15 Underrated Anime Series Similar to Magia Record

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story is a dark magical girl anime that expands on the Madoka Magica universe, following Iroha Tamaki as she searches for her missing sister in a city rife with rumors and supernatural threats. It delves into complex power systems like Doppels, underdog stories of young girls fighting despair, and subverts expectations by blending hope with psychological horror and factional conflicts. These selected anime deserve more attention for their innovative takes on similar themes, offering fresh narratives that challenge genre norms while remaining under the radar compared to mainstream hits.

1. Mai-HiME (2004)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll and HIDIVE.
• Brief Plot Summary: In a school where students wield elemental powers, Mai Tokiha discovers her abilities as a HiME and must battle mysterious orphans while uncovering the dark secrets behind their powers.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Like Magia Record, it features a magical girl ensemble with deep character development through interpersonal conflicts and a subversive narrative that escalates from lighthearted school life to intense psychological drama involving sacrifices and power systems tied to emotions.
• Current MAL Rating: 7.41.
• Episode Count: 26.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Produced by Sunrise, directed by Masakazu Obara, with character designs by Hirokazu Hisayuki.
• Awards or Recognition: Won the Best TV Anime at the 2005 Tokyo International Anime Fair.

2. Yuki Yuna is a Hero (2014)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on HIDIVE and Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: Yuna Yuki and her friends join a hero club, only to be thrust into battles against otherworldly Vertexes as magical heroes, facing the harsh realities of their powers.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: It shares underdog stories of girls grappling with the costs of their abilities, subverting magical girl tropes through themes of sacrifice and despair, much like Magia Record’s exploration of hope versus inevitable doom.
• Current MAL Rating: 7.37.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Studio Gokumi, directed by Seiji Kishi, with script by Makoto Uezu.
• Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best TV Anime at the 2015 Tokyo Anime Award Festival.

3. Princess Tutu (2002)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on HIDIVE.
• Brief Plot Summary: A duck transformed into a girl named Ahiru uses ballet-inspired magic to restore a prince’s shattered heart, navigating fairy tale elements and rivalries.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Both subvert expectations with meta-narratives and character-driven stories, emphasizing emotional growth and the dark undercurrents of seemingly whimsical power systems.
• Current MAL Rating: 8.12.
• Episode Count: 26.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Hal Film Maker, directed by Junichi Sato, with character designs by Ikuko Ito.
• Awards or Recognition: Praised in the 2003 Japan Media Arts Festival for innovative storytelling.

4. Magical Girl Raising Project (2016)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: Girls are selected to become magical girls in a game-like system, but the competition turns deadly as they must survive eliminations.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Mirrors the factional strife and underdog survival themes, with a power system that subverts the genre by turning empowerment into a brutal contest of wills.
• Current MAL Rating: 6.95.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Lerche, directed by Hiroyuki Hashimoto, with script by Takao Yoshioka.
• Awards or Recognition: None major, but noted for its dark twist on the genre in fan communities.

5. Magical Girl Site (2018)

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• Current Streaming Availability: Available on Amazon Prime Video.
• Brief Plot Summary: Bullied girl Aya Asagiri gains dark magical powers from a mysterious website, leading her into a world of violence and revenge against abusers.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Features underdog protagonists using cursed powers for survival, with narrative subversion through psychological trauma and complex character arcs similar to Magia Record’s despair motifs.
• Current MAL Rating: 6.53.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: production doA, directed by Tadahito Matsubayashi.
• Awards or Recognition: None, but gained cult following for its gritty themes.

6. Revue Starlight (2018)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on HIDIVE.
• Brief Plot Summary: Aspiring stage girls compete in underground auditions using weaponized performances to claim the top star position.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Both blend performance art with combat, subverting expectations through emotional rivalries and power systems rooted in personal ambition and growth.
• Current MAL Rating: 7.82.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Kinema Citrus, directed by Tomohiro Furukawa, with script by Tatsuto Higuchi.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Best TV Anime at the 2019 Newtype Anime Awards.

7. Symphogear (2012)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: Girls wield symphonic armor powered by songs to fight alien threats, balancing idol aspirations with heroic duties.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Shares underdog stories of empowered girls in high-stakes battles, with unique storytelling that subverts magical girl norms through musical power systems.
• Current MAL Rating: 7.02.
• Episode Count: 13 (first season).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Satelight and Encourage Films, directed by Tatsuya Nagamine.
• Awards or Recognition: None major, but praised for action sequences.

