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Aug 12, 2023

10 Best Anime Like Steins;Gate

Dive into thrilling anime on time manipulation and complex characters with Erased, Re:Zero, and Orange. Steins;Gate is a riveting anime series that brilliantly blends science fiction, thriller, and

Dive into thrilling anime on time manipulation and complex characters with Erased, Re:Zero, and Orange.

Steins;Gate is a riveting anime series that brilliantly blends science fiction, thriller, and drama elements. The gripping narrative follows a group of friends who accidentally create a time machine and experience unforeseen consequences as they alter timelines. With its intricate storytelling and emotionally engaging characters, this anime has carved out its niche in the realm of time travel.

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The thematic complexity and cerebral nature of Steins;Gate is echoed in similar anime like Erased, Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World, and Madoka Magica. These anime offer interesting narratives, exploring various dimensions of time travel, parallel worlds, and challenging realities.

Welcome to the N.H.K. is a dark comedy-drama anime that explores the life of Tatsuhiro Sato, a 22-year-old hikikomori (a recluse) who believes in a conspiracy called the N.H.K. that aims to create hikikomoris. His life changes when he meets Misaki Nakahara, who asserts she can cure his lifestyle.

The show thoughtfully tackles issues like social anxiety, depression, and loneliness while providing a raw insight into the otaku culture. The series balances light-hearted moments with poignant drama and offers a realistic depiction of the struggles those alienated from society face.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an enchanting anime film about a high school girl, Makoto Konno, who gains the ability to leap through time. After discovering this power, she initially uses it for trivial matters like acing tests, avoiding awkward situations, or extending her free time.

However, as her actions start to affect the lives of others, she begins to understand the consequences and complexities of time manipulation. Faced with unexpected dilemmas and the emotional turmoil of adolescence, Makoto learns that each moment in time is precious and irreversible.

Summer Time Rendering is a suspenseful, supernatural anime released on Hulu. When Shinpei Ajiro's childhood friend Ushio dies under mysterious circumstances, he returns to their island hometown for her funeral. He's soon drawn into a complex web of mystery, discovering that Ushio's death might not have been an accident.

When a strange phenomenon called Time Rendering allows Shinpei to go back in time, he takes it upon himself to change Ushio's fate. Along the journey, he uncovers dark secrets about his friends and the island to save those he loves.

Orange is an emotional anime about a high school student named Naho Takamiya who receives a letter from her future self, warning her of the upcoming transfer student, Kakeru Naruse. The letter instructs Naho to make different decisions from those her future self made to prevent Kakeru's tragic death.

As Naho navigates the complexities of her everyday life, she and her friends strive to change the future and save Kakeru. Orange portrays the challenges of adolescence and friendship with elements of romance, drama, and time travel.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya revolves around high school student Haruhi Suzumiya, who unknowingly can alter reality. When Haruhi expresses her desire to meet aliens, time travelers, and espers, her classmate Kyon encourages her to form the SOS Brigade, a school club dedicated to discovering supernatural phenomena.

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The club attracts an array of unusual members, who, unbeknownst to Haruhi, are the entities she's seeking. These members reveal to Kyon that they were sent to observe Haruhi. The series is a clever blend of high school slice-of-life, sci-fi, and supernatural adventure.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a magic anime series about Madoka Kaname, an average middle-schooler offered a contract by a strange creature named Kyubey: she can have any wish granted in exchange for becoming a magical girl tasked with fighting witches.

After a mysterious transfer student warns Madoka about the dangerous reality of the contract, Madoka and her friend Sayaka Miki find themselves facing the darker and tragic truth behind the life of a magical girl. The series masterfully subverts the magical girl genre by presenting an unexpectedly grim and psychological narrative.

Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song is a unique blend of science fiction and music set in a future where AI coexists with humans. The story follows Vivy, the first-ever autonomous humanoid AI, who performs as a singer at an amusement park.

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Her peaceful life is interrupted when an AI named Matsumoto arrives from 100 years in the future to prevent a war that will occur a century later. With Matsumoto's guidance, Vivy must change the course of history, tackling various missions while continuing her primary task as a singer.

Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World is an anime that follows Subaru Natsuki, an ordinary teenager who suddenly finds himself transported to a fantasy world. He gains the ability known as Return by Death, which allows him to rewind time each time he dies, forcing him to relive his gruesome deaths and the events leading up to them.

Despite the psychological toll, Subaru uses this ability to protect his new friends. The series combines dark fantasy, psychological drama, and time-loop mechanics with an intense, emotionally gripping narrative.

Serial Experiments Lain is a psychological, cyberpunk anime centering on Lain Iwakura, an introverted teenage girl with a minimal digital footprint. After receiving an email from a classmate who committed suicide, Lain becomes entangled in the mysterious Wired world, an advanced virtual reality network.

As she delves deeper, the distinction between reality and cyberspace blurs, with Lain's identity, existence, and perception of the world becoming increasingly ambiguous and fragmented. The enigmatic story invites viewers to grapple with profound philosophical questions and the eerie, existential dread of Lain's circumstances.

Erased is a psychological thriller anime about Satoru Fujinuma, a young man with a unique ability called Revival that involuntarily sends him back in time moments before a life-threatening incident, enabling him to prevent it.

After Satoru's mother's murder triggers a major Revival sending him back to his childhood, he embarks on a journey to save his friends and catch the culprit behind the crimes while unraveling the connection between this grim past and his mother's murder. The series beautifully blends mystery, suspense, and time travel.

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Meet Dev, an avid writer, cat lover, and anime enthusiast. He has a passion for storytelling, traveling, and new adventures.