20 Best Anime series like In Search of the Lost Future (2014)

After failing his college entrance exams, 18 year-old Tsukasa Mizugaki is offered a position at the renowned SAI Corporation, known for its production and management of Giftia, androids that possess human emotions. Tsukasa’s position is in the terminal service department where the main job is to recover Giftias that are close to their expiration, a graveyard department in every sense. To make matters worse, Tsukasa is ordered to work with Isla, a female Giftia who is never given any responsibility other than serving tea to co-workers.

Shinichi Izumi is a normal high school boy whose right hand has become infected with an alien parasite that names itself "Migi" ("right"). Migi is the first parasite to develop a symbiotic relationship with its host, as he and Shinichi slowly develop a grudging friendship. Migi isn't the only Parasite on earth, however, and as cases of Parasites killing humans begin to emerge, humans seek to kill off Parasites. Shinichi and Migi find themselves caught in between these two sides of the struggle over planet earth.

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.

The Vision of Escaflowne is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996 on TV Tokyo, with the final episode airing on September 24, 1996. Sony's anime satellite channel, Animax also aired the series, both in Japan and on its various worldwide networks, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. The series is licensed for Region 1 release by Bandai Entertainment.The series follows a teenage high school girl named Hitomi, who finds herself pulled from Earth to the planet Gaea when a boy named Van appears on the high school track while battling a dragon. In Gaea, she is caught in the middle of a war as the Zaibach Empire attempts to take over Gaea. Van, with aid from Allen, commands his mystical mech Escaflowne in the struggle to stop the Zaibach Empire. Hitomi's fortune telling powers blossom in Gaea as she becomes the key to awakening Escaflowne and to stopping Zaibach's plans.While the anime series was in production, two very different manga retellings were also developed and released: a shōnen version of the story entitled The Vision of Escaflowne and a shōjo retelling titled Hitomi—The Vision of Escaflowne. In addition, a second shōjo adaptation called Escaflowne—Energist's Memories was released as a single volume in 1997. The story was novelized in a series of six light novels by Yumiko Tsukamoto, Hajime Yatate, and Shoji Kawamori. A movie adaptation, Escaflowne: The Movie was released on June 24, 2000, but bears only a basic resemblance to the original series. Four CD soundtracks and a drama CD have also been released in relation to the series.

High schooler Yūta Iridatsu has experienced “astral projection” i.e. his spirit has been separated from his body. He woke up in a mansion named Koraikan and met a cat spirit named Chiranosuke, who told him “You must find the Sacred Tome of Koraikan in order to return to your physical body.” While searching through corridors of Koraikan, Yūta bumped into underpants of its female residents, and doing so would, eh, create some big trouble for planet Earth.

In the 2030s Earth has been overrun by the Blue, which are mutated insect-like creatures that kill and harvest humans for food. Most of the surviving human race has moved to Second Earth, a huge spaceship that orbits the planet. Yuji and Marlene must work together to reach Second Earth and fight against the Blue.

When Kouichi Sasakibara transfers to his new school, he can sense something frightening in the atmosphere of his new class, a secret none of them will talk about. At the center is the beautiful girl Mei Misaki. Kouichi is immediately drawn to her mysterious aura, but then he begins to realize that no one else in the class is aware of her presence.

Akira Tachibana is a 17-year-old high school student. She was once a promising athlete, but an injury has prevented her from taking part in track and field. One day, Akira Tachibana goes to a family restaurant and the manager talks to her in a tender voice. This makes Akira Tachibana begin working part-time at the restaurant. The manager is 45-year-old Masami Kondo and he is divorced with a child. Akira Tachibana falls in love with him. --asianwiki

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

Segawa Yuta is a freshman of a university. He lost his parents when he was small and was raised by his sister Yuri. Yuta has been living alone since Yuri got married to a middle aged man when Yuta was a junior high student.  One day, Yuri visited Yuta's apartment and asked him to take care of her three daughters while Yuri and her husband were on a trip. He unwillingly accepted the job but the plane Yuri took went missing. In order to prevent the daughters from being adopted separately by relatives, Yuta decided to take in all three girls.  A life of a strange family in a tiny apartment begins.

Ergo Proxy is a science fiction suspense anime television series, produced by Manglobe, which premiered across Japan on 25 February 2006 on the WOWOW satellite network. It is directed by Shukō Murase, with screenplay by Dai Satō et al.. Ergo Proxy has been described as a dark sciencefiction mystery with philosophical underpinnings. It features a combination of 2D digital cel animation, 3D computer modeling, and digital special effects.

