20 Best '90s Anime That Get Even Better With Age - CBR
From Dragon Ball Z to Berserk, some anime still hold up against today's saturated market of Japanese animation series.
Usagi Tsukino, a young schoolgirl
Sailor Moon follows the story of <anchor>Usagi Tsukino, a young schoolgirl</anchor> who suddenly gains the ability to transform into a superhero alter ego — Sailor Moon. With the help of her fellow Sailor Soldiers, the group embarks on a quest to defeat the forces of an evil entity known as the Dark Kingdom. These days, it's difficult to watch Sailor Moon and not see how transformative it was for the medium. Usagi served as a template for shoujo protagonists for years, and while the series didn't create magical girl anime, it certainly popularized it.
Magic School Anime To Watch If You Love Harry Potter
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# 10 Best Magical School Anime, Ranked

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Updated Dec 4, 2023

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The Honor Student at Magic High School, Mary and the Witch Flower and Mashle

A magic school setting may be a more traditional setting for a fantasy novel, but there are some select anime that take place in schools of the magical and alchemical arts. Some magic school anime incorporate elements of the magical girl subgenre, and others commentate on classic stories like the Harry Potter series.

Magic school anime tend to mix high stakes with fantastical slice-of-life elements. Characters learn magic as well as battle against big-bads, and sometimes even uncover secrets of the arcane school that houses their studies. High school may be a common enough setting for anime, but sometimes a heavy dose of magic and mayhem improves the story.

Updated by Sage Ashford on November 29th, 2023: This article has been updated to better match with CBR's current guidelines.

## 10  A Certain Magical Index Expands Its Magic School Into An Entire City

A Certain Magical Index anime poster with Touma and Index running

##### A Certain Magical Index

TV-14

Action

Comedy

Index is still a fugitive and many powerful Magical organizations and individuals want to take her to use the books in her memory eliminating her in the process. War between those organizations is also starting to emerge. Index can only rely on her friend Touma who has always protected her along with Misaka and other friends from the Academy.

Release Date October 4, 2008

Cast Micah Solusod , Monica Rial , Christopher Sabat , Caitlin Glass

Seasons 3

Studio J.C. Staff

Creator Kazuma Kamachi

Number of Episodes 74

Expand

##### How to Watch A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun/Scientific Accelerator

With so many seasons and multiple shows made to tell the story of this series, this guide can help make it easier for new fans to jump in.

MyAnimeList Score

7.53

Streaming

From the late 2000s, A Certain Magical Index was one of the earliest "magic school" anime from the modern era. Despite this, they get creative with the magic school trope. Academy City is full of research institutes and the power system combines both magic and science. Even the Church of England incorporates magic in their practices; the nun Index is part of a secret magical branch. There can never be enough anime about magical libraries and Index's mind is implanted with thousands upon thousands of esoteric texts. She herself is a walking, talking enchanted library.

The setting and world building are the strongest elements of A Certain Magical Index. At its peak, the series was popular enough to support multiple spin-offs, each developing other characters and elements of the world. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the series has some of the best fight scenes in 2010s anime.

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## 9  Gosick Presents A Boarding School Filled With Mystery

Victorique with a pipe and a book in the library Gosick anime

##### Gosick

TV-MA

Comedy

Drama

Gosick is set in the fictional European country of Sauville in the 1920s. Kazuya Kujo is a transfer student to St. Marguerite Academy, a place where myths and superstitions are abundant. While there he chances upon Victorique, a mysterious, yet highly intelligent girl who spends her days in the seclusion of the library reading its entire content or solving mysteries that the local detectives can't solve.

Release Date January 7, 2011

Cast Aoi Yuki , Takuya Eguchi

Seasons 1

Studio Bones

MyAnimeList Score

8.05

Streaming

The school itself in Gosick, St. Marguerite Academy, is deeply entrenched in mystery. Kazuya's classmate Victorique de Blois never actually attends classes. The plot is a mystery-of-the-week style storyline. The themes are quite heavy, focusing on the cost of war and loss of innocence.

