character named Lily reached out to help her. Meanwhile, in the real world, awaits a shocking encounter with a good-looking elite company employee, a mysterious blue-eyed blonde.

Markimdb: 7.9
Genrehorror, action, thriller, fantasy, drama, cartoon, short, anime
CountryJapan
Duration00:25

Ken Kaneki is a bookworm college student who meets a girl names Rize at a cafe he frequents. They're the same age and have the same interests, so they quickly become close. Little does Kaneki know that Rize is a ghoul - a kind of monster that lives by hunting and devouring human flesh. When part of her special organ - "the red child" - is transplanted into Kaneki, he becomes a ghoul himself, trapped in a warped world where humans are not the top of the food chain.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrethriller, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:31

Koudo Ikusei Senior High School is a leading prestigious school with state-of-the-art facilities where nearly 100% of students go on to university or find employment. The students there have the freedom to wear any hairstyle and bring any personal effects they desire. Koudo Ikusei is a paradise-like school, but the truth is that only the most superior of students receive favorable treatment. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is a student of D-class, which is where the school dumps its "inferior" students in order to ridicule them. For a certain reason, Kiyotaka was careless on his entrance examination, and was put in D-class. After meeting Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyou, two other students in his class, Kiyotaka's situation begins to change.

Markimdb: 5.5
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:55

This "sibling romantic comedy" revolves around Masamune Izumi, a light novel author in high school. Masamune's little sister is Sagiri, a shut-in girl who hasn't left her room for an entire year. She even forces her brother to make and bring her meals when she stomps the floor. Masamune wants his sister to leave her room, because the two of them are each other's only family. Masamune's novel illustrator, pen name "Eromanga," draws extremely perverted drawings, and is very reliable. Masamune had never met his illustrator, and figured he was just a disgusting, perverted otaku. However, the truth is revealed… that his "Eromanga-sensei" is his own younger sister! To add to the chaos that erupts between the siblings, a beautiful, female, best-selling shoujo manga creator becomes their rival!

Markimdb: 7.8
Genrefantasy, comedy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:27

When she was a little girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari saw a magic show performed by a witch named Shiny Chariot. From that day on she wanted to be just like her. Enrolling at Luna Nova Magical Academy and having no magical background, can she become a witch like her idol Shiny Chariot?

Markimdb: 7.4
Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, detective, anime
CountryJapan
Duration05:00

The story revolves around a first-year high school student, Teiichi Niiya who had just enrolled at Seikyou Private Academy. When he gets lost in one of the school's old building, he meets a girl named Yuuko Kanoe who reveals herself as a ghost with no memories. Teiichi then decides to investigate her death by delving deep into the infamous Seven Mysteries of the storied school along with Kirie Kanoe, Yuuko's relative, and the oblivious second year Momoe Okonogi. Throughout the story, Teiichi and Yuuko discover the truth about these ghost stories and help those who are troubled all the while inching closer to the truth behind Yuuko's death.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genrefantastic, thriller, cartoon, detective, anime
CountryJapan
Duration00:24

Lain is an avant-garde anime influenced by philosophical subjects such as reality, identity, and communication. The series focuses on Lain Iwakura, an adolescent girl living in suburban Japan, and her introduction to the Wired, a global communications network similar to the Internet.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genreaction, thriller, melodrama, drama, adventure, cartoon, short, anime
CountryJapan
Duration11:16

Reality quickly unravels when antisocial Yukiteru is called into a death match against 11 other mentally scarred individuals. Each player has a prophetic device tuned to their personality, giving them control over their future—and the fate of their foes.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genrehorror, fantastic, action, cartoon, short, anime
CountryJapan
Duration00:25

Ganta is the only survivor after a mysterious man in red slaughters a classroom full of teenagers. He's framed for the carnage, sentenced to die, and locked away in the most twisted prison ever built: Deadman Wonderland. And then it gets worse.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genrefantasy, comedy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Streamed special of Demi-chan wa Kataritai which will also be included with the Blu-ray/DVD volume 7.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrefantastic, action, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

During the construction of the Kurobe Dam, an ancient artifact was discovered, and so the United Nations Kurobe Research Institute was established. Intellectuals from all over the world gathered to study the object, and the children of those researchers attend Mt. Tate International Senior High School, including the institute head's daughter, Yukina Shirahane. In the summer of 2016, a lone samurai once again awakens.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genreaction, thriller, fantasy, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration00:25

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, known in Japan as Nurarihyon no Mago, is a manga series written and illustrated by Hiroshi Shiibashi. The series was first published in Shueisha as a oneshot in 2007. The manga has been continuously serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 2008 and has been collected into 25 tankōbon volumes as of December 2012. A Drama CD was released in December 2009. An anime adaptation by Studio DEEN began airing in Japan on July 5, 2010, with the first season consisting of 26 episodes.Viz Media acquired the licensing rights for a North American release of the manga and anime adaptations. The anime episodes have been streamed on Viz Media's anime streaming site, Viz Anime, since July 2010, while the first manga volume was released February 2011.

