This show honestly surprises me more than I expected. You feel a sense of mystery when watching it… a mystery that draws you in to experience it. So if you enjoy this anime, here is a list of anime like Tengoku Daimakyou (Heavenly Delusion) that you should consider.
From the New World (Shinsekai yori)
In the town of Kamisu 66, 12-year-old Saki Watanabe has just awakened to her psychic powers and is relieved to rejoin her friends—the mischievous Satoru Asahina, the shy Mamoru Itou, the cheerful Maria Akizuki, and Shun Aonuma, a mysterious boy whom Saki admires—at Sage Academy, a special school for psychics. However, unease looms as Saki begins to question the fate of those unable to awaken to their powers, and the children begin to get involved with secretive matters such as the rumored Tainted Cats said to abduct children.
Shinsekai yori tells the unique coming-of-age story of Saki and her friends as they journey to grow into their roles in the supposed utopia. Accepting these roles, however, might not come easy when faced with the dark and shocking truths of society, and the impending havoc born from the new world.
Comments:
- Both deal with the mystery of why a majority of humanity has disappeared. As well as with children that are being manipulated or sheltered from the truth while encouraging sexual and romantic relationships between them to not make them think about the “outside”. Both also has supernatural elements of both cast abilities as well as the now “new world”.
- Greedy adults take kids to an installation; they start to develop their bonds and find their sexuality there; they leave and find that the world is not as it seemed to be in the safe place. Now they need to protect their lives.
The Promised Neverland (Yakusoku no Neverland)
Surrounded by a forest and a gated entrance, the Grace Field House is inhabited by orphans happily living together as one big family, looked after by their “Mama,” Isabella. Although they are required to take tests daily, the children are free to spend their time as they see fit, usually playing outside, as long as they do not venture too far from the orphanage—a rule they are expected to follow no matter what. However, all good times must come to an end, as every few months, a child is adopted and sent to live with their new family, never to be heard from again.
However, the three oldest siblings have their suspicions about what is actually happening at the orphanage, and they are about to discover the cruel fate that awaits the children living at Grace Field, including the twisted nature of their beloved Mama.
Comments:
- Both animes have premises regarding a isolated place from the world that have been lost due a catastrophic event for, potentially, all humanity. A wall was built to keep kids “safe” from the outside world. “Alienation” and “survival” are common themes in both animes.
- Both these shows have a similar Premise, although both these animes have different approaches. “I like the idea of Civilization is at the hands of Man-Eating Monsters”, an both these shows tackle that aspect very well and in a diverse way as well.
Made in Abyss
The Abyss—a gaping chasm stretching down into the depths of the earth, filled with mysterious creatures and relics from a time long past. How did it come to be? What lies at the bottom? Countless brave individuals, known as Divers, have sought to solve these mysteries of the Abyss, fearlessly descending into its darkest realms. The best and bravest of the Divers, the White Whistles, are hailed as legends by those who remain on the surface.
Riko, daughter of the missing White Whistle Lyza the Annihilator, aspires to become like her mother and explore the furthest reaches of the Abyss. However, just a novice Red Whistle herself, she is only permitted to roam its most upper layer. Even so, Riko has a chance encounter with a mysterious robot with the appearance of an ordinary young boy.
She comes to name him Reg, and he has no recollection of the events preceding his discovery. Certain that the technology to create Reg must come from deep within the Abyss, the two decide to venture forth into the chasm to recover his memories and see the bottom of the great pit with their own eyes. However, they know not of the harsh reality that is the true existence of the Abyss.
Comments:
- A duo immersed in an extremely dangerous world. They go through obstacles of all kinds and end up in many situations where they risk a slow and painful death.
- Interesting secondary characters dealing with a method to achieve a safer world.
Darling in the FranXX
In the distant future, humanity has been driven to near-extinction by giant beasts known as Klaxosaurs, forcing the surviving humans to take refuge in massive fortress cities called Plantations. Children raised here are trained to pilot giant mechas known as FranXX—the only weapons known to be effective against the Klaxosaurs—in boy-girl pairs. Bred for the sole purpose of piloting these machines, these children know nothing of the outside world and are only able to prove their existence by defending their race.
Hiro, an aspiring FranXX pilot, has lost his motivation and self-confidence after failing an aptitude test. Skipping out on his class’ graduation ceremony, Hiro retreats to a forest lake, where he encounters a mysterious girl with two horns growing out of her head. She introduces herself by her codename Zero Two, which is known to belong to an infamous FranXX pilot known as the “Partner Killer.”
Before Hiro can digest the encounter, the Plantation is rocked by a sudden Klaxosaur attack. Zero Two engages the creature in her FranXX, but it is heavily damaged in the skirmish and crashes near Hiro. Finding her partner dead, Zero Two invites Hiro to pilot the mecha with her, and the duo easily defeats the Klaxosaur in the ensuing fight. With a new partner by his side, Hiro has been given a chance at redemption for his past failures, but at what cost?
