It is only appropriate that we start this list off with the most famous exorcist anime out there, right? Rin Okumura is known as a rebel who cannot get his life straight no matter how hard he tries. What he doesn’t know though is that greater things are waiting for him and he is much more than just a troublemaker. Rio is in fact the son of Satan and has to learn the art of exorcism if he wants to prevent the destruction of this world, the death of his loved ones and ultimately falling into the hands of evil. We didn’t include Ao no Exorcist on this list simply because it also revolves around the art of exorcism even though there is a clear parallel. What makes this show similar to Sousei no Onmyouji is the mixture of comedy with action and occasional drama that runs throughout the storyline. The main heroes both have a temperament while still trying to do their best and fight for the people close to them. Fans of action-filled fights against demons should check it out!

Next up is an oldie but a goodie, the well-known Shakugan no Shana. As it is often the case in anime, this show starts with a normal high school boy leading a normal life. This idle lifestyle changes pretty quickly when Yuuji Sakai runs into a mysterious girl with flaming red hair. He finds out that he is in fact dead and his whole existence is reduced to a Torch that will soon disappear. Together with Shana, a Flame Haze, he embarks on a journey into a world he couldn’t even have imagined existing. It is true that Sakai was thrown into a world he knew nothing about while Rokuro from Twin Star Exorcists was born into his role. However, they both didn’t have a choice about what happens to them and are equally powerless. Also, both heroes have to team up with mysterious girls that they are slowly building a connection to. Shakugan no Shana and Twin Star Exorcists both feature a couple fighting against powerful enemies and are definitely worth a try.

Another exorcist, another Shounen show. But each anime is its own unique little butterfly, so let’s see what D.Gray-man has to offer and how it compares to Twin Star Exorcists. Allen Walker was abandoned by his parents and had to find his own way in life. With the help of his cursed eye and the special powers of his left arm he joins an organization of exorcists in their fight against the ultimate evil. An even bigger enemy is about to emerge and it is up to Allen to defeat him and prevent the destruction of the world. Just from the synopsis it’s already pretty clear that D.Gray-man has a lot of action to offer. True, the fights in this show are outstanding, but what makes it really great - and also similar to Twin Star Exorcists - is the comedy that is mixed into this action-filled show. It can be hard to find a good balance between the two genres, but both anime seem to master this task gracefully. D.Gray-man brings exorcism back to the 19th century and is our third recommendation.

Exorcists aren’t the only ones fighting against demonic powers. Gods are also responsible for keeping mankind safe, just like Yato in Noragami. Yato isn’t a normal god. Even though he was once one of the most respected and powerful deities out there, he is now known as the “Delivery God” who will do any job in exchange for a handful of coins. Together with his undead assistant Yukine and cheerful middle school girl Hiyori Iki he embarks on constantly new adventures to fulfill his ultimate goal of gaining millions of worshippers. Here we have another show with a supernatural theme. Noragami is loved for its comedy and great characters and just like Twin Star Exorcists the action scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat. Similarly, Noragami raises the question of duty and commitment and how you sometimes just need to get a job done without being able to make your own choices. This show is a must-watch even if you are not a fan of the supernatural.

When talking about exorcists there is one more show that just needs to be mentioned and that show is Tokyo Ravens. Set in another timeline, this anime shows you a different version of Tokyo where spiritual beings are part of everyday life. The prestigious Tsuchimikado family of onmyoudou-users (a Japanese form of occultism) has been known to take care of them for generations, but now a new problem arises: son Harutora is born without any magical abilities. Despite his lack of powers he becomes a familiar to Natsume, another member of the Tsuchimikado clan and a powerful wielder of onmyodo magic. Can they defeat their enemies together? Tokyo Ravens is a less dramatic version of Twin Star Exorcists and focuses more on its comedy and school aspects. Still, both stories share common elements like mythical beings and magic-filled fights. Most importantly, both shows revolve around two teenagers born into a life they cannot escape from. Our heroes work together as teams and despite not being able to control their fate, they fight each battle as if it were their last. Check out Tokyo Ravens if you haven’t already!

It’s time to end this list, but there is one more show we want to throw into the mix. It’s time for Nurarihyon no Mago! This is the story of Nurarihyon’s grandson, Rikuo Nura. He would be able to lead the normal life he always wanted to have if it wasn’t for the fact that he was quarter youkai and has to become head of the Nura clan. Now he leads a double life: schoolboy by day and powerful youkai by night. We wanted to include this little gem for all fans of the supernatural that prefer a more traditional setting over futuristic weapons and character design. Nurarihyon no Mago offers you just that while also featuring a main protagonist who is troubled by his destiny and an eternal fight between good and evil just like in Twin Star Exorcists. Also, both Rokuro and Rikuo have to balance their responsibilities with their private lives while remaining true to themselves. Definitely give Nurarihyon no Mago a try.

Hope’s Peak Academy is the nation's most prestigious academy that is dedicated to raising the nation's hope and future. Needless to say, to enroll in here, you have to be the top in your field of studies. Makoto Naegi was ecstatic to be offered a place. However, Makoto had no idea what his talent is. To make matters worse, the school appears to have been taken under control by the mysterious Monokuma. In order to find the truth and survive in the school, all 16 students of Hope’s Peak Academy only have one objective: to kill each other and not get caught. There’s more than meets the eye. Both series captured the essence of an intricate crime perfectly. Both Danganronpa and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney are derived from games. Danganronpa shares many elements from Ace Attorney as well. There is an investigation phase and a class trial thereafter to pinpoint the killer. From evidence gathering and rebutting counterarguments to crime that appears to be unsolvable or simply not plausible. Both animes expertly manipulate the essence of a good mystery plot - suspense and tension before finally bringing everything to satisfying close. This is the closest you will get to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney!

Shinichi Kudou is a brilliant detective. Shinichi is a high school student that occasionally works with the police to solve cases. During a fateful investigation however, he was attacked by the Black Organization and was forced to consume a lethal poison. When Shinichi woke up, he found that he had a body of a preadolescent boy. Retaining his memories and his intelligence, Shinichi hides his identity from those around him. Going by a pseudonym, Shinichi continues his investigative work while trying to reverse the side effects of the poison. Although Detective Conan does not fulfill the courtroom element of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, this mystery anime will give the investigation phase of Ace Attorney a run for their money. Detective Conan is episodic, which means that each and every case is different which is akin to Ace Attorney's style of cases. Conan has a greater focus on the deductions of the detective than on gathering evidence. Whereas Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is more graphical in the sense of evidence presentation, Conan is more of understanding the flow of logic in a simple to understand manner. Till date, this anime remains a hot favourite. If you liked Ace Attorney, Detective Conan is equally easy to understand and fun to watch!

A genius beauty in her twenties with a keen mind and her passionate love for - bones??? Sakurako Kujo is often alone if not for her assistant, Shotaro - a young high school boy. Whenever the duo is together, they are highly likely to run across a human corpse. And here, it is up to Sakurako with her love of bones to piece together the story and solve the mystery. This is yet another mystery anime you should add to your list. Centering on the gruesome crime of murder, the anime resembles Ace Attorney on the investigative aspect. Expect the same level of deductions and compelling mysteries. After all, dead bodies always have a story to tell and it is up to the detectives to paint the full story and uncover the truth.

Meet Aya Tachibana! A sixth grader worrywart. One fine day, Aya joins a group of boys who are all unique individuals. Finding her own place in this clique was hard but eventually, Aya manages to fit in and find friends at last. Here comes a tale of different people with different talents coming together to solve cases. How will this bunch of people cooperate with each other, let alone solve cases? Watch to find out! Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note leans more towards light mystery solving. Don't expect anything outrageous like a murder or an international scandal; they are still middle schoolers after all! If you feel the need to rack your brains like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney but in something more applicable to our everyday reality, Tantei may just be the anime for you! The mysteries in Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note are more of the kind of oddities you experience on a daily basis along the lines of a missing wallet. Due to how easily we can relate to the normalcy of these mysteries, there is a better sense of satisfaction when you follow through the line of reasoning to the outcome. Love the ease of understanding an Ace Attorney case thoroughly? Then definitely check out this anime!

At first glance, you might have the impression that Alice is a closet otaku. Alice has computers all around her, is forever cooped in her room, and has a strange love for Dr Pepper. Despite living a NEET lifestyle, Alice is an astute detective whose specialization lies in gathering information from the web. No criminal is safe from the watchful eyes of the Net, and Alice is the one person that can process this vast amount of information that the Net provides. Shady deals, murders and even illegitimate business are threatened with Alice around. A mystery anime you ought to watch, Kamisama no Menchou is episodic as well and filled with many different kinds of mysteries. Alice shares the intellect of the Ace Attorney who sometimes seemingly pulls out the conclusion and overturning the situation. Although for Phoenix Wright, this is often by luck and bluff. Ultimately, it is up to the detective to speak the words of the dead and bring the truth to light!

Many would ask why the Wind Instrument Club is solving mysteries instead of playing their instruments. Well, the short answer is nobody knows how it ended up that way. After joining the Wind Instrument Club, strange oddities began to appear around Chika Homura and her club members. It is now up to Chika to solve the mysteries that ails the school! However, before that however, she still needs to recruit more members to actually compete in competitions. What kind of oddities are there in the school and how will Chika balance solving mysteries and managing the club? Just like Tantei Team , if you're leaning more towards to the light hearted side of Ace Attorney with just a dash of mystery, we would highly recommend HaruChika as well! The mystery of HaruChika is not as thought provoking due to the easy going nature of the show. It is extremely easy to watch and digest. This, and Chika's somewhat comical nature to develop a cute girl persona will be sure to make you chuckle at the very least! As a whole, this show is all about bite sized mysteries providing an overall plesant watching experience. Like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, it is easy to comprehend and easy to watch!

Satoru Fujinuma is a jaded aspiring manga artist and he has a gift. When tragedy strikes, he is sent back in time - usually a few minutes - in order to prevent it from happening. He has saved a few lives by taking advantage of his ability. One day someone close to him is murdered and he is the prime suspect. This time, he is sent 18 years into the past where this particular tragedy had its beginning and is linked to the murder of one of his classmates. He must now prevent these tragic events from happening to save lives and change the future. When first watching Re:ZERO I immediately thought of Erased. Much like Re:ZERO, Erased keeps you hooked episode after episode with constant twists and surprises. Like Subaru, Satoru can go back in time and re-do things to avoid tragic consequences. However, neither of them have much control over when that happens. There is definitely less comedy and no cute, fuzzy creatures in Erased, but Satoru’s little comments and reactions will definitely elicit a chuckle or at least a smile.

Mad Scientist Rintarou Okabe and his friends spend their time inventing new gadgets in their lab in Akihabara. While tinkering with their “Phone Microwave” they discover it can send text messages to the past and thus change history. Things get difficult when their time tampering has terrible consequences and SERN comes after their time machine. Again the obvious link is time travel. And like in the previous anime mentioned, Steins;Gate deals with people who must change the past in some way to alter their original actions and save lives or prevent disasters. While this is more of a Sci-Fi Thriller, it has much of the surprises and extreme consequences that can follow a bad decision. Many fans agree you’ll probably like Steins;Gate if you enjoy Re:ZERO.

As the second season of When They Cry, Kai continues from where the story left off and follows the group of friends as they relive the summer of 1983 which always ends with one of their deaths. Rika Furude, does everything she can to prevent her friends from dying and along with them they work to find out who is behind it all and how stop this torture. Though not necessarily about time travel per-se, the second season of Higurashi, focuses on preventing deaths and tragedy. The main characters in both anime are forced to repeat a certain period of time and try to change the outcome each time they get to start over. It definitely has more of a Supernatural feel instead of Adventure but it also keeps you wondering what’s going to happen next and trying to guess what exactly is going on. It’s a bit darker, but it has some really cute little girls in it!

Yuuta Iridatsu is a young boy who faints from excitement every time he sees a girl’s underwear. One day, Yuuta’s soul gets separated from his body and he is doomed to wander around like a ghost in his apartment building where 3 girls also happen to live: Mikatan, Ito and Rabura. In this form, however, if he were to get as excited as he does, an asteroid would destroy the earth. While figuring out his abilities and his connection to the aforementioned girls, Yuuta tries desperately to avoid the disasters that he knows will take place. Without giving too much away, in Punchline, our main character must also prevent deaths and other disasters by sort of retracing his steps, let’s say. Like Re:ZERO it has Comedy, cute girls and a cute floating feline. Though obviously there are a lot more panty shots! Punchline also has the element of surprise and takes a couple of unsuspected turns that will definitely catch you of guard. And if you like Re:ZERO because of the art and character design, Punchline won’t disappoint!

The second season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya follows the members of the SOS Brigade as they try to enjoy their summer vacation. Suddenly however, Kyon starts to feel like he’s been living the same two weeks of summer over and over again which leads him to believe there is something wrong. Mikuru, Yuki and Itsuki also become aware of the problem and together they try to fix this endless loop. Once again, without giving too much away, I’ll tell you there is a specific event that goes awry and Kyon must figure out a way to prevent it by going back and figuring out how to prevent it. Like our other guys on the list, though, he doesn’t get to request a re-do and it happens when it’s meant to happen. If you’re already a fan of Haruhi, you’ll certainly enjoy this one. Just a bit of warning; because of the looping nature of the story, it may feel somewhat repetitive at the beginning. Some love it, some don’t mind it and some have hated it. I was annoyed at first but then I noticed what was happening and it became worth it!

When Kazuma Satou was on his way home from high school one day, he ended up dead while trying to play hero. When on the other side, the goddess Aqua tells him he can go to heaven, or go to a real-life RPG-like fantasy world and start a new life. Being a gamer NEET, Kazuma quickly chooses the latter. When Aqua tells him he may take anything he wants to this new world, he chooses her and now she’s stuck in this world with a n00b and Kazuma’s stuck with a useless goddess! How will they survive and make a living? In KonoSuba we have a boy who is transported to this adventure world, though Kazuma dies first and then gets transported, whereas Subaru is mysteriously transported first and then dies. Although, we don’t know for sure if Subaru didn’t also get hit by a car or something… And unlike Subaru, Kazuma isn’t trying to prevent any tragedies; he’s just trying to survive. Of course, KonoSuba has the adventure game feel to it, along with funny, clumsy, and some weird cute girls. This show has much more Comedy than Re:ZERO and it’s pretty ridiculous. In a good way of course! There isn’t much in the way of twists and surprises, but it will keep you watching and laughing.