Markimdb: 5.6
Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

For high school students like Shouichi Kamita, university entrance exams and the future are common concerns. It is also during this time in life that a mysterious emotion that vexes people of all ages may begin to weigh upon one's mind—love.At this point in his teenage years, Shouichi finds three girls he could see himself having a future with: the ever-cheerful Hikari Tsuneki, who teases Shouichi without mercy, but actually has a softer side; the competitive gamer, Tooru Miyamae, who has difficulty communicating with others; and Shouichi's childhood friend, Kyouko Touno, the sometimes immature shoujo manga enthusiast. Seiren follows Shouichi's relationships with these three girls across three separate arcs, as their feelings grow from mutual interest and blossom into something more beautiful.

Markimdb: 7
Genreaction, fantasy, comedy, melodrama, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

After having descended upon this world, the gods have created guilds where adventurers can test their mettle. These guilds, known as "familia," grant adventurers the chance to explore, gather, hunt, or simply enjoy themselves.The Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, and the novice mage, Lefiya Viridis, are members of the Loki Familia, who are experts at monster hunting. With the rest of their group, they journey to the tower of Babel in hopes of exploring the dungeon underneath. Home to powerful monsters, the dungeon will fulfill Ais's desire to master her sword skills, while bringing Lefiya closer to her dream of succeeding Riveria Ljos Alf, vice-captain of the Loki Familia, as the most powerful mage in the land.

Markimdb: 7.9
Genrefantastic, action, comedy, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration00:25

The story centers around two fiercely fighting schoolgirls, Ryuuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuuin. On a campus ruled by force, a transfer student wielding a Basami sword brings about upheaval.

Markimdb: 8.3
Genredrama, cartoon, sport, anime
CountryJapan

Rei is a 17-year old professional shōgi player, who lives by himself, not having a real family, and has scarcely any friends. Among his acquaintances is a family, which consists of a young woman, Akari, and two young girls, Hinata and Momo, and who also keep a numerous number of cats.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrefantastic, action, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

In 1972, the Apollo 17 mission discovered a hypergate to Mars on the surface of the moon. Soon a war breaks out between Earth and Mars, and Martian soldiers begin to descend from the sky, riding steel giants, intent on exterminating humanity.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genrehorror
CountryJapan

Onoda Shizuru is a university student in Kyoto. As soon as she starts living out her long cherished desire, the strange horror newspapers begin to arrive. At first, she believes them to be a prank but the stories in the newspapers begin happening one after the other. Murders, accidents, abuse, natural disasters, injustice... these newspapers predict all sorts of tragedies. What is the truth behind them?

Markimdb: 7.7
Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration02:24

"If you blush, you lose."Living by this principle, the middle schooler Nishikata gets constantly made fun of by his seat neighbor Takagi-san. With his pride shattered to pieces, he vows to turn the tables and get back at her someday. And so, he attempts to tease her day after day, only to find himself victim to Takagi-san's ridicule again sooner than later. Will he be able to make Takagi-san blush from embarrassment even once in the end?

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:20

In the story, Mitsuyoshi Tada, a boy who has never known love, is taking pictures of the cherry blossoms in full bloom when he meets Teresa Wagner, a transfer student from Luxembourg. Upon arriving in Japan, she got lost, separated from her travel companion. Mitsuyoshi helps her and brings her to his grandfather's coffee shop.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrecomedy, melodrama
CountryJapan
Duration00:23

Ouran Academy is a prestigious school with most students coming from wealthy families. One of the few students who comes from a modest background is Haruhi Fujioka (Haruna Kawaguchi). Through unexpected circumstances, Haruhi Fujioka ends up joining the male "host club," while hiding her gender. Friendship and love grows between Haruhi Fujioka and the male "host club" members.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration10:25

Chihayafuru is  about a school girl, Chihaya Ayase, who is inspired by a new classmate to take up Hyakunin Isshu karuta competitively.

