Kidou Tenshi Angelic Layer

Kids spar in tournament battles with their custom designed toy models. The fire of competition becomes their channel to express friendship, love, and inner character. 

Angelic Layer and Gundam Build Fighters involves fighting but in a different form of what people might generally be used to. Both series involves figures/robots/dolls that are used in tournament matches. These matches tests players' skills in manipulating their gadgets against each other involving strategies. The technology of both series' gadgets are a bit different but they have science fiction themes that takes place in the near future. The main protagonist gets involved in these type of technology and competes in tournaments in hoping to become a name for themselves. Along the way, they face off against adversaries of skills in various degrees. There is lighthearted comedy, drama, and hints of romance (less so in Angelic Layer). read more 

Both are similar as the idea of popularized toys where customization is encouraged and put to battle one another in a tournament/Sport. Both main protagonists are inspired by someone/something into the sport and meet new people along the way. 

Battles using avatars/ alter egos being controlled by young girls/children in a tournament style competition. The protagonists are both young girls who are missing their parents and enter into the game as complete novices, but seem to hold great potential to be champions. 

SIMILARITIES: both feature an almost predominantly all-female cast (with just 1 or 2 minor supporting male characters, all of whom are quite likable) battling in fantasy game tournaments with vague rules (i.e never explaining the exact rules of the game to the viewer, just showing the battles and you get a vague idea) using miniature female avatars as their companions in battle (in Angelic Layer, the Angel Dolls. in WIXOSS, the LRIGs) required to win or even just play the game for them. in Angelic Layer, the avatars have personalities somewhat "shaped" or "projected" upon them when they are created that reflect their owners and never speak, but in WIXOSS they are their own pre-existing independent selves with minds of their own and are able to speak to their selectors, however in WIXOSS the LRIG is still in some way usually reflected psychologically or has something in common with the girl commanding her. both shows despite having all-female casts, have little-to-no no gratuitous yuri/shoujo ai fanservice (almost no straight fanservice either). i really like yuri/shoujo ai but i have no interest in watching it in shows that feature middle-to-high-school age girls so this can be a positive or negative for you, but i view it as a positive which is why i bring up this similarity. Angelic Layer does have some minor fan service because it's a CLAMP show, but this is very subtle and tame and not very frequent (even in the beach episode, which has to be one of the least gratuitous beach episodes i've ever seen. WIXOSS has no beach episode). each girl in both series has a serious and heartfelt reason for battling, although the protagonist of WIXOSS takes some time to find her own reason as seems to be a common trope in "magic and wish granting shows aimed at girls" for some reason. however, unlike abominations such as GRANBELM (which might appeal to fans of both shows, however i did not like it, but make up your own mind if you watch it) the WIXOSS protagonist has a proper character development plot arc with a meaningful change in her personality and the plot direction once she finds it. DIFFERENCES: in Angelic Layer, the MC's beginning desire for winning the battles comes mostly out of enthusiasm and idealism, and is encouraged by those around her who she makes friends with, rather than being the victim of dark circumstances becoming even darker, as in WIXOSS. despite being in a niche sub-genre of the same battling anime tropes, WIXOSS is a complete deconstruction of that genre, whereas Angelic Layer, despite having many unique similarities, is the opposite and not a critique of the genre in any especially notable way besides a few of the usual "CLAMP" touches. both shows are incredibly tonally different, with Angelic Layer having a mostly light hearted, positive and carefree attitude to the concept, with rivals frequently becoming friends and hanging out or helping each other, or reconciling after battles. WIXOSS quickly devolves into the opposite of this. in WIXOSS, the opposite is the usual case, with some rivals becoming even worse or more twisted towards each other and doing more nefarious things as the show goes on. still friendship plays a very large theme in both anime and in WIXOSS the nuances of friends vs enemies is explored in a lot more fleshed out, adult manner, especially due to the dark secrets behind WIXOSS which can cause even more negative reactions, emotions and behaviors from the cast. Angelic Layer always tends to lean into themes of reconciliation, WIXOSS has both themes of allies and friendships battling *against* the situation of antagonization they're put in at a much higher level. if you want an anime that will make you feel good even if it has some tragic moments and backstories, watch Angelic Layer. if you want something dark and angsty (but not gratuitious with its angst-- most of it drives the plot) then watch WIXOSS. and if you are the kind of person who can like both moods or appreciate them, then you will probably like both shows. also SHORT WARNING: WIXOSS S1 runs for 12 eps and ends on a complete cliffhanger, so make sure you have access to S2 for continuation of the series. Angelic Layer on the other hand is about 24-26 eps (probably due to being an older anime) and contains a complete story within it.  read more 

First of all, both anime(s) are by the same manga artists, Clamp. Oh, but there's more... Both the main protagonist of the series are young girls who are learning powers and gaining confidence for themselves while growing up through various obstacles. She also makes interactions with other characters along the way to to discover her meaning in life and what she wants to be. Friendship also plays a theme in both series and there are action, comedy, drama, supernatural/sci-fi elements and even romance. Like Clamp's work? Like a little fantasy drama? Like some action mixed in with comedy and drama? You'll probably like both series then. 

If you like the cute, kindhearted but somewhat ordinary girl who learns how to believe in herself and her abilities after going through various trials then both of these anime have that in spades. Both are similar in terms of character development and artistic style which is most likely because both are from the same studio CLAMP. While in CCS the main object is capturing the Clow Cards, in Angelic Layer is battling with mechanical dolls in order to reach the final. Angelic Layer is the lesser known of the two but it is just as good as Cardcaptor Sakura if not better. 

Both animes are about playing games using mechanical dolls that they customized themselves, whether it's for fun or for various tournaments. but how they play the game, and the game's backgrounds are different 

Both include small robots and boys who control them in competitions versus different opponents. 

-Both animes are about getting better at their games aiming to keep on winning and continue to move onto bigger tournaments -Both have really potential leads 

where as angelic layer is more on the cutesy side of things both of these shows have a turnament in which the main character must win or overcome. the stories are really good but with the longer shows the characters just have to keep fighting in more turnaments. 

The premise of these anime is that there are dolls that fight each other alongside their human (child) owners. Angelic layer has more robotic dolls who don't speak, while Rozen Maiden has more supernatural dolls who have minds of their own. Also Angelic Layer is more tournament focussed, while Rozen Maiden is not. 

Both anime involve a new game created using futuristic technology involving battles between a primarily female cast. Angelic Layer puts more time into selling its hero as a total newbie and working her way up.  

A complete novice in a game rises to be one of the top players in both shows. The major difference is that in Angelic Layer, it's mostly her innate talent that allows her to succeed. In Hikaru no Go, you get a much better sense of how much hard work matters in the game, and how difficult it is. There's a lot more suspense in Hikaru no Go, too- in Angelic Layer the outcome of the game is easily predictable before it starts.  

where as angelic layer is more on the cutesy side of things both of these shows have a turnament in which the main character must win or overcome. the stories are really good but with the longer shows the characters just have to keep fighting in more turnaments. 

Angelic layer is based on same universe, but on previous age where the technology behind chobits were developing. It is separate story, only the sidelines of the story bring this up. The technology used by these dolls later on developped as body structure for chobit units.