Anime Series Like BNA: Brand New Animal

Throughout history, humanity has always been at odds with the beastmen – a race that can change their shape into beasts. The beastmen have all but gone into hiding. Anima City is one such safe haven where they live without interference. During the towns’ 10th anniversary, Michiru, a human that has recently turned into a tanuki, visits the city. Unfortunately, there is a explosion in the square. Together with the wolf Shirou, the pair look into the explosion and find that Michiru is more than she believes.

Another creation by Trigger. It is as flashy as ever, but in terms of plot this one could have benefited from a few more episodes. If you are looking for more anime series similar to BNA, then head on down below.

For Fans of Beastmen

Beastars

This is a world of anthropomorphic animals where carnivores and herbivores live side by side with each other. At Cherryton Academy, young wolf Legoshi is a member of the drama club. While he is often called menacing due to his appearance, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. When one herbivore classmate is killed and devoured, Legoshi finds himself as the primary suspect.

While both shows are very obviously about various forms of anthropomorphism, perhaps what they most have in common is how complex and dark they try to be. These aren’t cheery anime series about people with twee animal ears. Both shows make their attempts at deep plots and nuanced characters.

Killing Bites

After unwittingly participating in a kidnapping, college student Yuuya finds his friends murdered by the girl they kidnapped. Forced to drive her somewhere, he now finds himself the prize in a match between two Therianthropes, animal-human hybrids. Being saved by the girl, Yuuya finds himself in the middle of a proxy war between four companies through a blood sport known as Killing Bites.

Both series feature animal people. In a way, their plots are pretty similar too. They both try to get into complex political matters or racism, but both kind of fall flat. In BNA, I reckon it is because they rushed it to fit into 12 episodes. In Killing Bites, it is more so because they got caught up in crafting action.

A Centaur’s Life

Thanks to the different route taken by evolution, there are no humans in this world, only supernatural creatures. Himeno is a sweet and shy centaur girl who is in a class full of angels, devils, and beast people, but this is all normal in the world. Despite everything being supernatural, this is about Himeno’s completely normal life.

While both series are about animal people and share a similar fluidity in animation, their plots vastly differ. A Centaur’s Life is more what you might expect from anthropomorphic anime. It is cheery and lacking in a deep plot.

For Fans of Discrimination

Tokyo Ghoul

Tokyo has become a place overrun by flesh-eating monsters called ghouls. Unlike your typical zombies, they are able to blend in with humanity, making it so people live in constant fear of each other. However, for Ken Kaneki, a bookish college student, he finds himself drawn to another avid reader, a girl named Rize Kamishiro. Unfortunately, she turns out to be a ghoul. In a twist of fate, Kaneki gets saved from his gruesome death, but now begins a new life as a half-human, half-ghoul hybrid.

Both series deal with the topics of discrimination and a second race that is forced to live separately from humanity. Interestingly enough, both shows also try their hands at complex plots and also let you down a little bit when it comes to the big moments.

Elfen Lied

Lucy is a special breed of human known as a Diclonius, sporting a pair of small horns and telekinetic powers. All her life she has been held captive in a government facility. However, after staging a bloody break out one night, she is hit in the head and sent tumbling over a cliff. Washing up on shore with amnesia, she is taken in by some college students who are about to be pulled into the bloody world of government conspiracy.

Both shows display races that are of a threat to humanity. In BNA, you unravel the various unrest in the city of these outsiders while in Elfen Lied you see that humanity is mostly responsible for making this new race into a threat to them.

Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagaan

Simon and Kamina were living boring lives in their deep underground village when, on an excavation dig, they find a mysterious object that turns out to be the ignition key to an ancient war machine. With their new weapon, the pair are able to fend off an attack from above, but upon catching a glimpse of the sky, they set off on an adventure that will take them out of this universe.

Most notably, these series are both about “beastmen” that dislike humans. However, while the plots are different, you will notice that Gurren Lagaan has all the same fluidity in its animation that Trigger typically brings to the table.

For Fans of City Politics

Blood Blockade Battlefront

Vampires, fishmen, supersonic monkeys – they are all normal residents living alongside humans in Hellsalem’s Lot, formerly known as New York City. When a gate between Earth and the Beyond popped up there three years ago, old NYC became dominated by monsters and now Libra, a secret organization, is tasked with keeping it in order. However, for main character Leonardo Watch, he is no one special, just a hobbyist photographer. However, when he obtains the All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods, he finds himself recruited into Libra.

While BNA is about them investigating a singular event that leads to something bigger, Blood Blockade Battlefront is small events that generally lead to a bigger event. Both cities are filled with oddness and that makes for some fantastic characters in both series.

The Eccentric Family

In modern Kyoto, tanuki and tengu have lived secretly among humans for years. Yasburou Shimogamo, the third son of a prominent tanuki family, spends his days dipping his toes into human culture through shape shifting and caring for an old Tengu. However, something plagues this family, the mysterious and grisly death of their father. One day, the threads start to unravel.

BNA’s main character is a tanuki while The Eccentric Family is all about a family of them. Both are forced into the shadows and end up interacting with the oddities of a city.

Cop Craft

15 years ago, a gate opened over the Pacific to a fantasy world. In the present day, San Teresa City hosts two million immigrants from the other world and those from our world live side by side. As with any city, crime has started to run rampant, but justice is handed out by a police force combined of cops from our world and knights from the other. This is the tale of one such team.

Despite not being about anthropomorphic characters, Cop Craft also deals with the topic of racism. There is a divide between two races and two people end up investigating incidents caused by this.

Do you have any other anime recommendations like BNA? Let fans know in the comments section below.