Arslan Senki is the story of Arslan, prince of Pars, a nation which is based heavily on Persia. Arslan is the crown prince but his father, Andragoras, doesn't think he's strong enough to take the throne, which causes Arslan some consternation and self-doubt. One day the Kingdom of Lusitania invades Pars and Andragoras, undefeated previously, suffered a cataclysmic defeat which ends in his imprisonment and Lusitania's seizure of the royal capital and much of his kingdom. Arslan is now forced to act independently and, with his trusted advisers, move to strike back against Lusitania and free his country. A lot of Arslan's character arc feels very similar to what many of the Starks go through in Game of Thrones. After what happens to their father Ned, they're both forced to go their own way and tasked with picking up the bits and pieces for the lands and people they have to defend. In many ways, Arslan is similar to Rob Stark particularly, especially in the way Arslan has to navigate the moral landscape of the day. He can't just focus on winning battles, he has to find a consensus between what he thinks is the right path for his kingdom and what others can accept. Arslan's relationship to the Parsian use of slavery provides a lot of the series moral complexity, and also is extremely relevant to much of what's going on in the Daenerys/Slavers Bay arc at the moment. Arslan seeks to abolish it, but slavery isn't an easy institution to take down. If you're looking for a character arc as strong as one in GoT, set in a well detailed fantasy but historical seeming setting, all the while the story is surrounded by an armed conflict (Also like GoT), than check out this series.

Kingdom is a fictionalized account of the warring states period in China. Xin and Piao are war-orphans amongst the lower-classes in China. Piao is taken by a official away from his town, but returns as Xin meets a boy with a striking resemblance to Piao, who happens to be the leader of the Qin dynasty. Xin must enter a power-struggle that will affect all of China. The biggest similarity between Kingdom Is that they both follow a central conflict between multiple warring powers. Kingdom also delves into how war affects the populace at large and the brutality that people have to endure. Kingdom really goes out of it’s way to delve into the tactics and strategy of warring combatants, so if you enjoyed all the campaigns, war councils and combat scenes in GoT, this series is up your alley. Xin also feels like a GoT type character because it has less to do with him being an overpowered protagonist who can change a battle himself, and more with him fitting in with a strategy that requires numerous parts acting towards a strategic vision.

Balsa is a wandering spear-woman who happens to save a prince, named Chagum from drowning in an apparent accident. However, it was no accident and Balsa is contacted by Chagum’s mother to enlist her services to protect him. Chagum is believed to be possessed by a water demon, and the only solution is his death. Balsa, seeking to atone for lives she took in the past, agrees to the mission. They try to escape and manage to make it look like Chagum has died to appease the attackers. However, the prince is in more danger than he had thought, and Balsa must come to the bottom of what's threatening him. Moribito is great at telling a story in which a very realistic world albeit it with some fantasy and magic elements start's to see the supernatural play a more powerful part in what's happening. This is similar to GoT in how a series about political ruthlessness and war is seeing more and more magical elements and strange, unnatural occurrences, the foremost of which are the approach of thr others from the far north. Game of Thrones also heavily deals with family, specifically how families deal with life-threatening circumstances. Balsa and Chagum develop a really meaningful relationship, and it really examines the familial bond between two people who aren't actually related.

Berserk follows Guts, a gifted fighter and mercenary who is recruited by a man named Griffith into the Band of the Hawk. Griffith is talented, ambitious and enigmatic and has led the Band of the Hawk rise to a prominent position within Midland, who consistently relies upon the mercenary group for decisive moments in various battles. Though Griffith has a dream in his mind, Guts and fellow warrior Casca must find their own reasons to live and fight. Berserk is one of the most beloved manga series to ever be written, and though the original anime series does not capture all of it’s glory, it does recount one of Berserk’s best story arcs, and should be seen by all regardless of it being similar to GoT. However, to GoT fans it does have specific relevance. Berserk was influenced by an era of seinen which went over the top with violence and brutality, which many fans of the world of Westeros can count as familiar. But also just like GoT, Berserk is just a fantastically well-crafted story that's a more sobering and perhaps nihilistic take on a lot of old fantasy tales which have a much clearer good and evil bend to them, as well as a much happier outcome.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes, or LOGH, certainly lives up to the epic scope of it’s title. Often thought as the crown jewel of the Space Opera genre, LOGH follows the war between the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance. The two warring societies are also opposites in terms of political systems, the Empire being autocratic and the alliance being a democracy. The series primarily follows the stories of the Empire’s Reinhard von Lohengramm and the FPA’s Yang Wen-Li, the two young commanders will attempt to make a difference in the conflict. LOGH is kind of like Game of Thrones given a more modern take in terms of the political systems involved. While GoT deals with different approaches to dealing with the power of monarchy and managing a feudal society, LOGH deals with the questions which have dominated world politics from the 18th-20th century, autocracy vs democracy. Just like GoT the series delves heavily into the politics and military struggles of the various sides. Most like GoT however is the fact that many of the characters who are opposed to each other are worth rooting for in their own right and thus neither are easy to completely get behind.

The story follows Nakajima Youko who is a typical, mild-mannered high school student. Suddenly a strange man who identifies himself as Keiki shows up and swears allegiance to Youko. Before she can really get a handle on what's going on, she's attacked by strange demons which pull her and some of her friends into a different world. A world where Youko and her friends are going to have to forget their comfortable high school life in order to survive. Though the story is about people coming from another world into another, there are a lot of similarities to GoT here. The world of 12 kingdoms is fantastically detailed and they each have different styles of government, culture, society and morals and ethos just like the 7 kingdoms of Westeros. A huge part of the fun is learning more and more about the world. And though the characters come as transplants from our modern world, the tough time they go through is still very similar to the sometimes kill or be killed situation in GoT

Arata Kangatari takes place in a world of fantasy where the Hime clan is in charge of providing princesses for maintaining the balance in the world. The problem is that Arata is the last descendant of the Hime clan and he’s a boy. Arata disguises as a princess to attend the succession ceremony, where the current princess is murdered and he is framed for her death. Arata is left with no choice but to escape into the forest, where he and an ordinary boy from our world (also named Arata) magically switch places. Very much like Endride, Arata Kangatari is also the kind of story that presents an (apparently) ordinary guy immersed in a strange world. Both this shows are adventure, fantasy shonen, in which the main characters have to fight their way back home. Both Endride and Arata Kangatari also have that “main characters vs tyrannical kingdom” theme which has become a bit of a cliché nowadays.

In Comet Lucifer, we are immersed in another dream world of fantasy called Gift, which is covered with shiny crystals known as gifdium. Sougo Amagi is a young boy who is fascinated with these rare crystals and spends most of his time gathering them. One day Sougo life changes abruptly when he wanders way too deep inside a mine and discovers a long forgotten underground lake and, even more importantly, a mysterious girl with very odd features and a beauty more rare than the shiniest of gifdiums. From the very beginning, Endride and Comet Lucifer seem very much alike. This is because of their main characters’ fixation with crystals. Comet Lucifer has a bit more of a mecha element to it. Comet Lucifer is also mainly an action and adventure fantasy like Endride. Both shows present fascinating adventures while exploring mind-blowing worlds of colors and wonders.

Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu is in some ways a more original and unique adventure fantasy than Endride. It tells the story of Subaru Natsuki, who is mysteriously summoned to a magical world while he returns home from the market. In this new world Subaru meets a lovely elf-girl with silver hair who comes to his aid. Later on, Subaru finds out he has the ability to go back in time when he dies. Like Endride, Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu is one of this spring season’s fantasy anime (although some would say that Re:Zero is substantially superior to Endride). These two shows are quite similar in several ways, but mainly due to the fact that their main characters are mysteriously absorbed by strange and fantastic worlds. Plus, both main characters have to work with a local partner in order to return to their homes.

Fushigi Yuugi is yet another show featuring an ordinary character being transported into a magical world of fantasy. This time, Miaka Yuuki and Yui Hongo, while visiting the National Library, are taken into the world of ancient China inside a book. Soon, Miaka learns that she’s the priestess of Suzaku and that she must find the way to summon Suzaku to return home. However, her best friend Yui is now her fierce rival as the priestess of Seiryuu. Fushigi Yuugi is a fantasy adventure just like Endride, although it also has many elements of comedy, drama and romance. Having a female protagonist, Fushigi Yuugi is also a bit of a shoujo, however, it shares many things in common with Endride and can hold some appeal to both women and men (especially considering all the martial arts fighting scenes). Just like Endride, Fushigi Yuugi presents an ordinary character taken to a fantastic world where she becomes quite significant to the locals. It’s also worthy of mention that both shows feature kingdoms and high-status main characters.

If you, like any good fantasy lover, just can’t get enough of those shows where an ordinary character is put in an RPG-like fantasy world, then Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (or Konsubu for short) is the show for you. Satou Kazuma is a NEET who dies a terrible and pathetic death and is offered a chance to live in a fantasy world where he’s tasked to defeat the Demon King. The goddess, Aqua, tells him Satou can take one thing with him and, to her misfortune, he takes her. From the very beginning, we realize that Konsubu has strong elements of comedy, although it is mainly an adventure fantasy just like Endride. As stated earlier, Konsubu is also a show about an ordinary guy in a strange world. However, the similarities between Konsubu and Endride go beyond that cliché. In fact, the biggest similarity between the two is that in both shows we have two main characters who don’t hit it off at first but who need to cooperate and learn how to get along in order to survive in a fantastic world full of dangers.

Pretty much every anime lover has at some point watched InuYasha or at least knows its storyline. However, let us summarize it for those who are not very much familiar with the anime. InuYasha follows the story of Kagome Higurashi who is taken 500 years in the past by a demon who sought the Shikon Jewel. This jewel is in power of Kagome but soon after she arrives into this past world, it shatters in several pieces. Kagome has to work with the half-demon/half- human Inuyasha and a few very interesting and peculiar characters in order to collect the pieces of the jewel and prevent it from falling in the wrong hands. Although InuYasha is nowadays one of the greatest classics in the world of anime, and Endride is light-years away from becoming so, these two shows have many things in common. Both shows are adventure fantasies full of action that present wonderful and magical worlds. The two also have the “ordinary character in a strange and magical world” element (although InuYasha pulls it off much more effectively). However, the greatest similarity between InuYasha and Endride would be the interaction and the dynamics of the relationship between the main characters, who have to get along despite their many differences.

Tsukune Aono, is a 15 year old boy with a mediocre academic record.. As he has failed his high school entrance exam, his parents do their best to enroll him at an academy. But ... the academy is quite particular since it’s the Youkai Academy. There, creatures like vampires, werewolves and witches, learn how to coexist with humans. On his way to school, Tsukune meets the attractive Moka, and then decides to stay at the academy. However, Moka is more interested in Tsukune’s blood than his personality because she is a young vampire. Tsukune will also be the object of desire for a succubus and a very kawaii witch. Interesting characters for a harem right? Both anime share the characteristic of having an unusual Harem. In Shuffle!, girls are gods, demons, humans and demi-humans. While in Rosario to Vampire, among the candidates we can find a vampire, a succubus, and a witch. There’s a lot of fanservice for everyone since both are Ecchi, though Rosario to Vampire takes the prize for his "panty shots".

Kanon is an anime adaptation of a visual novel. Yuuichi Aizawa returns to the city where he grew up, after spending seven years living abroad. But something has happened to him, and he can’t remember anything from his past. Memories are vacant from his mind. Yuuichi is now attending the same school as his cousin Nayuki. There, he will find several girls who seem to know him and have a special connection with Yuuichi’s past. He will gradually recover his memories and remember who he was and the promises that he once made. Both anime share fantastic and supernatural backgrounds. In Kanon, there are strange phenomena happening around the school, such as transformations and spirits., while in Shuffle! Gods and Demons interact with humans all together in the school. The main similarity is that in both anime the girls are somehow linked with the protagonists past. On the other hand, the main difference is that Kanon is softer, tender and has innocent story, but with more drama than Shuffle!

Akuto Sai always dreamed of becoming a High Priest and to change the world to make it a better place. With this purpose, he enters the Constant Academy for Magic Arts. His life twists when the school’s Oracle reveals his destiny: to become the Demon King. He’s not excited at all about this idea, but the girls from school are. He will soon be harassed by a female android designed to seduce him, the most popular girl in school, and by Soga Keena, a girl with the power of invisibility. These anime share the Fantasy, Ecchi and Harem genre, formed by a group of extraordinary girls with such conflicting personalities. The main characters also share the dilemma between good and evil. In Shuffle!, Rin can choose to be a god or a demon; depending on which girl he will be with, while in Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou, even though Akuto is a good person, everybody fears him because of his potential.

Everyone who's watched once ecchi harem anime knows To LOVE-Ru. Rito Yuuki is secretly and deeply in love with Haruna Sairenji since junior high. But he always finds an obstacle in his way which prevents him declaring his love to her. Rito's life takes an unexpected turn when one night while taking a bath, a naked girl appears before his eyes. She is Lala Satalin Deviluke, an alien princess who has run away from her planet, and determined to become Rito’s wife. These two anime have supernatural beings interacting daily with humans. Both Rin and Rito have non-human suitors within their harem and both suffer from their father’s pressure to marry his daughter and become the heir to a throne. But To LOVE-Ru has a lot of funny moments, while in Shuffle! there is more drama because of the tragic past of the characters.

Issei Hyoudou is a pervert. His main interests lie in peeping on the girls and one day having his own harem. Luck seems to be on his side when a beautiful girl named Yuuma asks him out on a date. But Yuuma turns out to be a fallen angel who kills him by driving a lance through his chest. The next morning, Issei wakes up in his bed thinking it was all a bad dream. However, he’s not alone. In his room is also the sexy student Rias Gremory, who’s actually a demon and now he must become her servant. Here we got two anime where angels and demons have a similar human appearance, and actually live their daily lives together. In both series, the main character is dragged into an extraordinary situation by some weird circumstances, and both somehow deserve it: Rin, because he’s good-hearted and Yuuma, because he’s an idiot.