Though there are plenty of real-world stakes, everything ties back to the mysterious boarding school where Kazuya and Victorique reside. Victorique prefers to dwell in the topmost part of the library, and the clock tower is littered with stories of tragedy.

## 8  The Familiar of Zero Focuses On A Student Who Accidentally Summons A Human

The Familiar of Zero anime season 1 cover art

##### The Familiar Of Zero

TV-14

Action

Adventure

When Saito, an ordinary teen living in Japan, is suddenly whisked away to the magical kingdom of Halkeginia, he becomes the familiar servant of Louise, a young girl enrolled in an academy for aristocrat magicians.

Release Date July 3, 2006

Cast Satoshi Hino , Rie Kugimiya , Kaiji Tang

Seasons 4

Studio J.C. Staff

Creator Noboru Yamaguchi

Number of Episodes 49

Expand

MyAnimeList Score

7.43

Streaming

The romance in The Familiar of Zero is awful, but the setting is fantastic. As is the case in a fair few magic school anime, Louise is atrocious with magic, and her misfiring incantation is what summons her familiar, Saito. The four elements are a huge part of the series' magic system; mages are expected to use at least one element. There are also different classes of mages.

Magical ability occurs naturally, but that's not enough to make someone a good mage -- much to Louise' chagrin. There's a lot that goes into spellwork, from willpower to emotion control. A breakout success of the late 2000s, Familiar of Zero managed to run for several seasons.

## 7  Quiz Magic Academy Demands Low-Performing Students Compete To Maintain Their Standing

Release Date

September 12th, 2008

Episode Count

1

MyAnimeList Score

6.06

Streaming

N/A

Quiz Magic Academy has a unique location--it's a floating castle in the sky where students must compete to maintain their place at the school. The protagonists follow a traditional underdog anime trope; they are the worst in their class, so there's quite a lot on the line.

Occasional dragon-dueling aside, the series is more slice-of-life than heavy action-based. The best part of the series is how immersive it is, from school uniforms to coursework. Fantasy fans who read or watch magic school plots who want to see more classwork and student life may enjoy this series.

## 6  The Irregular at Magic High School Shows The Divide Between Elite And The Mediocre

The Irregular At Magic High School anime cover art

##### The Irregular at Magic High School

TV-14

Action

Drama

Siblings Miyuki and Tatsuya Shiba are turning the National Magic University Affiliated First High School campus upside down.

Release Date April 6, 2014

Cast Yuichi Nakamura , Saori Hayami , Kana Hanazawa

Seasons 2

Studio Connect

Creator Tsutomu Satō

Number of Episodes 52

Expand

MyAnimeList Score

7.28

Streaming

The Irregular at Magic High School is good for its setting, and definitely not for its hinted romance. Audiences are pretty divided, people either love it or they hate the show, but it definitely is a straightforward magic school plot.

The story's set in an alternate history timeline and magic is incredibly regulated. Magical practitioners are rare and necessary commodities, so schooling is mandatory. Rather than different Houses, students are sorted into nine different academies. Once at school, students are sorted by their magical abilities.

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## 5  Mary and the Witch's Flower Introduces A Young Girl To A New Life As A Witch

##### Best Fantasy Anime On HBO Max

From My Neighbor Totoro to Weathering with You, HBO Max offers anime fans some excellent fantasy choices.

Release Date

July 8th, 2017

Runtime

1h 42min

MyAnimeList Score

7.26

Streaming

Mary and the Witch's Flower is an underrated magic school fantasy that Studio Ghibli fans should give a try. The film is crafted by people who previously worked for Ghibli, so the plot, character, and art style are incredibly similar. It's also based on a children's novel titled The Little Broomstick.

The movie expands well beyond the magic school plot, but the parts that take place in the school are lush and fantastical. Endor College for Witches exists among the clouds and Mary becomes immersed as a pupil, crafting potions, learning from professors, and working with animal familiars. Mary and the Witch's Flower has all the hallmarks a fan could want from the genre--except maybe some more screen time.

