If you are someone who enjoyed the anime ‘Bocchi-the Rock!‘, then this list is for you! The series is about a young, socially anxious boy named Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou, and all he knows is to play the guitar, not to forget to mention he is quite skillful at it.
All he yearns for is to start his very own band and become known worldwide. Bocchi-the Rock broke through the internet with its amazing plot line and splendid animation style. It sure did win many hearts for the same.
Was it the on-point humor? Or the ups and downs of the friendship? Or the rocky path to success? Perhaps it was the musical journey. I suspect it would have the relatability of the characters, or it could be the originality of the series itself. Whatever it may be, if you want something like that, we got it for you.
Read the article to find your next binge-watch which may just turn out to be your favorite. Please note that this is a recommendation list and not a rank one.
K-On!
K-ON! is an anime series that revolves around the lives of five high school girls (originally four) who end up joining their school’s Light Music Club. Although the band is very successful in the beginning, it is the behavioral pattern of the members which hinders the everyday functions of the band and creates a mess.
The guitarist, named Yui Hirasawa, is absolutely clueless when it comes to instruments or even reading the musical note sheet. She has a habit of forgetting everything she learned, be it in her musical career or academics. The Drummer of the club, Ritsu Tainaka, is sharp but has a bad habit of forgetting her responsibilities as the club’s president and is just always rushing in to play the drums at any given chance.
The bassist Mio Akiyama is a complete introvert with immense stage fright. Her nature is very contrasting to that of the dear president. The keyboardist Tsumugi Kotobuki is the perfect example of a ‘princess.’ Being brought up in an overprotected and heavily rich family, Tsumugi has no idea of what ‘real’ or ‘normal’ life looks like.
Later in the series, a new guitarist named Azusa Nakano joins the club. She also plays guitar and struggles with the other member’s constant irresponsible behavior. The story follows their journey as a club and shows us a glimpse of their daily lives and their interactions with others around them.
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad
Yukio, nicknamed “Koyuki” by his close friends, is your typical 14-year-old boy who enters his early years of junior high school with two of his friends by his side. One of his friends is a complete pervert, and another one is a well-sorted-out female student, which is quite ironic.
Koyuki leads a very simple life, that is until he saves a very strange dog who was called ‘beck’ and was being tormented by some kids. His life suddenly takes an unexpected turn when Beck’s owner turns out to be Ryûsuke Minami, an emerging rock musician. He later introduces Koyuki to guitars and encourages him to start playing them.
He, in fact, even gives one of his guitars to Koyuki. The story follows the life of a guitarist in making a band named ‘BECK.’ Their successes and sufferings and Koyuki’s relationship with his fellow members, especially Ryûsuke Minami and his sister, Maho Minami.
Detroit Metal City
Soichiro Negishi is a young melomaniac, someone who has an immense love for music. Despite being a young teen guilty of only liking heavy metal or very pop music, Soichiro appreciates indie twee pop above all. His goal in life was to emerge as a popular indie twee pop artist. But that type of music was trendier in an advanced area of Japan like Shibuya.
Hence, he makes a jump from his rural hometown to the lush city of Tokyo in hopes of making his lifelong dream come true. He is a music-obsessed young teen, making the jump from his rural hometown to the big city of Tokyo. Unfortunately, Negishi remains completely unsuccessful in trying to gain popularity for his music.
It is that one day when he spots a flier for a music agency who are interested in hiring new musicians. This instills a sense of hope in Soichiro. About a few more months pass away, and Soichiro Negishi finds himself being the lead man of a newly uprising band. The bad news? They are the complete opposite of what he originally aspired to be.
The band is that of an ultra-heavy death metal genre that sings about the glorification of Satanic culture, rape, & murder. not only this, but the band also follows the make-up reminiscent of the heavy metal band ‘KISS’ in addition to Ziggy Stardust era David Bowie.
Safe to say, Soichiro was having an absolutely miserable time being associated and performing with the band. He also could not have left because of the overly strict and scary manager who kept him on his toe.
Further in the story, Soichiro runs into his former college lover, Yuri Aikawa. Like Soichiro, Yuri also shares the same love for twee pop music and currently works for a trendy magazine as their music columnist. Seeing this, Soichiro becomes too embarrassed to tell Yuri what he’s been doing with his life and the band he is performing for.
Will it be possible for Soichiro to rekindle his love with Yuri? or will she find out about his band and leave him? What will happen when Souchiro’s life becomes even more complicated with the death of an infamous metal artist? Secrets and sufferings are about to begin.
Given
Mafuyu Sato is a classic high school introvert living in a dark apartment that holds his Gibson guitar close to his heart. one day, Sato finds himself taking a nap in the quiet corner of the school’s gymnasium. Here, he encounters a fellow student named Ritsuka Uenoyama, who notices the broken strings and rust on Sato’s guitar and scolds him for the same.
