After losing his father in a volcanic eruption that nearly destroyed the Ayaka Islands, Yukito Yanagi has been living with foster families on the mainland. However, as per his father’s wishes, Yukito is brought back to the islands after his middle school graduation where he meets the disciples of his father and learns the supernatural state of the region.
Throughout the four Ayaka Islands, Mitama live harmlessly and feed off human energy. However, when too much negative energy is present, they become dangerous Aramitama that need to be subdued by Ley Masters. Like his father, Yukito possesses the ability to become a Ley Master, but to do so he must overcome his past trauma and embrace his origins.
While it takes perhaps too long to get going, I can appreciate an anime that tells its story from beginning to end in a cohesive way. Even if it is forgettable, Ayaka was a nice solid watch. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Ayaka: A Story of Bonds and Wounds, head on down below.
Anime Like Ayaka: A Story of Bonds and Wounds
For Fans of Exorcists
Twin Star Exorcists
Parallel to our world is Magano where the Kegare dwell. Exorcists are sent in to deal with these monsters and cleanse impurities.
One day, a talented young exorcist named Benio is returning to Tokyo in order to meet with the Exorcists Union. On the road, she meets a young exorcist named Rokuro. After seeing some kids being plagued by Kegare, Benio rushes in and drags Rokuro with her. There, she discovers he has skill to rival her own, but refuses to fight.
Being paired up by the head exorcist, they are lauded as the Twin Star Exorcists and prophesied as the future parents of the reincarnation of the Abe no Seimei, who will cleanse the world of Kegare.
Both series focus on exorcists who have a unique sense of style in an otherwise normal world. However, while Ayaka has a rather compact plot that goes from the beginning to an end in just one season, Twin Star Exorcist is distinctly more shounen. It is separated into lengthy arcs with no end in sight for a long time.
While both series focus on exorcists fighting spirits that threaten humanity, they also have a decent focus on the bonds that the main character forms with their companions. It is just that Twin Star Exorcists is more focused on those bonds leading to romance rather than the overall theme of brotherhood that Ayaka features.
Tokyo Ravens
Spiritual magic once helped Japan launch themselves into World War II, but the war was lost after an onmyouji caused the Great Spiritual Disaster that still plagues Tokyo to this day. As a result, the Onmyou Agency was established to combat the demons.
These days, spiritual powers have declined, and this is the case with Harutora, a young man tasked with protecting the reincarnation of the Great Disaster’s creator. However, when an an onmyouji attempts to recreate the Great Spiritual Disaster, he rises to the occasion to try and stop them.
While Ayaka focuses on the Mitama being a normal part of life only on the Ayaka islands, Tokyo Ravens features a relatively modern world where the Onmyoudou magic used by exorcists is an integral part of daily life without making the society overly spiritual.
Essentially, both series are anime about exorcists, but with an emphasis on magic realism. Both series feature main characters that either feature no apparent power or have difficulty controlling the tremendous power the do have – both of which due to mysterious reasons they will uncover later.
Let’s be real, Ayaka is an interesting, enjoyable, but ultimately kind of forgettable anime. Tokyo Raven is very much that too.
Shounen Onmyouji
Although Masahiro is the grandson of the great onmyouji, Abe no Seimei, he lacks the sixth sense to even see spiritual beings.
Lacking perhaps the most necessarily basic ability for an onmyouji, Masahiro is forced to consider other career options. However, a mononoke appears before him and unlocks his true potential powers after fighting a demon.
With the help of this mysterious entity, Masahiro now begins his quest to become the greatest onmyouji!
Both series feature main characters that – despite being ancestors of great exorcists – are living in the normal world and not considering being an exorcist. Of course, events drag them back into the supernatural and someone teaches them to harness their hidden powers.
However, while Shounen Onmyouji is about being an exorcist that is allied with a spirit, Ayaka is more about discovering the main characters’ secret origins.
For Fans of Modern Supernatural Settings
Malevolent Spirits – Mononogatari
Tsukumogami are objects that have gained self-awareness and are able to take human form, but manifest powers based on the object they once were. For many tsukumogami, they exist secretly and without problem. However, when they do begin to cause problems, the order of Saenome are tasked with neutralizing them
Hyouma Kunato is a young Saenome working under his grandfather, but after a tsukumogami killed his brother and sister, it causes him to choose violence in every encounter rather than explore more peaceful means of neutralizing tsukumogami.
Finding this unacceptable for the future heir of their clan, his grandfather sends him to live Botan Nagatsuki, a college girl who is protected by a series of tsukumogami who also solve problems caused by their own kind in Kyoto. However, while his encounter with Botan and her tsukumogami have a softening effect, his presence within her life begins to stir the boundaries set in place long ago.
