Anime Like Erased If You’re Looking for Something Similar
ReLIFE
Arata Kaizaki is a man whose life stalled, despite his potential for greatness when he was younger. Once ambitious and driven, he has since stumbled in life and now works at a part time job, eager for another chance to be the best he can be.
That chance comes when he meets Ryō Yoake, a man looking for people to test a new drug capable of reverting their age back by 10 years. In exchange for testing the new drug, the subject will not only regain their appearance from 10 years earlier but will also receive a full time job at the company in charge of creating it. Seeing this as an opportunity to restart his life, Kaizaki agrees to test the new drug and sparks a series of events that will give him and many others a second chance at life.
Filled with laughter one moment and charged with stark realizations of past mistakes the next, ReLIFE is a series with genuine heart that offers a hopeful view of life’s challenges and the struggles one faces to overcome them. Its pseudo-take on time traveling presents plenty of fun for those who enjoyed its use in Erased, and with 17 episodes total, it’s a breezy experience almost anyone can find time to enjoy.
Anime Like Erased If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Death Parade
For a show about people who come to terms about their deaths in purgatory, Death Parade has some surprisingly uplifting and emotionally positive moments. Set in one of several inter-dimensional bars that serve as the afterlife, the series follows the arbiter and judge of departed souls Decim and his partner, the amnesiac Chiyuki. Brought together through chance, they must judge the lives and past deeds of the dead through special bar games. Those they judge as good and just are reincarnated for a second chance at life; meanwhile, those they judge as evil are sent into a void of nothingness to suffer for the rest of their days.
The longer the two judge souls, the clearer it becomes that their job has no clear answers and that the weight of their potential mistakes could cost someone dearly. At the same time though, they’ll learn the value a life can hold and how important it is to make the most of the time one has.
A character-driven series with sci-fi elements, Death Parade is a thoughtful series that can be overlooked all too easily. Its premise, as well as the way the characters are made to interact with it, will seem strange at first, but by the show’s end will have almost any anime fan eager for more.
Anime Like Erased If You’re Looking for Something Similar
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
After a disaster of a day, full of everything from a missed alarm to a flunked exam, Makoto Konno’s life nearly ends when her bike’s brakes fail in front of a railroad crossing. She is saved, however, when a strange object she found in one of her classes sends her back to the beginning of the day, along with knowledge of exactly what will happen and when. Before long, she realizes she can use this power whenever she wants, and what follows is a series of antics and shenanigans any teen with the power to control time would get up to… until her choices all catch up to her at once.
One of director Mamoru Hosoda’s most memorable films, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time takes the usual tropes of time travel stories and presents them in a way that feels genuine and well thought out. Along with stellar animation and music, it tells a tale that feels equally like a modern day fairy tale and a tragedy. It’ll hook you before you know it, and by the time the credits roll you’ll be just as satisfied as you would be with Erased as a whole.
Anime Like Erased If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Anohana
Whereas Erased tells the story of a man desperate to undo a mistake from his childhood, Anohana tells the story of a group of friends who must come to terms with their mistakes in the present. Ten years after the tragic death of his childhood friend Menma, Jinta finds himself forced to gather the rest of his old friends together when she returns from the dead and refuses to pass on until they make amends with each other.
The more he tries to bring them together though, the more he realizes they have been just as haunted as him, unable to move on and live their lives happily. This sets off a chain of events where each must accept what happened all those years ago, admit to their roles in it and move on towards a better life for all involved.
Equal parts a tale of redemption and a gut punch of emotional devastation, Anohana will work its way into your heart before you know it. It can thaw even the coldest of hearts with its warmer moments and squeeze tears out of a stone-faced stoic, and if you’re willing to let it make you remember you have feelings for a little while, you’ll feel like a new person by the end of its 11 episode run.
Anime Like Erased If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Clannad
Tomoya Okazaki drifts along through life without a purpose until he stumbles upon Nagisa Furukawa on his way home one night. Though they don’t appear to have much in common at first, their paths continue to intersect as they find themselves drawn to others around the school and help them with their problems so that they can get their lives back on track. Before long, a romantic bond forms between the two that will guide them through thick and thin, but could also lead to heartbreak and hardship should anything ever cause it to break.
A surprisingly insightful romance anime that carries itself much further than others in its genre, Clannad is the kind of show that is relaxing to watch even at its most emotional. It’s fun and uplifting to see the relationship between Tomoya and Nagisa mature, and while some twists will leave you emotionally gutted, others will leave you refreshed and ready for more. Definitely give this a look if the softer moments in Erased left you eager for a similar experience.
Anime Like Erased If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World
Subaru Natsuki finds his life changed irreversably when he is suddenly transported to another world full of magic, monsters and danger around every corner. While he finds it exciting at first, it isn’t long before he is killed and returns back to the point where he first entered the world. He deduces that whatever brought him to this new world also made it impossible for him to die, instead respawning him at random points throughout his journey. With no other option, he sets out to find the correct course of actions to take through each day and the new threats it brings, even if it means he must endure hardships and challenges the likes of which he never could have imagined.
A series that boasts some impressively dark twists throughout its 25 episode run time, Re:Zero is the grim, animated version of Groundhog Day you never knew you wanted. Full of nail-biter action set pieces, debilitating turns for the worse and plenty of drama around how Subaru deals with his newfound ability, the series is a must-watch for anyone who wants to see a series tackle the darker side of time travel.
Anime Like Erased If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Your Name
Mitsuha Miyamizu and Taki Tachibana’s lives couldn’t be more different. One juggles the responsibilities of a shrine maiden in the quiet lakeside town of Itomori, while the other works and attends school in Tokyo.
And yet, for reasons neither can explain, the two wake up in each other’s bodies one day and are forced to adapt to their new situation. Before long, they learn more about each other and develop a romantic interest in one another, but before either can act on it, they stop switching bodies. Desperate to see one another again, they try to uncover the cause behind the strange phenomenon, only for Taki to uncover a tragic truth that can only be undone by their newfound connection.
If the hype that surrounded this movie put you off from watching it – which would be understandable, considering it became the highest grossing anime film of all time when it was released – do yourself a favor and cross it off your watch list. Not only does it blend sci-fi elements into an easily embraceable love story, but it weaves its tale so masterfully that you’ll be roped into it almost immediately. Don’t pass up on this stellar film any longer than you have to.
What anime do you turn to when you want a similar experience to Erased? mention them in the comments below, and check out some of our other recommendation lists for series like Planet With and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
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