How many good shoujo anime has aired in past years? Well, not that many. While isekai and shounen shows are abundant, the female audience keeps dreaming of more light novels and manga series getting the chance to getting adapted into anime. Mushikaburi-hime presents a typical historical shoujo-esque story with a huge dash of romance and drama. And we want more of that! That’s exactly why fans are hungry for more sweet anime shows like Mushikaburi-hime (Bibliophile Princess).
For those who haven’t watched the anime, it centers around Eliana, the crown prince Christopher’s “phony” fiancée, who is a noblewoman who spends her days in the palace immersed in books.
One fateful day, Eliana learns of a lady who the prince was reportedly quite fond of. She thought right away that the noble lady is genuinely in love with the prince. As a result, she begins readying up for the impending moment when her engagement would be called off for good…
With that being said, let’s look at 10 cute anime like Mushikaburi-hime (Bibliophile Princess).
10. The World is Still Beautiful
The Rain Dukedom’s fourth princess, Nike, has the power to invoke the rain. Despite her own hesitation, she goes to the Sun Kingdom to wed Sun King Livius for the benefit of her nation. She quickly learns that the King is still a young child despite having conquered the world just three years after ascending to the throne. He has also requested that Nike summon the rain for absurd reasons, and when she refuses, he throws her in jail.
The narrative centers on the two, who at first are simply legally married to one another but who later develop a strong emotional connection.
Similar to Mushikaburi-hime, The World is Still Beautiful is a historical story revolving around a noble couple. The male protagonist is the prince/king and the female main character influences the kingdom and those in its vicinity thanks to her quirky personality.
9. The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent
Fans of medieval-esque stories like Mushikaburi-hime will love The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent’s historical setting with princes and knights.
A 20-year-old office worker named Sei is transported to an entirely different realm. Unfortunately for Sei, the summoning ceremony that was meant to produce a “Saint” who would dispel the dark magic summoned two people instead of one. And everyone prefers Sei to the second girl?
But Sei, who departs the royal palace to open a business with her newly discovered magic, is quite content with this. As long as her alleged Sainthood doesn’t come back to bite her, business is thriving and she might not have it so bad after all!
8. Romeo x Juliet
Another romantic anime like Mushikaburi-hime is Romeo x Juliet.
The noble house of Capulet had ruled happily for generations in the fantasy aeropolis of Neo Verona until fourteen years ago when an old resentment harbored by the rival house of Montague led to a revolt, and the Capulets were overthrown and all but wiped out in a brutal coup.
Currently, Neo Verona is suffering under the control of its new masters, and the terrible fates of two star-crossed lovers are destined to intertwine.
You should watch this show if you enjoy beautifully drawn stories about nobility that are set in or have a European historical feel.
7. Maid-sama!
Maid-sama! might have no nobility in it but shoujo fans will love the art, development, and overall vibe of this anime. It’s as close as you can get to Mushikaburi-hime when choosing a modern anime and not a historical one.
Seika High’s student council is led by the determined, smart, and tough female Ayuzawa Misaki. She does, however, work part-time as an employee at a Maid Cafe, which her peers are unaware of. Usui Takumi, a student at her school, learns of this secret, endangering Misaki’s reputation and her future as the president.
6. Earl and Fairy
Lydia Carlton is a fairy doctor who lives in Scotland in the eighteenth century. She is one of the few people who can see fairies and interact with them. But nobody takes her word for it. Despite that, Lydia is just the kind of person Edgar needs—someone who is well-versed in fairy lore! He hires her after saving her, but Edgar, who claims to be the Blue Knight’s Earl, seems to have a slew of secrets and sentiments.
Earl and Fairy boasts shoujo-style artwork that is similar to Mushikaburi-hime, along with a Victorian feel to it. It’s a traditional romantic shoujo story with a meek female protagonist and a handsome blonde boy.
5. Psychic Princess
Psychic Princess is among lesser-known romantic anime, probably because it’s a donghua and not an anime. It’s similar to a shoujo romance from the 2000s but set in Imperial China.
Qian Yunxi is a young girl who was taken to live in the mountains at the age of eight due to her “odd powers.” To restore peace and harmony, her noble family marries her off to Ye Youming, an enemy prince, rather than her younger sister. Ye Youming sends the princess away to a frightening mansion, demonstrating his seeming lack of concern for her.
Then, either for better or worse, things start to change when it emerges that Qian Yunxi really is a psychic.
4. Blue Spring Ride
Blue Spring Ride is a charming and endearing shoujo anime that doesn’t have the most innovative story but still delivers everything that you would expect from an awesome shoujo. You’ll feel the excitement, melancholy, and hope.
The lovely couple in both Blue Spring Ride and Bibliophile Princess must overcome obstacles and difficulties in their relationship, which creates many touching scenes. But while Blue Spring Ride takes place in a high school with a focus on the activities, conflicts, and drama that occur there, Bibliophile Princess is a romantic tale about a noble/royal couple with a dash of drama.
3. I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss
When the predestined villainess in a dating game learns about her fate and her role, she tries to avoid it by developing romantic ties with the other villain in the game.
Like Mushikaburi-hime, I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss gives off the same easy-to-follow fluffy romance that easily develops. It does a great job of making the plot easy to understand from the female perspective.
2. Ascendance of a Bookworm
Ascendance of a Bookworm might have no romance in it, but it shares Mushikaburi-hime’s bookworm concept.
The anime is an isekai in which a Japanese bookworm gets reincarnated into a sick five-year-old’s body and lives as Myne, the daughter of peasants. She was in Ehrenfest, a town with a strict class structure. Nevertheless, she didn’t really require much else as long as she had her books. But books were few and only belonged to the privileged. However, even that doesn’t deter her, and she decides that if there are no books, she will figure out how to make them!
1. Snow White with the Red Hair
With each factor taken into account, Snow White with the Red Hair is the most similar anime to Mushikaburi-hime. The show has it all: the historical setting, nobility, and a cute romantic story between a prince and “a lower-ranked” heroine.
The prince of Tanbarun wants Shirayuki, a herbalist known for her naturally bright red hair, exclusively for himself. Since she is unwilling to become the prince’s property, she seeks refuge in the neighboring country’s woods, where she finds an unusual ally in the form of the prince of that kingdom.
After he saves her from her predicament, the tale of a lovestruck prince and an unusual herbalist begins.
Hi, my name is Mia, and I am the founder of 9 Tailed Kitsune. I am a big fan of esports, games, and anime. When I was around 7 years old, Phantom Thief Jeanne sparked my fascination for anime, and it has never faded!