Anime like Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Also known as When They Cry.

Studio: Studio DEEN , Frontier Works , Sotsu , DAX Production , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

After moving into the quiet town of Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi spends his days blissfully in school often playing games with his local friends. However, appearances can be deceiving. One fateful day, Keiichi stumbles upon news of a murder that had occurred in Hinamizawa. From this point on, horrific events unfold in front of Keiichi, as he soon learns his close friends may not be all that they seem. Based on the amateur mystery game by 07th Expansion, the story is told in a series of different scenarios.

Tags: Time Loop , Denpa , Alternate Universe , Ensemble Cast , Time Manipulation , Tragedy , Rural , Conspiracy , Achronological Order , Gore , Chibi , Body Horror , Bullying , Torture , Yandere , Urban Fantasy , Twins , Male Protagonist , Cosmic Horror , Mythology , Pandemic , Primarily Female Cast , School Club , Shrine Maiden , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Police , Historical , Crossdressing , Board Game

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

Also known as When They Cry Kai.

Studio: NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan , Studio DEEN , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

Continuing from the first series, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai begins to shed some light on the dark mysteries prevalent in the preceding season. The young group of friends in the town of Hinamizawa continue to enter terrible conflicts with one another in their never ending summer of 1983, often ending with the brutal murder of one of their numbers. Furude Rika, with the help of her spiritual friend Hanyuu, tackles challenges over and over, trying her best to keep their lives from coming to a tragic end. With no end to the torture in sight, Rika must call upon the bonds of friendship and trust among her friends to discover the true villain of this eternal June.

Tags: Denpa , Time Loop , Alternate Universe , Time Manipulation , Conspiracy , Ensemble Cast , Rural , Torture , Female Protagonist , Gods , Twins , Urban Fantasy , Shrine Maiden , Primarily Female Cast , Body Horror , Gore , Kuudere , School , Historical , Politics , School Club , Mythology , Military , Primarily Teen Cast , Crossdressing

Another

Also known as Another.

Studio: Lantis , Kadokawa Shoten , P.A.WORKS , Toho , Sentai Filmworks , KLOCKWORX , Bandai Namco Live Creative , NTT Docomo
Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

When Kouichi Sakakibara transfers to a new school, he senses a frightening atmosphere in his new class, a secret none of them will talk about. At the center is the beautiful Mei Misaki. Kouichi is immediately drawn to her mysterious aura, but he begins to realize that no one else in the class is aware of her presence. Soon after his arrival, what is known as the Calamity begins, and it claims the lives of many students.



Tags: Tragedy , Gore , School , Memory Manipulation , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban Fantasy , Survival , Rural , Curses , Kuudere , Male Protagonist , Ghost , Female Protagonist , Suicide , Twins , Assassins , Death Game , Teacher , Philosophy

Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu

Also known as Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-.

Studio: WHITE FOX , Funimation , Kadokawa Shoten , Media Factory , AT-X , TV Tokyo , Magic Capsule
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Psychological , Romance , Thriller

In the story, Subaru Natsuki is an ordinary high school student who is lost in an alternate world, where he is rescued by a beautiful, silver-haired girl. He stays near her to return the favor, but the destiny she is burdened with is more than Subaru can imagine. Enemies attack one by one, and both of them are killed. He then finds out he has the power to rewind death, back to the time he first came to this world. But only he remembers what has happened since.



Notes:
The first episode aired with a runtime of ~50 minutes as opposed to the standard 25 minute long episode.
In the Winter 2020 season, Re:ZERO was rebroadcast and re-edited to fit into an hour time-slot. This edit included the first OVA and added slight modifications to certain scenes throughout. It also added an additional scene at the end of the final episode.

Tags: Time Manipulation , Isekai , Time Loop , Tragedy , Alternate Universe , Male Protagonist , Witch , Magic , Gore , Cult , Unrequited Love , Love Triangle , Body Horror , Heterosexual , Maids , Suicide , Primarily Female Cast , Seinen , Curses , Cohabitation , Medieval , Elf , Yandere , Demons , Politics , Femboy , Butler , Tomboy , Travel , Twins , Assassins , Coming of Age , Kemonomimi , CGI , Meta , Kuudere , Nekomimi , Dragons , Body Swapping , Crossdressing , Tsundere , Foreign

Shiki

Also known as Shiki.

Studio: Aniplex , Daume , Dentsu , Fuji TV
Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Mystery , Supernatural , Thriller

During a fiercely hot summer in Sotoba, a peaceful and quiet village with a population of 1300 people, a series of bizarre deaths begin to occur. At the same time, a strange family moves into a long abandoned mansion in the region. After supposedly visiting this strange family, the fashionable Shimizu Megumi goes missing and the entire village goes out in search for her.

Tags: Vampire , Survival , Tragedy , Rural , Anti-Hero , Ensemble Cast , Zombie , Philosophy , Denpa , Gore , Pandemic , Urban Fantasy , Medicine , Male Protagonist , Revenge , Religion , Achronological Order , Yandere , Writing , Guns , Primarily Teen Cast , Werewolf , Foreign , Monster Girl

Umineko no Naku Koro ni

Also known as Umineko: When They Cry.

Studio: NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan , Studio DEEN , Frontier Works , Movic , NIS America Inc.
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Considered as the third installment in the highly popular "When They Cry" series by 07th Expansion, Umineko no Naku Koro ni takes place on the island of Rokkenjima (六軒島), owned by the immensely wealthy Ushiromiya family. As customary per year, the entire family is gathering on the island for a conference that discusses the current financial situations of each respective person. Because of the family head's poor health, this year involves the topic of the head of the family’s inheritance and how it will be distributed.