Traditional Yuihime Private Academy was always exclusively for women. Now it’s going to be merged with the Kagamidai Private Academy for boys. That’s why a group of male students are going to be used as guinea pigs in the school. Shingo Uryu is one of the Kagamidai students chosen to attend Yuihime. The problem is that the girls are not used to interacting with men and most of them will not receive Shingo with open arms. Both anime are different from the rest of Harem anime because the final choices of the protagonists are not obvious from the first minute of the show. The male ends up with an unexpect girl. Rin surprisingly ends up with Asa, and here… of course, we won't tell. Also, both are school romantic Harem, far from the slapstick comedy of the genre.

In this unforgettable hit film by the late great Kon Satoshi, Paprika, based on the novel by Tsutsui Yasutaka, is a story about psychologists who wish to help by entering the dreams of patients. Through a machine called the DC Mini, it allows individuals to be inside people’s heads while they dream. Due to the machine being incomplete, the treatment is still not 100% approved. Chiba Atsuko, a doctor in the project, beings to use the machine as Paprika. So what makes this movie similar to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Diamond is Unbreakable? Granted their stories are very different but if you are someone who truly appreciates anime exclusively for the art, then art-oriented fans are likely to be attracted to both products for its uses of psychedelic imagery. If anything, the entire town of Morioh with its unique bright color palette feels like a trip. JoJo is more influenced by Araki-sensei’s love for progressive rock, while Paprika is meant to stimulate what goes in in the subconscious. Both do a good job of pulling viewers into an immersing trance of the insanity that happens.

Based on the hit visual novel and video game franchises by Type-Moon, the original story centers around Emiya Shirou, a high school student who is also learning the dark arts. He is a resident of Fuyuki City and uses his abilities to take place in a secret battle known as the Fifth Holy Grail War which includes various kinds of magical based beings. Whoever wins, their wish shall be granted. Like Josuke, Shirou is motivated by a strong sense of justice which they get from their parental figures. Shirou gets his from both his natural and foster fathers, while Josuke is influenced by his grandfather. As the bow and arrow from Diamond is Unbreakable is the source of people getting powers, the grail also contributes as the motivating factor to this magical war and the parties involved. In addition, both supernatural battles take place in a fictional rural town surrounded by intrigue.

In this prototype to Tsukihime and the Fate/stay night series, Kara no Kyoukai takes place in the late 1990s and tells the story of Ryougi Shiki and Kokutou Mikiya and how they deal with the supernatural and other crazy real world problems from suicide, rape, to murder. Together, they must stop these threats but the threats may be closer than they could ever imagine. One instant comparison is of course both series taking place around the same time period. In addition, both share plots on how rural towns are being haunted by crazy instances and a teenager with powers due to her lineage gives her the obligation to put a stop to it. But both Shiki and Josuke don't do it because it's something their families wanted them to do, they do it because it's the right thing. Though JoJo tends to have more humor, Kara no Kyoukai has a much darker atmosphere and can be pretty creepy.

In the second animated adaptation of Garo, based on the hit Tokusatsu franchise, the Crimson Moon series takes place in medieval Japan and tells the story of Raikou, the bearer of the Garo armor. Together with his assistant Kintoki and his guardian/mentor Senmei, they use their unique abilities to fight the horrors that threaten the future of Japan. In the midst of all of this, the characters must confront their pasts and the politics that could limit their activities. What makes this series similar to JoJo and why fans should check one or the other out is on a foundational level, they both share stories of the supernatural. What also makes them similar is that the incidents that are happening in both animes is that they tend to take place in one town/city, and if things go wrong there, then it could have consequences that could affect the whole world and both main characters are teenagers that have the abilities and support that can prevent it. In addition to these superficial similarities, both series also tackle themes on how the characters embrace their legacies. As the illegitimate son of Joseph, Josuke’s bloodline puts something of a target on his back from Dio’s (the villain in the first and third story arcs of the series) remaining henchmen. Since Joseph was never in his life, the only person he sees as a parental figure is his maternal grandfather, a humble and respected police officer. Like Josuke, Raikou grew up without his father (or the rest of his natural family for that matter) and like Josuke, Raikou embraces his situation as a “it’s just the way it is” kind of mentality, and just accepts people who have always been there for him as his family and does the right thing for the sake of it.

Based on the hit manga series by Togashi Yoshihiro (who initially made fame through Yuu Yuu Hakusho), it tells the story of Gon Freeces, who wishes to become a Hunter, or more specifically a treasure hunter just like his father. Together with Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio, they face the hardships of meeting the demands to becoming qualified as Hunters, and later on becoming the best at what they do. Though different in their own unique ways, both Diamond is Unbreakable and Hunter x Hunter share very unique action sequences. Famous through Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Togashi-sensei demonstrates his approach to action by once again being more tactical oriented such as trapping and other means of psychological games. JoJo is likewise psychological but in a very different matter. As stated before, a lot of the battles are expressed through stands, astral projections of the combatants. Each stand has its own unique ability and its own limitations. Like Hunter x Hunter, Diamond is Unbreakable expresses its battles through mind games and goes no holds barred when it needs to. In both series, they are also motivated by their fathers and/or paternal figures. Gon is motivated by his father’s achievements as a Hunter, while Josuke’s sense of right and wrong comes from his maternal grandfather.

Just like the original PlayStation 2 game it is based on, the story of Persona 4 is about how Narukami Yu, your typical teenager, moves into the fictional town of Inaba to stay with some relatives while his parents work overseas. Haunting this town is a Midnight Channel that appears on rainy days and the town is plagued by unsolved murders. With his new friends Yosuke and Chie, they set out to solve this mystery. Thankfully, they found clues to what's going on and in order to combat this threat, Yu develops his Persona power. As you can tell, both Person 4 and Diamond is Unbreakable on a foundational level (town haunted by a mystery and teenagers must band together to stop it) tend to share virtually almost every quality. Altus has openly admitted to saying Persona’s are based on stands from JoJo, and even asked Araki-sensei permission to use them. The concept that the Persona’s take influence from the personality of the user is also the same as the stands from JoJo. While JoJo takes its influence from music, this installment of Persona takes its influence from Japanese mythology. Though not as trippy in the same way as JoJo is artistically, Persona has its own unique ways of getting the viewer to challenge their views on reality.

Gakkou Gurashi is definitely an excellent choice for any fan of zombies and The Walking Dead. This is the story of a group of high school lolis who live inside their school to avoid contact with the outer world, where a zombie outbreak has occurred. Don’t let yourself be fooled by the opening (which is probably the most troll opening ever), this show may have a lot of kawaii things in it but it’s all a façade. All the cuteness and playfulness in this show actually hides much deeper and darker themes. Gakkou Gurashi is quite similar to The Walking Dead in several aspects. It’s not just a show about zombies; in fact, it has much more to do with how its characters cope with the reality they live in. In this sense, Gakkou Gurashi deals with characters’ psychology in a very similar way to that in The Walking Dead. We could even draw a parallel between the mental conditions of both main characters; Yuki (GG), who’s mentally disturbed and acts as if there was no zombie apocalypse as the result of a traumatic experience, and Rick (TWD), whose mind often played him tricks after his wife died. Gakkou Gurashi is one of the best choices for zombie fans who are looking for a psychological survival horror.

You’ll probably know Highschool of the Dead as the most popular zombie anime out there. It follows the story of a group of insanely hot female students, an (even sexier) school nurse, and two high school boys who suddenly find themselves in the middle of a zombie outbreak. Soon, they’ll learn they can’t trust anyone but each other to escape this nightmare, so they will have to punch, smash, shoot and nail (with a nail gun, of course) their way out of it. HoTD is not only an ecchi harem anime, it also makes quite a decent zombie show filled with action. Highschool of the Dead is the perfect anime not only for TWD lovers but also for any fan of these undead creatures. The zombie action in it is absolutely awesome and, in many scenes, it reminds us of The Walking Dead, mainly in the design and dynamics of the zombies and especially every time they bite someone. The amount of blood and the realism of human flesh being pulled and ripped off are a characteristic feature of only few zombie shows, among which we can find both HoTD and TWD. Highschool of the Dead is, without a doubt, an amazing version of the typical post-apocalyptic zombie worlds we all love so much. It’s definitely a must for both zombie and anime lovers (as long as you can take the fanservice).

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is one of this Spring season’s revelations. It’s a very original show that’s becoming increasingly successful (We wonder if it’s because of all the zombies in it…). Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress presents an industrial world where humanity is being decimated by zombie-like creatures with supernatural strength and resistance, known as Kabane. In this world, humans have grown cowardly, distrustful and merciless, even being capable of killing one of their own to save themselves. In both shows, humanity has grown wary and ruthless, no one can be trusted and people will do whatever it takes to feel safe. We get a taste of that early on in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, when one of the working men who got off the iron fortress was immediately executed for having some injuries on his body, which the guards had mistaken for Kabane bites. This prioritization of one’s own safety over the life of others is a characteristic feature of The Walking Dead as well. If you’re interested in survival horror shows where characters are permanently put in limit situations and you are ok with having a new type of zombies, then we guarantee you’ll love Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.

Btooom is one of MADHOUSE’s many masterpieces. It tells the story of Ryouta Sakamoto, a top player of Btooom (an FPS video game) who one day wakes up in a remote island where he is forced to play real life Btooom. Ryouta soon realizes that this life or death game has no actual rules, and that no one can be trusted in a world where everything comes down to kill or be killed. Of course, Btooom is not about zombies at all, but still, there are much more relevant ways in which this show resembles The Walking Dead. The characters in both shows are very much isolated from other humans. This is a major detail because every time the main character (or party) comes across another human, the atmosphere gets really tense. In both worlds we can find creatures and elements that threaten everyone’s lives (zombies in TWD, Komodo dragons in Btooom) but the greatest threat are always the other humans. The instinct of survival definitely brings out the worst in people. You just never know who’s up to something. All in all, Btooom may lack the zombies but it makes up with its psychological aspect, character development, gore and action, almost everything you look for in The Walking Dead.

Gantz is nowadays a classic of psychological survival anime. In this show, Kei Kurono, a high school student who cares little about others, dies trying to save a homeless man and is sent into a room with a bunch of other recently deceased people. They are all given the mission of eliminating an alien target within a couple of hours. With no idea of what’s going on, Kei and the others must complete their missions to have a chance of staying alive. Just like The Walking Dead, Gantz is all about survival. In this psychological seinen with strong elements of survival horror, you’ll find people fighting aliens as well as each other in order to stay alive. As it also happens in TWD, Kurono and his friends have to learn to deal with their fears and with the loss of the ones they cherish. This show has everything you like about The Walking Dead, horror, action, gore and psychology of character development. Just replace the zombies with some aliens and these shows are two of a kind.

Attack on Titan is also an all-time classic and a must watch for any anime lover and fan of post-apocalyptic worlds. We’re sure that most of you have already at least heard about it. It’s basically about a world in which humanity has been reduced to a small population confined in a city inside three large walls as the result of the appearance of giants who eat people. These “titans” are extremely hard to eliminate and everything people could do so far is hide behind their walls. Soon, they learn that they’re not as safe in their confinement as they thought. This fantastic action and drama shounen has a lot more in common with The Walking Dead than you’d probably expect. Just as in The Walking Dead, Attack on Titan presents an apocalyptic world in which the human population has been drastically decimated by the incessant attack of supernatural man-eating creatures. Also, if we disregard the size difference and the infectious nature of zombies, titans and zombies are quite similar to one another; they don’t have the ability to think (with few exceptions in Attack of Titan), they only care about eating flesh and the amount of them is virtually infinite. More important than that though, is that Attack on Titan is a show about survival as much as The Walking Dead. They are both filled with gruesome deaths and lots of human casualties, giving the watcher a sense of uncertainty regarding the survival of the characters. If you’re into gore and survival themed shows, this high-quality anime will certainly not let you down.

Amu Hinamori is a girl known for her "cool and spicy" attitude, although her true personality is far from that description. One night she prays to her Guardian Spirit to become the girl she wants to be. The next morning she meets three eggs –a red one, a blue one and a green one–. From these eggs, the Chara Guardians: Ran, Miki and Su, will rise. Later, she will meet other children with guardians and together, they will fight against the X eggs (eggs that turn evil when the owner falls into despair or denial). Shugo Chara! has a pre-teen protagonist who suddenly gets involved in constant fights against evil beings. Amu’s real personality is very similar to Ichigo’s. Both are shy, hyperactive, and joyful characters almost all the time. On the other hand, there are several physical similarities, especially if we compare Amu with the feline transformation of Ichigo. Amu is a typical Mahou Shoujo heroine that is supported by a group of friends with similar powers. We will regularly see her trapped between lots of feelings about other characters, but the constant appearance of Ikuto Tsukiyomi will be a romantic touch to the story. This anime is more modern than Tokyo Mew Mew, it was also translated to several countries and it’s recognized by many fans of this genre. For this reason, if you haven't seen it, you should give it a try. Surely you'll love it!

The story begins when Usagi Tsukino meets a black cat, Luna. The animal, far from being another feline, can speak and reveals to her that she is a magical guardian. Later, Usagi transformed to a Sailor Moon and, with her teammates, must fight against beings who want to get the Silver Crystal, a gem that has a great power. Possibly almost all anime fans have seen Sailor Moon in their childhood, but we have two factors to take into account. First, this series could not be forgotten if we speak of the Magical Girl genre; and second, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal came out recently and is still in progress. To compare the two anime, at first, Usagi is a 14-year-old girl very active and innocent –although both moaning–,while Ichigo is 13-years-old and has a similar personality. This show touches themes like friendship and love, like Tokyo Mew Mew. Usagi falls in love quickly with Mamoru Chiba (like Ichigo and Masaya), the male protagonist that always manages to help her. Her fellow Sailors will appear in the story, one by one, with a short presentation about their life, like the Mew Mew heroines. If the Mahou Shoujo genre gets you excited, you should watch this anime.

