Leaving home behind, Tiara arrives at Flora Girls’ Academy and meets her old friend, Rosetta. At this academy, they train young witches to use spells for combat as well as performing orchestras in order to power themselves up with harvested mana. Unfortunately, Tiara finds out that the new group she is put into are all on the verge of failing.
Idols and a distinct “Harry Potter but with Cute Girls” setting makes this your moe and chill anime for the Summer 2020 anime season. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Lapis Re:Lights, then head on down below.
Anime Like Lapis Re:Lights
For Fans of Magic Schooling
Little Witch Academia
Although Atsuko is an ordinary girl, she became enamored by witches and magic by a magic show she saw as a kid hosted by a witch named Shiny Chariot. Now, she has aspires to be a witch, taking the first step by joining a renowned academy for witches called Luna Nova Academy. Although she faces hardship as a first generation witch and fan of Shiny Chariot, whom many consider a fraud, she and her two friends do their best each new day.
When I first watched both of these shows, I was like, “so this is Harry Potter with cute girls.” They are both about witches, in magical schools, doing witch things. Of course, Lapis has the idol plot and Little Witch Academia goes for a more fleshed out plot.
The Familiar of Zero
Louise is a self-absorbed mage at the prestigious Tristain Academy. Unfortunately, she can’t cast magic right and her classmates call her Louise the Zero. One day during a summoning ritual, Louise messes it up again and summons a boy named Saito. At first she treats him as a slave until she discovers a powerful brand on him, the sign of a legendary familiar known as Gandalfr.
Both series feature witches at school. Furthermore, they both focus on the underdogs of said school who have their fate changed by a new appearance. While The Familiar of Zero can be more action-oriented at times, they are both pretty moe focused.
Tweeny Witches
Arusu believes in magic and that it can be used for good deeds. One day, she is transported to a new world ruled by witches. Unfortunately, they use magic for power and little else by forcing the residents in the world into slavery. Arusu sets out to change this.
While Tweeny Witches is definitely a little darker, it also follows the story of a witch. Both series follow those do-gooders as they use magic in various and interesting ways.
For Fans of Idols
PriPara
Every little girls dreams of the day she will get her ticket to PriPara. In this world of fashion and music, girls aim towards becoming pop idols. Laala Manaka is no different, but her school forbids entering the model competitions. Yet, Laala bumbles into PriPara and debuts as a fresh new talent.
While Lapis has the whole “magic” thing to set it apart from other idol series, PriPara takes idol tropes, fashion, and struggles, then turns that dial up a few notches to make it over the top.
Love Live
Chika Takami is a self-proclaimed normal girl with minimal interest in clubs and no discernible talent. However, after visiting Tokyo, she discovers a stage where even a normal girl like her can shine – school idols. Thus, she sets off on a mission to create her own high school idol group, but not without many obstacles along the way.
Like cute idol girls? Haven’t seen Love Live yet? Well, get going then. These are both shows stuffed with cute girls because that’s the whole point of idol anime. Love Live is a bit more on the realism side though.
Zombieland Saga
For Sakura Minamoto, she started her day off normally, right up until she skipped outside and got hit by a speeding truck. She died, of course, but 10 years later, she wakes up as… a zombie. However, her story is just beginning as a man wants her and several other undead girls from throughout Japan’s history to become a regional idol group to save Saga from becoming an obscure prefecture.
Both Lapis and Zombieland Saga are in the burgeoning genre of “idol anime with a twist.” Lapis is idols, but also they are witches. Zombieland Saga is idols, but also they are zombies. Zombieland Saga, though, is less about being cute, and more about being a really great comedy.
For Fans of Cute Girls Doing Cute Fantasy Things
Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense
After receiving an invitation from a friend, Kaede Honjou starts playing the VRMMO game New World Online as a character named Maple. However, in her desire to not get hurt, she puts all her stats in Vitality. This makes her move very slowly, unable to use magic, and get attacked by even the smallest creatures. However, it does allow her impenetrable defense and her gear she finds while wandering grants her a one-hit counter skill. And so, her adventures begin.
Although Bofuri definitely sounds like your standard isekai, like Lapis, it is essentially just the main character being cute. They do random activities and nothing really goes anywhere. It is a celebration of moe girls.
Endro
Every generation, a demon lord rises and a hero is born to challenge them. However, as the chosen hero and her party are fighting the demon lord, she casts a spell that sets them adrift in time. They are transported to before the demon lord has risen and the hero is still in school. With their memories erased, they begin their training anew. However, the demon lord has also been transported and enrolls herself in school.
Despite the plot, Endro is cute girls doing cute things in a fantasy setting, much like Lapis. There is no real overall plot that really develops. It is just shenanigans.
Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?
Because of her exceptional abilities, Misato Kurihara never got to live a normal life. However, after her sudden death, she is offered reincarnation and one wish. Her wish is to have average abilities so that she can live an average life. Unfortunately, reincarnated as a noble’s daughter, she still has impressive magic ability. Determined to still have her normal life, she flees to a far away hunter school and attempts to hide her abilities.
While in Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life, the main character wants to hide her talents, Lapis focuses on the back story of the main character. Both shows are about the girls getting stuck with people who are a little worse than their peers and end up just getting into random activities.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Lapis Re:Lights? Let fans know in the comments section below.
