If you loved Children of the Sea, try Mushi-Shi: The Next Chapter - Drops of Bells
A bridge between a film you've already seen and one most people haven't. Mushi-Shi: The Next Chapter - Drops of Bells has roughly 6.1× fewer votes than Children of the Sea — it's a deeper cut, not a mainstream recommendation. Here's what they share, and what the second one does that the first one doesn't.
What they share
Theyboth carry the surreal, tender mood tags, and they sit in Animation / Fantasy / Mystery territory. If that's the register that drew you to Children of the Sea, the second film will land in a comparable space — through a different lens.
What Mushi-Shi: The Next Chapter - Drops of Bells is
Deep mountain summer. Bell tones. A wandering Mushi Master finds a girl entwined with vegetation, the apparent deity of the local highlands. Her estranged brother seeks her, haunted by the day she vanished in storm-soaked hills. A tranquil, folkloric vignette from the acclaimed anime series.
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