When they were kids, Lucia Nanami, a mermaid princess, saved Kaito Doumoto from drowning in the sea and left him a pink pearl. Years later, Lucia must become human and live on the surface to find that important pearl. There she will meet Hanon and Rina, other mermaid princesses who will help her to face the aquatic devils that cause disturbances in the ocean. In this anime we will find a group of not-so-human Magical Girl heroines, led by Lucia, a 13-14 years-old teenager. She will show a personality similar to Ichigo: energetic and charmed to her first love. The difference between them is that the mermaid will be less shy and won't have problems on a date. Like in Tokyo Mew Mew, this story presents us each protagonist, gradually integrating the most during the first episodes. In both anime, some of the heroines are followed by a cute animal (like Ichigo and Masha): Lucia companion is Hippo (a talking penguin), and Hannon's is Purachan (a really cute jellyfish). In this show, the protagonists will live romantic experiences, but –as a novelty– we will find that the romantic situations not only happen to the main heroine. Being the oldest in the list, this anime has been translated to several countries and has achieved popularity among viewers. Possibly, if you like the romantic Magical Girls, this original story managed to grab your attention.

Miyuki Hoshizora is a 14-years-old girl who loves to read books and dreams of her own adventure. One day he meets Candy, a being that falls from the sky in search of the Pretty Cure. Later, Miyuki and her friends will be transformed into magical warriors of the Märchenland realm, and will try to stop evil creatures who want to wake up its emperor, Pierrot. This anime lacks the romantic feeling that others have, but has several similarities with Tokyo Mew Mew. Miyuki is a vigorous girl (the most hyperactive on this list) that recently moved to the city, starts to make many friends. She has an adorable companion, Candy, that cute animal which usually appears in the Mahou Shoujo series (remember that Ichigo has Masha). On the other hand, each of the teenagers will have a –typical in this genre– marked personality. Miyuki is the main character, energetic and cheerful all the time (just like Ichigo); Akane, the athlete; Yayoi, sentimental moaning (like the shy Lettuce); Nao, as the responsible elder sister (who is similar to Pudding’s personality); and finally there is Reika, who is calm and rational (like Zakuro). Following a storyline, quick and innocent, this series meets all the prototypes of the anime style Magical Girls.

We will follow the story of Subaru, a girl who loves to stare at the stars. One day, she decides to use the Observatory at her school to watch the shooting stars, but she’s surprised to find the other side of the door is a greenhouse. There she meets Minato, a mysterious young boy who will appear regularly to help her. The magic is in the air in her college… and when Subaru entered in another classroom, she sees a group of girls dressed very oddly. Houkago no Pleiades has a more mature way to face the Mahou Shoujo genre. With a calm rhythm –and not-so-bright colors– we will follow a group of magical heroines that touch themes, such as friendship. You may not find the typical showdown against "the evil that wants to destroy the world", but the action and the “bad boy” are going to be there, in a different and innovative approach. Something different that you can discover in the series, is that the heroines will not appear one by one, episode to episode, as usual. Subaru is like Ichigo, a naive and clumsy girl, who slowly fall in love with Minato. She cares about her friends, especially Aoi and the party is united like the Mew Mew magical girls. Also, the club president has a little and cute alien creature, much like Masha from Tokyo Mew Mew. For those interested in this type of anime, but get annoyed by the childishness surrounding the story, you may possibly find Houkago no Pleiades pleasant and bearable. With a few episodes, it’s not a waste of time to see this wonderful anime.

Komugi Yoshida is a student and idol –public figure related to music–. On the way to her recital, she meets Usa-P, a pretty small being who wants to recruit her to be a "legendary girl" with magical powers. Komugi and her idols friends will fight evil beings that are possessed by cards. The magical heroine’s group is made up of 3 teenagers, each one with its respective companion –those adorable creatures that almost always appear in this kind of anime, like Masha of Tokyo Mew Mew– Usa-P (a kind of rabbit), Tanu-P (a look alike raccoon) and Neko-P (a fluffy small cat). By transforming, the girls take characteristics of their animals. For example, Tsukasa Kisaragi has cat’s ears and a tail, like Ichigo. This anime makes a little parody of the Magical Girl genre. For this reason, it has a soft mood during its episodes. Komugi and Ichigo have many similarities, both are high school students who get involved in many troubles, but with their positive and active personality, they will get over it.For a modern short version of magical heroines with animal features, this is a very good option.

What would it feel like to be immortal? You could ask Manji, he’s a special type of swordsman, not only because he uses more than the traditional katana-like swords, but also because an old witch named Yaobikuni, has inflicted him with an unique condition, where no matter how bad his wounds are, he would heal and pretty much return to combat in a blink of an eye. Seeking redemption for his past actions and vengeance for the death of his sister, Manji strikes a deal with Yaobikuni in order to regain his mortality, he will kill 1,000 evil men for the 100 good men he had killed in the past. Definitely, the one thing that both of these series share in common is the fact that both main characters are driven by redemption, they search for a way to forgive their past sins, no matter what it takes. There’s also the fact that both characters looked to protect loved ones or people who became close to them,and we could also mention the fight choreography, which is not something you’d like to miss! Full of action, blood, and stubbornness, Blade of the Immortal is not a series you should miss.

Full of regrets from many years of being a samurai who killed just to obey his former Lord, Himura Kenshin decided to become a Rurouni, a Lord-less wanderer who vowed to never kill another person, no matter what, that’s when his inside-out word comes in handy! However, when the self-proclaimed Battousai the Manslaughter wants to exact revenge on the Kamiya family name by trying to kill Kaoru Kamiya, he decides to take action and afterwards, Kaoru asks him to stay. Drawing an end to his wandering years. When it comes to similarities, there are shades of stubbornness all around both film and anime, definitely. For example, there’s a lot of Kaoru in Kotaro, in the way he will always stand his ground for what he wants or think is right. And also, while not as kind-hearted on the outside, Himura and Nanashi definitely share similarities in their conduct, respect, and honor. Something that seems to be a kind of code among rurounin. This is one of the anime classics everyone must see at least once!

What happens when two equally-matched rounin meet by fate? Well, we would need to answer that later because Fuu, a clumsy waitress, keeps getting in trouble! After she spills a cup of tea over the governor’s spoiled son, she almost gets a finger cut for her accident but after striking a deal with a rounin named Mugen, he ends up taking out all of his bodyguards. Everything goes well until another rounin named Jin,steps in. Mugen, driven by the thirst of a fight, challenges Jin right on the spot and while the two of them go at it, equally countering moves until they get caught and with the help of Kasumi, they escape. It won’t be too long until they end up joining forces but you can rest assure that eventually, they’ll end up going at it again until we have an answer for our question. Samurai Champloo is a mix of comedy and rampant action that sometimes shocks you how quickly they can move between those two genres. When it comes to similarities, there’s no doubt that this anime series shares some resemblance with the relationship Nanashi had with Luo-Lang. You could even call Mugen and Luo-Lang brothers with the way they love to fight (well, it would not be by their looks, right?) and in the same sense, you could see some similarities between Nanashi and Jin, both are calm and collected and only draw their weapons when there’s no other choice. A light-hearted, action-filled, weird-looking, anime series that you must definitely check out.

Revenge, there’s only so much someone can take, especially for a little boy as he watches his own father die in front of him. “Justice” defeated the former “Number 1”, thus becoming himself the new title holder and with it, his life as the unbeatable samurai began. You could also say the same for the young boy as his life as he knew it then died with his father and a new one begun. To avenge his death, he would challenge his father’s murderer and give him a taste of his own… justice. Gore, Gore and Gore. Afro Samurai’s distinctive action and fight choreography style will have you mostly at the edge of your seat, just as with Sword of the Stranger. They have no limits in showing how an enemy is defeated and how much it hurts. Even so, both main characters will only draw their swords when it’s necessary and there’s also the fact that they’re both being accompanied as they travel through the land. For “Number Two”/Afro Samurai there’s Ninja Ninja, a loudmouth sidekick with not-many-interesting-things-to-say (remind you of anyone?). I know this may sound cliché, but in the world of anime, Afro Samurai definitely stands out and you should really give it a watch to see why!

After being accused of becoming possessed by a water demon, young prince Chagum had fallen into many incidents where his life would end up being in peril. Having noticed this, his mother the First Empress,becomes suspicious of the Emperor, and believing he had ordered to finish her son’s life, she takes it upon herself to find a way to save Chagum before it’s too late. As fate would have it, Balsa Yonsa, a skilled spear-wielding bodyguard is contacted by soldiers loyal to the Empress. Once she meets her, is asked to protect Chagum’s life to the very end. Now, young prince and bodyguard must travel the land to escape the Emperor’s soldiers and fulfill the Empress’ wishes, no matter what happens, Chagum must be kept alive. As we compare this series with Sword of the Stranger, we get instantly reminded of the strong bond that Kotaru and Nanashi developed as they travel and survive through many risks. Also, the spirit of Nanashi lives strongly within Balsa, as they are both considered the best warriors of the land either by rumor or perception, but they won’t go out of their way to attack anybody. Calm and collected, with a hint of caring protection, both main characters act as bodyguards in the beginning of their story but in the end, they become as close as they can.

There’s nothing more annoying than being involved with matters that mean nothing to you, especially when they can bring back memories from a past you’d like to forget. Such are the events Jubei Kibagami goes through as he wanders feudal Japan as a rounin. However, he finds himself in the middle of an on-going war with a group called The Devils of Kimon, which members come with special abilities that make them near immortal in the eyes of an average person. Even so, one of them known as Tessai kidnaps Kagero, the only survivor of her ninja clan, Jubei won’t just stand still and decides to do something about it. After she pays him back showing him where to reach his destination, he meets with Dakuan, a spy working to dethrone the Shogun of the dark’s Toyatome clan. Making him an offer he can’t refuse, all three will end up joining forces and settling for one final goal, the extermination of The Devils of Kimon. Remember what I said in the beginning of number 5’s comparison? “Gore, Gore, Gore”? Well you could multiply this by 10 and still fall short. This R-rated movie makes use of its and it’s not afraid to show as much as they want. Speaking of comparisons, Jubei and Nanashi share some heavy set of wits as they always calculate what to do and as fast as it’s necessary. There’s also the fact that both are wandering rounin who really would like to be on their own before being dragged into trouble. However, once they are in trouble, their skill in battle could be near unmatched against any enemy.

Jumping from demon slaying to pirate mercenaries, Black lagoon is set on a fictional island in Thailand flooded by all the biggest crime groups of the world. This is where all the crime syndicates fight for bragging rights on who has the most number of illegal activities. Meet the main character, Rokurou Okajima, best known as Rock, who is an average Joe abandoned by his boss when he was captured by pirates during a business trip, then later decided to leave everything behind and learn the mercenary thug life in order to live. Accompanied by Revy and two other members of the Black Lagoon company, this anime significantly represents Dante's group of demon hunters. Packed with over-the-top gun fights and great character development all throughout the entire series, this anime will surely keep you entertained in every episode. Similarly to Dante, Revy will clearly quench your blood thirst with her customized dual Berettas. Instantly becoming an icon in the anime “bad-ass-girl” category, Revy’s awesomeness made the whole show shine just like how Dante made a big impact on DMC. Also the build up on how Rock evolves to become a ruthlessly member of the Black Lagoon company is another highlight worth mentioning. Both DMC and Black Lagoon contain a huge dose of profanity, extreme action, blood, violence and some very fancy gunslinging. This anime is also dark and intense which will surely keep you glued to your seat. Both Revy and Dante personify the true meaning of what being awesome is so prepared to be amazed once again.

Setup in Medieval Europe, demons called Yoma prey on helpless humans and to make matters worse, these creatures can blend into human society after devouring their prey. Super similar to the plot of Devil May Cry, the humans then ask for the help of a mysterious organization which can then solve their demon problems. Meet Clare, a half-Yoma-half-human warrior princess who takes the task of cleansing the city of these evil beings. Wow! It even starts the same way as DMC only this time the protagonist Clare is a girl saving a little boy named Raki, after being attacked by a monster. Raki then joins Clare on her adventures making sure he gets into all sorts of troubles just to bother Clare. There are so many similarities of Claymore to Devil May Cry to a point where you will think that they only recycled the idea of half demons fighting for humanity along with superb demon killing animation because they thought these were the ingredients for a good show. The best thing they did in Claymore was to focus on the growth of the characters and to give it a really good plot. The fight scenes felt naturally part of the story and they gave a sense of being unpredictable. We were also impressed that there was zero fan-service on this anime despite the fact that ninety percent of the cast are girls in tight medieval armor. Rather than forcing an ending like Devil May Cry, Claymore is still very entertaining and the story itself is above average than your normal demon killing series. We still highly recommend it.

Following the footsteps of a video game turned anime similar to Devil May Cry, Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is a good anime adaptation that remained faithful to the game's story. If you have played the Bayonetta game, it will come to no surprise to you that this action-packed movie is truly a work of art. The story revolves around Bayonetta who is in quest to remember her past but has to battle heaven's angels in order to gain strength and lost memories. She is accompanied by Luke Redgrave, a journalist who follows her adventures to prove her existence as an Umbra witch because he believes that she killed his father. Rodin, a mysterious bartender/gunsmith also helps out Bayonetta in her fights. Bayonetta's journey takes a huge twist during an encounter with Jeanne, a rival Umbra witch that has similar powers like her but is somehow on the side of her enemies. The similarity of this being originally from a video game does not stop there. If you were impressed by Dante's skills with dual guns, how about we make those guns four? Yes. FOUR guns! Not to exaggerate anything but the gun battles in this movie are so unique that we have never seen anything like it before. This movie is a feast for the eyes and is one of the most visually stunning anime films out there. Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is awesomeness in a nutshell. Put some guns in a sexy protagonist witch with some ridiculous magical hair powers, throw in a good plot faithful to its roots, add some breathtaking detail on every fight scene, and be ready to get your mind blown away.

