20 anime similar to Puella Magi Sonico Magica based on genre, format, studio, and popularity
Looking for anime similar to Puella Magi Sonico Magica? Here are 10 anime recommendations that share similar themes, genres, or storytelling styles.
We selected these anime based on shared genres (Mahou Shoujo, Music), similar narrative structures, comparable art styles, and positive fan overlap. If you enjoyed Puella Magi Sonico Magica, these series should appeal to your taste.
Ichigo Hoshimiya is a regular, ordinary middle school girl. But when her best friend, Aoi, invites her to join the idol training academy, Starlight Academy, her whole world is turned upside down. As she encounters all kinds of rivals and learns what it takes to be an idol, she uses her Aikatsu Cards to challenge countless auditions. (Source: Anime News Network)
Illyasviel von Einzbern’s normal life is suddenly halted by the Kaleidostick Ruby, a magical wand on the run from her former master, who instantly decides that little Illya has all the right stuff to become the next great magical girl. However, Ruby’s previous owner Rin Tohsaka isn’t exactly thrilled to be de-wanded, especially since she’s just accepted an assignment to collect the seven legendary Class Cards. It seems the only solution is for Illya to take up the task and learn the ropes under Rin’s supervision. Meanwhile, a girl named Miyu has been chosen by the Kaleidostick Sapphire as HER new master, much to the irritation of Sapphire’s previous master, Rin’s arch rival Luviagelita Edelfelt! Exactly what kind of plan are the wands conjuring up? (Source: Sentai Filmworks) Note: The show streamed in advance on Niconico Live on July 6, 2013 in Japan. The regular TV broadcast started on July 13, 2013.
Tsukino Usagi is a clumsy crybaby, but otherwise very cheerful 8th grade student. One day she meets a cat named Luna with a crescent moon on her head, and is transformed into the sailor-suited guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon! As a chosen guardian of justice, Usagi has a mission … to find her comrades; to find the Phantom Silver Crystal; and protect the Princess. However, Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom also seeks the terrible power of the Silver Crystal, and sends her agents into the city where Usagi lives; triggering the start of a fierce battle. Will Sailor Moon be able to find the other Sailor Guardians, and if she does, together can they find the Phantom Silver Crystal and protect the Princess?! Note: VIZ Media has labeled the 1st and 2nd cour of this season as "Seasons 1-2", while labeling the third cour as "Season 3".
Piano prodigy Arima Kousei dominated the competition and all child musicians knew his name. But after his mother, who was also his instructor, passed away, he had a mental breakdown while performing at a recital. This resulted in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano playing. Two years later, Kousei hasn’t touched the piano and views the world without any flair or color. He was content at living out his life with his good friends Tsubaki and Watari until, one day, a girl changed everything. Miyazono Kaori is a pretty, free spirited violinist whose playing style reflects her personality. Kaori helps Kousei return to the music world and show that it should be free and mold breaking unlike the structured and rigid style Kousei was used to.
