If Journal with Witch stayed with you after the final episode, you probably felt that quiet weight in your chest. We fans connected with Makio Kōdai and Asa Takumi because their story stayed small, personal, and honest. It focused on grief, writing, and daily life instead of loud drama.

So now you might be asking the same question we all asked. What should you watch next if you want that same calm tone and emotional depth? If you are searching for anime like Journal with Witch, this list focuses on stories that carry similar themes of healing, home life, and meaningful conversations.

Anime Like Journal with Witch

If you specifically want the best anime like Journal with Witch that capture quiet grief and steady emotional growth, start here.

10. Violet Evergarden

Basic Plot: Violet Evergarden follows Violet, a former child soldier who survives a long war but loses both her arms. The last words she hears from Major Gilbert are “I love you.” Yet she does not understand their meaning.

After the war, she works at the CH Postal Company and becomes an Auto Memory Doll. Her job is to write letters for people who cannot express their feelings clearly. Through each client, she learns about love, regret, and loss. While searching for the meaning behind those final words.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Journal with Witch uses Asa’s journal and Makio’s writing life as emotional anchors. Violet Evergarden uses letters the same way. In both stories, words carry pain and healing.

Both series move quietly. Emotional growth happens through conversations and small interactions. If you are looking for anime like Journal with Witch, where writing becomes emotional healing, this is a good recommendation.

It was released in 2018 with 13 episodes.

9. A Place Further Than the Universe

Basic Plot: This story follows Mari Tamaki, a high school girl who feels stuck in routine. Her life changes when she meets Shirase Kobuchizawa. She is determined to travel to Antarctica because her mother disappeared there.

Along with Hinata Miyake and Yuzuki Shiraishi, the girls prepare for the journey. Their trip becomes more than travel. It becomes a way to confront fear and loss.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Just like Journal with Witch keeps grief in the background of daily life, this anime does the same through Shirase’s story. The emotional moments come from honest conversations and friendship.

Both shows rely on quiet bonding instead of heavy twists. Healing grows through shared time together.

It was released in 2018 with 13 episodes.

8. Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū

Basic Plot: The story begins with Kyoji, an ex-convict who wants to become the apprentice of rakugo master Yakumo Yurakutei. He receives the stage name Yotarō.

Through flashbacks set in the Shōwa era, the series explores Yakumo’s past as Kikuhiko, his friendship and rivalry with Sukeroku, and the lasting impact of their choices. Rakugo storytelling becomes the centre of their lives.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Journal with Witch centres on journaling and writing. Rakugo Shinjū centres on performance storytelling. In both cases, words reveal hidden emotions.

The pacing stays patient. Relationships change slowly over time. If you liked emotional tension built through dialogue, this anime matches that tone.

It was released in 2016 with 25 total episodes across two seasons.

7. The Great Passage (Fune wo Amu)

Basic Plot: Mitsuya Majime works at a publishing company and gets transferred to the dictionary editorial department. A small team is building a new dictionary called “The Great Passage.”

The story follows their long process of defining words, debating meanings, and shaping language carefully. Majime struggles socially but connects deeply through words.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Both series treat language as something powerful. Journal with Witch shows healing through journaling. The Great Passage shows connection through dictionary work.

The tone remains calm and focused on daily effort. Emotional change appears through teamwork and conversation.

It was released in 2016 with 11 episodes.

6. Barakamon

Basic Plot: Seishuu Handa is a professional calligrapher who reacts badly to criticism. As a result, he is sent to live in a rural village. There, he meets lively locals, especially a young girl named Naru Kotoishi.

Village life challenges his pride and isolation. Through everyday interactions, his art and mindset begin to change.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Both stories place a guarded adult in a shared living space with a young girl. Change does not come through big drama. It comes through daily life.

If you liked the quiet household dynamic between Makio and Asa, Barakamon carries that same warmth.

It was released in 2014 with 12 episodes.

5. March Comes in Like a Lion

Basic Plot: Rei Kiriyama is a teenage professional shogi player who lives alone and keeps his emotions locked up. His life revolves around matches, rankings, and the pressure of being treated like an adult while he still feels like a kid inside.

