Chirin no Suzu

Stories about revenge, as after a loss of parental figure the protagonist trains under the villain in order to be able to exact revenge on said villain, becoming extraordinarily physically strong in the process. 

They both involve a wolf and a sheep/lamb/goat (whatever you want to call it) spending time together, just in different ways. In Chirin no Suzu, the sheep is the wolf's apprentice and eventually his friend. In Arashi, the wolf and sheep are best friends. In both movies you wonder how such relationships may conquer the odds. They both have a lamb-goat who's mother was killed by a wolf. Both movies may seem for children, but in fact, they are a bit dark (for a mature child maybe?). These movies are perfect for adults or teens with an inner child. 

For one thing it was made by Sanrio in an era that transpire from the late 70s to mid 80s back before Hello Kitty cartoons and products became their main source of income, and they legitimately made anime. Another thing this has in common with Chirin no Suzu (maybe not to the extreme like the latter) is that it is relatively dark and the content might upset younger children.  

Both of these titles deal with a fluffy cute young character, who leaves homes and is forced to battle the harsh reality of the outside world  

Both can break your heart in one way or another and you can hear a sound of bell in both shows. 

Both have the same kind of plot where someone kills the main characters mother/father and the main character sets out to get revenge. 

Childhood is meant to be a sweet and innocent thing, something both of these movies illustrate quite well, but the other thing these movies illustrate is how a simple tragedy can take all of that innocence away.  

A wolf raises a sheep and trains him and treats him like family despite the obvious predator-prey dynamic. Whilst watching one i was reminded of the other 

While this may seem like a bizarre recommendation at first, Ringing Bell shares a very similar theme with Tokyo Ghoul. Notably of tragedy befalling a weak protagonist and how they find inevitably find themselves outcast from society due to being stuck somewhere in-between opposing sides in a conflict. Though they are of both sides, they are too different to find a place in either, left to despair in loneliness. While the lengths and target demographic greatly differ, the overall message and tone is similar. So if you're searching for a downer, look no further. 

Two anime classics from the 1970s that seem aimed to children but actually dark and tragic, both explore dark mature themes. Chirin no Suzu explores psychological themes such as agony, cruelty, revenge, and self-acceptance. Kerokko Demetan explores sociological themes such as capitalism, slavery, rebellion, and racism. 

Short Sanrio animated adaptations of Takashi Yanase stories involving small cute animals fighting to protect something. They are actually sold together on the Japanese DVD. 

These anime are deceptive with their sweet animation styles and their cute-looking characters, as they feature bittersweet, emotional messages, and moments of cruel violence. Their predatory antagonists are quite similar in how they are treated in the story. They cause trouble and kill some crucial characters, but are treated more sympathetically as the protagonists, for better or for worse, come to understand their natural perspective and place in the cycle of life. Additionally, these anime feature an animal character that care for/mentor a younger member of a different species. The endings are tearjerking in how they establish the final part of the protagonist’s characterization (with Leafie’s motherly spirit and Chirin’s vengeful despair). read more 

The Foxes of Chironup island is an unexpectedly dark children's cartoon, not unlike Chirin's Bell. 

This is what happens when something that is suppose to be cute turns into nightmare fuel. Cute story about a cute small lamb on the dark and self-destructive path of revenge; and a cute cut-out animation story about girls being silly, where the cut-outs are done by the gyaru equivalent of Kafka on steroids. 

Cute children's stories about sheep and wolves on the surface, but also alludes to darker themes of revenge, identity (both of the self and the group), social isolation, and xenophobia. 

Both series look cute, right? They both utilize styles that indicate the target audience is kids, right? So both series should be light and fluffy, right? Not quite. Kids are definitely the target audience of this series, but that doesn't mean everything is light and fluffy as the creators of both series don't underestimate kids and are willing to let the series head in a direction which is dark, yet still appropriate for the age range of the target audience. Their also older series. 

If there are two things one would expect children to think of as pure and fun, it would be Magical Girls and little lambs, yet for both of these series what is typically treated by the narrative as fun and pure ends up being turned upside down on it’s head in a way that is pleasing within the narrative. 

Beastars isn’t the first Anime to take the furry and have a dark twist to the plot, yet in the case of Chirin no Suzu the dark twist just so happens to be within a movie for a younger target audience than Beastars, a stark contrast to some of the furry series which tend to lean towards typical conventions regarding furry characters in general. 

We've two movies aimed at children that involve animals that are able to speak, each of which have a moral to the story for the target audience yet neither tries to sugar coat things for the viewer. 

Don't be fooled by their childlike exteriors. Both Kaiba and Chirin no Suzu combine cute artistic styles with in-depth, often dark themes.  

Chirin no Suzu and Ginga Tesudou no Yoru are classic furry series aimed at children with an unconventional twist for children series for which I say no more lest I leave spoilers for either series for those who’ve not seen either, though if someone whose seen either movie will likely know what I’m talking about. 

These two movies are heavily allegorical fairy tales that focus on a loss of innocence leading into inevitable tragedy. 

An animal runs away after something bad happens is the premise to both stories. The special for Ao no Exorcist takes a softer approach to the plot than chirin no Suzu does, yet for those who like the darker elements of Ao no Exorcist they may enjoy the twist to the plot from Chirin no Suzu. I won’t say what it is though lest I leave spoilers.