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.

The Diclonius, a mutated homo sapien that is said to be selected by God and will eventually become the destruction of mankind, possesses two horns in their heads, and has a "sixth sense" which gives it telekinetic abilities. Due to this dangerous power, they have been captured and isolated in laboratories by the government. Lucy, a young and psychotic Diclonius, manages to break free of her confines and brutally murder most of the guards in the laboratory, only to get shot in the head as she makes her escape. She survives and manages to drift along to a beach, where two teenagers named Kouta and Yuka discovers her. Having lost her memories, she was named after the only thing that she can now say, "Nyuu," and the two allow her to stay at Kouta's home. However, it appears that the evil "Lucy" is not dead just yet...

The "paranormal science" story follows nine idiosyncratic individuals, linked by the "Choujou Kagaku Kirikiri Basara" occult summary blog run by 17-year-old second-year high school student Yuuta Gamon. Little incongruities that occur around these nine eventually lead to a larger, unimaginable event that may alter what is considered common sense in this world.

Kotarou Azumi and Akane Mizuno became third year students at junior high school and are classmates for the first time. These two, along with fellow classmates, Chinatsu Nishio and Takumi Hira, relate to their peers through mutual understandings and feelings. As their final year at junior high school progresses, the group overcome their challenges to mature and become aware of changes in themselves.

After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, 16-year-old high school student Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out… into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Soma clan, and it isn't long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tohru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Somas have a secret of their own—when hugged by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac!

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.

Yuma and Hotaru have been friends since childhood, so it's only natural that when Yuma is nervous about her new boyfriend, she asks Hotaru for advice. But when Hotaru starts coming onto Yuma for what feels like more than just 'practice,' what does it mean...? With boyfriends in the foreground but a secret, passionate tryst in the background, will Yuma and Hotaru try to forget what happened between them or have they fallen into a trap of true love and betrayal?

On a planet far from Earth, there is a kingdom full of smiling faces. Princess Yuuki is 12 years old, and about to enter a sensitive age in a person's life. Everyday, she cries, laughs, and sometimes, her heart throbs with excitement. All the while, she lives merrily in the royal palace. Filling her days with color are her loyal vassals: her tutor Reira, Izana who assists in political affairs, the leader of the chivalry Harold and then, there is her childhood friend and aide Joshua. Stella is 17 years old and a capable, reserved soldier. However, she is always smiling for smiling is essential to living.

Humans that have been physically altered and turned into dangerous weapons are known as the Extended. Juuzou Inui awakens as one of these weapons — with amnesia. But his job as an agent investigating the Extended leads to a mysterious child with Extended ties showing up at his office. Now Inui must keep the child away from street gangs and the megacorporation Berühren, and it won't be easy.

In order to uncover the "end of the sky," as spoken of in ancient mythology, Kal-el Albus is sent to Isla, an island in the sky. There he attends Cadoques High's Aerial Division, where he enjoys a carefree life with his schoolmates. That is...until a surprise attack by the air tribe drags Isla into a bloody war.

There was a time when the Hachimitsu Private Academy was a revered and elite all-girls' boarding school on the outskirts of Tokyo but a recent policy revision is allowing boys into the student body. On his first day, Kiyoshi Fujino discovers that he's one of only five boys enrolled at the school. Completely overwhelmed by the thousands of girls on campus, the few boys find that their situation is less than ideal.

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Eager to follow in the footsteps of his fallen sister, Kazuya enrolls at West Genetics Academy, a training facility for buxom heroes known as Pandoras. These courageous schoolgirls are genetically-enhanced with enough sex appeal to cripple a man – and the superhuman strength to slaughter aliens by the dozen. Kazuya’s role is that of Limiter, a Pandora’s battle partner, and he quickly sets his sights on the most feared beauty in school, Satellizer el Bridget. This full-figured annihilator of aliens is as desirable as she is deadly, but rubbing her the wrong way could lead to gross bodily harm. Can Kazuya forge a bond with his new partner and rise to the top of the ranks at West Genetics? Or will he fall victim to the mysterious bloodlust lurking within Satellizer?

Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by Titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest Titans. Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a Titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a Colossal Titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller Titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single Titan and take revenge for all of mankind.