Completely in awe of Uenoyama’s knowledge of the instrument, Sato begs him to fix his dear guitar and then pleads him to train him how to play the guitar. Uenoyama eventually agrees to his request and invites Sati to join him in a jam session with his other two bandmates, the bassist named Haruki Nakayama, and the Drummer, Akihiko Kaji.
In the session, Uenoyama discovers that Sato’s voice is immensely refreshing and beautiful and makes it a mission to make Sato the band’s lead singer. Though very hesitant at first, Sato eventually takes up the offer to perform as the lead singer for the band after his emotional conversation with an old acquaintance.
Sato now has to overcome his introversion with the support of his friends and also realize the peculiar circumstances that led him to the guitar. Safe to say, a roller coaster ride is ready to unravel.
White Album 2
Haruki Kitahara’s light music club is not doing well and is on the verge of a breakdown. If this continues, the third year’s dream of performing at the school festival will remain a dream only. It was that one day when he was strumming the boring chord of “white album” (the first song he ever played), and a melodious and mysterious piano began to harmonize with his guitar that changed everything.
It was this magical performance that marked the beginning of everything that was about to happen for Haruki in the final semester. The story of White Album 2 follows Haruki’s journey through his final semester. a bumpy rise with complex love stories and a musical journey like no other is waiting to be unraveled.
Nana
Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki are complete polar opposites of each other it was that one train journey that brought them together and tied them together to fate. Eventually, they became really good friends and even started to share an apartment together. Nana Osaki moves to Tokyo to lead a punk band named “Blast.”
She is later united with her former bandmates, Nobuo Terashima and Yasushi Takagi, in addition to a new member named Shinichi Okazaki.
The band eventually gains a good amount of popularity at their live gigs, and their hard work is rewarded when the band gets signed by Gaia Records. “blast” becomes recognized nationwide, especially after the revelation of Nana’s relationship with” Trapnest” guitarist, Ren Honjo became public.
“Trapnest” was a musical band consisting of Reira Serizawa, Ren Honjo, Takumi Ichinose, and Naoki Fujieda. The band already had a pretty decent reputation when Nana Osaki moved to Tokyo. The story follows the complex lives of Nana Osaki, Nana Komatsu, Blast, and Trapnest, becoming intertwined and what their future holds for them.
Show by Rock
Cyan Hijirikawa considers herself to be an ordinary girl with no ‘out of the blue’ talent living in a mediocre world. What she doesn’t realize is her extremely brilliant guitar skills and talent because of her lack of confidence in herself. Though she dreams of being a music millionaire, her introverted nature always prevents her from taking the first step.
She always regards herself as nothing but an ordinary girl living in a mediocre world. What she is not aware of is a hidden power dwelling inside of her. she actually possesses powerful magical music, which is the key to fighting against evil.
Show by Rock!! Follows the crazy musical adventure which begins after Cyan randomly decides to play her favorite rhythm game and is suddenly teleported to a world called Midi City, where the supreme deity is the music itself. Slowly, she learns more about the world and realizes that people with powerful music have the right to rule this world.
But what happens when people use music that is not meant for the greater good but to accomplish their evil intentions? What if a dark plan is already in motion to seize control over the world? Will Cyan be able to save this world? Or is it too late already? Join Cyan, Chuchu, Retoree, and Moa in their adventure in a world where music is everything.
Legend of Black Heaven
Oji Tanaka lives an average life. He has a wife and a child and works a boring job as a salaryman in the city of Tokyo. But life was not always like this for Oji. Back in his glory day, he was called ‘Gabriel,’ and he used to be the leader and the lead singer of a seemingly short-lived heavy metal band called “Black Heaven.”
But what happens when the past tries to relive again? Oji’s life is suddenly turned upside down when he receives an invitation from a mysterious woman who calls herself Layla.
She asks him to reignite his lost musical career and pick his Gibson Flying V once again to showcase his excellent guitar skills. What he is unaware of is the fact that his music is actually being used to generate power for a humongous weapon in an intergalactic war.
Super Sonico-The Animation
Super Sonico-The Animation revolves around the life of Super Sonico, an 18-year-old college student who also happens to be a member of the band ‘First Astronomical Velocity. Throughout the series, we get to see her performing her duties as a student, as a model, and as a band member. The series follows her wins and losses.
Her achievements and her mishaps as she embarks on many adventures in her daily life alongside her band members Fuuri Watanuki and Suzu Fujimi, her grandmother named Leila, her manager, Manager Kitamura, and her modeling associate, Ouka Satsurikuin.
