A Day Before Us is a Korean short-form anime that strings together vignette-style episodes of first love, misunderstandings, and quiet determination. Beneath the pastel visuals lie three ideas that resonate with many viewers:
- Power systems – even the tiniest choices (a borrowed umbrella, a missed bus) can change relationships.
- Underdog stories – shy teens push against their own limits to be seen and heard.
- Subversion of expectations – every episode up-ends the usual rom-com punch line in favor of honest, open-ended emotions.
Because these themes go far beyond school crushes, the 15 titles below deserve much more attention than they usually receive. Each series delivers its own twist on quiet power, unlikely heroes, and narrative left-turns while remaining overlooked by mass-market fandom.
1. BNA: Brand New Animal (2020)
- Streaming: Netflix
- Episodes: 12
- MAL score: 7.4
- Studio/Staff: Studio Trigger; dir. Yoh Yoshinari ( Little Witch Academia )
- Awards: Jury Selection, 24th Japan Media Arts Festival
- Plot: A teen suddenly mutates into a tanuki beast-man and hides in Anima City while uncovering a conspiracy.
- Why it feels like A Day Before Us: Both shows center on identity shifts that appear small but alter every relationship; each episode ends on a note that gently overturns the viewer’s assumptions.
2. Mignon (2023)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 12
- MAL score: 7.0
- Studio/Staff: Studio Whalee; creator – Beom Sik Kim
- Awards: Korean Contents Award nominee
- Plot: An underground boxer bonds with the ring doctor who stitches him together, unaware of the doctor’s darker secrets.
- Similarity: Uses minimalist backgrounds and lingering close-ups to expose power dynamics inside a quiet romance, much like A Day Before Us’ silent umbrella scenes.
3. Ascendance of a Bookworm (2019)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll / HIDIVE
- Episodes: 37 (3 cours)
- MAL score: 8.0
- Studio/Staff: Ajia-do; dir. Mitsuru Hongo
- Plot: A frail librarian reincarnates in a medieval world and vows to print books despite lethal disease and class walls.
- Similarity: Both protagonists leverage seemingly “small” powers (handmade paper vs. sharing an umbrella) to upend rigid social hierarchies—classic underdog energy.
4. Ping Pong the Animation (2014)
- Streaming: Funimation / Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 11
- MAL score: 8.6
- Studio/Staff: Tatsunoko × Masaaki Yuasa; based on Taiyō Matsumoto’s manga
- Plot: Two childhood friends chase national table-tennis glory, questioning what winning truly means.
- Similarity: Stylized line work conveys raw emotions; both shows prize introspection and overturn the sports-anime power fantasy with grounded setbacks.
5. Detroit Metal City (2008)
- Streaming: RetroCrush
- Episodes: 12
- MAL score: 8.0
- Studio/Staff: Studio 4°C; dir. Hiroshi Nagahama
- Plot: A soft-spoken singer moonlights as the vulgar front-man of a death-metal band he secretly loathes.
- Similarity: Shared theme of dual lives—public masks rip away in comedic yet poignant beats that subvert genre tropes.
6. 91 Days (2016)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll / Funimation
- Episodes: 12 + OVA
- MAL score: 7.8
- Studio/Staff: Shuka; series comp. Taku Kishimoto
- Plot: In Prohibition-era America, an orphan infiltrates the mafia that slew his family, weaponizing trust.
- Similarity: Like A Day Before Us, every interaction hides ulterior motives; power stems from emotional leverage rather than brute force.
7. Carnival Phantasm (2011)
- Streaming: HiDive
- Episodes: 12 + specials
- MAL score: 7.3
- Studio/Staff: Lerche; Type-Moon 10th-anniversary gag project
- Plot: Fate/Stay and Tsukihime characters crash into sitcom skits that parody their own lore.
- Similarity: Constantly flips audience expectations, proving even the most serious settings can bask in slice-of-life warmth.
8. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (2004)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll / RetroCrush
- Episodes: 24
- MAL score: 8.1
- Studio/Staff: Gonzo; dir. Mahiro Maeda; unique layered-texture art
- Plot: A sci-fi reinterpretation of Dumas’ revenge tale told through the eyes of an innocent aristocrat.
- Similarity: Lavish yet intimate visuals mirror A Day Before Us’ painterly flair, while every elegant gesture masks shifting power plays.
9. Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)
- Streaming: HiDive
- Episodes: 24
- MAL score: 8.0
- Studio/Staff: Brain’s Base; dir. Kunihiko Ikuhara
- Plot: Two brothers strike a Faustian deal with a cosmic penguin to save their sister, diving into fate and trauma.
- Similarity: Both shows weaponize small, whimsical motifs (penguins, umbrellas) to flip destiny on its head.
10. The Fire Hunter (2023)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 10
- MAL score: 6.7
- Studio/Staff: Signal.MD; scripts by Mamoru Oshii
- Plot: In a world where fire devours humans, a sickly girl escorts a precious flame that could reshape society.
- Similarity: Underdog heroine must navigate systemic power imbalances while every episode pulls narrative rug-pulls.
11. Dead Dead Demons Dedededede Destruction (2024 films / 2025 series)
- Streaming: Netflix (global roll-out)
- Episodes: 12 (compiled from film duology)
- MAL score: 7.5
- Studio/Staff: Production +H; based on Inio Asano’s manga
- Plot: High-school girls gossip and game under a looming alien mothership that nobody talks about anymore.
- Similarity: Juxtaposes mundane teen chatter with world-altering stakes—mirroring A Day Before Us’ quiet yet powerful everyday moments.
12. Heike Monogatari (2021)
- Streaming: Funimation / Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 11
- MAL score: 8.2
- Studio/Staff: Science SARU; dir. Naoko Yamada
- Plot: A blind orphan with prophetic sight is adopted by the ambitious Taira clan, witnessing their rise and fall.
- Similarity: Watercolor palette and musical pacing echo A Day Before Us, while the narrative constantly subverts heroic myths.
13. Tegamibachi: Letter Bee (2009)
- Streaming: Hulu (US)
- Episodes: 50
- MAL score: 7.7
- Studio/Staff: Pierrot+; based on Hiroyuki Asada’s manga
- Plot: Couriers brave monsters and emotional baggage to deliver letters that literally store human “heart.”
- Similarity: Turns a simple act (mail delivery / lending an umbrella) into a power system that drives character growth.
14. Zetsuen no Tempest (2012)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll / Funimation
- Episodes: 24
- MAL score: 7.9
- Studio/Staff: Bones; Shakespeare-infused script
- Plot: Two teens bargain with a marooned witch to avenge a murder, triggering world-ending magic.
- Similarity: Stakes escalate from personal grief to cosmic upheaval, mirroring how A Day Before Us magnifies small emotions into life-changing moments.
15. Ushio & Tora (2015)
- Streaming: HIDIVE / Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 39
- MAL score: 7.6
- Studio/Staff: MAPPA × VOLN; based on Kazuhiro Fujita’s classic manga
- Plot: A bullied boy frees a centuries-old yōkai speared to his basement floor, forging an uneasy monster-hunting duo.
- Similarity: A quintessential underdog tale where emotional courage, not raw strength, tips every battle—echoing the modest yet decisive agency in A Day Before Us.
Why These Anime Work for A Day Before Us Fans
Subtle power dynamics, softly spoken rebels, and story beats that zig when convention says zag—each entry above carries the same DNA that makes A Day Before Us memorable. Whether it’s a shape-shifting tanuki, a letter that stores a beating heart, or a boxing match laced with forbidden affection, these underrated gems prove that the smallest acts can rewrite destiny and that true strength often hides behind gentle gestures.