However, the family is unaware that the distribution of his wealth is the least of Ushiromiya Kinzo's (family head) concerns for this year's family conference. After being told that his end was approaching by his longtime friend and physician, Kinzo is desperate to meet his life's true love one last time: the Golden Witch, Beatrice. Having immersed himself in black magic for many of the later years in his life, Kinzo instigates a ceremony to revive his beloved upon his family's arrival on Rokkenjima. Soon after, a violent typhoon traps the family on the island and a string of mysterious murders commence, forcing the eighteen people on the island to fight for their lives in a deadly struggle between fantasy and reality.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tags: Tragedy , Death Game , Achronological Order , Witch , Magic , Detective , Ojou-sama , Butler , Alternate Universe , Gore , Primarily Adult Cast , Ensemble Cast , Meta , Maids , Male Protagonist , Dissociative Identities , Guns , Crossover , Bar , Demons , LGBTQ+ Themes , Transgender , Kuudere , Time Skip , Tsundere

Gakkou Gurashi!

Also known as SCHOOL-LIVE!.

Studio: Lerche , Nitroplus , Sotsu , NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan
Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Why would anyone form a School Living Club? Could four girls, their advisor, and a puppy really love their school so much that they’d want to live in it? Or is there another reason, something that lurks behind the façade of their comfortable existence? Something that waits outside their school’s doors. Something that has already robbed one girl of her sanity? While the others try to come to grips with a dark new reality, the rest of the world falls to ruin at the hands of a ravenous force, and insanity may be the last hope for survival. Shocks, heartbreak and stunning revelations await as the twisted tale unfolds.



Tags: Survival , School , Post-Apocalyptic , School Club , Tragedy , Zombie , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Memory Manipulation , Achronological Order , Ensemble Cast , Gore , Seinen , Teacher , Animals , CGI , Nudity

Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica

Also known as Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Studio: Aniplex , Shaft , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Movic , Nitroplus , Aniplex of America , Madoka Partners , Houbunsha , Manga Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Psychological , Thriller

One night, 14-year-old Madoka Kaname has a terrible nightmare - against the backdrop of a devastated city, she witnesses a girl fight a losing battle against a dreadful being lingering above, while a cat-like magical creature tells Madoka the only way to change such tragic outcome is for her to make a contract with him and become a magical girl.

The next day, the teen's dream seemingly becomes reality as the girl she saw in her dream - Homura - arrives at Mitakihara Middle School as a transfer student, mysteriously warning Madoka to stay just the way she is; but when later on she and her best friend Sayaka encounter the same cat-like magical creature from her dream - who introduces himself as Kyubey - the pair discovers that magical girls are real, and what's more, they can choose to become one. All they must do is sign a contract with Kyubey and agree to take on the duty to fight abstract beings called 'witches' that spread despair to the human world, and in return, each one of them will be granted any single wish they desire. However, as Homura's omen suggests, there might be far more to becoming a magical girl than Madoka and Sayaka realize...

Notes:
Due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the broadcasts of episodes 11 and 12 were delayed and were later aired as a double feature on April 21, 2011.

Tags: Magic , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Witch , Primarily Female Cast , Time Manipulation , Urban Fantasy , Philosophy , Alternate Universe , Primarily Teen Cast , Time Loop , Kuudere , Coming of Age , Henshin , Survival , Aliens , Yuri , Urban , Primarily Child Cast , Ensemble Cast , Gods , Anti-Hero , Spearplay , Suicide , Achronological Order , Love Triangle , Guns , Archery , Heterosexual , LGBTQ+ Themes , Mixed Media , School , Tomboy , Anthropomorphism

Corpse Party: Tortured Souls - Bougyakusareta Tamashii no Jukyou

Also known as Corpse Party.

Studio: Asread , MAGES. , Studio Mausu , Media Factory , Movic , Maiden Japan
Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Mystery , Supernatural

Nine students gather in their high school at night to bid farewell to a friend. As is customary among many high school students, they perform a sort of ritual for them to remain friends forever, using small paper charms shaped like dolls.

However, the students do not realize that these charms are connected to Heavenly Host Academy—an elementary school that was destroyed years ago after a series of gruesome murders took place, a school that rests under the foundation of their very own Kisaragi Academy. Now, trapped in an alternate dimension with vengeful ghosts of the past, the students must work together to escape—or join the spirits of the damned forever.

A feast for mystery fanatics, gore-hounds, and horror fans alike, Corpse Party: Tortured Souls - Bougyakusareta Tamashii no Jukyou shows a sobering look at redemption, sacrifice, and how the past is always right behind, sometimes a little too close for comfort.



Tags: Ghost , Gore , Tragedy , Alternate Universe , School , Isekai , Body Horror , Memory Manipulation , Primarily Teen Cast , Skeleton , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Suicide , Time Manipulation , Male Protagonist

Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica: Hangyaku no Monogatari

Also known as Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion.

Studio: Aniplex , Shaft , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Movic , Nitroplus , Madoka Partners , Houbunsha
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

Were all the magical girls truly saved from despair? Now, the great "Law of Cycles" leads the magical girls to their new fate. Madoka Kaname, a girl who once led an ordinary life, sacrificed her very existence to set every magical girl free from their cruel destiny. Homura Akemi, another magical girl who was unable to keep her promise with Madoka, continues to fight in the world in which Madoka left her behind.
"I dream of the day when I can finally see your dear smile again."
Madoka Kaname has changed the world. In this new world, is what the magical girls see a world of hope... or despair?



Tags: Anti-Hero , Alternate Universe , Memory Manipulation , Magic , Tragedy , Witch , Cosmic Horror , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Primarily Female Cast , Gods , Curses , Henshin , Yandere , LGBTQ+ Themes , Urban Fantasy , Time Manipulation , Aliens , Yuri , Demons , Guns , Urban , Kuudere , Mythology , Mixed Media , School