## 4  The Honor Student at Magic High School Presents An Alternate Look At A Familiar Setting

Release Date

July 3rd, 2021

Episode Count

13

MyAnimeList Score

6.67

Streaming

The Honor Student at Magic High School is a spin-off of The Irregular at Magic High School, centering around an entirely different protagonist, Miyuki. The series delves more into side characters and the Nine Schools Competition, like the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter. Following Miyuki and the other prestigious honor students of Course 1, Honor Student is essentially a retelling of the main story.

The Honor Student spinoff series isn't necessary to watch, but it's perfect if audiences want even more magic school content. The series is full of spellwork antics and enchanted drama in the hallways. Miyuki is a stellar magic student who comes from a long line of prestigious mages, so it's nice to have a series that plays against the underdog protagonist norm.

## 3  The Misfit of Demon King Academy Introduces A Magic School For Demon Lords

The Misfit of Demon King Academy anime series art shows the main characters, such as Anos Voldigoad, Sasha Necron and Misha Necron.

##### The Misfit of Demon King Academy

TV-14

Adventure

Comedy

A demon mage reincarnates into the body of his descendant hoping to find an era where he can have some peace and quiet. He ends up going to a school run by his significantly weaker descendants.

Release Date July 4, 2020

Cast Aleks Le , Hayley Mills

Seasons 2

Studio Silver Link

Number of Episodes 20

Expand

MyAnimeList Score

6.91

Streaming

The Misfit of Demon King Academy can be formulaic, but it deviates well from the powerless underdog protagonist trope well enough--Anos may be a misfit, but he's rather powerful. Demon King Academy is a creative take on a magic school; it's run by Seven Demon Elders who train future Demon Lords.

While the plot may be somewhat generic, the school campus is pretty and varied. Examinations and sword tournaments are held in the Arena, and battle exams take place in the Enchanted Forest. And no magic school would be complete without a mysterious dungeon that not even the teachers have fully discovered.

## 2  Little Witch Academia Is Full Of Cool Magical Lore And Powers

Release Date

January 9th, 2017

Episode Count

25

MyAnimeList Score

7.81

Streaming

Little Witch Academia takes place entirely in a magic school, as the name implies. Luna Nova Magical Academy takes the best of the best future witches. Akko has her work cut out for her, though, because she doesn't come from a magical family. While Akko and her chosen one arc may seem uninspired, Academia is fresh with its lively character ensemble, bubblegum art style, and pretty magical artifacts.

Little Witch Academia is like if Sailor Moon combined with Sabrina the Teenaged Witch. Akko may be the chosen one who gets all the cool lore-rich gadgets, but her classmates also have fascinating powers, like Sucy Manbavaran who experiments with potions and magical mushrooms.

## 1  Mashle: Magic and Muscles Shows A Magic School Through The Eyes Of A Magicless Student

Mash Burndead in front of his schoolmates in Mashle Magic and Muscle

##### Mashle: Magic And Muscles

TV-14

Comedy

Fantasy

Into a world of magicians is born Mash, a young boy who lacks magic but is the strongest person around. His existence and destiny will change his world.

Release Date April 8, 2023

Cast Chiaki Kobayashi , Katsuyuki Konishi , Takuya Eguchi

Seasons 1

Studio A-1 Pictures

Creator Hajime Kōmoto

Number of Episodes 12

Expand

MyAnimeList Score

7.56

Streaming

Mashle: Magic and Muscles is an instant hit, especially for shonen lovers. It combines magic, might, and comedy. What Mash lacks in magical aptitude, he makes up for with brawn and humor. There are some obvious nods to Harry Potter in the series, from the lightning bolt scar to the school uniforms.

Mashle subverts the chosen one trope wholeheartedly. Mash is the exact opposite of a chosen one. He isn't gifted powers, he has to earn his way through each struggle, and has proven he can defeat some powerful magicians. Though Mash has no magic ability, Easton Magic Academy is still a great setting for magic school fans. Its towers and flying buttresses are iconic, and it has many classic hallmarks like Houses and a maze full of enchanted creatures.

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