Both Ayaka and Mononogatari are supernatural anime that take are best describes a “magic realism” in which the world and plot is highly supernatural, but not greatly different from our reality in most other aspects.
While Ayaka definitely goes a bit more eccentric with the character designs of some of the exorcists, both series feature otherwise normal realistic characters getting involved in a world of otherwise unseen supernatural intrigue.
The biggest difference between them is, while things get dire in Ayaka by the end as it ramps up, the supernatural is vastly more menacing in Mononogatari. It tells a darker story and its enemies are less CGI-looking monsters and more interestingly designed.
Beyond the Boundary
As the last surviving member of her clan of spirit warriors, Mirai Kuriyama must use her special power of fighting using her blood in order to subdue Youmu, creatures that are the manifestation of negative human emotions.
One day at school she happens across Akihito, a rare half-breed Youmu in human form. Immediately trying to kill him, she finds out he is an immortal being and the two strike up an impromptu friendship.
Both Ayaka and Beyond the Boundary focus on groups of characters fighting spirits but balance it out with those same characters just living their lives in a very normal modern world. However, while Ayaka focuses on island life, Beyond the Boundary is a school life series.
Where these series truly differ is in scale. Ayaka features fights that are usually wrapped up quite quickly. Beyond the Boundary not only has more action, but the action is significantly more grand in scale. Beyond the Boundary also has the benefit of a notably large animation budget.
In/Spectre
At a young age, Kotoko Iwanaga was abducted by yokai and asked to become their Goddess of Wisdom to act as a mediator between spiritual and human issues. She agreed and lost her right eye and left leg in the agreement.
Meanwhile, Kotoko meets Kuro Sakuragawa, a man who just broke up with his girlfriend after a kappa fled before him.
Kotoko makes her move to not only lock him down as a boyfriend, but to have him help her settle various disputes with spirits.
While Ayaka is set in a contained group of islands, both series feature worlds that are like normal modern Japan, but are filled with supernatural. Aside from the magic realism setting, both of these series have a passion for dialogue and character development rather than big flashy fights.
They have big flashy fights, but most of each episode is characters just talking. In/spectre, as a series about solving supernatural mysteries through investigation and mediation, keeps even longer periods of dialogue interesting through intrigue. Ayaka isn’t quite as finessed with keeping long moments of dialogue particularly gripping, but it is also building character relationships in those moments.
Not unlike Yukito also being saved by Jingi’s timely intervention so frequently, In/Spectre also features a main character duo where one party protects the other.
For Fans of Protagonists With Mysterious Powers
Midnight Occult Civil Servants
Miyako Arata is newly assigned to the Nighttime Regional Relations Department. Each ward of Tokyo has one of these offices that are dedicated to investigating the paranormal and occult-related activities in the area.
On his first night on the job, he is learning the ropes from his colleagues who are trying to ward off Tengu and Angels before a battle breaks out between them.
However, he also learns that, unlike his colleagues, he can understand what they are saying to each other. This allows Arata the ability to now mediate problems rather than turn immediately to violence.
Both of these supernatural anime feature main characters that were otherwise normal boys getting introduced to the world of the supernatural. They soon discover that they too are supernaturally special, even more so than some of their supernaturally-gifted peers.
While both series are about these main characters handling problems around town, Ayaka is following the Yukito’s journey in finding out who he really is while Midnight Occult Civil Servant reveals that for the main character very early, and is otherwise a mediation-focused workplace plot. He uses his abilities to talk problems out instead of always just fight them out.
Noragami
There will be times where you may happen across an odd phone number written in red. If you call it, you will get in touch with a young man who introduces himself as the Yato God.
This Yato God is a minor deity and the self-proclaimed God of Delivery. He dreams of having millions of worshipers, but there isn’t a single shrine dedicated to his name. He spends his time doing odd jobs for spare yen until the day his weapon partner deserts him.
Just as things are looking down, he happens across a young school girl that saves him from a car accident by taking the hit for him. She survives, but her soul becomes loose. Together they set out to find a way to tighten her soul back up.
While Noragami is a much longer, arc-based story, it is like if Jingi was the focus of the story instead of Yukito. Both series feature kind of mysterious main characters whose back story and origins are slowly unraveled. While doing that, both Noragami and Ayaka put a strong emphasis on the bonds that the main characters form with those around them.
While Ayaka is often more slice of life with the occasional battle, Noragami paces itself a little better, but does tend to be more action-oriented. Despite that, it makes plenty of time for Yato being a lovable scamp not unlike Jingi with Yukine being as critical of him as Yukito is.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Ayaka: A Story of Bonds and Wounds? Let fans know in the comments section below.