With the coming of spring, Hibiki Tachibana and Miku Kohinata start their first year in high school school at the prestigious Lydian Music Academy. That their idol, the singer Tsubasa Kazanari, also attends Lydian is just an added bonus. Neither of them know that their lives are about to change forever. Neither of them know that the first, awakening beat is almost upon them. (Source: Rightstuf)
Japan Anima(tor)'s Exhibition is the showcase of the animations produced by various directors with love and energy, which are planned from original projects, spin-off projects, promotional films, Music PV, and VJ Films etc... Episodes: #01: The Dragon Dentist (Directed by Outarou Maijou) #02: HILL CLIMB GIRL (Directed by Azuma Tani) #03: ME!ME!ME! (Directed by Hibiki Yoshizaki) #04: Carnage (Directed by Akira Honma) #05: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko & Ichiro Itano: Collection of Key Animation Films (collection of key animation from 1979's Mobile Suit Gundam) #06: 20min Walk From Nishi-Ogikubo Station, 2 Bedrooms, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2mos Deposit, No Pets Allowed (Directed by Takeshi Honda & Mahiro Maeda) #07: Until you come to me. (Directed by Tadashi Hiramatsu) #08: Tomorrow from there (Directed by Akemi Hayashi) #09: Denkou Choujin Gridman: boys invent great hero (Directed by Akira Amemiya) #10: YAMADELOID (Directed by Takashi Horiuchi & Masahiro Emoto) #11: POWER PLANT No. 33 (Directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura & Kengo Saito) #12: Evangelion: Another Impact (Confidential) (Directed by Shinji Aramaki) #13: Kanón (Directed by Mahiro Maeda) #14: SEX and VIOLENCE with MACHSPEED (Directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi) #15: Obake-Chan (Directed by Shigeto Koyama) #16: Tsukikage no Tokio (Directed by Takanobu Mizuno) #17: THREE FALLEN WITNESSES (Directed by Satoru Utsunomiya) #18: The Diary of Ochibi (Directed by Masashi Kawamura) #19: I can Friday by Day! (Directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki) #20A: ME!ME!ME! CHRONIC feat.daoko / TeddyLoid (Directed by Hibiki Yoshizaki, remix of short #3) #20B: (Making of) evangelion:Another Impact (Making of video of short #12) #21: ICONIC FIELD (Directed by Ikuto Yamashita) #22: IBUSEKI YORUNI (Directed by Tadashi Hiramatsu) #23: Memoirs of amorous gentlemen (Produced by Cork Inc.) #24: Rapid Rouge (Directed by Daisuke Onitsuka) #25: HAMMERHEAD (Directed by Otaro Maijo) #26: COMEDY SKIT 1989 (Directed by Kazuto Nakazawa) #27: BUBU & BUBULINA (Directed by Takashi Nakamura) #28: ENDLESS NIGHT (Directed by Sayo Yamamoto) #29: BUREAU OF PROTO SOCIETY (Directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura) #30: The Ultraman (Directed by Akitoshi Yokoyama) #31: GIRL (Directed by Hibiki Yoshizaki) #32: Neon Genesis IMPACTS. (Directed by Yuhei Sakuragi) #33: Ragnarok (Directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama) #34: Robot on the Road (Directed by Hiroyuki Okiura) #35: Cassette Girl (Directed by Hiroyasu Kobayashi) Note: #20A and #20B (special) are counted as two separate episodes in the episode total.
Some offices have stereotypical dynamics: the chauvinistic pig of a boss who never does any real work; the employees whose goal is to suck up to the boss; the ones whose lives seem perfect; and the individuals who have all the actual work pushed onto them. Retsuko the red panda is in the last group, as she stays late most nights to make up the work her coworkers are too lazy to do themselves. Her relief from the stress of her everyday life comes in the form of singing death metal at a local karaoke club. Night after night, Retsuko channels her grief into a microphone and considers the place to be her own personal sanctuary. But as she moves further away from her comfort zone and the ideas people have of her, she discovers that letting others into her world of death metal may not be such a bad thing.
Rin, an energetic girl who loves to eat, lives in a verdant frontier village. Deep within the royal palace in the bustling capital city, the songstress Finis spends her days in solitude. Both share a special power no other person has. A miraculous power that can heal wounds, create water and stir the wind -- the power of song. Guided by destiny, the two young women each face an arduous journey with the power of song. The shadow of war looms over the kingdom, tainting even the miraculous songs with the blood of innocents. Loved ones meet their deaths as silent screams echo through a stone prison. As two destinies intersect, will the final song be one of despair, hope or...? (Source: Anime News Network)
Red panda Retsuko, worked to the bone, unleashes her frustration in the form of death metal. Lately, though, she's found another joy—getting the most likes possible on her Instagram posts. In fact, it is said that social media attention can release endorphins. As Christmas falls upon the city, Retsuko's hunger for validation only grows, pushing her to find new ways to embellish and sugarcoat her otherwise drab life for the internet to see.