Dropout Idol Fruit Tart
It all started when an aspiring teenage girl named Ino Sakura moved to Tokyo to be a member of a newly formed idol group named “Fruit Tart.” the group consists of four members including Ino herself, Roko Sekino, a futile child actress; Hayu Nukui, a washed-up musician; and Nina Maehara, a model in making who hasn’t received her first gig.
All of them come together as they try to settle with a new life together in their designated dormitory, the Mouse House. however, the girls get no time to settle in properly as they realize that an unfortunate fate is looming over them. Their band, “Fruit Tart,” is in a hefty debt of one hundred million yen even though they haven’t even started working yet.
With the band and the dormitory being at stake, the four girls must put in their blood, sweat, and tears to make a name for themselves and repay the debt to prevent everything from being destroyed.
Luckily for the team, and experienced idol Hemo Midori, who happens to be a huge fan of Ino, agrees to join the group and work for them. Join the five girls in their journey to strive for success each day and make fame for themselves while they try to stay positive and pay off the deep debt.
Carole & Tuesday
The setting is that Fifty years forward, humanity migrated their land to the planet of mars and started living there. It’s a new era where almost everything, including culture, is being produced by Artificial Intelligence.
Mankind has become negligent and is no longer an active consumer. Rather, they are more than content to be passive. Amidst all this, there lives a girl named Carole, a loner born in the not-so-privileged section of society.
She works hard every day at a local part-time job to support herself, but she dreams of being a musician. On the other side, there resides a girl named Tuesday. She is wealthy and comes from a high society.
Just as we think she cannot be more different than Carole, we discover that Tuesday, like Carole, shares the dream of becoming a musician but feels completely stranded away. A sudden twist of fate changes it all when Carole runs into Tuesday randomly.
They discover the similarities between them and think that together, they might just have a chance to make a name for themselves and achieve their dream of being a musician. The start, like always, is small, but it is only a matter of time before they bring about a great change.
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Your Lie in April
Kousei Arima is an intellectual child piano prodigy. In every competition he went to, he made his presence known with his excellent skills and dominated all the musicians. All it took was a tragic accident that changed his entire life. After his mother, who was also his piano instructor, suddenly passed away, Kousei Arima lost it all.
He had a serious breakdown which traumatized him and resulted in him not being able to listen to piano sounds at all, even though his hearing was completely fine. After this horrible incident, Arima never played piano again in his life, but then he came to terms with his situation and finally became content with his life.
But then, a girl named Kaori Miyazono changed everything. Kaori Miyazono is a gorgeous, open-minded violin player. Her violin-playing skills are pretty impressive, and her personality is reflected in her style. It was Kaori who helped Kousei make a return to the world of music.
She opens up a world for him where he realizes he can be free and independent and not confined within the walls of the world he made for himself. The story discovers the challenges and the victories they face.
BanG Dream!
It all started when Kasumi Toyama went to a camp as a child. It was under a star-filled night when she first heard the rhythm of “Star Beat.” the rhythm stuck to her. The palpitating feeling and the beauty of the sound filled her heart with so much excitement.
Since then, she’s been constantly trying to search for that same excitement, the same thrill she once experienced .as a high school student, she has now been enrolled in Hanasakigawa Girls’ High School.
Kasumi is now determined, more than ever before, to find that feeling that she once discovered under the starry night. To find that sensation, She tries her hand at numerous school activities but is faced with disappointment. she even tried taking a part-time job, but all in vain. A series of failures continue until one day, she stumbles upon a unique star-shaped guitar in the storage room of some old pawn shop.
The guitar leads her to an unknown live house where she witnesses her first live performance and is instantly captivated by the same. From the moment she saw the performance, she became really determined to start her own band without any prior arrangements. Follow Kasumi as she ventures through her new goal in life. She will face obstacles and victoria, enemies and foes. Will she be able to handle it, or will she give up?
Wake Up, Girls!
The anime series revolves around a little production company named Green Leaves Entertainment based in Sendai, ironically, the biggest city in Japan’s north-eastern Tohoku region. the agency, back in its golden era, managed to produce some of the top magicians, fortune-tellers, photo idols, entertainers, dancers and many more.
But as of now, the agency has managed to produce absolutely nothing, and the worst part? They are not able to find any talent to make a career of.
With the company on the verge of falling down, the president of the company, Tange, put forward the idea of producing an idol group that may help them to stay in business. On the president’s order, the manager of the company named Matsuda takes it upon himself to scout for the members of the idol group.
Love Live! School Idol Project
Otonokizaka High School stands on the border of three cities: the first being, Akihabara; a pop culture district that’s evolving by the minute; second, Kanda, a very traditional and conservative city that believes in securing its history and rich culture and the third is Jinbo; a very reserved and quiet place with an upper-class residence who likes to keep it to themselves.
Because of these hefty culture clashes, the school is now on the brink of closing down due to fewer students enrolling every passing year; seeing the situation, the school is planning to shut down within three years.