We all hate dragging story lines so what they did in Ga-Rei-Zero is basically dump everything on the first two episodes. It is like injecting yourself with an anime drug that will keep you awake after the ending credits roll out. We find it humanly impossible to stop watching it after the first episode.That is how good this anime is. Similar to Devil May Cry’s demon hunting business, Ga-Rei-Zero follows the plot about an anti-paranormal group formed to battle supernatural monsters. The two main characters of the show, Kagura Tsuchimiya and Yomi Isayama, are both swordswomen exorcists who share a sister-like relationship and are faced with a difficult tragedy that will forever change their fate. The story builds up quickly and takes a huge twist right from the start which will surely keep you speechless. It is hard to give some kind of summarization without spoiling anything for this anime because of how impacting the first two episodes are. Nonetheless, If you are into dual wielding pistols, amazing sword fights, demon hunting, flying body parts and blood everywhere, just like the Devil May Cry series, then you will undoubtedly love this series as well. If you passed by this anime because of our recommendation. You are welcome. Now go tell all your friends on how awesome demon hunting is.

Hellsing is an organization formed after the defeat of Count Dracula. The main duty of this group was to eliminate all supernatural threats to humanity. Led by Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, she borrows the strength of Alucard, a powerful vampire entity that hunts and kills monsters like him as commanded. Accompanied by Seras Victoria, a policewoman who was on the verge of being killed but was technically saved, when Alucard shot her along with the culprit, and after which was turned into a vampire. The main story follows their exploits finding a much bigger threat that the Hellsing organization has never encountered before. This anime probably has the most similarities to Devil May Cry, and since this came out first, it would really make you wonder if they based the whole perspective of DMC to Hellsing. The red coat with dual pistols and the badass aura are signatures of main protagonists on both shows which gives you a little hint that they are too overpowered for anything thrown at them. The story of Hellsing is driven by character progression throughout the entire series, and to see how these characters evolve while exterminating creatures just makes the whole anime pleasing to watch. This is another remarkable anime because Alucard is like Dante’s vampire father. They both wear the same awesome red coat that ooze with their devilish auras and they never back down to any fight. Expect the familiar Devil May Cry violence that we all love with a little twist of an old animation which instantly gives you that classic feel. If you have read the Hellsing Manga or just love vampire related anime then by all means give this series a shot to satisfy your craving for blood. I highly recommend watching Hellsing Ultimate after this to give you more satisfaction.

Based on a shooting video game, Gungrave is a story about Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowel - two friends with a brotherly relationship who commit petty crimes but later are mixed up with the mafia. How they start from nothing to becoming something in the Millennion organization, the powerful mafia syndicate, is a huge portion of the story. This is ultimately the first arc of the show which builds up as an explanation to episode one. The science fiction components give the anime some sort of originality and the twists and turns were cleverly thought of so that you will not think about skipping anything. Behind all the exciting shoot outs and the familiar gunfights you have seen on other similar titles, this anime shines because of its deep story and great delivery on character development. Similar to Devil May Cry and all the other recommendations, this action packed anime is complete with the protagonist having dual pistols gun fights, insane crime syndicates, a touch of zombie like creatures and a spice of love and betrayal all wrapped up into a thrilling package. What also attracted us to Gungrave was the persona of Brandon that is very similar to Dante. His costume and aura speak like they are out for vengeance and nothing will come his way. We can't stress enough how epic the story of Gungrave is and how fulfilling it was when they gave you the ending, all we can say is this anime is worth watching.

Kuroko’s Basketball is centered around the newly formed basketball team of Seinen High School, and the two freshmen who were making their debut on the team. Taiga Kagami, one of the freshmen, immediately stands out on the team due to his fiery and intimidating presence, as well as his unheard of skill that was honed on the shores of the U.S. The other freshman, Tetsuya Kuroko, seems to be polar opposites with Kagami in that he is constantly said to lack presence, as well as any notable skill worth mentioning. But surprisingly, it is discovered that Kuroko was a member of Teikou Junior High School’s basketball team, the team that had claim to five legendary basketball players called the “Generation of Miracles”. With his undetectable presence, Kuroko had taken on the moniker “Phantom Sixth Man”, and assisted his former teammates under the noses of their opponents. But, as the members of this dream team graduated and went their separate ways, a new rivalry was born, and Kuroko is made to face his former teammates as the teams battle for title of best high school basketball team in Japan. This anime captures a similar feel to that of Eyeshield 21 in that it heavily focuses on the amazing abilities of the characters. The viewer is left gaping at the awesome power of the characters and wondering who will win at the end of every clash. Both also look to balance out the intensity of the matches with comedy. This gives the viewer time to relax and digest all that has occurred in the story, while still getting the opportunity to see a lighter, more jocular side of their favorite characters.

The Prince of Tennis is another anime that looks to carry some of the themes found in Eyeshield 21. Both do not fail to supply very quick paced action and notable battles between cast members. They both strive to pull at the viewer’s heartstrings with emotional battles and scenes revealing the humanity of its characters. We also see great diversity in the characters. A cast with such a wide array of abilities and personalities not only allow viewers to connect and relate with the characters , but make the stories much more memorable. But Prince of Tennis is more of a story about a young boy looking to make a name for himself. This series centers around Seishin Gakuen Junior High School, a school famous for its gifted tennis team. But the team is in for a shock when Echizen Ryouma, a twelve-year old boy who has already won four consecutive American Junior Tennis tournaments joins the team. With his no-nonsense work ethic, Ryouma looks to at first emulate his highly successful father’s skills and moves, but with the help of his team, realizes that he must take his own path and carve a name for himself within the highly competitive world of tennis.

Kenichi, like Eyeshield 21, takes on the ubiquitous “weakest link” of a character and makes him the one that you cannot stop cheering on. This sentiment is strengthened by the fact that both of the stories take place in high school and revolve around teenagers. This angle evokes reminiscent emotions within viewers, or currently applies to them, making the viewers remember and relate those very years of self-discovery. Thus, by being relatable, the viewers root for the main character even more. This anime centers around Kenichi Shirahama, a high school student who is often the target for bullying. To become stronger Kenichi joins his school’s karate club, but still fails to overcome his adversaries. But a glimmer of hope arrives before Kenichi in the shape of the new transfer student, Furinji Miu. Half-determined and half in a love struck daze, Kenichi joins Miu’s grandfather’s dojo, Ryouzanpaku. The basic training that he receives allows him to take down his enemies, but almost instantaneously makes him the target of newer and more precarious group of enemies by the name of Ragnarok. Thus Kenichi must learn a new gambit of martial arts to stand up against his foes and protect those he loves.

This next anime looks into the world of volleyball from the eyes of Shouyou Hinata. Hinata is a junior high student who attained his love and appreciation for volleyball after watching championship matches on television. That burning desire to be on the court and emulate the championship star player “Little Giant”, drove him to start a volleyball team at his middle school and convince his friends to join as well. But as fate would have it, his team is defeated in their first match by Kageyama Tobio, nicknamed the “King of the Court”. But this does not discourage Hinata in the slightest. After his crushing defeat, he swears to join the volleyball team in his high school and reap his revenge on Kageyama. At least, that was his plan until he learned that Kageyama is now his teammate. Though these two players seem like polar opposites, Hinata being small and energetic, and Kageyama being tall and stoic, they complement each other and look to put their rivalry aside to fight for the title of best high school volleyball team in Japan. Fans of Eyeshield 21 would immediately recognize that said anime and Haikyuu!! both carry the theme of heart-wrenching battle scenes, moments in the anime that really display the sense of family and humanity that the characters embody. These moments of reprieve are also seen in conjunction with comedic moments in both anime, allowing for moments of reflection and peace before the viewer is thrown back into the action.

Free! and Eyeshield 21 both play deeply on the theme of childhood rivalry. They look to set a deep and emotional stage for the characters by looking into their past and finding out why they love their sport so much. They both also look to focus on very nonconventional main characters. That is to say, they highlight the growth of characters who the views may not be what one would consider “hero” material. Such a move allows for the viewer to really appreciate the growth of the character as the story progresses. But what sets Free! apart from Eyeshield 21 is that the story also focuses on regaining one’s drive for what they love. Nanase Haruka is a high school student who seems to have nothing on his mind but being in water. In his younger years, he was part of a swimming team with his friends Tachibana Makoto, Hazuki Nagisa, and Matsuoka Rin. After winning championships together, the four separated, and reunited in high school, all except Rin. But the crew unexpectedly meet Rin, who was thought to still be in Australia training and improving his swimming skills. One may expect Rin to give the three pals a warm hello, but instead Haruka is challenged to a swimming match. Haru is defeated, and Rin accepts his win with chagrin, saying that Haruka has fallen behind. Determined to defeat Rin, Haru joins with Nagisa, Makoto, and their newly made friend Ryugazaki Rei, and forms the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club.

Slam Dunk is an anime from the early nineties whose manga is one of the best-selling series in history. Its interesting storyline, memorable characters, and eye-opening scenes helped popularize basketball in Japan. This holds especially true with basketball gaining much popularity in the United States with players like Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley on the forefront of this phenomenon. The story centers around Hanamachi Sakuragi, a tall freshman student who is notorious for his bad temper and has the fiery red hair to match. With his entrance into Shohoku High School, Sakuragi hopes to finally get a girlfriend after notoriously being rejected fifty times in a row. He feels that his prayers have been answered when he meets Haruko Akagi, the only girl who is not repulsed or afraid of him, only because she is unaware of the rumors about him. Haruko asks Sakuragi to do a slam dunk, and in an attempt to impress his new object of affection he tries to perform a slam dunk. He fails at it, but still manage to hit the backboard of the basket. Haruko, amazed at Sakuragi’s inherent abilities, pushes him to join the basketball team, to which Sakuragi agrees, even though he greatly detests basketball. But he soon realizes that he loves the sport, and looks to lead his team to victory. Slam Dunk is similar to Eyeshield 21 in that the viewers are given a great sense of the deep relationships that the teammates form with one another. Through that mechanism, the viewer is made to sympathize with the emotional struggles of the characters and remain glued to the screen to avoid missing one second of dialogue. The wide array of characters also plays a huge role in these anime. In both anime, the characters are given a wide array of talents which not only make the battle scenes more memorable, but they also reflect on real sports teams. Actual sports teams carry a gambit of different types of players, and this variety is not only what makes the team successful, but it also makes their matches interesting. This also holds true for the teams featured in these anime.

The series follows Mikawa Fumika who is a mail carrier of 'Shigofumi', letters containing the words of the dead which express feelings left hidden and unsaid while alive. Mikawa goes along and delivers these letters to the living. However, there's an problem at hand. Shigofumi carriers are deceased humans who look just as they did before death. Despite this, Mikawa is still getting older. Shigofumi is similar to Kara no Kyoukai in a couple of ways. Both series incorporate a lot of supernatural and fantasy elements. They often both have a similar tone and atmosphere, and have an eerie unease to both of them. Furthermore, both deal very much with themes of death in their own ways. Finally, Shiki and Mikawa both have their pasts slowly revealed throughout the series as well.

Fate/Zero is the prequel to Fate/stay night, yet can be viewed independently. It revolves around the preceding Holy Grail War that is covered in the original Fate story. Fate/Zero follows Kiritsugu Emiya who is contracted by the Einzberns to win the holy grail. Kiritsugu, in love with Irisviel Einzbern, accepts and summons Saber to fight in the conflict. Opposite Kiritsugu is Kotomine Kirei, who's seeking purpose and resolve to his existential issues by fighting in the Grail War. Fate/Zero, although written by Gen Urobuchi, is still part of the Nasuverse, same as Kara no Kyoukai, and it shares a lot of similarities with what's typical of Nasu's works. Fate/Zero and Kara no Kyoukai are both dark, urban fantasy stories that deal with the supernatural, and are very dialogue heavy. They also have a strong action bent to them as well, balanced nicely with the emphasis on the dialogue which can get a little dense at times. And of course, they're both Ufotable adaptations which have given both wonderful animation and general design.

Mima Kirigoe stars in an idol group but after giving her future some thought she decides to try her hand at becoming an actress. For Mima, this is a step in the right direction, but one of her most obsessive fans is very unhappy about the decision she took. Mima accepts a peculiar role which her manager isn't completely sure about. While filming, strange things happen to the cast and crew and Mima begins to suffer mental breakdowns and becomes less and less able to separate, what’s real and what’s not. Kara no Kyoukai was never completely straightforward from the very first film but the 5th film in particular is a bit of a trip. With the 5th film, often thought of as the series best, being such a mindfuck, perfect blue feels definitely similar in that regard. Moreover, both films have elements of horror and mystery and have an eerie atmosphere to them. They also explore psychological themes in an urban setting, albeit with Kara no Kyoukai delving much more into fantasy elements.

Advances in cybernetics have allowed human beings to replace their physical bodies with cybernetic prosthetics. Motoko Kusanagi is a 'full cyborg', someone whose body is completely mechanical, however, she still retains her human consciousness, her 'ghost', despite her prosthetic body, her shell. She's a member of section 009, a police anti-terrorism and security unit that's tasked with tracking down a hacker called the puppet master. What occurs forces Motoko to think more deeply about her identity, and how humanity and technology coexist. Ghost in the Shell and Kara no Kyoukai both examine themes of identity albeit through different angles. GITS does it through technology and Kara no Kyoukai takes a more spiritual/fantasy approach. Likewise, both have strong female leads, Motoko for GITS and Shiki for Kara no Kyoukai. Both have great dialogue, with a lot of meat to chew on in terms of different ideas and concepts, but also include a lot of high-quality action, as well as, great overall presentation.

Oosawa Maria is a Japanese photographer who's stationed in Shanghai. Maria , along with her partner named Mino, search for stories throughout the city. She investigates claims of strange occurrences at a local festival and unwittingly jumps into the middle of a fight between a mysterious white haired women and equally odd masked men. Just as it appears, she won't make it out, her old friend Canaan appears to save her. However, Canaan and Maria aren't completely in the clear. Canaan and Kara no Kyoukai are both written by Kinoko Nasu, and Canaan is also under the Type Moon umbrella. While Kara no Kyoukai is a little bit denser, Canaan isn't completely straightforward in its storytelling style either and sort of leaves you in the thick of things with a lot left to your own devices to figure out. They both feature strong female leads and a lot of action.