The second season of Senki Zesshou Symphogear. The sky is waiting. With their normal lives secured, the Symphogear wielders join a Japanese-American research initiative. Each, living their own lives, has been given a single order: protect Sacrist S. As a completed relic, it is of upmost importance to both Irregular Threat Response and the American Federal Institute of Sacrists, and now, the wielders must escort it to the American military base in Iwakuni. The operation should have gone smoothly with both sides now cooperating. But a dark storm during the night hid a new threat until it was almost too late: the Noise. And with the doors of Babylon's treasury thrown wide, they have only increased in number. But then, amidst the rising dissonance of a destruction brought on by the Noise's alien anatomy, a girl's voice raised in song thunders out, as though piercing through them. "This is my Gungnir!" The cry of the first known human to fuse with a relic, Hibiki Tachibana. The Noise flooding in, their movements orchestrated. The specter of the one pulling their strings looming above them. And then, the songs. The curtain rises on a new clash between mere melodies, and songs through which these girls' blood flows. (Source: Discotek Media)
Red panda Retsuko continues to work at her cyclic office job, with the occasional stress-venting via death metal karaoke on the side. With the company of her newfound friends Gori and Washimi, life is more enjoyable than ever before. But some new shake-ups to her status quo threaten to add more stress to her life. At the office, new employee Anai seems like a fine addition to the company. Yet when Retsuko is placed in charge of his training, she finds that beneath his steadfast dedication, he may pose a threat to the stability of the workplace. Meanwhile, at home, Retsuko's mother pays an abrupt visit, fully intent on having her daughter finally settle down and find a man. With this in mind, she sets Retsuko up for various marriage appointments, much to her chagrin. Now, Retsuko finds all the more reasons to head to the karaoke bar and unleash her furious diatribes. However, knowing that this will not truly solve her problems, she decides to make a more spontaneous choice to avoid her issues. And so, Retsuko finds herself set upon another self-reflecting journey, coming to learn more about herself and love, with the ever cathartic support of death metal karaoke.
Hirasawa Yui, a young, carefree girl entering high school, has her imagination instantly captured when she sees a poster advertising the ‘Light Music Club’. Being the carefree girl that she is, she quickly signs up. However, Yui has a problem, she is unable to play an instrument. When Yui goes to the clubroom to explain, she's greeted by the other members: Ritsu, Mio and Tsumugi. Although disheartened at Yui’s lack of musical know-how, they still try to convince her to stay to prevent the club’s disbandment. After playing Yui a short piece which re-ignites her imagination, they succeed in keeping their new member and guitarist. Along with the tasks of school and homework, Yui begins to learn the guitar with the help of the other band members, experiencing many mishaps along the way. However, with the school-festival drawing near and Yui getting stuck with her practice, will the Light Music Club be ready in time for their debut? (Source: MAL Rewrite)
Otonokizaka High School stands on the border of three cities: Akihabara—a pop culture mecca that's evolving by the minute; Kanda—a conservative, cultured city where history and tradition reign supreme; and Jinbo—a quiet area reserved for a more mature, sophisticated population. Amidst this culture clash, the school now faces closure due to the enrollment of fewer and fewer students. With the school planning to close within three years, nine female students come together with one thing in mind—form a pop idol group to revive the school's popularity and keep it from shutting down. "In order to protect our beloved school, there's only one thing we can do... become pop stars!" Their goal is simple: Become an overnight sensation and use their nationwide media exposure to promote their school and bring in a wave of new students to the ailing area. A simple but solid plan, they figure. Naturally, they're nervous and wonder if this plan can really succeed, but for better or worse their new journey has begun... "All we can ask for is just a tiny bit of support from you. We truly believe that with your help, we can change the world around us. We will make our dreams come true!" (Source: NIS America)
