Hikari

13

PG-13

16bit Sensation: Another Layer

Konoha Akisato's love for bishoujo games—a type of entertainment focused on interactions with beautiful girls—has always nurtured her aspiration of becoming a popular artist. However, as Konoha secures her first job as a sub-illustrator at the game company Blue Bell, she confronts the harsh reality surrounding her favorite genre. In 2023, the bishoujo game industry is overrun with cheap, repetitive, and low-effort releases, with Blue Bell at the core of the problem. After stumbling upon a vintage game store and reminiscing about the impressive titles of the past, Konoha suddenly winds up in the year 1992—just as the bishoujo game industry was beginning to flourish. Konoha struggles to accept her new circumstances until she joins Alcohol Soft, a small game company willing to employ her as an illustrator. Although she believes her skills from the future will propel her to success, technology and illustration are considerably old-school, and she must promptly adapt if she wishes to fulfill her dreams.

TV Fall 2023 6.93

13

PG-13

Angel Beats!

Death is one of many mysteries that has left humanity in the dark since the dawn of time. However, the burning question of what happens to the soul after one dies is soon answered to 17-year-old Yuzuru Otonashi. Waking up with no previous memories in a dimension between life and death, he discovers the unsettling truth of the afterlife. Taking the form of a high school, this bizarre dimension is designated to shelter those who died unwanted deaths. Feeling wronged by God during their earthly lives, the school's residents have decided to form the Afterlife Battlefront—a rebellious faction determined to oppose their god-like student council president, Kanade "Angel" Tachibana. The group's leader, Yuri Nakamura, recruits Otonashi in their fight against Angel in order to take control of their own lives. However, questioning the morality behind their actions, Otonashi takes a step behind the enemy lines to understand the opposing side of their common fate.

TV Spring 2010 8.06

11

PG-13

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

Jinta Yadomi is peacefully living as a recluse, spending his days away from school and playing video games at home instead. One hot summer day, his childhood friend, Meiko "Menma" Honma, appears and pesters him to grant a forgotten wish. He pays her no mind, which annoys her, but he doesn't really care. After all, Menma already died years ago. At first, Jinta thinks that he is merely hallucinating due to the summer heat, but he is later on convinced that what he sees truly is the ghost of Menma. Jinta and his group of childhood friends grew apart after her untimely death, but they are drawn together once more as they try to lay Menma's spirit to rest. Re-living their pain and guilt, will they be able to find the strength to help not only Menma move on—but themselves as well?

TV Spring 2011 8.3

12

R

Another

In class 3-3 of Yomiyama North Junior High, transfer student Kouichi Sakakibara makes his return after taking a sick leave for the first month of school. Among his new classmates, he is inexplicably drawn toward Mei Misaki—a reserved girl with an eyepatch whom he met in the hospital during his absence. But none of his classmates acknowledge her existence; they warn him not to acquaint himself with things that do not exist. Against their words of caution, Kouichi befriends Mei—soon learning of the sinister truth behind his friends' apprehension. The ominous rumors revolve around a former student of the class 3-3. However, no one will share the full details of the grim event with Kouichi. Engrossed in the curse that plagues his class, Kouichi sets out to discover its connection to his new friend. As a series of tragedies arise around them, it is now up to Kouichi, Mei, and their classmates to unravel the eerie mystery—but doing so will come at a hefty price.

TV Winter 2012 7.47

R+

12

6.44