Following the success in the Camelot Singularity, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight are assigned to the last Singularity in the Grand Order initiative. In Ancient Babylonia, 2500 BCE, they embark on a mission to secure humanity's survival. Upon arrival, they learn that three gods have threatened Uruk, the Babylonian city ruled by King Gilgamesh. Ritsuka and Mash must work together to fend off the invasion of mysterious beasts in Uruk under Gilgamesh's orders while investigating the true nature of the three gods' actions against humanity; but unknown to Ritsuka, an ancient entity is slowly rising from its slumber.

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!

Nearly half the population of Sakurada, a small town near the Pacific Ocean, has some sort of unique power. These powers range from being able to enter the mind of a cat, to resetting the world back to a certain point in time in the past. There is a group known as the "Kanrikyoku" that controls and monitors the use of these powers. Asai Kei and Haruki Misora work for their school’s club called "Houshi" club, which execute any missions received from the Kanrikyoku. Misora has the ability to reset the world 3 days. This means that all events and any memory of the past 3 days that "could have" happened, never happened. Kei has the ability to "remember" the past. Even after Misora uses her powers to reset the world back 3 days, Kei will retain those 3 days in his memory. Combining their powers, these two solve missions issued by the Kanrikyoku.

Raised up in the same orphanage, Fuuka and Rinne were once close friends but parted company after a quarrel ended up with Rinne overwhelmed Fuuka with her martial art skills. Fuuka has a life in poverty after leaving the orphanage. An accidental encounter with renowned martial arts champion Einhard Stratos discovered Fuuka's hidden talent in fighting; Einhard offered Fuuka a job and coaching, encouraging her to meet up with Rinne again — in a ring.

At the end of her first year of high school, Futaba Yoshioka suddenly has a chance encounter with her first love, Kou Tanaka. Three years ago, he transferred schools before she was able to say how she felt about him. After meeting each other again, Futaba realizes that he has gone through many changes. He acts more cool and even had his last name changed to Mabuchi. Gradually the two rekindle their love while piecing together what had happened in the time that they were apart.

Shy Natsu awakens as part of a group chosen to ensure the survival of humanity. Together, they have to survive on a changed Earth.

Set in the city of Nagasaki, the story takes place in a world where a miniscule amount of magic remains in everyday life. Hitomi Tsukishiro is a 17-year-old descendant of a witch family who grew up with stale emotions, as she lost her sense of color at a very young age. Feeling sorry for her granddaughter's future, Kohaku, a great witch, sends Hitomi to past, the year 2018. Through exchanges with her 17-year-old grandmother and her club members, the story follows Hitomi's growth as a person.

"A girl in a lower grade just made me cry!" One day, Senpai visits the library after school and becomes the target of a super sadistic junior! The name of the girl who teases, torments, and tantalizes Senpai is "Nagatoro!" She's annoying yet adorable. It's painful, but you still want to be by her side. This is a story about an extremely sadistic and temperamental girl and you'll feel something awaken inside of you.

Fifty years have passed since mankind began migrating to the new frontier: Mars. It's an age where most culture is produced by AI, and people are content to be passive consumers. There's a girl. Scrapping a living in the metropolis of Alba City, she's working part time while trying to become a musician. She's always felt like something is missing. Her name is Carole.There's a girl. Born to a wealthy family in the provincial town of Herschel City, she dreams of becoming a musician, but nobody around her understands. She feels like the loneliest person in the world. Her name is Tuesday.A chance meeting brings them together. They want to sing. They want to make music. Together, they feel like they just might have a chance. The two of them may only create a tiny wave. But that wave will eventually grow into something larger...

In the 16th century, Arte, a delightful young lady from an aristocratic family, dreams of being an artist and contributing to the renewal of civilization. However, with her father's death, she ends up losing the only person who believed in her passion for art. Now she is expected to marry a nobleman and live as a refined housewife without disgracing her family name. Reluctant to accept her fate, the headstrong Arte steps into the streets in search of a master artisan to take her on as an apprentice.But no one believes that women are capable of fine craftsmanship, so none are willing to accept her. Luckily, a renowned artisan by the name of Leo is persuaded to take her as his disciple since he has none anyway. And thus, Arte's new life begins, far from the comfort of her noble upbringing. As an apprentice, she must earn her keep while tackling various challenges along the difficult path to becoming a full-fledged, master artisan.