Recommendations from Iwamoto-Senpai

Set against the backdrop of 1910s Japan, the military runs a school, and one of its students, Kodo Iwamoto, has an unusual job: he travels the country investigating reports of supernatural phenomena, scouting people with strange abilities for potential recruitment. It's a premise that sounds straightforward until you see how it actually plays out. Kodo arrives at a village where "black snow" supposedly falls, and meets a boy who's terrified of his own powers, convinced they're some kind of disease. Rather than just tagging him as a recruit and moving on, Kodo connects with him, helps him reframe what he's experiencing, and offers him a recommendation to Seihou Middle School. That dynamic, finding people who are isolated by things they don't understand, and giving them a place to belong, is the emotional core here. Each new location brings a different mystery and a different person shaped by it. The historical setting gives everything a grounded, atmospheric weight that you don't get from most supernatural anime. If you're into the quiet, contemplative investigation vibe of Mushishi but want something with more of a narrative thread, or if you liked the Taisho-era aesthetic of Demon Slayer and want a story that leans harder into that historical texture, this fits nicely. Studio Deen is adapting the seinen manga, so expect a character-driven pace rather than action spectacle. Think less battlefield, more slow unraveling of mysteries in rural Japan with a thread of melancholy running through it.