As the Mongolian Empire rapidly expands in the 13th Century, they turn their eyes across the sea to Japan. For Jinzaburou, once a trusted man of the Kamakura and now an exiled criminal, he finds himself at the first staging point of the invasion – the island of Tsushima. As the first stop between Korea and the Japanese mainland, can they withstand the torrent of a Mongol invasion?
Flying under the radar and a rather rare series covering pre-Warring States era Japan, Angolmois brings about the full package of action, drama, and history. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Angolmois, consider all the goodies below.
Anime Like Angolmois
For Fans of Overlooked History
Golden Kamuy
After surviving the brutal Russo-Japanese war, Sugimoto gained the nickname “the immortal”. However, he now seeks the promise of gold to the north in Hokkaido in order to provide for the blind wife and infant son of his comrade who died in the war. Yet, during his hunt, he hears the tale of a hidden stash of gold belonging to criminals with a map made out of human skin. Dismissing it as a tale at first, he soon finds that the man who told him the story has those very same map-like tattoos. Now on a race with a native Ainu girl whose father was murdered for the gold, they try to make it to the stash before the criminals.
Both shows provide interesting and action-packed takes on eras of Japanese history that typically aren’t discussed or shown in anime. It is nice to see how everything has changed considering these are centuries apart. Of course, there is always an enemy to fight.
Hyouge Mono
During the Warring States era, one vassal of Oda Nobunaga learned of the art of tea ceremony from Oda himself and the legendary tea master Sen no Soueki. This vassal, Furuta Sasuke, seeks to lead a fortuitous life and now walks the path of the Hyouge Mono.
Angolmois lets viewers see a different era of Japanese history while Hyouge Mono lets viewers see a vastly different side of Japanese samurai. While Angolmois is action-oriented and Hyouge Mono is not at all, I feel that for some viewers it is intriguing to see the part of history that more popular shows don’t touch on.
Kingdom
In the Ancient Chinese Kingdom of Qin, war orphan and slave Xin trains with his fellow slave and best friend Piao to achieve their dream of one day being Great Generals of the Heavens. However, after catching the eye of an imperial minister, Piao is taken to work at the royal palace until a coup sends him back to Xin. Piao arrives half dead in order to tell Xin to complete his mission for him. This leads Xin to the young king, Zheng Ying, who Piao was posing as a double for. This encounter thrusts Xin in a brutal age of warfare and towards his destiny.
While Kingdom focuses on a fictionalized era of Chinese history, anime that focuses on Chinese anything is rather rare. Not only does this tie it to Angolmois in a way, but they also have superb action and sometimes questionable use of CGI while doing it. However, Kingdom does throw a lot more characters at you with its cast.
For Fans of Redemption
Yona of the Dawn
After having her luxurious life shattered by the betrayal of her cousin, Princess Yona is forced to escape with her childhood friend Son Hak. However, leaving her palace forces her to see the poverty and strife that really makes up her beloved kingdom. Now she must journey to not only regain her rightful throne, but to return her kingdom to its former glory.
While vastly different in many respects from the setting to the gender of the main characters, in both stories, you find a main character that has been knocked down to the very bottom rung. For their own reasons, they decide that they need to do something. Whether it is climb back up or simply due the duty they still have to their country.
Blade of the Immortal
Manji is a swordsman who was cursed with eternal life. Growing upset with all the death he has created, he tries to get his mortality back by killing 100 evil men for every good person he had struck down. On this journey, he meets a girl named Rin who seeks her own vengeance against a sword school that killed her family. Together they journey, both trying to find their peace and prevent being consumed by revenge.
Both of these stories are about a samurai redeeming themselves through, oddly enough, more killing, even after their fall was because of killing. While Blade of the Immortal certainly has some flaws, if your passion is the action in Angolmois, it has quite enough to tide you over.
Rurouni Kenshin
During more violent times, there was the tale of a legendary manslayer, the Battousai. However, this assassin suddenly disappeared at the beginning of the Meiji Era, but his legend is still well-known. Ten years later, unbeknownst to the people, the Battousai has abandoned his blood-stained ways and began living as a wanderer known as Kenshin, a goofball and pacifist that has vowed to never kill again. After saving a sword dojo ran by a woman from an imposter posing as the Battousai, this wanderer stops his travel to temporarily stay.
While Kenshin’s Meiji Era setting isn’t exactly a rarity in anime, what it has in common with Angolmois is the sort of redemption story that goes on. While Kenshin is well into his own redemption by the start, he has many conflicts to overcome. However, for Jinzaburou, he must find his new place in the world after his fall, and that starts with the trip to the island.
For Fans of Against All Odds
Alderamin on the Sky
The world is currently embroiled by war between the Katjvarna Empire and the Kiorka Republic. Within a corner of the empire, a young man prepares to take his High Grade Military Officer Exam. He is lazy and lecherous, but no one would expect his name would go down in history as a legendary military general. This is his story.
Although in a fantasy setting, in Alderamin just as in Angolmois, you watch a scrappy group of upstarts fight an enemy that often seems like an insurmountable wall. However, while Alderamin does a good job of showing that novice element, in Angolmois, you come to find out that these criminals aren’t really amateurs at all with their many talents.
Berserk
Gutts has been a mercenary for as long as he can remember, caring for nothing but moving to the next battle. One fateful battle puts him at odds with the rapidly rising mercenary group, the Band of the Hawk. Their charismatic, idealistic leader Griffith soon makes him join by force, but the bond he forms with the Band of the Hawk may very well mean the end of the world.
A minor theme in Angolmois is struggle in all forms. However, Berserk is literally all about the struggle which grows more and more as the series goes on until everything looks hopeless. Both shows are about scrappy fighters trying to carve out a place in the world as well as how to survive in it.
Akame ga Kill
Tatsumi is a naive boy from a rural village that makes the trip to the city in order to join the military and help his hometown. However, after he is rejected, he ends up joining Night Raid, a group of assassins part of a revolutionary movement to overthrow the government. From there, he must fight a brutal and increasingly bloody shadow war.
Similar to Angolmois and its small army against a large invading one, Akame ga Kill tells the tales of a small group of assassins against a tyrannous kingdom. While the perspectives are quite different, you will find both small groups quite skilled enough to go against something with such overwhelming force.
Do you have any more anime recommendations like Angolmois? Let fans know in the comments section below.