Comment:
- Post apocalyptic mystery and over sheltered youth coming of age.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Ever since the death of his father, the burden of supporting the family has fallen upon Tanjirou Kamado’s shoulders. Though living impoverished on a remote mountain, the Kamado family are able to enjoy a relatively peaceful and happy life. One day, Tanjirou decides to go down to the local village to make a little money selling charcoal. On his way back, night falls, forcing Tanjirou to take shelter in the house of a strange man, who warns him of the existence of flesh-eating demons that lurk in the woods at night.
When he finally arrives back home the next day, he is met with a horrifying sight—his whole family has been slaughtered. Worse still, the sole survivor is his sister Nezuko, who has been turned into a bloodthirsty demon. Consumed by rage and hatred, Tanjirou swears to avenge his family and stay by his only remaining sibling. Alongside the mysterious group calling themselves the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjirou will do whatever it takes to slay the demons and protect the remnants of his beloved sister’s humanity.
Comments:
- A pair of young adults/teens(?) have to go around killing vicious supernatural monsters for their survival
- The main characters possess “unusual” abilities even amongst those doing the same work
- Great fight scenes and an unfolding mystery
86 (Eighty-Six)
According to the Republic of San Magnolia, their ongoing war against the Giadian Empire has no casualties—however, that is mere propaganda. While the silver-haired Alba of the Republic’s eighty-five sectors live safely behind protective walls, those of different appearances are interned in a secret eighty-sixth faction. Known within the military as the Eighty-Six, they are forced to fight against the Empire’s autonomous Legion under the command of the Republican “Handlers.”
Vladilena Milizé is assigned to the Spearhead squadron to replace their previous Handler. Shunned by her peers for being a fellow Eighty-Six supporter, she continues to fight against their inhumane discrimination. Shinei Nouzen is the captain of the Spearhead squadron.
Infamous for being the sole survivor of every squadron he’s been in, he insists on shouldering the names and wishes of his fallen comrades. When the fates of these young souls from two different worlds collide, will it ignite the spark that lights their path to salvation, or will they burn themselves in the flames of despair?
Comment:
- Both have dystopian worlds, great characters, good fights, great soundtracks, and great plots.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Dreams are doomed to die in Night City, a futuristic Californian metropolis. As a teenager living in the city’s slums, David Martinez is trying to fulfill his mother’s lifelong wish for him to reach the top of Arasaka, the world’s leading security corporation. To this end, he attends the prestigious Arasaka Academy while his mother works tirelessly to keep their family afloat.
When an incident with a street gang leaves David’s life in tatters, he stumbles upon Sandevistan cyberware—a prosthetic that grants its wearer superhuman speed. Fueled by rage, David implants the device in his back, using it to exact revenge on one of his tormentors. This gets him expelled from the academy, shattering his hopes of ever making his mother proud.
After witnessing David’s newfound abilities, the beautiful data thief Lucyna “Lucy” Kushinada offers to team up with him, handing him a ticket to salvation. However, associating with Lucy introduces David to the world of Edgerunners—cyborg criminals who will break any law for money. Edgerunners often lose their lives, if the cyberware does not break their minds first; but in his fight for survival inside a corrupt system, David is ready to risk it all.
Comment:
- Both have dystopian worlds, great characters and great fights
Girls’ Last Tour (Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou)
Amid the desolate remains of a once-thriving city, only the rumbling of a motorbike breaks the cold winter silence. Its riders, Chito and Yuuri, are the last survivors in the war-torn city. Scavenging old military sites for food and parts, the two girls explore the wastelands and speculate about the old world to pass the time.
Chito and Yuuri each occasionally struggle with the looming solitude, but when they have each other, sharing the weight of being two of the last humans becomes a bit more bearable. Between Yuuri’s clumsy excitement and Chito’s calm composure, their dark days get a little brighter with shooting practice, new books, and snowball fights on the frozen battlefield.
Among a scenery of barren landscapes and deserted buildings, Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou tells the uplifting tale of two girls and their quest to find hope in a bleak and dying world.
Comments:
- Both are based on slice of life in a post apocalyptic world.
- Both have a dark undertone but there is no forced drama. The characters make an effort not to die of hunger or misery but they do not constantly lament their situation, they have grown up in that world and they face it the best they can.
- Both have a component that is transparent to the characters but not the viewer, they grew up in that world and do not understand the reason for many things or what the pre-apocalyptic organization was like. It brings an interesting philosophical nuance to the viewer about what we live in and what is dispensed with in decadence as well as the stages of decay experienced by the society of the plot.
- Both have a distinguished comedy component, the result of the mutual coexistence between the pairs of protagonists.
Reference: https://myanimelist.net/anime/53393/Tengoku_Daimakyou/
Read also: