Sky Blue (2003)—released internationally as Wonderful Days—drops viewers into an eco-ravaged 2142 where the elitist city of Ecoban exploits pollution for energy, forcing wasteland dwellers to live as expendable “Diggers.” The film blends dazzling hybrid animation with a class-struggle underdog narrative and a final-act twist that upends expectations.
If you’re searching for series that echo those ideas—unique power systems, scrappy protagonists fighting stacked odds, and stories that pull the rug out from under you—the fifteen titles below deserve a spot on your watch-list.
1. Last Exile (2003)
Streaming: Crunchyroll / Funimation
MAL: 7.83 | Episodes: 26 | Studio: Gonzo
Plot: Vanship couriers Claus and Lavie ferry a mysterious girl across the skies of a war-torn steampunk world.
Similarities: Airborne class warfare, protagonists caught between super-powers, and cutting-edge (for its time) digital–cel compositing mirror Sky Blue’s visual ambition and rebellion-vs-establishment core.
2. Casshern Sins (2008)
Streaming: Funimation
MAL: 7.23 | Episodes: 24 | Studio: Madhouse
Plot: An amnesiac cyborg wanders a rusting planet where humans and robots alike await oblivion.
Similarities: Post-apocalyptic decay, guilt-ridden hero, and a mid-series reveal that radically reframes the conflict—all delivered in a painterly art style.
3. Ghost Hound (2007)
Streaming: HIDIVE
MAL: 7.35 | Episodes: 22 | Studio: Production I.G
Plot: Three teens in a rural town uncover a conspiracy linking out-of-body experiences to government tech.
Similarities: Experimental storytelling, heavy social commentary, and a slow-burn mystery that ultimately subverts viewer expectations.
4. From the New World (2012)
Streaming: Crunchyroll / HIDIVE
MAL: 8.32 | Episodes: 25 | Studio: A-1 Pictures
Plot: A thousand years after humanity acquires psychic “Cantus,” a group of children discover the horrific price of that power.
Similarities: Environmentally shaped dystopia, strict caste system around an energy source (Cantus), and shocking narrative swerves (personal knowledge).
5. Coppelion (2013)
Streaming: Netflix (select regions)
MAL: 6.44 | Episodes: 13 | Studio: GoHands
Plot: Bio-engineered schoolgirls immune to radiation search abandoned Tokyo for survivors after a nuclear meltdown.
Similarities: Toxic landscape, science-driven class division, and genetically “powered” heroines confronting the sins of their makers (personal knowledge).
6. Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet (2016)
Streaming: Crunchyroll
MAL: 7.58 | Episodes: 5 | Studio: David Production
Plot: A scavenger and a lone android projector keep starlight—and hope—alive beneath nuclear fallout.
Similarities: Ruined Earth backdrop, intimate character piece about clinging to sky-blue dreams amid darkness (personal knowledge).
7. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (2013)
Streaming: Crunchyroll
MAL: 7.49 | Episodes: 13 | Studio: Production I.G
Plot: A mecha pilot from a sterile space federation crash-lands on a water-covered Earth where humanity sails verdant flotillas.
Similarities: Environmental rejuvenation theme, outsider protagonist challenging a stratified society, and plot twists that question military dogma (personal knowledge).
8. Knights of Sidonia (2014 – 15)
Streaming: Netflix
MAL: 7.65 | Episodes: 24 | Studio: Polygon Pictures
Plot: The last human seed-ship battles shape-shifting Gauna while lower-deck cadets fight prejudice and politics.
Similarities: Class-based habitat, synthetic energy tech, and a small pilot rising against systemic oppression (personal knowledge).
9. Land of the Lustrous (2017)
Streaming: HIDIVE / Prime Video
MAL: 8.40 | Episodes: 12 | Studio: Orange
Plot: Gem-people defend their shining coast from Lunarian hunters; fragile Phos vows to become useful.
Similarities: Striking CG-forward visuals, an evolving “power-upgrade” system via mineral metamorphosis, and a protagonist whose arc repeatedly subverts expectations.
10. Ping Pong the Animation (2014)
Streaming: Crunchyroll / Funimation
MAL: 8.66 | Episodes: 11 | Studio: Tatsunoko
Plot: Two childhood friends climb Japan’s table-tennis ranks while questioning talent, grit, and identity.
Similarities: Stylized animation, underdog spirit, and storytelling that deliberately zigzags away from sports-anime clichés.
11. Mononoke (2007)
Streaming: Crunchyroll / HIDIVE
MAL: 8.44 | Episodes: 12 | Studio: Toei
Plot: A wandering “Medicine Seller” exorcises vengeful spirits through investigative ritual.
Similarities: Avant-garde visuals, episodic social critique, and narrative reveals that flip the perceived villain–victim dynamic.
12. Devilman Crybaby (2018)
Streaming: Netflix
MAL: 7.77 | Episodes: 10 | Studio: Science SARU
Plot: Mild-mannered Akira fuses with a demon to protect humanity, only to expose its darkest impulses.
Similarities: Apocalyptic stakes, break-neck pacing, and ruthless subversion of heroic expectations.
13. Ranking of Kings (2021)
Streaming: Crunchyroll
MAL: 8.59 | Episodes: 23 | Studio: WIT
Plot: Deaf, undersized Prince Bojji resolves to become the world’s greatest king despite court ridicule.
Similarities: Pure underdog trajectory, whimsical yet emotionally heavy art style, and power hierarchies that are dismantled through compassion.
14. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (2004)
Streaming: Funimation / Crunchyroll
MAL: 8.10 | Episodes: 24 | Studio: Gonzo
Plot: A cosmic-era retelling of Dumas’ revenge epic, told through psychedelic textures and shifting POVs.
Similarities: Radical visual experiment, elite-vs-outcast tension, and narrative twists that challenge audience allegiance.
15. Texhnolyze (2003)
Streaming: Funimation
MAL: 7.70 | Episodes: 22 | Studio: Madhouse
Plot: In subterranean Lux, gangs vying for cybernetic dominance drag a prize fighter and a clairvoyant girl into existential collapse.
Similarities: Grim cyber-punk society, bio-mechanical “power system,” and a bleak finale that leaves the viewer rethinking every assumption (personal knowledge).
Why These Anime Work for Mentioned Anime Fans
Each title pairs at least one of Sky Blue’s signature draws—striking visual experimentation, eco-societal collapse, power imbalances, or underdog revolutions—with storytelling bold enough to pull the floor out from under viewers. Whether you crave richly imagined worlds, unconventional animation, or narratives that challenge easy morality, these series offer fresh yet thematically resonant journeys that expand on the questions Sky Blue first sparks.