The story begins opening up when Rei connects with the Kawamoto sisters, Akari, Hinata, and little Momo. Their home becomes the one place where Rei can sit, eat, and breathe without anyone demanding results from him. The series moves between shogi games and quiet days, showing how Rei handles school, rivals, and the weight he carries.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Journal with Witch works because grief sits inside normal days, not in dramatic speeches. March Comes in Like a Lion carries the same feeling. Rei’s pain does not disappear fast. It shifts slowly through routine, kindness, and small conversations.

If you liked watching Makio and Asa learn how to live together after loss, Rei finding warmth in the Kawamoto home will hit in a similar way. Both anime stay close to everyday life and let healing feel earned.

It was released in 2016 with 44 total episodes across two seasons.

4. My Roommate is a Cat

Basic Plot: Subaru Mikazuki is a reclusive mystery novelist who avoids people and keeps his world small. After his parents’ death, he shuts himself away even more and spends most days writing, eating alone, and returning to silence.

Everything changes when he brings home a stray cat and names her Haru. The series shows Subaru’s side and Haru’s side, so you see the same day from two minds. Subaru learns how to care for another life. Haru learns what safety and warmth feel like after surviving on the streets. Their home slowly becomes less empty.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Journal with Witch shows a withdrawn writer learning to live with someone after tragedy. My Roommate is a Cat follows a similar emotional track. Subaru’s writing life echoes Makio’s novelist life, and Haru’s presence pushes small changes in routine, communication, and connection.

Both anime keep the emotions quiet and personal. The change comes through daily habits, small steps outside, and moments that feel simple but stay with you.

It was released in 2019 with 12 episodes.

3. Sweetness & Lightning

Basic Plot: Kōhei Inuzuka is a teacher and a single father after losing his wife. He wants to give his young daughter Tsumugi a normal home, but cooking becomes a real struggle, and many days feel like survival mode.

His routine begins to change when he starts cooking with his student Kotori Iida. The three build a small shared space around homemade meals. The story stays focused on shopping, chopping, waiting for food to cook, and sitting down together. Those simple actions slowly bring comfort back into their lives.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Journal with Witch uses journaling and writing to carry grief gently. Sweetness & Lightning uses cooking and meals the same way. Both series show that healing can come from ordinary routines when people keep showing up for each other.

You also get that same guardian-and-child warmth. It feels awkward at first, then it starts feeling real, because care becomes consistent.

It was released in 2016 with 12 episodes.

2. Kotaro Lives Alone

Basic Plot: Kotaro Sato is a four-year-old boy who moves into Shimizu Apartment and lives alone. He speaks politely, carries himself like a tiny adult, and handles daily tasks that no child should handle by himself.

Next door, manga artist Shin Karino starts noticing him and slowly steps in. Other neighbours also begin looking out for Kotaro. The series stays grounded in small moments like grocery shopping, simple gifts, and quiet talks in hallways. Over time, you begin understanding that Kotaro’s calm routine comes from a painful past.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Journal with Witch begins after loss and builds a new home dynamic between an adult and a child. Kotaro Lives Alone carries that same emotional foundation. Both stories show children coping in silence while adults learn how to be present in the right way.

The tone stays gentle even when the subject matter feels heavy. Daily life carries the story, and the emotion lands without loud drama.

It was released in 2022 with 10 episodes.

1. Usagi Drop (Bunny Drop)

Basic Plot: Daikichi Kawachi attends his grandfather’s funeral and meets a little girl named Rin Kaga. The family treats Rin like a problem and refuses to take responsibility for her. Daikichi, who has lived a simple adult life without childcare, makes a sudden decision to become her guardian.

From that point, the story stays close to real parenting challenges. Daikichi learns about daycare, school routines, cooking, and work schedule changes. Rin learns how to trust adults again. Their bond grows through ordinary days, and the warmth feels gradual, not instant.

Similarities with Journal with Witch: Journal with Witch starts with tragedy and then focuses on a new home built after loss. Usagi Drop follows the same structure. Both series show an adult learning responsibility while a child adjusts to a new life.

If you liked how Makio and Asa’s relationship grew through quiet living, Daikichi and Rin’s daily progress will feel familiar.

Final thoughts

We fans loved Journal with Witch because it trusted small moments. It showed that healing does not need spectacle.

If you want more anime like Journal with Witch that focus on quiet homes, steady growth, and meaningful conversations, this list should help.

Which one are you watching next? Write your thoughts in the comments below.