Check Out These Fantastical Tales!
Netflix has been churning out various anime projects over the years. While some aren’t mass hits, many offer intruiging concepts worth checking out regardless of their overall quality. Drifting Home is one of those projects. This anime may not have the best story or character line-up, but its animation and soundtrack will leave viewers slightly satisfied. In it, we follow Kousuke and Natsume whose friendship’s starting to teeter toward dangerous territory. One day, they visit a housing complex that’s planned to be demolished. They hold strong memories of the place and get caught up in a mysterious phenomenon. They find themselves drifting along a mysterious sea with other kids while aboard the housing complex. They must all come together to find a way to return home. Fear not if you’re having trouble finding anime similar to Drifting Home! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as Drifting Home. Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet your appetite when you’ve finished streaming Drifting Home!
Sonny Boy
Similarities – Plot & Characters
Sonny Boy is another survival-themed tale. Drifting Home and Sonny Boy’s casts try their best to find a solution and will encounter similar issues regarding social isolation and trust. While the cast differs in age ranges, viewers will have fun pointing out how each group handles their dreadful predicaments. In it, we follow 36 students drifting away in a void-like dimension along with their school building. Suddenly, supernatural powers awaken some students, making them grow detached from the group. The students start rebelling against each other which leads to them uncovering this world’s rules. They must follow these rules to survive. One student goes against the world’s laws, resulting in everyone being sent to a new dimension. They’ll find themselves switching multiple dimensions as they hope to return to their world. This anime feels more surreal than Drifting Home’s. The conflicts are better executed and the tension feels consistent with the issues our characters encounter. If you’re looking for a bizarre take on Drifting Home’s concept, give Sonny Boy a chance.
Astra Lost In Space
Similarities – Themes
Astra Lost In Space is a fun and mysterious adventure anime. It delves into similar themes regarding people getting lost and exploring areas unfamiliar to them. Unlike Drifting Home, this anime evokes strong sci-fi vibes and develops its characters well. Each character receives time to shine and has an assortment of issues they must contend with to grow as individuals. Their growth happens naturally and problems aren’t resolved in one episode. This allows viewers to grow attached to the cast and understand their perspectives. The series’s second half doesn’t offer the best pacing, though. However, if you can overlook its rushed content, you’re in for an experience that’ll leave you entertained. Our world takes place in a futuristic setting where space travel is commercially available. We follow a cheerful girl named Aries, who gets her purse snatched by a thief when attending a camp trip on the planet McPa. An athletic boy named Kanata retrieves her purse and she learns he’ll be attending the trip too. Their trip takes a dramatic turn when they get sent far into space. They locate an abandoned ship and learn they’re light-years away from home. Our protagonists vow to return home by any means necessary.
Erased
Similarities – Characters & Story
Erased is a fun mystery anime with time-travel elements. While it doesn’t involve our protagonist getting trapped in a specific time period, it involves him exploring a different period to resolve a terrifying situation. In it, our protagonist Satoru must identify a murderer responsible for killing his mother and one of his former classmates during his childhood. He’ll do so by using his time travel abilities to alter the course of history and find his target. While the mystery regarding who committed the murders is semi-predictable after a couple of episodes, the show introduces a great mix of heartwarming and heartbreaking scenarios to keep viewers hooked. This anime isn’t afraid to show some essence of blood or tackle dark themes. The children protagonists endure traumatic situations that are on par with what you’d find in Drifting Home. If you’re in need of another show involving children getting roped into dangerous situations, check out Erased.
Kiznaiver
Similarities – Story
Kiznaiever is an intriguing anime series with a premise that evokes similar emotions to Drifting Home. In it, we follow Katsuhira, a quiet teenage boy whose sense of pain has vanished, making him a target of bullying. One day, Katsuhira, his friend Chidori, and four others get forced to join the Kizuna System as Kiznaivers. The members are connected through pain and if one gets injured, the others feel equal amounts of agony. They become their lab rats, working for a corrupted government that’s after world peace. With their fates intertwined, the Kiznaivers expose their true identities to each other or die training. This is another anime that forces young characters into dreadful circumstances. It handles its themes of friendship, sympathy, and loneliness well and makes you feel for its cast’s struggles. The anime doesn’t feature the grandest plot, but its characters are crucial to one’s enjoyment of the series. If you’re looking for a character-driven narrative with some astonishing visuals, give this one a try.
