Some may groan over the pun, but it is snappier than Invented Inference, the title of the source novel. Written by Kyō Shiradaira, In/Spectre is about a downhearted university student called Kuro. He’s left adrift after his girlfriend Saki broke up with him. Luckily, he’s given an unusual opportunity by an acquaintance called Kotoko. She reveals she’s a Goddess of Wisdom who acts as an intermediary between the real world and the supernatural one.
She needs some help maintaining the balance between the two realms and Kuro—a near-immortal creature in human form—would make the perfect partner for her work. The paranormal romance series received an anime in 2020, with its second season due out in January 2023. If people like the sound of In/Spectre, they’ll love these similar shonen series.
7 Blast of Tempest
In/Spectre isn’t the first Shiradaira work to get animated. He co-wrote the original Blast of Tempest manga with Arihide Sano, which got adapted into a single-season anime in 2012-2013. It’s still available to watch on Crunchyroll today too. It’s a more Shakespearean take on mystery and revenge, as high schooler Mahiro seeks vengeance on whoever killed his adoptive family, particularly his younger foster sister Aika.
He makes a deal with Hakaze of the Kusaribe Clan to help her with her traitorous followers in exchange for her aid with Aika's killer. His childhood friend Yoshino also joins him. He was Aika's boyfriend, but he also suspects there may be more to her death and the Kusaribe Clan than anyone knows.
6 GeGeGe no Kitarō
Despite ending all the way back in 1969, Shigeru Mizuki’s manga has a long history, receiving multiple anime and live-action adaptations across 50+ years. Like In/Spectre, it has a boy & girl partnership investigating spooky mysteries and going on adventures together, alongside a whole cast of Japanese folklore-based ghouls, ghosts, and other yōkai.
While there are at least 6 different series, it’s not some long continuous epic. Fans can start wherever in the franchise whenever they like, which is good as the 2018 series is the only one available outside of Japan via Crunchyroll. It’s more light-hearted in tone but will suit those who prefer their spooks to look spooky than like typical pretty boys & girls.
5 The Ancient Magus’ Bride
This one will likely be familiar to fans of supernatural love, as the anime adaptation of Kore Yamazaki’s manga has been running since 2017. It’s still running today as well, with a third season due out in April 2023. That’s not to mention the three OVAs it had across 2021-2022, and its two manga spin-offs Wizard’s Blue and Jack Flash and the Faerie Case Files.
The original series is set in the UK after Chise Hatori sold herself into slavery to escape her complicated home life in Japan. She’s bought for £5 million by Elias Ainsworth, a giant humanoid form with an animal skull for a head. He’s a mage of unknown origins, and takes Chise on as his apprentice and bride, seeing potential in her. Likewise, despite her initial reluctance, she sees something softer and warmer behind his monstrous appearance and stays with him.
4 The Mystic Archives of Dantalian
Based on Gakuto Mikumo and G-Yūsuke’s light novel, the anime is about Hugh Anthony Disward (or ‘Huey’ for short) inheriting a key and a vast archive known as the ‘Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian’. He must look after the facility as its ‘Keykeeper’ to inherit the rest of his grandfather’s estate.
It would be simple enough if the archives didn’t come with Dalian, the mysterious ‘Black Biblioprincess’ who guards the books contained within. She informs Huey he also has to help her track down magical tomes called ‘Phantom Books’ and add them to the archive before they fall into the wrong hands. It only ran for 12 episodes, but can also be viewed on Crunchyroll.
3 Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
Usually, the Japanese urban legend about a ghost bound to school bathrooms is a vengeful, Bloody Mary-esque girl. Aidalro’s manga and subsequent anime replace her with a cheeky male ghost instead. Instead of offering a choice between twisted wishes and a nasty death, he defends the school from supernatural threats…and still messes up people's wishes.
First-year student Nene wished for her crush Teru to fall in love with her. Hanako-kun somehow turned this into the ability to turn into a fish when submerged in water and binding their spirits together. Now she has to help him control other ghosts, ghouls, and monsters through magic, fisticuffs, and spreading the right rumors to control their powers. Anyone curious about this quirky comedy tale will find it in Crunchyroll’s listings.
2 Gosick
Kazuki Sakuraba’s original light novel sounds like it should’ve been called ‘Gothic’, as its setting, style, and characters fit that look neatly. But it was written as ‘Gosick’ even in Japanese. Either way, it caught on regardless, gaining a shojo spinoff in GosickS, two manga adaptations, novels, and an anime series. Set in 1924 in the fictional European nation of Sauville, Japanese exchange student Kazuya Kujo begins his studies at St Marguerite’s Academy.
It’s there he meets Victorique de Blois, a mysterious girl who spends all her time in the library. The two develop a working relationship together, investigating mysteries that not even the police can handle. Still, her curious behavior and eccentric habits lead Kazuya to the biggest mystery of all: just who is Victorique de Blois, and why does she seem bound to the school campus? The series was originally available on Crunchyroll but can now be seen on Funimation.
1 Noragami
Conversely, Adachitoka’s tale of parallel worlds, wishes, and monsters was on Funimation before it got transferred to Crunchyroll. It also has its follow-up Noragami Aragoto and two OVAs per series. Either way, it retains the themes that relate it to In/Spectre and the other anime on this list: a boy/girl pairing dealing with the supernatural.
After saving a stranger from a traffic accident, Hiyori finds her soul occasionally slipping out of her body. When it does, she learns the world is split between the human and animal-populated Near Shore and the ghostly Far Shore. It’s there she meets Yato, a god without a shrine eager to make a name for himself. He agrees to help Hiyori with her soul-slipping problem if she spreads the word about him, thus beginning their adventures together.