Juuzawa Juu is a high school student who seeks simply to be left alone, fueling his delinquency. He has a strange encounter with Ochibana Ame who claims to have known him in a previous life. She asks to serve him as his 'knight', but Juu doesn't want anything to do with her. However, after a classmate is killed, Juu changes her mind and asks for her help to look for the killer. This series feels similar to Kara no Kyoukai in a number of ways. It's a mystery story about finding a murderer which echoes a number of the plotlines going on in Kara no Kyoukai. They share the same urban setting and the atmosphere often feels very similar. They both deal with fairly dark themes and content and the duo of the main characters feels somewhat similar to how those in Kara no Kyoukai interact.

Angel Beats! tells the story of Otonashi, a boy who lost his memories of life after dying. The show takes place in a high school that serves as a sort of limbo for the students attending, where they can come to terms with any unresolved feelings from their lives before moving on to the afterlife. The school is also populated by inhuman “NPCs,” who look and act like average students but aren’t experiencing limbo like the others. Otonashi meets Yuri, a girl who invites him to join the Afterlife Battlefront, which is a coalition of students fighting against God in a sort of rebellion against the hardships they had to deal with while they were alive. Members of the Battlefront include students like Yuri and Otonashi, a four-piece band that rocks out during missions, as well as a sub-organization that supplies them with arms in the fight against fellow student (and student council president), Angel. As far as fans of Lost are concerned, there’s plenty to enjoy. There’s combat aplenty, although the heart of the show is the setting and the characters. Much of the cast has to come to terms with the path their lives took before coming to the afterlife, leading to moments of sincere pathos. Plus, later in the season, there’s even mysterious shadow monsters!

Bokurano is set on a parallel version of Earth where a group of middle school students are unwittingly tricked into piloting a giant mech, nicknamed Zearth, in mortal combat against attacking “aliens” under the guise of signing up to try out a new videogame. The students who signed the contract are forced to do battle, and even if they win, they sacrifice their lives, as it is revealed that Zearth runs on their vitality. Bokurano has an ensemble cast of middle schoolers-turned-pilots, comprised of eight boys and seven girls. One aspect of the show that will surely appeal to fans of Lost is the fact that each episode is named after the character it centers on. The episode then fleshes out the backstory of that particular character, in order to gain the audience's investment and to make the stakes higher as the show builds up to that character’s fight. The show also deals with mind-bending themes, including alternate dimensions and some very tough questions regarding morality.

The Ushiromiya family gathers on Rokkenjima, a small island off the Japanese coast, for their annual family gathering. However, this time the occasion is anything but celebratory, as they are gathering in order to decide how to divide the assets of the family patriarch, Kinzo. Not long after arriving, the attendees are trapped on the island by a sudden typhoon, and a mysterious omen from a witch leads to an increasingly grim body count. This is the setting of Umineko. Fans of Lost will have a lot to enjoy with this one. What starts off as an engaging murder mystery involving a compelling cast of characters twists into a more supernatural story involving all sorts of magic and mischief. The somewhat non-linear nature of the storytelling will be welcoming to fans of the show, as will the religious and philosophical references, and the payoffs as the plot moves along will definitely satisfy those in need of closure.

Star Driver follows a young boy named Takuto, who washes ashore on the mysterious Southern Cross Isle after swimming into the sea from the mainland. After discovering the island is inhabited, he enrolls in the Southern Cross High School, and goes through all the trials and tribulations of a freshman in a new school. However, the island holds a mysterious secret. Underneath the school grounds are a group of otherworldly giants called Cybodies, which can be controlled by human thought in an alternate dimension known as Zero Time. It isn’t long after this discovery that Takuto finds himself at odds with a shadowy group with a sinister plan to break the seals placed on the island and use the Cybodies on the rest of the world. The setting of Star Driver is the biggest hook for fans of Lost, as it also takes place on a mysterious, seemingly inescapable island rife with secrets. While the cast is a bit smaller than that of Lost, they’re just as well developed, and the conflict they have with the other inhabitants of the island will be a welcome aspect of the show for any Lost devotee.

Btooom! is a massively multiplayer online game where players are tasked with hunting each other town and dispatching one another using only a radar, and a satchel of bombs to get the job done. 22-year old slacker Ryota Sakamoto is a world-class player of the MMO who finds himself groggily awoken on a mysterious island, armed with nothing but necessities and the all-too-familiar bombs from the game world. The island itself is populated with gamers from all over the world, including Ryota’s in-game girlfriend, Himiko. After uniting on the island and realizing their online spark has real-world potential, they vow to work together to try to escape. Another show with an ensemble cast of characters trapped in conflict on an inescapable island to keep Lost fans busy. Viewers know that Lost wasn’t afraid to tackle adult themes and to occasionally explode in fits of violence, and Btooom! offers plenty of that, with an interesting gaming hook.

The newest entry on the list, The Lost Village shares more with Lost than a catchy title. A group of 30 men and women sign up for a bus tour of Nanaki village, a town attached to a strange rumor that it’s actually a utopia. Upon arrival, they find a ghost town with very few signs of life. Many of the members of the tour seek to leave their past lives behind to start anew, and escape the baggage or trouble of their past. Take, for example, young Mitsumune, who joined the tour to get away from his overly protective mother driven to mental instability by the childhood death of Mitsumune’s twin brother, Tokimune. Then there’s Masaki, who came to village seeking the whereabouts of her cousin, who disappeared after visiting with Masaki in the past. Whatever their reason for coming, the characters in the show have dynamic and mysterious motivations that are certainly compelling to fans of Lost. Although the island setting has been traded in for that of a ghost town, the ominous, uncertain nature of the setting offers viewers plenty of reasons to come back each week, in the hopes of learning the truth.

Maybe you are not keen on Western scenarios or realistic stuff, so a fantasy approach might be better for you. Let’s step into the realm of Card battle games. Our protagonist in this recent anime is Shunta Mogami, who enjoys games based on card mastery. Shunta meets a mysterious girl named Eto, who summons him to the Spirits World with the mission of defeating the evil God-King. Thus, Shunta’s adventures to gather allies and fight enemies start. We have a diverse cast of characters with different abilities in this anime, as well as factions that sometimes confront each other. Shunta is a positive and enthusiastic protagonist who functions somehow as Terry Bogard for King of Fighters. The flow of action between scenes is well paced, with dynamic music added here and there for better effect. With its soft and childish character design, and strong color palette, we can say that Battle Spirits: double drive, is a good introduction to the world of strategy and fights.

What otaku has never dreamt of becoming a real life hero with superpowers? Well, apparently, the world of Boku no hero academia is populated by mostly people with special abilities. Unfortunately, our protagonist, Izuku Midoriya, is one of the few who remain a normal human. Yet, because he does not give up his dream of being a hero, Izuku is able to meet his idol All Might, who aids him on his quest to improve himself by entering the great hero school UA high. This anime has an interesting character design that emphasizes the physical build of the characters. Of course the action scenes are also important. There is emphasis on movement with line sets and not much detail on the characters or their environment, which give the sensation of being reading a manga or an American comic. As for the music, it simply rocks (because urban heroes need rock, right?) The premise of improving oneself with training is also one of the central characteristics that make of this anime a good recommendation for King of Fighters fans.

This is a successful classic manga later transformed in anime, OAVs, novels, videogames and all the merchandizing you could imagine. Jojo’s bizarre adventure is a familiar saga, where the Joestar family members discover they possess special abilities to battle their enemies. Each of the original work’s parts deals with a different family member, whose name is usually abbreviated as JoJo. The original work has eight parts, but here we would like to particularly recommend the two anime seasons based on the third part: Stardust Crusaders. The protagonist of this adventure is Jotaro Kujo, a highschool student that at first believes he is possessed by an evil spirit. He later discovers that it is just the supernatural abilities inherited from his family (yeah, nothing to worry about :p). These abilities also come with the responsibility of getting rid of the reincarnation of his family’s foe, who is in Egypt. So, we can see on this anime how family and old rivalries play an important part of the plot, as with the Bogards in KoF.

We are going to travel to a different world, produced by Square Enix. Here, power, greed and avarice keep the normal citizens oppressed and fearing for their lives. Ehem, well, not so different from our world u.uU In this anime, we follow the adventures of Tatsumi, a young swordsman who dreams to help his impoverished village. Along with his friends, Tatsumi travels to the city, where he is rescued by an elite assassination creed called Night Raid, who are seeking to revolt against the status quo. Tatsumi joins the revolt, becoming a key member on the battle to overthrow the corrupt government. Although the various cast with different abilities in terms of fighting can remind us of King of Fighters, what is interesting about Akame ga kill is that the good side and the evil side are not distinct as black and white. We also have some sentimental space, as Tatsumi is popular with girls. Plus, the music is by none other than Taku Iwasaki, who has composed for some terrific titles (Rurouni Kenshin and Gurren Lagann among them). So, if you enjoy good fighting and strategy scenes combined with political intrigue and a less angular/masculine character design, then this anime is for you.

Let’s go to the hard American streets back in the 1930s. Baccano! has several peculiarities, starting with its name, which means ruckus in Italian. This anime is based on some light novels inspired on the times of the Prohibition in United States, where alcohol and other drugs could only be obtained in illegal ways. Those were the times of the rise of the Italian mafia where the official government had little true power. But, how about a quest to find an immortality drink across the nation’s railways, facing brutal half immortal rivals along the way? What is particular about Baccano! is that it follows the format of King of fighters: Another Day. This means the episodes apparently don’t have connection to each other until the anime approaches its end. It also counts with 3D backgrounds to enhance movement, and an interesting soundtrack with classical songs and a twist of jazz. Add a good dose of mafia gangs fighting, alchemy, and intrigue, and we have a great recommendation for action and mystery loving otakus.

Maybe you have a thing for vampires in the otaku world. Fear not, there is an interesting anime that combines all the action of King of Fighters and the topic of avenging a deceased parent with a gothic atmosphere. Based on a famous video game series by Capcom and loosely inspired by the Italian poem The Divine Comedy, this anime introduces us to Dante. He is a half demon who runs a demon hunting business called Devil May Cry (now you see where the anime title comes from) while struggling with debt. The plot starts as self-contained episodes, culminating with a central connection involving Dante’s desire to avenge his mother’s death. Our protagonist has a particular cool demeanor while he fights like a pro, but he also has a tender side. Dante has a protegee called Patty, who likes to decorate their dark home with cute laces and fulfills the role of a daughter for him. So, if you are fond of strong but unusual heroes who take down their enemies in a bloody manner, this anime with spectacular action scenes and an epic classical soundtrack is for you.

Nakajima Youko is an average high school student. Her red hair is not common in Japan, causing her nothing but trouble. One day, a mysterious man named Keiki appears before her claiming she is an empress. A few minutes later, she and her friends are attacked by a demon and pulled through a vortex into a new world. They find themselves alone in a world of demons and magic, and they must fight to survive. Both anime revolve around “common” students who suddenly find themselves dumped into a different world. The plots are really similar: a boy/girl being transported to another world, becoming a king/empress, and having to face the troubles about it. Also, both characters discover that the other world is actually their real home and they must get use to the sometimes strange and bizarre customs.

During their visit to the National Library, Miaka Yuuki and her friend Yui Hongo are transported into the strange world of the book, “The Universe of The Four Gods”. The life of these two friends suddenly changes when Miaka is revered as the Priestess of Suzaku, while Yui become the Priestess of Seiryuu, the enemy nation. Miaka must now find her army of celestial warriors in order to summon the god Suzaku, who will concede three wishes. Both Miaka and Yuri are pushed into another world, where they must play an important role for the sake of the country: a high Priestess and a Demon King. From here, we can follow the journey of the main character into adulthood, learning the rules of a new world. Also, we can’t ignore the army of bishonen to ogle at.

Haruhi Fujioka is a bright and talented student of Ouran High School, an academy for elite students. Looking for a quiet place to study, she accidentally finds the Host Club. Led by “The King” Tamaki, and with the most beautiful boys as members, the club goal is to entertain the girls in the academy. Trying to get away from the boys, Haruhi drops a very expensive vase (8,000,000 yen). Then, she is forced to work for them to repay her debt, because all of them think that she is actually a guy. Surprisingly, they’ll discover that she is a natural born host. Although the story seems to be different from Kyou Kara Maou!, the feeling when you watch it is the same: in both there is a funny gender misunderstanding. Here, all of the Host Club members feel somehow attracted to Haruhi, and she is quite popular among the girls too, while in Kyou Kara Maou!, Yuri ends up engaged with Wolfram. Both of these anime flirt with the Shounen Ai genre.

Teito Klein is a former slave, and one of the most promising students of the Barsburg Empire's Military Academy. He can’t remember his past, but he is extremely good using the Zaiphon ability. Except for his friend Mikage, nobody seems to really trust him. Memories come as dreams, and one night he remembers who killed his father. After a failed attempt to kill that person, a high-ranking official, Teito must run away from the academy. Now, he’ll be chased by the Military and also by evil beings known as Kor, and the legendary Seven Ghosts will protect him. Teito and Yuri have a big similarity, though they have special powers (they’re the powerful ones indeed), they’re surrounded by a bunch of hot bishonen who want to protect them. In both anime, most of the jokes and the humor points are built around the boy’s love, which is implied but never shown.

The Hero of this story, named Yuusha (which actually means Hero) has finally found the Demon King’s Castle after a long quest. Once there, he finds out that the king, is actually a queen, the Dark Lady who rather than fighting prefers giving an explanation of why the war between humans and demons is necessary for the increase of population and economy’s development. He will never succeed in his mission of ending the war, because the world profits from it. They make a pact to work together for creating a new world where war is no longer needed. The background of these two anime is very similar: both are set in a fantasy realm in feudal time. Both series are focused in a Maou who is not evil at all. In fact, they are kind hearted and their goal is to end war and conflict and reigning in peace. Both anime start with a sort of engagement of the main couple. Yuri propose to Wolfram, and Yuusha makes a contract with the Dark Lady.