The last year of high school is always a time of both looking forward and looking back. Before you lives the future, alternately bright and scary. Behind you lie memories, both happy and sad. And somehow, in the course of one year, you have to reconcile those two and decide where your life is going to go. For Wakana Sakai, who had started studying music, it's time to face the tragedy that made her abandon that path. For Sawa Okita, it's about her dreams of riding professionally. And for Konatsu Miyamoto, it's about bringing her friends together through the magic of a song. Can something as simple as the formation of a choir club really help solve the hurts and pangs that come with growing up? Can music bring people together despite their differences? (Source: Sentai Filmworks)
One night, 14-year-old Madoka Kaname has a terrible nightmare - against the backdrop of a devastated city, she witnesses a girl fight a losing battle against a dreadful being lingering above, while a cat-like magical creature tells Madoka the only way to change such tragic outcome is for her to make a contract with him and become a magical girl. The next day, the teen's dream seemingly becomes reality as the girl she saw in her dream - Homura - arrives at Mitakihara Middle School as a transfer student, mysteriously warning Madoka to stay just the way she is; but when later on she and her best friend Sayaka encounter the same cat-like magical creature from her dream - who introduces himself as Kyubey - the pair discovers that magical girls are real, and what's more, they can choose to become one. All they must do is sign a contract with Kyubey and agree to take on the duty to fight abstract beings called 'witches' that spread despair to the human world, and in return, each one of them will be granted any single wish they desire. However, as Homura's omen suggests, there might be far more to becoming a magical girl than Madoka and Sayaka realize... Notes: - Due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the broadcasts of episodes 11 and 12 were delayed and were later aired as a double feature on April 21, 2011.
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom of fairy tales called "Märchenland", where many fairy tale characters live together in joy. Suddenly, the evil emperor Pierrot made an invasion on Märchenland, sealing its Queen in the process. To revive the Queen, the symbol of happiness called Cure Decor, "the Queen's scattered power of light of happiness", is required. To collect the Cure Decor, a fairy named Candy searches for the Pretty Cures on Earth. There, Candy meets a girl, who decides to collect the Cure Decor. Now, will the world earn a "happy ending"?
It is the new year, which means that the senior members of the Light Music Club are now third-years, with Azusa Nakano being the only second-year. The seniors soon realize that Azusa will be the only member left once they graduate and decide to recruit new members. Despite trying many methods of attracting underclassmen—handing out fliers, bringing people into the clubroom, and performing at the welcoming ceremony—there are no signs of anyone that plans to join. While heading to the clubroom, Azusa overhears Yui Hirasawa say that the club is fine with only five people and that they can do many fun things together. Changing her mind, she decides that they do not need to recruit any members for the time being. K-On!! revolves around the members of the Light Music Club as they experience their daily high school life. From rehearsing for concerts to just messing around, they are ready to make their last year together an exciting one! (Source: MAL Rewrite)
With graduation right around the corner, every member of the Light Music Club except for Azusa will be leaving for good. But the girls aren’t going to let something as silly as graduation tear them apart! For their final hurrah, the girls are going on the ultimate vacation tour— all the way to London! Their overseas journey will lead them on a trip of discovery and friendship as they take the stage one last time for their final encore together. (Source: Sentai Filmworks)
Retsuko’s rage rises another octave when she finds herself moonlighting with an underground idol group to pay off her debts. (Source: Netflix)
The third season of Senki Zesshou Symphogear. Following the events of Senki Zesshou Symphogear G, Hibiki Tachibana, Tsubasa Kazanari, and Chris Yukine continue to operate under the command of Genjuurou Kazanari. Meanwhile, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, Kirika Akatsuki, and Shirabe Tsukuyomi are taken into protective custody. With peace restored, everyone returns to their daily lives; however, the appearance of the alchemist Carol Malus Dienheim and her subordinates—the "Autoscorers"—threatens to draw everyone back into a conflict. Armed with a strange and magical power, Carol wishes to initiate the apocalypse and bring destruction to the world... and she is willing to sacrifice everything to do so. Against this mysterious new foe, the six Symphogear wielders must rise to the challenge in order to protect what they hold dear. However, will Carol and her Autoscorers prove to be too much to handle in this fight to protect the fate of the world? (Source: MAL Rewrite)