8. Selector Infected WIXOSS (2014)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: Girls battle in a card game where wishes come true, but victories reveal a twisted reality of entrapment and despair.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Echoes the subversive narrative of wishes gone wrong, with deep character development around psychological power systems and underdog resilience.
• Current MAL Rating: 7.23.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: J.C.Staff, directed by Takuya Sato.
• Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best TV Anime at the 2014 Tokyo Anime Award Festival.

9. Blue Reflection Ray (2021)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on Funimation.
• Brief Plot Summary: Girls gain reflector powers to protect emotions, forming bonds while confronting inner demons in a reflective world.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Similar focus on emotional character development and factional conflicts, subverting magical girl tropes with introspective narrative styles.
• Current MAL Rating: 5.97.
• Episode Count: 24.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: J.C.Staff, directed by Risako Yoshida.
• Awards or Recognition: None, but tied to a popular game series.

10. Flip Flappers (2016)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on HIDIVE.
• Brief Plot Summary: Two girls explore surreal dimensions called Pure Illusion, uncovering personal traumas through adventurous escapades.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Both feature unique animation styles and subversive storytelling, with underdog protagonists navigating psychological power systems.
• Current MAL Rating: 7.72.
• Episode Count: 13.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Studio 3Hz, directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Best Original Anime at the 2017 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

11. Wonder Egg Priority (2021)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on Funimation.
• Brief Plot Summary: Ai Ohto enters dream worlds to save petrified girls, confronting her own grief and societal issues.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Shares themes of subversion through mental health struggles, with deep character arcs and underdog battles against abstract threats.
• Current MAL Rating: 7.48.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: CloverWorks, directed by Shin Wakabayashi, script by Shinji Nojima.
• Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best Drama at the 2021 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

12. Gakkou Gurashi! (School-Live!) (2015)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on HIDIVE.
• Brief Plot Summary: Schoolgirls maintain a club amid a zombie apocalypse, blending cute daily life with horrific survival.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Subverts expectations by masking dark narratives under innocent facades, focusing on character development and underdog perseverance.
• Current MAL Rating: 7.61.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Lerche, directed by Masaomi Ando.
• Awards or Recognition: None major, but acclaimed for genre twist.

13. Made in Abyss (2017)

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• Current Streaming Availability: Available on HIDIVE.
• Brief Plot Summary: Young explorers descend into a mysterious abyss filled with wonders and horrors, seeking lost family.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Echoes underdog adventures with subversion of innocent exploration into dark, character-driven horror.reddit
• Current MAL Rating: 8.65.
• Episode Count: 13.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Kinema Citrus, directed by Masayuki Kojima.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Anime of the Year at the 2018 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

14. Sarazanmai (2019)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: Boys transform into kappa to extract desires, unraveling personal secrets in a bizarre urban fantasy.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Features unique storytelling with emotional subversion, power systems tied to desires, and underdog growth.
• Current MAL Rating: 7.48.
• Episode Count: 11.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: MAPPA and Lapin Track, directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara.
• Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best TV Anime at the 2020 Tokyo Anime Award Festival.

15. Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song (2021)

• Current Streaming Availability: Available on Funimation.
• Brief Plot Summary: An AI singer travels through time to prevent a war between humans and machines, evolving her sense of self.
• Specific Similarities to Magia Record: Subverts sci-fi tropes with deep narrative on identity and power, featuring underdog AI in a character-focused story.
• Current MAL Rating: 8.39.
• Episode Count: 13.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Wit Studio, directed by Shinpei Ezaki, script by Tappei Nagatsuki.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Best Sci-Fi at the 2022 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

Why These Anime Work for Magia Record Fans

These series resonate with Magia Record enthusiasts by amplifying its core strengths—intricate power systems, heartfelt underdog journeys, and clever subversions—while introducing unique twists like ballet battles or symphonic fights that keep the magical girl genre fresh and engaging. They offer emotional depth and narrative surprises that reward viewers seeking more than surface-level action, making them perfect hidden gems for fans craving similar psychological and thematic richness.