It is during this time that nine female students, sharing the same goal, come together with the idea of forming a pop idol team to prevent their dear school from shutting down. The goal they have set for themselves is quite easy (not really); become an overnight internet sensation and then use their worldwide fame to promote their schools on various platforms and hence save the school from closure and ensure more student enrolment.
Join the nine talented girls as they try their hardest to get their school to remain standing. Watch them overcome hurdles and gain small victories throughout. Will their ‘simple’ plan work out? Or will they have to face failure? Only time will tell.
Hanayamata
Kari Sekiya is a typical 14 years old high school student who just wishes to fit in somewhere. Naru Sekiya is aware that her life is nothing like those fairy tales and princesses she once desired to be. Not only that, but she is nowhere close to becoming the ‘ideal’ person she always wanted to be.
What is worse? One of her childhood friends named, Yaya Sasame, is involved with the school rock band and seems to be living her best life and her other friend, Tami Nishimikado, is a core member of the student council.
Naru always wanted to do something fun and exciting with her life, but her fragile heart does not allow her to do so. To take the next time in her high school journey, she must find the ‘key’ to unlock her timid heart. It all changes when one night, Naru encounters an entity who seems to be a petite fairy standing on top of a torii gate who then invites her to dance.
The next day, she finds out about the real identity of the said “fairy,” who actually turns out to be an ordinary girl who also turns out to be a transfer high school student from America. Her name is Hana N. Hana turned out to be a very outgoing person who tried her hand at everything. She also started a festive type of Japanese dance club in the school.
Though Naru was initially weary of Hana’s enthusiasm, she slowly adapted to her extroverted personality and joined her club. Finally, Naru finds a purpose for herself and finds a friend who may just stick around for a long time.
Taiban!
The anime centers around the protagonist, Mizuki Haruno, who leads a very mundane life. She finds herself feeling blue most of the time and has no fun at all. It all changes when Mizuki is dragged to a live concert by her dear childhood friend named Nozomi. It is this concert that gave them the adrenaline rush, the will, and the excitement to do something big with her life.
After the concert gets over, Mizuki is determined to turn her world upside down and start a girls’ band of her own. She commits to the idea and sets her journey. The story contains the life of Mizuki, whose life was completely transformed when she vowed to start her own band. Watch her struggle with her fellow band members, their wins, and the problems they face. Will they be able to succeed?
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Plastic Nee-san
Iroe Genma is a third-year high school student who also happens to be the president of the school’s model club. The club is responsible for creating plastic models of a bunch of things like cars, cycles, boats, or even robots.
Iroe, despite her short height, is often regarded as the “Elder Sister” and is a certified troublemaker. The story takes its path when two new members join Iroe. The first one is a violent child named Hazuki “Okappa” Okamoto and Makina “Makimaki” Sakamaki, who actually turns out to be very rational, unlike Hazuki.
Their small team is determined to carry out their duties as a club wholeheartedly but is often disturbed in doing so because of an array of different distractions and obstacles.
From club fights or different battles all across the high school to ‘how to confess to your crush,’ the group of these three girls always finds themselves in unfortunate situations. Watch them struggle with their lives and club activities. Will they be able to overcome these distractions and focus?
Ongaku
Ongaku shows us the life of bored teenagers who only want to have fun and are looking for thrills and amusement. What better way to achieve that than to turn to Rock and Roll!? Being completely broke with no skills at all and a half-complete drum set, three school delinquents are set to start a band and achieve musical glory.
All this to impress a friend named Aya and avoid all the rival gangs but, most importantly, to jam out. ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND is a perfect mix of deadpan humor, comedic scenes, fun, friendship, and games.
Lucky Star
Lucky Star anime is based on the daily lives of four Kawai high school girls named Konata Izumi, the Hiiragi twins, Tsukasa and Kagami, and Miyuki Takara. Konata is a lazy child who also happens to be a big weeb and always looks for a place to sleep.
The twins are the polar opposites of each other. One is sugar, one is spice, and the last one, Miyuki, is a pretty smart and well-mannered girl who also binds the group together with her rationality.
The show basically revolves around their life and the little observations they make of the world around them. Watch them question everything and anything ranging from the Japanese culture to academics to the otaku culture to all types of foods- nothing shall be left out. Will the four girls find an answer to their questions? Will they be able to sustain their friendship throughout high school as they try to navigate life? Find it out!
Haruchika: Haruta to Chika wa Seishun Suru
Chika Homura is set on to begin her high school career, the plan? She has just one goal, and that is to fake a “cute girl” personality, the complete opposite of who she really is. she takes the first step when she quits the school’s volleyball team despite being one of the best players on the team.
Having done that, Chika set her sight on joining the school’s unpopular Wind Instrument Club and decided to play the flute, a seemingly feminine instrument, to add more to her “cute girl” persona.