You are in the mood for a hamburger, so you go to a fast-food restaurant. What would you do if the person behind the bar is the Devil himself? Satan and his loyal general Alsiel, were defeated by Hero Emilia. When trying to escape, they go through a portal and end up in modern Tokyo. But there, they no longer have magic powers. They must learn to live like common humans, and that means finding a job and a place to live. Satan starts working at MgRonald, while planning how to rule over the country in the process. These anime are the opposite of each other, but at the same time similar. Hataraku Maou-Sama! is a mirror of Kyou Kara Maou!. Yuri must get used to live like the Demon King, whereas Satan must adapt to live like a normal human. The main character is a stranger in a strange land. Yuri used to live as an ordinary japanese and now he’ll live in a fantasy land. On the other hand, Satan comes from a fantasy land, and now he’ll live in Tokyo. Also, the potential love interest of these characters should see the true nature of the Maou.

Bungou Stray Dogs features a character named Nakajima Atsushi who is an abandoned orphaned wandering about the city. After several turn of events, Atsushi becomes involved with Dazai Osamu and Kunikida Doppo, both of which are the members of the Armed Detective Agency on the mission to search for a man-eating tiger that has been ransacking warehouses and livestock. After helping the detectives with the case, somehow Atsushi’s involvement with the Armed Detective Agency doesn’t just end there. So be sure to stay tune for this awesome series to find out Atsushi’s fate! Just like the Grimm series, the protagonists of this series, Dazai Osamu and Kunikida Doppo, works as detectives, and not exactly a normal one at that. Dazai and Kunikida, along with the others are members of the Armed Detective Agency. The Armed Detective Agency is an organization that harbors individuals possessing supernatural powers and abilities that can be used for combat. This means exciting and nerve-wracking battles between the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia gang as well as investigating cases that are related to ability-users, much like the Grimm series with Nick investigating cases that are ‘Wesen’-related.

What if one day, you wake up and realize that you’re no longer human? You wake up with out-of-this-world and unexplainable things. Then at this point, you start to wonder whether if you can ever go back to your normal life. This is what happened to Koyomi Araragi. After barely surviving a vampire attack that almost ended his life, the effects of the vampirism still lingers as Koyomi gained supernatural abilities similar to a vampire such as enhanced vision and super-fast healing. Join Koyomi and his struggles to maintain his life as a normal high school student in Bakemonogatari! Just like the Grimm series, as Nick struggles with his new-found abilities as a Grimm, Koyomi Araragi struggles with his new-found ability as a half-vampire. It illustrates how it can be a challenge for the characters to maintain a ‘double-life’ while keeping it a secret from everyone. Aside from the identity crisis, both protagonists have their fair share of involvement with the supernatural elements of their respective series; Nick with Wesen-related cases and Koyomi with monsters.

Noragami is an anime series that features Yato, a demi-god and his journey of becoming a famous and worshiped by many. So how do you get famous and gain a lot of followers? By taking on weird jobs, and receiving really small amounts of cash as payment. Although this might seem like the worst way to achieve that goal, nevertheless it didn’t discourage Yato. Luckily for him, he also happens to exterminate and slay monsters and spiritual beings. His teammates are Hiyori Iki and Yukine, and both are helping Yato in achieving his dreams. Although the main protagonist of Noragami is a demi-god unlike the Grimm series’ Nick who is a human, the Noragami series had almost the same plot as Grimm, as the main character deals with supernatural beings and exterminates them for the good reasons. Noragami had all the essence of what makes Grimm a great series with the added comedy spice which makes Noragami an exciting as well as a funny series to watch, so be sure to check this anime out!

The story unfolds with Natsume Takashi, a boy born with the ability to see supernatural beings such as ghosts. As interesting as it may sound, at first Natsume hated the idea of having that troublesome ability, because he was constantly being chased by spirits. After discovering the “Book of Friends”, a book that was left by his late grandmother, Natsume soon realized that it was the main reason why he gets into so much trouble with spirit encounters. This was due to the fact that the book contained names of spirits that have been brought under control by his grandmother. Take a peek into Natsume’s life as he learns to slowly embrace his abilities as sort of a ghost whisperer. Although this series’ main character is a bit different from the Grimm series in terms of how he acquired his said ability to make contact with supernatural beings, as Natsume was born with the ability while Nick had his ability awakened when he reached a certain age, both went through the similar struggles of trying to live a normal life. But even then, both protagonists from their respective series played a crucial role in using their abilities to do good things. Such traits can be seen on Natsume as he decides to go on a journey to find the spirits and release them of their names from the ‘Book of Friends’.

This next anime takes place in Tokyo, the heart of Japan. Over the years, Tokyo has evolved into a dangerous city, as it was filled with the so-called ‘ghouls’ living in the midst of humanity even if they’re still not widely known. Originally living as a normal university student, Ken Kaneki is unaware that his fate will soon take a dark and nasty turn. Ken’s life quickly changed after he was viciously attacked by Rize Kamishiro, the very girl that he had asked out on a date who turned out to be a ghoul herself. Thanks to a miraculous construction collapse, Rize was killed by the collapsing pipes. Ken was then rushed to the hospital and in a desperate attempt to save his life, doctors made the decision to do an organ transplant from Rize’s body into Ken. Thanks to the transplant, Ken somehow becomes a one-eyed ghoul himself. Just like the previous selection on this list, the similarities between the main characters from both series is to be acknowledged as Ken struggles with maintaining his life as half-ghoul and half-human. Just like Nick Burkhardt, Ken Kaneki makes best of his powers as he uses it to become a ghoul investigator and exterminates anyone who would threaten the peace of his place. This next series really defines the expression of being ‘gory’ as it highlights a lot of piercing attacks, impales and of course, lots and lots of blood which complements well with the Grimm series even though it’s not as violent as Tokyo Ghoul. In addition, this series does also have an uncanny resemblance to the movie ‘Blade’, but instead becoming vampires, the main character of the series becomes a ghoul.

It all started three years ago when a Gate to another dimension opened out of nowhere in New York City, and creatures and monsters from the Otherworld began its invasion to Earth. Due to the mysterious fog that enveloped the former New York City, the city went through drastic changes to its culture and civilization as humans and monsters learn to live alongside each other. New York City was then known as Hellsalem’s Lot because the city also becomes a sort of warzone for its inhabitants. The story features Leonardo Watch, a boy gifted with the ability of “All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods” who moved to Hellsalem’s Lot in hopes to uncover the mysteries behind the bizarre ability he was given. His investigation led him to Libra, a secret organization that is dedicated to preserving the balance between Earth and the Otherworld. He was then subsequently recruited by Libra and met quite a few of teammates along his journey of finding a cure for his sister. What makes this anime so amazing is thanks to its awesome action-packed themed. The word ‘blood’ on the title was not just a mere expression, as the series was centered on the unique techniques that the characters use, which was derived from blood. Although the techniques and abilities in this series are considered more extravagant than the Grimm series, both series definitely brings excitement with their action essence of the series. Aside from those, protagonists from both series are also involved in a secret organization dedicated to keeping peace and order, Leonardo with Libra, and Nick with Grimm.

When it comes to being a player, no matter what sport, the goal is the same: “Becoming the number one player”. For Taiga Kagami, this is his goal. Coming from the USA and into Japan, he was upset to see the difference in quality level for players, and his thirst for competition worsens as he can’t find someone he would call a righteous opponent. All of this changes when he meets Tetsuya Kuroko, his classmate and also former “Generation of Miracles” member. While it may not seem so, Kuroko’s tactical skills become pretty evident and noticing Kagami’s raw talent, he makes a promise. Both will join forces to do something no one thinks even can be done, defeat all members of the “Generation of Miracles” and become the best team in Japan. When it comes to similarities, the most obvious one is that Kagami and Sakuragi are both redheads with an attitude. While Sakuragi was more of a bad guy turned into a player, Kagami just focuses all his energy on the sport that he loves. Also, while it may not seem like it at first, Kuroko and Haruko share the sidekick position or as Kuroko’s said it himself, the “support role”, making sure that both main characters improve and hone their skills to become better players to reach their goal.

For someone like Eikichi Onizuka, you might say being a teacher comes off as two possible things: community service or avoiding jail time. Surprisingly enough, with either of those, you wouldn’t be too far from the truth! A former renown delinquent, now he tries to make things right by becoming a teacher, but when his class ends up being full of foul-mouthed, disrespectful, ungrateful, sons of b- *ahem*, he decides to take matters into his own hands as only a former delinquent can. Soon enough, everyone will start talking about The Great Teacher Onizuka, whose number one goal in life is to become the greatest teacher in the world. The first thing that might cross your mind could be: “Great Teacher Onizuka? But there’s no basketball there”, and you would be right, except the comparison we’re establishing here has absolutely nothing to do with sports and everything to do with the main characters. Both of them are former delinquents turned good and boy do they have an attitude towards their own egos. The only aspect where it might differ would be on the “perverted” level Onizuka has while Sakuragi just has eyes and heart for Haruko. Still, we can’t help but to think that if Sakuragi ever becomes a coach in the future, he wouldn’t be too far ahead from the Great Teacher Onizuka, which begs the question, would any student ever be safe?

Ippo Makunouchi is a student that would always find himself being mocked and bullied all around. More than a physical strain, these continuous acts left him with a mental scar and it makes him feel extremely weak. All of this changes one day, however, as he meets with Mamoru Takamura, an experienced boxer. Even though he doesn’t think too much of Ippo at first, after putting him through some small tests, Takamura discovers that Ippo carries a lot of potential inside of him and takes him under his wing to his daily gym. Something’s for sure, though, through thick and thin, Ippo will always bounce back up and face any challenge head on! Hajime no Ippo is another classic anime series that delves into the Sports genre. As far as similarities go, both main characters are fairly new on their own trade but they aim from the very beginning to become the best ones. There’s a lot of sports action involved throughout both series as well as a lot of light comedy that balances out the narrative and progression as the story moves forward. Full of jabs and uppercuts, Hajime no Ippo’s an anime series you must definitely check out.

In sports, sometimes a single mistake could cause a player to just stop pushing forward and leave it all behind. For Eijun Sawamura, however, a mistake just means working harder and improving to the edge. After failing his middle-school team with a game-ending mistake, Sawamura feels down but not out (“out”... get it?) and he tells his team that they’ll get to the Nationals next year! That sounded like a plan if it wasn’t for a surprise visit of a scout, who saw what had happened and still invited him to Tokyo's prestigious Seidou High School. Torn between missing high-school with his teammates and opportunity knocking on the door, he says goodbye but not without promising to make them all proud. One of the similarities that immediately pop up when comparing Slam Dunk with Diamond no Ace is the drive that both characters develop to overcome the odds and push themselves toward their goal, becoming the best player in the world. Both main characters also have a certain “attitude problem” that more often than not get them in trouble. Also, the influence of rivalry is present and more than distracting, it makes them focus and improve their skills. Whether you’re more of a basketball fan or a baseball fan, if you enjoyed Slam Dunk, you’ll definitely enjoy watching this series. Don’t strike out and miss it! (Ok, I’ll stop).

In a near-future New York, the population has evolved in ways that some would deem impossible. So much so that now alien hybrids live among the human crowd without so much as raising an eyebrow. It’s not like they didn’t leave an impact in our society, either, as some of them became the best at some of our most popular sports, basketball included. If you would ask Hideyoshi, though, he would probably tell you he could beat them all, aliens or not. After having to put his money where his mouth was, the 14-year-old orphan got selected to be part of a very special team. This team’s goal? Win the Space League and bring the championship back to earth. Buzzer Beater is not your run-of-the-mill anime sports series, but even as we mention that we could still see some similarities in both this series and Slam Dunk. Both series have a delinquent protagonist with a huge ego and a thrill for competition, for example. Both series highlight as the main goal to be a great team and to win their respective tournaments/championships. Also, while not at the same pace, you can see the growth on each protagonist and team and you’ll end up cheering them on with each passing episode. Finally, not as much as on Slam Dunk but comedy is present as well. If you enjoyed Slam Dunk, give this series a try.

If there’s something that could strain somebody’s heart is living under the shadow of someone you love. Such has been the life of Kanou Kyosuke, whose brother named Kanou Seisuke just signed up a contract with AC Milan, even going as far as being called “The Future of Japanese Soccer”! After a lot of struggle, Kyosuke decided to stop being a soccer player and move ahead in life. All is going accord to plan until a boy from his new high-school recognizes his abilities as a player and he acts him to join the soccer team. He refuses for a while, but after being forced to be the female team’s coach for a year he remembers and rediscovers his passion for soccer. A testament of second chances, Kyosuke’s drive will be something rivals should be careful of! As funny as it may sound, if Sakuragi’s skills had made him chose soccer over basketball, this would be the series we would have watched (Slam… Strike? Maybe? Anyone? No?). With mild similarities on both series when it comes to comedy, the passion both main characters show throughout the episode is just breathtaking. Also, both Sakuragi and Kyosuke are a bit (a lot) stubborn and they might get a bit (a lot) on their teammates’ nerves. To sum it up, this is the soccer version of Slam Dunk, for sure.

Ask most people what anime is most similar to Dusk Maiden and people will most likely respond with ef - A Tale of Melodies. The basic story is split between two plotlines, one about Yu and his various friends in the past and the other focusing on their current places in life. Their intimate lives and intertwined pasts are revealed throughout each episode, leading to the eventual truth of the entire anime. Just like Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, ef tales of melodies is an anime on the cusp of mystery, drama, romance and the supernatural all rolled into one. Also, just like Dusk Maiden, the flashbacks are an essential part of the story within Tales of Melodies. Other than the past being a major part in figuring out the underlying questions in either anime, there are much more to distinguished. The first similarity one will notice is that the visuals are very much alike. By that we don’t only mean the backgrounds and character designs, but this includes the imagery within the series itself. Not surprising, considering they both have the same director Shin Onuma (yeah, kind of hard to describe, but you’ll see what we mean once you watch the two series). Second of all, they have the same feel to them. Both start off innocent and seem “normal” to the naked eye (as far as normal can be when it includes being able to see a ghost girl). As you continue to watch either of them, a slight change occurs where elements of surrealism come into play, with the anime slowly revealing the sad but all-too-real truth. Both of which have to do with each anime’s Yuko and her past. Oh, did we forget to mention the female lead in ef tales of melodies is also named Yuko? And lastly, without giving out too much detail, the endings are very similar, with Dusk Maiden’s described by some as a cheesier ending of ef’s. But this is a sequel, so it is warned you should watch ef Tales of Memories beforehand in order to understand who the characters are and… basically why everything's as it is in general.

