Junketsu no Maria

Very similar, VERY underrated series about a sort of fictional culture clash between the existence of witches and warfare. Maria is set during the medieval period and Izetta during World War 2 but, other than that, the almost anti-war theme explored by a scantily clad witch trying to attain peace using her powers links the two series closely. Maria is the darker and more graphic of the two, though. If you can overlook middling budgets and some pandering in terms of boobs/skimpy attire/light yuri then you're in for a treat 'cause there's nothing else quite like these two underappreciated gems.  

Both of these anime portray the midieval time period extremely well. Maria however has an outstanding story to back that up. It's a shame that not a lot of people have seen it or even give it a chance, it's extremely underrated.  

These two are rather misleading, to begin with. FAR more so in the case of Maria since the females dress like strippers (fits the 'heretic witches' angle + a succubus, but still...) and a great deal of emphasis is placed on the heroine's virginity; often comically so. In the case of Spice & Wolf, it was just the heroine - Howo - being naked when she was introduced that set off early furry alarms... before she proceeded to put on and not remove clothes. They do what few to no other anime do: introduce a fantasy (animal 'Gods' in S&W; witches in Maria) element, then ground it in HEAVY medieval realism. Both are built around a human-supernatural romance, and that is then paired with the sinister/manipulative nature of religion during those times. The true power was the Catholic Church, and they crushed all opposing beliefs. The fact that the the respective heroines are regarded as heretics results in a head-on collision between anime fantasy and brutal realism. Spice & Wolf dealt with economics, where as Maria involved war, but the benevolent facade and sinister underbelly of religion is undeniably prevalent in both. More so in Maria since a surprisingly gripping drama involving manipulating the titular heroine in the war between England and France and then brain washing the locals in an attempt to burn her at the stake played out. And, unlike in S&W (no war scenes), the brutal realities of war were not shied away from. Limb removal, rape, mercenary pillaging, etc. Every attempt was made to highlight that Maria's naive idealism involving her preventing battles only resulted in more death and more resources being used, in the long-term. That sort of grim human ugliness is usually avoided in anime. As is anything serious to do with religion.  read more 

Standard fantasy settings with European style kingdoms and political maneuverings and both have a sweet romance at their core. 

-They both are ecchi shows, even though Junketsu is less focused on the ecchi than Maou Testament. -Both have amazing soundtracks -Both have likeable characters -Both have pretty animations and art style Check this one out if you liked Junketsu No Maria. 

-similar art style -main character is thought of as an enemy by their country -despite this, they're still trying to save their country -set in a historical world where magic exists Both os these anime are very similar in many ways. Chances are that if you like Nanatsu no Taizai you will also like Junketsu no Maria 

Both shows are set in a world where the earth's various gods and mythical creatures are real and in contact with civilization. 

This anime centers on war and magic, has a little blonde girl as the protagonist although is different in the development of the story Youjo being more mature and Junketsu being more innocent they're both great shows and fun to watch. 

Despite heavily contrasting in tone, both shows show pretty accurate (and vastly different from Hollywood) portrayals of medieval times during wars  

Both take place in the medieval ages where witches and sorcerers are hunted and torched to death. Both stories follow a young witch on her journey and how she found love. These two anime's have a similar feeling and is simply just the best...;3 

More flying witches in a really nice setting even if includes war.  

Main characters of these series are both magic users who will lose their powers in the future. Maria, from Junketsu no Maria, will lose her powers once she loses her virginity. Ureshiko, from Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo, will lose her powers once she kisses a man. Both are mostly comedies with a bit of romance, but Junketsu no Maria also has few darker tones. 

Maria and Kenshin have similar values. Both naively wish they could stop fighting and bring peace to a hypocritical and complex world. Both have to avoid their own temptations if they are to uphold their values while accomplishing their goals. Rurouni Kenshin is more discreet with sexual themes, but both tease romance and are in a historical setting. The plot progresses differently in the two series, but the spirit is the same.  

The Main characters in both series must give up something in order to keep their powers. Both taking place in an historical setting. Dai Shogun takes place in Edo Japan during the Shogunate era. While Maria takes place in an Medieval setting 

Both are anime with witches and familiars, both have a male character they like. On the other hand: - time setting is very different - story is also quite different - Junketsu no Maria has a few more ecchi scenes but not too much (which is a good thing in this case) 

You were looking for an anime with magical elements and an engaging story, but Maria failed didn't satisfy as much as you hoped. Try this! 

Both anime focus on women dealing with societies that seem to be constantly against them and threaten psychological/physical harm to their bodies. 

Both anime feature a young woman struggling with her morality in a society that is being watched and controlled by a larger system (the church/God in Maria, the Sibyl System in PP). 

They have somewhat the same feeling, however Junketsu no Maria has a deeper storyline and it is more interesting. 

Both films focus on women living in distinct historical moments (medieval France in Maria, Edo-era Japan in Hokusai) and having to navigate society's expectations of them and their own ideologies that run counter to those expectations. 

Much like 'Now and Then, Here and There' (NaTHaT), Maria lulls viewers into a false sense of security with a beginning that does not suggest horror and despair. At all. Then, without hesitation after the misdirection, they both proceed to make viewers so uncomfortable with scenes involving death and rape and everything horrible about war that mouths will almost certainly be left open. Just to be clear, Maria is nowhere near as extreme as NaTHaT. Maria stops right where NaTHaT twists the knife, to be as non-spoilerific vague as I can be. But I could not help but think of NaTHaT during one scene in particular. UNCOMFORTABLE. When you see bruises visible on a 2D female anime face, it is strangely unsettling. That is what Maria taught me. The series have totally different settings (post-apocalypse in NaTHaT; medieval France in Maria) but the shocking directions they take and the emphasis on war links them quite strongly.  read more