It is then that Chika is reunited with her king’s lost childhood friend named Haruta Kamijou. Unlike Chika, Haruto is laid back and does not care about what others might think of her. Seeing Chika’s new personality, Haruta is hundred percent confirmed that it is all a fake pretense. she refuses to believe that Chika could have such an ‘endearing and soft nature.
Things start to fall off from the moment Chika develops a crush on the band instructor named Shinjirou Kusakab. The twist? so does Haruta! Chika’s high school life couldn’t be more difficult. Even more so when old mysteries unmask themselves and the true motives of her friends are revealed.
Chika, with the help of her fellow club members, must unravel the disturbing truths of the school itself. To add more to the burden, they have to prepare and win many inter-school competitions in order to prove themselves.
Join Chika on a journey full of ups and downs. Non-Non Biyori- Non-Non Biyori is a series that centers around the lives of four teenagers named Hotaru Ichijou, Komari Koshigaya, Natsumi Koshigaya, and Renge Miyauchi as they go on about their life and embrace their surroundings rural lifestyles and try to have fun with everything they do and learn.
The show gives us a glimpse into the lives of four girls as their fun continues. A new session marks the beginning of endless opportunities. As the summers roll down, they are faced with newcomers and new challenges. Follow their group on a journey of a lifetime, one where they discover themselves.
Sakamichi no Apollon
Kaoru Nishimi is a prodigy, both in academics and piano. This year, he is all set to arrive in his first year of new high school in Kyushu. Karu, for his entire life, has constantly been moving from one place to another. This year, he prepares himself to have a yet again boring high school year full of loneliness and devoid of any friendships or meaningful relationships.
This year would have been the same until a well-known notorious delinquent, Sentarou Kawabuchi, entered his life. Surprisingly, Sentarou has an immense love and knowledge of jazz music. this dedication of his impresses Kaori, and he is able to break through his thick exterior, and that is how he makes his first-ever friend.
Kaoru then begins to play the piano at some after-school music jam sessions, which take place in the basement of a fellow high school student Ritsuko Mukae, whose family owns a record shop.
As Kaoru vengers into a new path in life, he discovers the joy he finds in playing piano and entertaining others and bringing them joy and smiles. Sakamichi no Apollon is a beautiful and heart-warming story based on tough and deep friendship, fabulous music, and love that brings the life of three people together to share a common interest in jazz.
Sora no Aosa wo Shiru Hito yo
Aoi Aioi is a typical high school student who resides with just lives elder sister, Akane. They became parents less than thirteen years prior when they were caught in a brutal accident. Aoi is seen to be very restless about moving to Tokyo after her graduation, for she believes doing so will relieve some burden off her elder sister, Akane, who has been taking care of her all these times.
Aoi has a keen interest in music and desires to pursue a career in the same field. Her passion was fueled by Akane’s ex-boyfriend named, Shinnosuke “Shinno” Kanamuro. Shinno was an active member of a not-so-famous music band until he left for Tokyo to pursue his dream of becoming a professional guitarist right after Aoi and Akane’s parents passed away.
The sisters haven’t seen him ever since. Eventually, on a sunny noon, while Aoi practices her bass in a guest house, she witnesses something extremely strange; she sees an 18years old version of Shinno, whose supposed to be a lot older than that. Already startled by his sight, she is even more shocked to find the current 31 years revisiting their old town. The only difference, he is a lot different from what he used to be.
It is extremely unclear as to why there are two Shinnos in existence. Why does there exist not one but two Shinno from the past and the present? Is it some kind of sick joke or a deep mystery? Sora no Aosa wo Shiru Hito yo centers the lives of these four people as they confront their long-lost feelings and make tough decisions that may alter the course of their life.
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Horimiya
Kyouko Hori is the popular ‘it girl of her class. She has the looks, and she has got the grades. Izumi Miyamura, on the other hand, appears meek and distant to his classmates. In an obvious stereotypical way, their getting along would be the last thing on people’s minds.
They have polar opposite personalities. Even though Hori is quite popular, she has an anti-social streak and doesn’t hang around with her friends due to homework and assignments.
On the hand, Miyamura is quite reserved and isn’t much of a socialite, but he goes unnoticed and is a topic of discussion among his peers, with his body serving piercings and secret tattoos that scream the look of a rather gentle delinquent. However, even with all these differences on the surface, they share odd similarities resulting in a blooming friendship between them.
They spend much time together at Hori’s home, and gradually, as they shed layers and emerge from their little cocoons, they bare a side of themselves that has remained concealed otherwise to the outside world.
Hinako Note
Hinako “Hina” Sakuragi, born and brought up in the countryside of Japan, falls easy prey to anxiety over meeting new people. Her hands shake, and her body numbs so much as she might as well resemble a stiff scarecrow. She is, however, determined to overcome this by getting involved in theater.
