The story starts with a cat, Futenyan, getting stuck in a fence and injured. A high school girl on her way to school with friends (Hibiki) notices him, takes him out, and puts a bandana on him to bandage up his leg injury before leaving. He longs to show her his gratitude and love her the way a human male would after experiencing her kindess, and sheds tears over his inability to do so. Suddenly, two magicians (called "The Moon" and "The Sun") approach him; taking pity on the cat, they turn him into a teenage boy (Minami) who attends the girl's high school. Although he is now fully human, he still has some of his cat mannerisms.
For a time, the cat is able to interact with the girl, and she develops feelings for him. However, the magicians warn the cat that he can't do this forever: they'll revoke their magic if he ever tells her the truth about his transformation, and everyone's memories of him in his human form will disappear. Even with this knowledge, the cat gathers his courage to confess and races to her before time runs out. He barely gets the first words out before his human form finally disappears, and he reverts. However, he still interacts with the girl as a cat, and she still treats him with as much affection as she did before his initial transformation.
A Small Lion has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 小さなライオン, Chiisana Lion
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Top 5 Anime Like A Small Lion (Chiisana Lion) [2026 List]
- 5. Nodame Cantabile
- 4. Kids on the Slope
- 3. Nana
- 2. Given
- 1. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
5. Nodame Cantabile
Shinichi Chiaki is a first class musician whose dream is to play among the elites in Europe. Coming from a distinguished family, he is an infamous perfectionist—not only is he highly critical of himself, but of others as well. The only thing stopping Shinichi from leaving for Europe is his fear of flying. As a result, he's grounded in Japan.
During his fourth year at Japan's top music university, Shinichi happens to meet Megumi Noda or, as she refers to herself, Nodame. On the surface, she seems to be an unkempt girl with no direction in life. However, when Shinichi hears Nodame play the piano for the first time, he is in awe of the kind of music she creates. Nevertheless, Shinichi is dismayed to discover that Nodame is his neighbor, and worse, she ends up falling head over heels in love with him.
Nodame Cantabile has finished airing and it has 23 Episodes. It is also Known as: のだめカンタービレ, Nodame Cantabile
4. Kids on the Slope
Introverted classical pianist and top student Kaoru Nishimi has just arrived in Kyushu for his first year of high school. Having constantly moved from place to place since his childhood, he abandons all hope of fitting in, preparing himself for another lonely, meaningless year. That is, until he encounters the notorious delinquent Sentarou Kawabuchi.
Sentarou's immeasurable love for jazz music inspires Kaoru to learn more about the genre, and as a result, he slowly starts to break out of his shell, making his very first friend. Kaoru begins playing the piano at after-school jazz sessions, located in the basement of fellow student Ritsuko Mukae's family-owned record shop. As he discovers the immense joy of using his musical talents to bring enjoyment to himself and others, Kaoru's summer might just crescendo into one that he will remember forever.Sakamichi no Apollon is a heartwarming story of friendship, music, and love that follows three unique individuals brought together by their mutual appreciation for jazz.
Kids on the Slope has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: Sakamichi no Apollon, 坂道のアポロン, Sakamichi no Aporon, Apollo on the Slope
3. Nana
Nana Komatsu is a helpless, naïve 20-year-old who easily falls in love and becomes dependent and clingy to those around her. Even though she nurses ambitious dreams of removing herself from her provincial roots and finding her true calling, she ends up traveling to Tokyo with the humble reason of chasing her current boyfriend Shouji Endo.
Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is a proud, enigmatic punk rock vocalist from a similarly rural background, who nurtures the desire to become a professional singer. Putting her career with a fairly popular band (and her passionate romance with one of its former members) firmly behind her, she boards the same train to Tokyo as Nana Komatsu.
Through a fateful encounter in their journey toward the metropolis, the young women with the same given name are brought together, sparking a chain of events which eventually result in them sharing an apartment. As their friendship deepens, the two attempt to support each other through thick and thin, their deeply intertwined lives filled with romance, music, challenges, and heartbreaks that will ultimately test their seemingly unbreakable bond.
Nana has finished airing and it has 47 Episodes. It is also Known as: NANA [ナナ], Nana
2. Given
Somehow, the guitar that he used to love to play and the basketball games that he found so fun just lost their appeal... That was until Ritsuka Uenoyama randomly met Mafuyu Sato. Ritsuka had started losing his passion for music in his everyday life, but then he hears Mafuyu sing for the first time. The song resonates with his heart and the distance between them starts to change.
given has finished airing and it has 11 Episodes. It is also Known as: ギヴン, Given
1. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
Music accompanies the path of the human metronome, the prodigious pianist Kousei Arima. But after the passing of his mother, Saki Arima, Kousei falls into a downward spiral, rendering him unable to hear the sound of his own piano.
Two years later, Kousei still avoids the piano, leaving behind his admirers and rivals, and lives a colorless life alongside his friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryouta Watari. However, everything changes when he meets a beautiful violinist, Kaori Miyazono, who stirs up his world and sets him on a journey to face music again.
Based on the manga series of the same name, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso approaches the story of Kousei's recovery as he discovers that music is more than playing each note perfectly, and a single melody can bring in the fresh spring air of April.
Your Lie in April has finished airing and it has 22 Episodes. It is also Known as: 四月は君の嘘, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