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is about Jinta Yadomi and Meiko “Menma” Honma and their group of friends. Unfortunately, Meiko was killed in an accident when they were young, resulting in Meiko’s friends slowly distancing themselves from each other. One fateful summer, Meiko appears before Jinta and tells him she has to have her wish granted in order to move on to the next world. Giving off a nostalgic sense of childhood while also giving off a feeling of maturity, Anohana the Flower We Saw That Day (yeesh that’s a mouthful to say every time) is a perfect anime for pulling at one’s heartstrings and making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But just like Dusk Maiden, the story is bittersweet. The most obviously similarity between the two would be how the main character is the only one who can see the ghost girl. If Teichii is Jinta to Anohana, then Yuko is Meiko to Anohana as well. Another similarity would have to be how both Meiko and Yuko are bound to the Earth, unable to free themselves without the help of their friends and fulfilling their final wish. But plot isn’t the only thing these two anime have in common; they also share several similar themes to one another. The main motif in both works would be dealing with one’s problems in a healthy and positive manner. In Dusk Maiden, Yuko became bound to the Earth because of her rage and anger aimed towards the townspeople who wronged her. In Anohana, Jinta and his friends grow apart after Meiko’s death, never talking less mention the topic to each other. Other minor similarities include the romance, mystery, and drama elements prevalent in both. Both are also aimed at an adolescent in mind, so the themes of love and friendship are also explored as well. All-in-all, Anohana The Flower We Saw That Day is an anime that seems like Dusk Maiden of Amnesia but feels like a Studio Ghibli film.

Another is an anime about yet a high school student who has just started his new life at Yomiyama North Middle School. This student, Kouichi Sakakibara, tries to adjust accordingly once in his class of 3-3. But unbeknownst to Kouichi, dark dealings surround the class he’s been placed, involving the mysterious deaths of his fellow peers and the ostracized eye-patched Mei Misaki. As Kouichi’s relationship grows with Mei, the entirety of Class 3-3 begins to experience the curse supposedly set upon their unfortunate classroom. In a nutshell, Another takes the dreary and horror elements of Dusk Maiden, focusing more on the gory details rather than any romance lovey-dovey themes. Another’s anime design is very similar to Dusk Maiden’s in both quality and in visual appeal. The facial structure of characters (eyes, expressions), body proportions, not to mention the backgrounds are flawless in detail. If one was to watch Another then switch over to an episode of Dusk Maiden, you may think they were animated by the same studio; but in actuality, Silver Link animated Dusk Maiden while Another was animated by P.A. Works. Just as in Dusk Maiden, Another has a macabre, unnerving atmosphere to it. Straight from the get-go of Another, the music (along with the gloomy shots of the town) puts the viewer on guard, always making the audience expect something dreadful or horrid is about to happen. When watching Another, one cannot help but point out the similarities between the character’s of Yuko and Mei, that being their relation of existence to others and the world around them. In Mei’s case, she’s ignored and pretended to not even exist in the same class as the other student’s of class 3-3 with an exception with Kouichi, while Yuko is forcibly invisible to everyone else excluding Teiichi. These force relations with their respected eerie females lead the males to inevitably investigate their past. If you enjoyed the mystery and supernatural elements of Dusk Maiden but expected to see more horror and gruesome action, this series is definitely for you.

From the studio that brought us Ghost in the Shell comes this contemporary tale about Taro Komori, a 14-year-old boy who was kidnapped at the age of 3. His sister didn’t survive the ordeal, and as a result Taro tries to overcome her death through therapy. Along with his friends Miyako Komagusu and Masayuki Nakajima, not to mention his relative Makoto Ogami, they begin to investigate Taro’s kidnapping and the baffling circumstances surrounding the event. They also have to deal with out of body experiences, entering a spirit world unseen by everyone else and deal with a religious cult and spirits on the way. Oh Nakamura, you never fail to disappoint. With a plot that is slow in pacing, the action within the series gradually increasing as you reach the eventual conclusion. Similarities between Ghost Hound and Dusk Maiden? Starting with the basics, the plots are more or less the same thing. A group of people from different backgrounds are brought together due to one major event that took place in the past i.e. the kidnapping of the Komori children. These close groups of friends also try to solve various mysteries plaguing not only their town but themselves as well. The main characters in their respected series (Taro and Yuko) have past involving the deaths of their loved ones or those close to them. This troubled past gives these the abilities they currently have; abilities that they never wanted nor had control over in the first place. If you decide to watch Ghost Hound, keep in mind that it’s more centered on narrative and mystery, so don’t expect too much humor or gore as in the previously mentioned series.

This short but bittersweet series focuses on school delinquent Juu Juuzawa who runs into odd girl Ame Ochibana. Claiming to have been his loyal knight from a previous life, Ame declares her undying service to her “king”. Obviously freaked out by her statements, Juu pushes her away, only accepting her assistance when a deranged serial killer murders one of Juu’s friends. This psychological thriller will pique the mystery-seeking detective in all of us while also providing thought provoking concepts along the way. On the surface, Dusk Maiden and Radio Wave-Like Girl don’t have much in common, but their similarities are more skin deep once you get to the bottom of it. Already both anime provide an interesting albeit run-of-the-mill mystery that becomes more complex the longer one watches it. The Radio Wave anime, similar to Dusk Maiden and Another, take a turn into a very different path as their stories press onward. Dusk Maiden’s plot slowly shifts from a ghost girl and a living boy that has a crush on her to a literal soul-searching quest, and Radio Wave GF shifts from your stereotypical odd ball girl goes for the typical delinquent boy into a… mystery solving duo that try to capture a serial killer… That’s not even the major turn of events in Radio Wave GF! Unlike Dusk Maiden, this series is more focused on drama without any hint of ecchi jokes or tendencies, so expect a serious plot driven series. As a recommendation, if you liked how Dusk Maiden ended up, you’ll most likely enjoy Radio-Wave GF.

Chihiro Furuya is a high school student who has a certain taste for a certain kind of girl. To be blunt, he’s a total necrophiliac. He lives his normal day-to-day lifestyle at his home, watching zombie films and fantasizing about his perfect dream girl. Then his pet cat Babu becomes road kill. Thinking that it was unfair for his precious cat to die at such a young age, Chihiro decides to bring him back to life (don’t worry, he has a book that can raise back the dead). While creating the resurrection potion, he comes across Rea Sanka, a rich girl and the headmaster’s daughter of the prestigious Sanka Academy. As she vents her problems out at an abandoned warehouse, she meets Chihiro and learns his attraction to zombie girls. She later drinks his zombie potion meant for his cat, becomes a zombie and they try to experience the normal gf-bf relationship. The main similarity between Dusk Maiden and Sankarea would have to be the odd relationship between the two main characters. The male characters are in love or fall in love with girls who are dead in the complete sense of the word. Yet they’re okay with having a ghost as a girlfriend (or zombie in Chihiro’s case). It should also be mentioned that both Dusk Maiden and Sankarea while being humorous and lighthearted in nature, there are underlying themes of desecration and exploitation. If you need an example, Rea’s relationship with her father is strained due to his attraction to his own daughter. While the last recommendations have been more plot heavy and mystery themed, this is perfect for the person who just wants to watch an anime for laughs and giggles… and if they enjoy the raunchy humor in Dusk Maiden.

Xam'd: Lost Memories should be top of your list if you are looking for an anime similar to Eureka 7. Other than having a big similarity in the overall animation style, both these titles were made to blow you away. This is a story of Akiyuki Takehara, who is caught up in a fast-paced turn of events and gains an uncontrollable power after a terrifying bus explosion. He later turns into a monster known as Xam’d. Akiyuki goes on a rampage while he battles a giant creature. He is tamed by Nakiami, a warrior girl who later teaches him how to control his newly acquired abilities and to learn how to live the life of a Xam’d. Our hero also meets a special crew in which he departs on a great adventure to save humanity from grave danger. Yes. Everything you have been looking for in Eureka 7 is in this anime. The science fiction plot twists, the great cast of supporting characters, a mysterious powerful girl that plays a key role in the story and of course the signature awesomeness of its music. Xam'd: Lost Memories is filled with non-stop action and sci-fi adventure, and it felt like it was an anime made for the fans that had a blast watching Eureka 7.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'd probably heard or seen anything related to Evangelion. The story of Shinseiki Evangelion revolves around the main character Shinji Ikari. Set in futuristic setup when humanity is in the countdown to extinction. The world's last hope lies in the hand of special armed forces called NERV, an agency who keeps giant human-like mecha called Evangelion, to battle and defeat Angels seeking to bring doom to all mankind. Shinji, along with Rei and Asuka, is a compatible pilot that can control these Evangelion and are tasked with defending Earth in which they are dealt with a great amount of stress in both their minds and bodies. The anime continues with a lot of physiological twists and turns. Shinji given the same situation as Renton, makes a hard life-changing decision that would forever change his fate. Evangelion is also packed with a huge crew of memorable supporting characters, especially Rei Ayanami, who kind of represents Eureka in a way. Similarly to Eureka 7, this anime also have fancy visuals and epic details in every fight scene. It is also another anime which really paid attention to its music. The orchestra background used in Evangelion blends perfectly to this anime, like Beethoven himself created symphonies just for this anime. Both anime titles will definitely give you a sense of suspense because as the story progresses, a bigger secret unfolds. We highly recommend that you also watch the Evangelion movies as well. You will surely thank us for it.

Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann has cemented its position as one of the greatest anime, all thanks to Simon and Kamina, and the rest of the Gurren Lagann brigade. Born underground and never seeing the light of day, Simon and Kamina struggle to create an opportunity for an adventure in the unforeseen world. As fast paced as Eureka 7, Simon digs upon a mysterious drill key that would change the tides of humanity. Along with Kamina, who similarly represents Holland Novak of Eureka 7, the inseparable duo takes a giant leap for mankind and drills through the surface to take on a grand adventure in a world they have never seen before. Yoko Littner, a super hot girl with an enormous… gun joins their journey as they battle “Beastmen” who terrorized the world above. Much like Eureka 7, Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann has intense mecha action all throughout the series. They both have a cast of unforgettable characters and a well-thought story that would slowly unravel into a bigger mystery. Renton represents Simon's character very well, they both struggled in the beginning to face a series of hard challenges and learned how to overcome them. Much like the flow of Eureka 7, It might seem predictable that the main protagonists are always destined to save humanity. However, the twist on TTGL is something that will throw you out of your chair. The focus on the main character’s progression and how they develop into becoming leaders are some of the things that reminded us of Eureka 7 while watching this series. If you had fun watching Renton's character progression in Eureka 7, you will undoubtedly love watching Simon's journey in being nobody to becoming somebody.

If for some odd reason that you haven't heard of Code Geass, it might be the best time for you to start watching it NOW! Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion won multiple awards on being one of the best anime TV series that has been shown and we cannot stress enough how great this anime is. Code Geass is a complex story following Lelouch Lamperouge, an exiled prince of Britannia, who then crosses paths with a mysterious girl named C.C. (clearly a very similar Eureka type character) that gives him the power of "Geass" or simply explained as "the power of absolute command". Lelouch then realizes the enormous potential of his newly found ability and embarks on a dark journey to take revenge on those who exiled him. All the Eureka 7 ingredients you love is in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion; the mechanical robots, an awesome cast of characters that play key roles in the story, a unique plot and an intense deep story that definitely deserves a standing ovation in the end. If you are looking for an anime similar to Eureka 7 that you can brag to all your friends that have no clue on what you are talking about, then by all means, brag on how epic Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is.

RahXephon follows the story of Ayato Kamina, a normal teenage student who has the ability to pilot a golem type mecha called RahXephon. Set in a distant future, Japan has been invaded by human-like beings from another dimension called Mulians, or also known as "Mu". Chaos suddenly ensues and a war broke off forcing the "Mu" humanoids to seal Tokyo in a spherical barrier that has a time shift effect in it, causing Tokyo to slow down time compared to the outside portion of the sphere. RahXephon adapts Eureka 7's fast pace opening as Ayato is faced with great challenges right from the beginning of the show. Similar to Eureka, a girl named Haruka comes to his rescue and both of them flee outside Tokyo. RahXephon and Eureka 7, both considered as "mecha" type anime, will not disappoint you with their original approach in fighting robots giving the mecha genre a new kind of feel to it. Some other aspects similar to Eureka 7 is the huge cast of supporting characters who is just as important as the main ones, the spotlight however never loses focus on the protagonist Ayato. The military resistance vibe of the whole anime is also another similar attribute that this anime shares. Both well written and artistically pleasing to the eyes, what struck us the most about this anime is its originality is simply worth watching.

Set in a very futuristic Japan, Guilty Crown is an action-packed anime about a high school student Shu Ouma, who runs into a fateful encounter with a girl named Inori Yuzuriha while she was being pursued by the GHQ for being a terrorist. The GHQ is a military force ruling all over Japan after a deadly outbreak called the "Apocalyptic Virus". They try to restore peace and order as they battle freedom fighters called the Funeral Parlor. Shu is quickly dragged into the mix of war and accidentally gains the ability that will help him uncover the secrets of the GHQ. However, he also pays the price of unfolding the harsh truth that came along with his power. Guilty Crown shouts Eureka 7 like it is their master. It is really hard to find any difference in terms of the feel of both shows. The plot itself is very similar to Eureka 7 and both these mysterious girls somewhat have the same personality. Both titles have a science fiction mecha theme to it, a large group of supporting characters that are also a group of rebels trying to fight off military rule. A twist of romance, friendship, the “end of the world” aura to it and how can we forget, it also has an awesome soundtrack. These are all the things we loved about Eureka 7 and Guilty Crown associated all these great aspects to create a cool new series.