This idea of hers was inspired by a play that she had seen during her school’s field school trip. So, Hina packs up and moves into the Hitotose Manor set amongst the hustle and bustle of the city of Tokyo to study at the infamous Fujiyama High School to pursue theatre in their renowned club.
Sadly, she came to know that that club had been on a hiatus for a long time. Having already enrolled at this institution now, she’s at a loss for what to do next. As if on cue, almost like a knight in shining armor, the landlady of HitotoseManor, Chiaki Hagino, senses her disappointment and finds her eagerness to learn theatre rather riveting.
Consequently, she encourages Hina to create a team with the hit those manor residents as its members. Look forward to this compelling story of Hinako Sakuragi discovering life amidst learning the ropes of theatre and finding her people and friends.
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai
Matsuboshi Raidou is excited to start his first year of high school. Out of all the things he is looking forward to doing, making friends tops the list. He, however, has his eyes set on a cute-looking and soft-spoken Reina Aharen already, who happens to sit right next to him in class. Much to his dismay, he doesn’t know that his wish is mutual and that Reina shares the exact same sentiment.
However, she is introverted, awkward, and timid and is not exactly an expert in approaching people, much less making conversations with them. Due to this problem of hers, the consequence of them facing troubles in kindling a rather unlikely friendship is inevitable.
They seem quite incompetent in poking each other’s personal spaces as the simple task of talking proves to be impossible when it comes to them. Although, despite these obstacles and pointless hurdles that thorn between the pair, Raidou’s overly imaginative nature provokes him to befriend Reina despite her indecipherable aura.
Fukumenkei Noise
Every day, Nino Arisugawa, a young girl wearing a mask, stands on the shore by the beach and sings the sweetest melodies that invite nostalgia.
She sings to the ocean in memory of her experience of two heart-wrenching partings of her two childhood friends, bound by a promise that was made by those friends of hers- one who was first love, Momo Sakaki, and another, who composed music, Kanade “Yuzu” Yuzuriha that both of the boys having never individually met each other had told Nino that her voice would be the medium, the beacon to lead them into each other’s lives once again.
After a duration of six long years, as if destiny was only working for them, it brought Nino, Momo, and Yuzu to the same high school. However, time is no one friend and shows no mercy in scrapping away old things.
A lot has changed for them- while Nino still tries relentlessly to fulfill her promise with the boys, Yuzu’s feelings do resurface for her from the past, but Momo feels indifferent and goes to rather great lengths to prevent any sort of reunion with Nino. However, music has always been these three’s common ground. Will they be able to mend their friendship and overcome all the hard feelings involved in an alleged love triangle?
Ensemble Stars!
Yumenosaki Academy has been known to house the greatest male idols of different generations. They hold quite an immense influence and power over the whole school, making its student council maintain its reputation by enforcing and imposing old traditions strictly.
As if toying with their iron fist, a new transfer student Anzu ends up attending their very first production course, making her the first sole female student in the entirety of the school. There, she comes across Subaru Akehoshi, Mao Isara, Hokuto Hidaka, and Makoto Yuuki, who not only happen to be her classmates but also members of the idol group “Trickstar.”
To keep their students’ singing and dancing skills in check, the academy organizes annual Dream Idol Festivals—stage battles where different units/ teams would compete with each other and put on a spectacle, and the winner would be decided based on the votes accumulated by the audience.
Winning these annual “DresFes” battles guarantees the whole idol unit’s members of prestige and privileges. However, the recent punishing approach of the student council against everyone involved in unsanctioned DreFres has led the Trickstar group members to rebel against them. So, they, alongside Anzu as their producer, plot to bring up a revolution in the academy against the intervention of the council.
Oshi ga Budoukan Ittekuretara Shinu
The story focuses on the relationship between an artist and their devotee. It centers around a woman called “Eripiyo,” who has a major dedication to her being an idol fan. She is quite energetic, flamboyant, and wildly enthusiastic.
However, she is particularly obsessed with a member named Maina, who is shy and the lowest-ranking member in terms of fan approachability of the minor underground idol group called “Cham Jam” that performs in Okayama Prefecture.
She gets so engrossed and bound with her love for Maine during a specific spectacle of the group that she falls prey to a severe nosebleed. Although, this doesn’t hinder her devotion towards Maina, and she vows to give her time and completely surrenders to them until they can finally play at the Bd udōkan arena, which happens to be a major performing venue in Tokyo.
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Komi-san wa, Komyushou desu.
With a clear plan in mind to avoid trouble and to not stand out or, in other words, do his best to blend in with others, Hitohito Tadano, an ordinary boy, heads into his first day of high school. Alas, as stories go, unfortunately for him, he doesn’t find trouble, but trouble finds him when he, unknowingly, of course, takes the seat beside the school’s very own Monroe—Shouko Komi.
