Anime like Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu.

Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregotozukai

Also known as Kubikiri Cycle: The Blue Savant and the Nonsense User.

Studio: Shaft , Kodansha , Aniplex
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

It's the vacation of a lifetime, a trip to a remote island filled with geniuses–and murder.

On Wet Crow's Feather Island, a tiny speck in the Sea of Japan, lives Akagami Iria, the exiled daughter of a powerful family. Born into great wealth, she was a princess of the highest pedigree–until she was cut off by the leader of the Akagami Foundation. For the last five years, she's lived on Feather Island with her maids. But she hasn't been alone. She has invited the best minds Japan has to offer to come and stay with her.

And so nineteen-year-old college student Ii-chan and his best friend, computer genius Kunagisa Tomo, find themselves as Iria’s guests at her elaborate mansion. Surrounded by fascinating women – a chef, a fortune-teller, a scholar, and an artist, not to mention his own friend Tomo – Ii-chan is feeling a little overmatched intellectually. But the sudden discovery of a grisly murder sends the island into shock. And Ii-chan discovers that he does possess a bit of genius: the ability to discover what is real and what is fake, who is who they claim to be and who is a killer.



Tags: Detective , Philosophy , Crime , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Female Cast , Conspiracy , Body Swapping , Maids , Tragedy , Ojou-sama , Hikikomori , Female Protagonist , Super Power , Heterosexual , CGI , Kuudere , Gore , Time Skip , Ships

Bakemonogatari

Also known as Bakemonogatari.

Studio: Aniplex , Shaft , Kodansha , Aniplex of America , Hanabee Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Supernatural

First season of the Monogatari Series, part 1/6. Contains the arcs Hitagi Crab, Mayoi Snail, Suruga Monkey, Nadeko Snake, and Tsubasa Cat from the Bakemonogatari light novels.

Thanks to Meme Oshino, Koyomi Araragi, a high school student, is able to remain a human after coming across a female vampire... However, since the incident, Koyomi seems to meet girls who have an apparition-related issue. Hitagi Senjougahara doesn’t weigh anything, Suruga Kanbaru’s right arm becomes like that of a monkey’s, and a young girl, Mayoi, cannot find her way home no matter how many times she tries. Koyomi, a Mr. Nice Guy, ends up helping each and every girl solve her problem with the help of Meme Oshino.



Tags: Youkai , Ensemble Cast , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Surreal Comedy , Philosophy , Kuudere , Coming of Age , Vampire , Ghost , Primarily Female Cast , Satire , Primarily Teen Cast , Meta , Heterosexual , Dissociative Identities , Psychosexual , Curses , Monster Girl , Mixed Media , Yandere , Love Triangle , Tomboy , Parody , Gore , Rotoscoping , Female Harem , Nekomimi , Gods , Exorcism , Tsundere , LGBTQ+ Themes , CGI , Rehabilitation , Amnesia , School , Aliens

Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

Also known as Kaiji - Ultimate Survivor.

Studio: MADHOUSE , VAP , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Psychological , Thriller

Itou Kaiji is a bum who steals car emblems and slashes tires on what seems to be a regular basis. This routine changes one day when he is paid a visit by a man in a trench-coat. Once the two get talking, it seems that the visitor (Calling himself Endou) is a debt collector. The reason for his visit is an unpaid loan which Kaiji had previously co-signed for a work-mate (Furuhata Takeshi). The original loan was 300,000 yen and once Takeshi had disappeared, the loan then fell on Kaiji.

Kaiji is then told of a way to clear the interest compounded debt (which stood at 3,850,000 yen), which involved getting on a boat with others in his position. Once on the boat the debtors would then have to gamble with loaned money, which would end with a few winning, and others getting into deeper debt and having to work to pay off their debts. After some coercion Kaiji accepts a position on the boat, in order to clear his debt and make a bit of money as well...

Tags: Gambling , Survival , Primarily Adult Cast , Class Struggle , Primarily Male Cast , Seinen , Male Protagonist , Death Game , Philosophy , Tragedy , Crime , Card Battle , Revenge , Yakuza , Torture , Ships , Athletics , Anti-Hero , Urban , Body Horror , Prison , Nudity , Work

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 , Cosmic Horror , Urban Fantasy , Philosophy , Time Loop , Primarily Teen Cast , Alternate Universe , Henshin , Coming of Age , Survival , Yuri , Primarily Child Cast , Kuudere , Urban , Aliens , Ensemble Cast , Gods , Mixed Media , Suicide , Spearplay , Heterosexual , Guns , Swordplay , Anti-Hero , Achronological Order , Denpa , School , Tomboy , Anthropomorphism , Archery , Yandere , Isekai , Class Struggle

Death Parade

Also known as Death Parade.

Studio: MADHOUSE , VAP , DAX Production , Nippon Television Network
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

When two people die at the same time, they’re sent to a place that’s neither heaven nor hell—a lavish bar between worlds where the stakes are high and the rules are simple: if you win you live again, if you die… you’re gone for good.

Decim is the bartender charged with serving the souls who enter Quindecim. He may make a mean cocktail, but his true profession is to play the role of arbiter—a judge who determines whether or not a soul is worthy of reincarnation. To aid in his judgment, the bar’s patrons are forced to play simple games laced with sadistic twists designed to bring their true natures to light. To Decim, judgment has always been black and white—that is—until he meets a mysterious young woman whose fate seems impossible to decide. His indecision shakes the very foundation of the games and raises the biggest question of all: Who is fit to judge the dead?



Tags: Death Game , Afterlife , Philosophy , Tragedy , Amnesia , Memory Manipulation , Reincarnation , Bar , Primarily Adult Cast , Episodic , Suicide , Gambling , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Mythology , Kuudere , Gyaru , Ice Skating , Revenge , CGI , Bowling , Tanned Skin

Tomodachi Game

Also known as Tomodachi Game.

