Magically-charged battles are a hallmark in the anime medium and few shows do them better than the 2015 visual novel adaptation of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works. Shirou Emiya, the unwitting seventh and final participant (dubbed as a ‘Master’) in a battle royale for a wish-granting device known as the Holy Grail, is nearly killed one night when he wanders into a battle between two Servants, heroic spirits derived from real-world mythology who are summoned by each Master as their ultimate weapon.

The Fate/stay night universe comprises an entire encyclopedia of facts and trivia where every magical concept and each hero have a unique story to support their existence. More importantly, everything that appears on screen looks unbelievably beautiful thanks to the efforts of Studio ufotable, who in recent years have yet to make a show that is not comparable to the most well-produced theatrical films in anime.

If Pandora Hearts is appealing because of its combination of a coming-of-age story with pretty flashes of magic, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works takes those two aspects and puts as much effort as humanly possible to perfect them. If you have already watched Pandora Hearts, you might just find yourself hearing Alice’s voice in this show.

Although watching a character grow up from a journey through their world is a tried-and-true storytelling structure in anime, it also demands a significant amount of time that some viewers simply do not have. Thankfully, many anime series of the last two or three years brings similar degrees of character development in smaller packages. Among them is Kyoukai no Kanata, a 12 episode series first released in 2014 produced by the immensely popular Kyoto Animation as their first foray into a supernatural battle series after years of only making slice-of-life shows.

The show is set in an alternate universe where modern Japan is infested with magical creatures and monsters of all kinds, revolving mostly around a high school that Akihito Kanbara and Mirai Kuriyama, our two main lead characters, attend. The show’s main appeal lies in seeing the dichotomy of the characters’ responsibilities as participants in the business of a magical realm while also trying to lead lives as normal high school students, leading to a story that is as funny as it is tragic.

This struggle to retain one’s sense of normality is familiar to viewers of Pandora Hearts because of the time limit and physical changes imposed upon humans contracted to Chains, forcing them to deal with the fact that they are forever changed from being normal human beings. Both series pose the question of how happiness can be attained and see each of their main leads provide their own answer.

Kyoukai no Kanata does not center the plot development around the male lead, making the storytelling perspective slightly different than that of Pandora Hearts. On the other hand, this lets the show focus on Akihito’s budding relationship with Mirai, which becomes stronger precisely because they are special to each other. If a short but sweet show is more to your favour, Kyoukai no Kanata is your best choice.

Did I mention that Pandora Hearts’ soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura? If you have watched Kara no Kyoukai or Puella Magi Madoka Magica before, you might recognise her choral-inspired soundtrack in Pandora Hearts. Regrettably, no particular track in Pandora Hearts stand out as particularly memorable, making the soundtrack among Kajiura’s weaker works.

Tsubasa Chronicle is an adaptation of the Clamp manga Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE produced by Bee Train in 2005 and features one of Kajiura’s most awe-inspiring set of background music tracks and insert song compositions. While it is difficult to describe the show as a technical marvel with the really pretty looking shows coming out in recent anime seasons, there is a kind of beauty in how Tsubasa Chronicle’s production team is able to formulate moments of emotional impact during the protagonist, Syaoran’s journey to collect the lost memories for his childhood love, Sakura. Syaoran’s travels brings him through many different universes that references many of Clamp’s past works with some very special easter eggs to viewers who are familiar with them, making it a must watch for any Clamp fans.

Tsubasa Chronicle is, in essence, the show in this list that feels the most like Pandora Hearts when you are watching it because of the similar tools used to establish tone and atmosphere, but does so with a plot that is much more immediately impressive. It is not a show that is likely to be claimed by many as the best at anything but its ability to convey emotion at the right times through its meaningful, dramatic writing and the technical execution backed by truly talented artistic minds make it a hidden gem worthy to be discovered.