His peers recognized him as a villain to get rid of for being able to sit next to the most beautiful girl in the class. She is the conventional beauty with gorgeous and luscious long, dark hair and is universally celebrated for being immensely popular in juxtaposition to her mysterious persona.
However, It’s a rather scandalous discovery, still unknown to everyone, that she has crippling anxiety and a poor communication personality which prevents her from being able to open up and wholeheartedly conversing with her fellow classmates.
However, considering the unexpectedness of the universe, Komi finds herself left alone in the classroom with Tadano writing on the blackboard. Eventually, with one thing leading up to another, they are forced by luck to have a one-way conversation.
This leads up to Tadano realizing that Komi can’t communicate properly and that her goal is to make one hundred school friends during her entire time in high school. Owing to knowing her condition, Tadano decided to help Komi reach her goal. Consequently, along the way, he becomes her first friend ever.
THE IDOLM@STER
765 Production Studio, a well-known and rigorous production house, caters to the excellent talents of thirteen professional idols all up till the end when they would have become worldwide celebrities. The girls recruited by the company have anything but a comfortable life.
Dedication, hard work, blood, sweat, and tears are only the basic requirements needed for them to make a name for themselves in showbiz. 765 Pro, an even more advanced version, keeps an eye out for their rival company, the 961 Production. As the girls clinch their fame and the time they spend in the company grows, the less time they have in hand to maintain the little family they have created.
This very fame threatens to tear apart the bond they have shared through the years. The extremely difficult challenge of balancing their work and personal life (which seems impossible to distinguish sometimes) must be achieved if they want to sustain their friendship, or everything will fall apart.
Watch these idols in the making as they try to find the true meaning of life and find their true happiness. Will they be able to put their all and emerge as stars? Or will they fail to maintain their popularity and their friendships?
TARI TARI
For music students of Shirahmazaka High school, a special recital is organized annually to showcase their talents in front of professional dignitaries and special guests. Konatsu Miyamoto, a third-year student there, desperately wants to sing as it would be her last performance.
However, she’s been barred from participating altogether by her vice principal for screwing up the year before. Konatsu decides to take matters into her own hands and form her very own singing club with her friends instead of joining the official choir, which she couldn’t. Alas, it’s proving harder to execute than she thought.
Konatsu needed more than two members to kick start her self-proclaimed singing club but her friend, Wakana Sakai, had quit singing. Now, with only one month left for the recital, Konatsu is in dire need of team members. Will she be able to form a team and be ready to sing at one of the most important school events of her year- her last school recital and graduate without any regrets?
Visual Prison
Vampires who have existed for decades and centuries are known to be ruled by the ordeals of the Scarlet Moon. Once every year, a special battleship called “Visual Prison” commences, which is a respectful visual competition where a vampire with the most melodious voice who sings the most beautiful song is blessed with great power and prestige by the Scarlet Moon.
The competition’s well-known forefront runners are “Eclipse,” who are considered the champions in the royalty, which stand for a hierarchy of established order, and then there is “Lost Eden,” who keeps their belief in the strongest and believes that the strongest with the greatest strength should rule.
Ange Yuki, a lonely boy with a knack for singing but no confidence in his abilities, moves to the Harajuku area to find a renowned musician that he had always idolized. However, during his already tiresome quest, he gets engulfed and entangled in one of the many live spectacle battle clashes between the front runners- Eclipse and Lost Eden.
He is fascinated by their live performances, which leaves him quite stunned and transfixed, but he slowly collapses, probably overcome by the lust for blood. After regaining some consciousness, He finds himself under the settlement of Guiltia “Guil” Brion, who provides him with care and happens to be the idol he admires.
Eventually, he comes across the fact that he is a dhampir—half-human and half-vampire. Since Ange now has the condition and the privilege of taking part in the next round of Visual Prison, he wants Guil to be involved too.
However, Guil sadly explains that he would not be able to join him on this journey. Meanwhile, Ange comes across Robin Laffite, an Englishman who finds his singing voice rather riveting and astonishing. As the day of the competition starts knocking loudly, Ange struggles to put together a presentable unit in a race opposed to time.
Fuuka
After the transfer of their father for work-related issues, Yuu Haryana moved to Tokyo with his family. one day, Yuu was out to buy groceries, and on his way back home, he was scrolling through his Twitter account when he suddenly crashed into a high school girl.
The compromising position in which the girl and Yuu find themselves after the fall convinces the girl that Yuu is taking explicit pictures of her. Hence she stood up, slapped him, and broke his phone in pure rage.