Markimdb: 6.9
Genrefantastic, action, cartoon, short, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:35

In the early 2050s, unknown life forms called “Oracle cells” begin their uncontrolled consumption of all life on Earth. Their ravenous appetite and remarkable adaptability earn them first dread, then awe, and finally the name “aragami”. In the face of an enemy completely immune to conventional weapons, urban civilization collapses, and each day humanity is driven further and further toward extinction. One single ray of hope remains for humanity. Following the development of “God Arcs”—living weapons which incorporate Oracle cells—their wielders are organized into an elite force.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genrefantasy, comedy, melodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration04:24

Although there are still traces of the brief period he became a vampire, third-year high school student Koyomi Araragi is human again. He happens upon others with their own supernatural problems and finds that he can empathize. Koyomi becomes involved in their lives, seeking to help them and occasionally asking for advice from Meme Oshino, the homeless man who helped him become human again.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genrefantastic, action, drama, detective
CountryJapan

With his two friends, a video-game-obsessed young man finds himself in a strange version of Tokyo where they must compete in dangerous games to win.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genreaction, fantasy, comedy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Usagi Tsukino is chosen to be a guardian of justice and is sent on a quest to locate a Silver Crystal before the Dark Kingdom invades the Earth.

Mark
Genrecomedy, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration05:00

Set in a futuristic world, there exist "Toys" which grant people superhuman abilities. This is responsible for a wave of crimes and necessitates employing Toy-using detectives to help solve them. Opera Kobayashi runs a detective agency, Milky Holmes, staffed by four aspiring young girl detectives who attend the Holmes Detective Academy, and each girl possesses their own unique Toy.

Genrehorror, fantasy, comedy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

She can see dead people…she just chooses to ignore them. That’s Miko’s plan, anyway, with horrifying (and sometimes hilarious) results.

Markimdb: 8.5
Genrecartoon, crime, detective, anime
CountryJapan

This town should look familiar, but suddenly, it's not. The taxi driver Odokawa lives a very mundane life. He has no family, doesn't really hang out with others, and he's an oddball who is narrow-minded and doesn't talk much. The only people he can call his friends are his doctor, Gouriki and his classmate from high school, Kakibana. All of his patrons seem to be slightly odd themselves. The college student who wants to be noticed online, Kabasawa. A nurse with secrets, Shirakawa. A comedy duo, the Homosapiens... All these mundane conversations somehow lead to a girl who's gone missing.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

She is Yoshiko Hanabatake, and she's an idiot through and through. She loves bananas, and she loves her childhood friend Akkun. That is all!

Markimdb: 8.1
Genrefantasy, comedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:30

Puberty Syndrome—a rumored, mysterious syndrome that only affects those in their puberty. For example, a bunny girl suddenly appeared in front of Sakuta Azusagawa. The bunny girl's real identity is Mai Sakurajima, a teenage celebrity who is currently an inactive high school senior. For some reason, her charming figure does not reflect in the eyes of others. In the course of revealing the mystery behind this phenomenon, Sakuta begins to explore his feelings towards Mai. Set in a city where the skies and seas shine, Sakuta unfolds the meaning behind his bizarre encounters on women with the said syndrome.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrefantastic, cartoon, crime, detective, anime
CountryJapan

Sakaido is a genius detective who can track down any criminal. But when his daughter is murdered, revenge lands him on the other side of the law. Now in prison, he helps the police solve mysteries using a system that invades a person’s identity. Little by little, a trail of blood forms, and it all leads back to his daughter’s murderer.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrecomedy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Tatsu, a notorious and feared yakuza leader nicknamed "The Immortal Dragon," withdraws from the criminal syndicate and becomes a housekeeper to help his wife, Miku. The series features a variety of comedic settings, typically showing Tatsu's domestic activities and intimidating inequality with his looks, as well as multiple encounters with his former colleagues and rivals in the Japanese Criminal Syndicate.

Markimdb: 7.9
Genredrama, cartoon, music, anime
CountryJapan

Since the graduation of the senior members of the club, Takezou ends up being the sole member of the "Koto" (traditional Japanese string instrument) club. Now that the new school year has begun, Takezou will have to seek out new members into the club, or the club will become terminated. Out of nowhere, a new member barges into the near-abandoned club room, demanding to join the club. How will Takezou be able to keep his club alive and deal with this rascal of a new member?

Markimdb: 7
Genrefantasy, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East is a Japanese manga series by Miyuki Abe based on the epic novel series Nansō Satomi Hakkenden. An anime adaptation of the manga, produced by Studio Deen, premiered on January 5, 2013. A second season has been announced to premiere summer 2013.

Markimdb: 5
Genrecartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Based on a visual novel of the same name by Rejet and Otomate, for the female market.Komori Yui is a positive-thinking girl who nevertheless is troubled by seeing spirits and experiencing poltergeist phenomena. In her second year in high school, she transfers to a new school — a night school for entertainers and celebrities — due to her father's work. There are rumours that vampires exist among the student body, and Yui ends up living with the six sadistic Sakamaki vampire brothers.




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