Studio: Okuruto Noboru , King Records , Kodansha , Nippon Television Network , Crunchyroll
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

High school student Katagiri Yuuichi, who values friendship above all else, enjoys a fulfilling life with his close friends Sawagiri Shiho, Mikasa Tenji, Shibe Makoto, and Kokorogi Yutori.

However, after a particular incident, they're dragged into a debt repayment game.

The only way to beat the "Tomodachi Game" is to not doubt their friends. Bound together by solid friendships, the game should've been easy, but– The hugely popular comic that sold over two million copies is finally becoming an anime! Will they trust or betray their precious friends? The true nature of humanity is exposed in the ultimate psychological game!



Note: Premiered on Hulu and d Anime Store at 0:00 on Wednesdays, 1 hour 29 minutes ahead of Nippon TV's broadcast.

Tags: Male Protagonist , Survival , Anti-Hero , Crime , Shounen , Battle Royale , Revenge , Torture , Death Game , Acting , Tragedy , Bullying , Gambling , Ensemble Cast , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , Gangs , CGI , LGBTQ+ Themes , School

Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight

Also known as Revue Starlight.

Studio: Kinema Citrus , Pony Canyon , OVERLAP , APDREAM , TBS , Sound Team Don Juan , Nelke Planning , Bushiroad , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Music , Psychological

The franchise centers on "Starlight" — the song and dance revue troupe loved throughout the world. Karen and Hikari make a promise with each other when they're young that one day they'll stand on that stage together. Time passes, and now the girls are 16 years old. Karen is very enthusiastic about the lessons she takes every day, holding her promise close to her heart. Hikari has transferred schools and is now away from Karen. But the cogs of fate turn, and the two are destined to meet again. The girls and other "Stage Girls" will compete in a mysterious audition process to gain acceptance into the revue.



Tags: Musical Theater , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Ensemble Cast , Acting , Female Protagonist , Meta , Animals , Fairy Tale , Boarding School , Battle Royale , Time Loop , School , Coming of Age , Yuri , Philosophy , Henshin , Swordplay , Dancing , LGBTQ+ Themes , Unrequited Love , Amnesia , Spearplay , Love Triangle , Tomboy , Archery , Motorcycles , Urban

Sonny Boy

Also known as Sonny Boy.

Studio: MADHOUSE , BS Asahi , Shouchiku , Marui Group
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

It’s an ordinary summer vacation...except for the fact that Nagara’s high school has mysteriously drifted into another dimension. As the students begin to develop strange new powers, will they work together to survive the alien environment and find a way home, or will their newly formed factions and rivalries turn on each other?



Note: The first episode received an advance release on YouTube on June 19, 2021. The regular TV broadcast started on July 16, 2021.

Tags: Alternate Universe , Philosophy , Denpa , Coming of Age , Super Power , Survival , Primarily Teen Cast , Travel , Isekai , Meta , Achronological Order , School , Cosmic Horror , Mixed Media , Episodic , Tragedy , Wilderness , Gods , Unrequited Love , Animals , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Desert , Baseball , Space , Suicide

Gnosia

Also known as GNOSIA.

Studio: Aniplex , domerica , domerica , TOKYO MX , BS11 , Movic , PLAYISM , Petit Depot , Aniplex of America
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Sci-Fi , Thriller

The story of GNOSIA takes place on a ship drifting through space. Gnosia is an enemy that disguises itself as a human and attacks them. It is now on the spaceship, causing everyone onboard to be suspicious of each other. The crew decides to vote on the most suspicious-looking person every day and put them into a cold sleep.

If the humans succeed in putting Gnosia to sleep, they'll win. On the other hand, if they don't, everyone on board is in danger. The right decision must be made. No matter what decision is made by the main character, Yuri, she finds herself in a time loop that returns her to the first day of the crisis.

Will the crew on board make the right decision? What is the secret behind the time loop? What secrets hide behind the faces of everyone on board?

GNOSIA begins now – a story of looping, fleeting moments that feels like an eternity but passes by in an instant.

Have a pleasant journey.



Tags: Alternate Universe , Time Loop , Survival , Aliens , Ensemble Cast , Space , Death Game , Primarily Adult Cast , Amnesia , Artificial Intelligence , Philosophy , Clone , Religion , LGBTQ+ Themes , CGI , Asexual , Robots , Gender Bending , Aromantic , POV , Agender , Bisexual , Cosmic Horror , Heterosexual , Gods , Achromatic , Suicide , Ghost , Gyaru

Kakegurui

Also known as Kakegurui.

Studio: MAPPA , Square Enix , Dentsu , Movic , DIVE II Entertainment , Netflix , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological

During daylight hours, an exclusive, elite private school prepares its illustrious students for careers in business, politics, and high society. But when darkness falls, the halls of this esteemed establishment transform into an underground gambling den where bright-eyed youngsters learn the timeless art of bluffing, backdoor dealings and social manipulation. In this school for the rich and elite, money is power, and the tyrant of the betting books rules with an iron fist. So when the beautiful Yumeko Jabami upsets the academy hierarchy with her voracious appetite for the thrill of the gamble, the entire student body mobilizes to send her house of cards tumbling down.



Tags: Gambling , Female Protagonist , School , Primarily Female Cast , Masochism , Primarily Teen Cast , Ojou-sama , Poker , Anti-Hero , Body Horror , School Club , Bullying , Shounen , Slavery , Villainess , Yandere , Death Game , Male Protagonist , Idol , Delinquents , Guns , Battle Royale , CGI