Thinking ray Yuu will never encounter her again, he leaves for home. But what happens when fate brings them together again? Turns out the school Yuu has been transferred to is the same school attended by the girl he carafes into; her name is FuukaAkitsuk. Yuu noticed little details and differences between her.
The fact that she doesn’t own a cellphone and instead uses a CD player to listen to music, as time goes on, the misunderstanding is settled, and the two of them settle their fight. Eventually, the two become closer than ever and decide to start a band with the help of their friends and try to break in through the professional world of music. Will they be able to make it? Or will it result in failure?
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Gravitation
All Shuichi has ever wanted in his life that he would follow in the footsteps of his favorite pop idol named, Ryuichi Sakuma, and the band “Nittle Grasper.” trying to follow them, Shuichi, along with his best friend Hiro, started a brand new band named Bad Luck.
Quite ironically, all the luck was on their side when they managed to land a contract with a major recording label. The label asked them for a trial song, but unfortunately for the band, Shuichi was unable to complete the lyrics of any of the songs, and the closing day was just at the bay.
What he needs right now is a bit of motivation to complete his task. His best friend, Hiro, suggests that he find a girlfriend in order to get some inspiration but apparently, fate has other plans. It happened late at night while Shuichi was Walking through the park, and his latest lyrics fell and landed at the feet of a stranger.
While collecting his sheet, she witnessed the person and was absolutely awestruck by their beauty. Unfortunately, that mysterious stranger turns out to be a very famous novelist named Eiri Yuki, who actually tells off Shuichi by telling him that he possesses absolutely no talent at all.
Determined to prove her wrong, Shuichi manages to complete his lyrics and writes a masterpiece, only to confront Yuki again and show it off in front of her that he actually made it. Clearly, to say, he found his motivation. But was it anger, he tried to prove himself right, or had he actually fallen in love?
Star Mu
Ayanagi Academy is well known for producing exceptional artists and musicians. To enroll in this academy, one must compete to be selected for the Musical department, and the competition is always very high. Yuuta Hoshitani enrolls in this prestigious institution in hopes of finding that one high school student who inspired him. the musical department has a hierarchy.
At the top of the department sits the Kao Council. It is a group of third-year students who have a great amount of influence over the school as well as the admission into the department itself. The sure shot way to enter the department for Yuuta is to find a way to end up in the Star Team, which would guarantee him to be guided by a member of the prestigious Kao Council.
And that is what exactly happens, Hoshitani catches the eyes of Itsuki Ootori, and soon enough, Hoshitani finds himself under the guidance of the Kao Council’s most flamboyant member. Team Ootori consists of Hoshitani, his roommate, Tooru Nayuki, fledgling Kabuki, an actor named Kakeru Tengenji, the ever so shy and reserved Shuu Kuga, and Kaito Tsukigami, the younger brother of very popular Ayanagi Haruto.
Team Ootori must prove themselves better than the other teams of the Kao council leaders and emerge as the best. They must overcome their shortcomings and ensure betterment. Especially so that Team Ootori may perform in the Ayanagi Festival.
Re: Stage! Dream Days
Mana Shikimiya has been transferred to a new school. The school she’s going to? Marehoshi Academy is a notable school with one very important rule. Each student of the school has to be a member of any one of the many sports or cultural clubs hosted by the school. On her first day, Mana is taken on a tour of the school by the vice president of the student council named Minori Hasegawa.
During the tour, Mana accidents find the Lyrical Tradition Dance Club, where she meets two key members named Mizuha Ichikishima and Sayu Tsukisaka. Mana is instantly attracted and drained by their performance and decides to join the club.
Shortly after joint the club, they circus to win a competition, and not just any competition but a national competition which determines the country’s next top idol. the competition is called the Prism Stage.
However, what happens when the student council is set to discontinue the club? Due to the low number of members and almost no notable achievements, the student council decided to shut off the club. Now Mana and her club mates have more than just the competition on their plate to deal with.
It’s now up to the three members of the club to find a new member and form an idol group. They must also train hard enough to break through in the competition and qualify for the same. All they can hope is to win!
Kaikan Phrase
It all started when a popular teenage band broke up. After the breakup of the band, the guitarist named Yuki, and the Drummer, Santa, unitedly decided to form a new band from scratch. After searching out and about for members, they are finally able to recruit a bass player named Towa and a young talented guitarist named Atsuro.
They are also able to hire the vocalist, Sakuya, but only after a lot of persuasion. After coming together, they finally formed a new band named “Lucifer.” but the real challenge lies ahead as they try to make it big in the music industry.
The story of Kaikan Phrase revolves around the individual band members and how they grow together as a band. The path is full of ups and downs and victories and obstacles, but they cannot afford to back away. Discover their past relationships, complex friendships, and life in general.
If you liked this list, make sure to check out 44 Musical Anime Shows To Watch for more recommendations.