A Letter To Momo
Similarities – Characters & Themes
A Letter To Momo is heartfelt anime that deals with loss. After losing her father, Momo Miyaura abandons Tokyo with her mother and resides on a remote island. She carries an unfinished letter from her father as a memento of his passing. In this unfamiliar town, Momo adjusts to her new homeland and its activities. One day, she finds a worn-out picture book about youkai. Suddenly, strange shenanigans occur in the town. Momo meets three troublesome youkai who’ll make her life utterly bizarre and memorable. This is a touching tale that showcases Momo’s struggles with adapting to her new homeland and moving on from her father’s passing. This anime dishes out some lighthearted comedy but gradually gets more mature as it progresses. You’ll adore seeing Momo grow out of her shell and become a stronger person. You’ll adore Momo’s chemistry with the three youkai but may feel bummed out by the other humans’ minuscule involvement in the narrative. If you’re looking for a magical and wholesome anime with mature themes, give this one a watch.
Kokoro Connect
Similarities – Characters & Themes
Kokoro Connect offers viewers an engaging plot, great characters, and a fun supernatural world. In it, five students find themselves in each other’s bodies. They must find a solution to their issue while confronting the issues they hid from each other. This is a story that shows a group of friends struggling to maintain their tight bond. The things they peer into will hit home with some folks on a personal level. Like Drifting Home, it tackles themes concerning friendship, sympathy, and growing up. It shows how curiosity can lead to dark paths. Although our characters are in a tight predicament, they find some time to share a laugh and goof around. Viewers will appreciate the show for its intense and joyful moments. If you’re looking for another anime that involves characters fighting to protect their friendship while searching for a way out, give Kokoro Connect a shot.
Spirited Away
Similarities – Coming of Age
Spirited Away is a popular Studio Ghibli film. It offers a colorful world full of fantastical living organisms. While it might take viewers a while to grow fond of its protagonist, you’ll adore seeing how she interacts with an environment that’s unfamiliar to her. With its captivating visuals, beautiful universe, and cartoon-like character designs, Spirited Away is a great gateway anime.
The Promised Neverland
Similarities – Children Defying The Odds
While the show’s second season has its critics, many adored The Promised Neverland for its intelligent cast, spooky setting, and exceptional plot twists. Like Drifting Home, this series revolves around a child cast with colorful personalities. The series’s imagery is darker and implements various tense moments that’ll send shivers down your spine. This film engulfs viewers in a magical realm that’s full of imagination and creativity. It features better exploration elements than Drifting Home and tons of characters for fans to fall in love with. If you’re looking for a stellar coming-of-age tale with imaginative environments and incredible characters, give this one a try. If you’re a fan of thought-provoking works, this is a must-watch. In it, we follow a group of orphan children who reside in Grace Field House. The children participate in many mundane activities from playing hide-and-seek to tag. They also take part in mind-numbing tests to help stimulate their brains. They’re looked after by the house’s caretaker Isabella and adore her. One day, a child named Connie gets adopted and heads to the front gate with Isabella. Two children named Emma and Norman notice Connie leave her stuffed rabbit behind. They visit the front gate to give it to her but witness something horrifying. Upon returning to their home, Emma and Norman devise a scheme that’ll involve them helping the others to escape Grace Field. Otherwise, it’ll be game over for them and their family.
Made In Abyss
Similarities – Fantasy & Child Protagonists
Made In Abyss is the shining definition of never judging a book by its cover. Although it looks like a kiddy show on the surface, it harbors dark and mature storytelling that’s not for the faint of heart. It follows a young cave raider named Riko diving deep into her village’s abyss for an excavation. Inside, she meets a strange robot boy named Reg. She learns that Reg doesn’t recall anything from his past. Later, Riko receives intel about her mother’s whereabouts in the abyss and how much of a phenomenal cave raider she is. With several goals in their minds, Riko and Reg embark on a mission of discovery and turmoil in hopes of finding Riko’s mother and uncovering the secrets of Reg’s past life. This anime’s extremely gruesome in action and imagery. Its creatures and scenery evoke a strong semblance to things you’d uncover in Lovecraft’s horrific tales. Despite being children, Made In Abyss doesn’t shy away from placing Riko and Reg in situations that’ll make you cringe for better and for worse. If you’re into intense tales with beautiful animation and deep lore, check this one out.
School-Live!
Similarities – Themes
School-Live is an underappreciated work. This anime is best enjoyed without any prior knowledge of its premise. It has a remarkable first episode that’ll make you think everything is okay until it’s not. This series handles our protagonist’s post-traumatic disorder well and features some exciting quarrels between her and her friends. That said, this anime fabulously builds upon its mystery elements. There’s a specific character in this show that’ll make you contemplate her existence or not and the show toys with this idea well. That said, this anime features a good chunk of action scenes that’ll get many viewers pumped and worried for our hero’s safety. Unfortunately, School-Live! doesn’t strike the best balance between its dark and lighthearted subjects. You’ll be left wishing it had leaned more toward its darker aspects a lot. However, if you’re looking for an anime that provides fans with an intriguing twist on the moe sub-genre then consider checking out School-Live! So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with Drifting Home! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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