Seven years ago, Kakeru’s sister killed herself, leaving him alone. Now a teenager, Yuka lives a quiet life with his friend Yuka and other classmates – but things change forever when he and Yuka are mysteriously transported to a frightening parallel world filled with monsters and a deep crimson sky. Though they manage to escape, Kakeru soon discovers that they aren’t alone; several other students at school also travel to the other dimension, and armed with powerful weapons they battle against its dark inhabitants. Why must they fight, and what is their purpose in the Red Night?
Sakai Yuuiji thought he was a normal high school student, until one fateful day when time stopped. Watching in horror, he witnesses a monster devouring the "frozen" people around him; but luckily for Yuuiji, he is saved by a sword-wielding red-headed girl that calls herself a "Flame Haze". The girl informs him that he has been dead for some time now and that his current self is merely a replacement for the human that he used be while alive. He is, she says, merely a torch whose life will come to an end when the blue flame in his chest ceases to burn. After this rude awakening, Yuuiji realizes that he is able to see the flames of life in other "torches"; and after discovering that a friend of his is also a torch -- and her life is burning out faster than his – he gains the courage to live out the rest of his life with meaning. Will Yuuji be able to find his place in the world before he ceases to exist?
Both of these titles are very similar in feel and characters. Misuzu (11eyes) and Shana (Shakugan no Shana) both wield swords and have to fight off a seemingly infinite hord of monsters in a different world. The Red Night in 11eyes can be compared to the Fuzetsu that are always setup before battles.
Although 11eyes is a new anime, I think most people who liked Shakugan no Shana would like it. The genres are actually exactly the same (on wikipedia).
Everyone likes a girl with a sword from time to time; am I the only one that gets bored with some pathetic cute girl? I hope not.
In Japan, there is a disturbing rumor being spread that people's shadows are ripping from their bodies, never to be seen again. For one young man, the frightening nature of this rumor is just beginning to manifest in the form of a nightmarish world that he can't seem to escape from. In this place full of dark minions and demons, he and his friends fight futilely against unknown enemies, only to be brought back to the "real world" as quickly as they left it. Is this real, or a dream? Only one person holds the key to destroying and saving the world as he knows it...
At the end of the 20th century a fierce war raged between the Monsters and the humans. The outcome was devastating for humanity -- as the Monsters had won -- and thus a new era of Monster-ruling began. These Monsters feed on children and can turn any human who sees them into either a puppet or stone -- except for the Melos Warriors who are the only ones able to fight them. Meet Bokka, a young aspiring Melos Warrior whose only goal is quite simple: to save the Melody of Oblivion and vanquish the Monster King, once and for all!
This is definitely a gut feeling recommendation, but I have a feeling that if you liked one of these you might like the other. Both are somewhat dark fantasy with creatures to deal with, and have a really similar mood and feel. Again, call it a gut feeling, but try it on for size.
Takumi is a reclusive otaku who wants nothing more than to be left alone to play online games and watch anime. He only attends the minimum necessary to pass his classes, and rarely leaves his cramped room except to purchase the newest figurines. One evening, while Takumi is chatting online with his friend "Grim," a stranger called "Shogun" joins the channel and, after "Grim" leaves, posts a series of disturbing photographs depicting a man impaled to a wall with metal stakes. The following day, Takumi is horrified when he wanders into an alley and once again sees Shogun’s images – but this time, the gruesome scene is reality. From then on, Takumi sees the world through a new set of eyes; imaginary delusions meld with reality, and he isn't sure who he can trust. With suspicions and confusion at every turn, Takumi must struggle to determine what's going on - but most importantly, whose eyes are those eyes?
Chaos;Head and 11 Eyes are exceedingly akin. In both we have a male lead surrounded by a female harem with varying degrees of usefulness regarding the plot. Magical swords, battles, girls running back and fro and an attempt at creating suspense reign supreme. As it turns out, the main character has some sort of power upon which salvation rests. With this said, Chaos;Head is not as fanservice stocked as its very ecchi counterpart 11 Eyes.
On the eve of nobleman Oz Bezarius's fifteenth birthday, he and his loved ones gather to celebrate in a coming-of-age ceremony. But after Oz steps under a long-stopped clock and the hands finally move once more - thus fulfilling a mysterious prophecy - he is violently thrown into the legendary prison known as the Abyss by three cloaked intruders. Existing in another dimension, the Abyss is home to lifeforms born within its walls known as Chains; these beings can only live in the real world if they make contracts with humans, binding their power to the person's body. However, there's a catch - in time, the human will be overcome by the Chain's power and then thrown into the deepest level of the Abyss. When Oz wakes up in the Abyss he is quickly attacked by hungry Chains, only to be saved by one named Alice - a Chain who appeared just before he was thrown into the prison. Together, the two make a contract and return to the real world, where they are enlisted into the Pandora organization - a group researching both the Abyss and the trio that threw Oz into it. Along with members of Pandora, the duo searches to find Alice's lost memory fragments that are scattered throughout the world, to discover the secrets of the Abyss, and to determine if there's a way their contract can be broken without killing either Oz or Alice.
While 11eyes definitely has more of an action focus, both it and Pandora Hearts I think may appeal to the same fans. With a somewhat gothic appearance, mysterious other dimension of sorts with monsters and plenty of fantasy, they might be enjoyed by the same audience.