Bokurano
Synopsis:
When a group of children discover a strange cave at the beach, their lives are forever changed. Inside they meet a man called Kokopelli who seems to have a lot of advanced gadgetry. He invites them to participate in a ‘game’ in which they play heroes saving Earth from fifteen giant monsters. To defeat the invaders, he will give them a powerful mecha of black armor. The children eagerly sign the contract, name their new weapon Zearth, and must now take turns to pilot it; but the ‘game’ is in fact all too real and the consequences of battle become the stuff of nightmares. With no option to cancel the contract, is there any way to stop the game before it is too late for all of them?
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GANTZ
- TV (26 eps)
- 2004
Much to the annoyance of Kei, he and his childhood friend Katou have died, having been torn apart by a train. But rather than finding themselves at the gates of heaven, the duo materialize in a room full of strangers and a giant black sphere known as GANTZ. As if dying once wasn’t bad enough, the occupants of the room are then forced to embark on dangerous missions to kill strange aliens; missions that very few return from. Now, Kei, Katou, and a well-endowed friend must fight for their freedom with an arsenal of guns, high powered suits, and a very low chance of survival.
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12 people think you'd like this because...
add recPrior to seeing Bokurano, the best recommendation I could think of for GANTZ was Elfen Lied (due to the blood and gore alone). Now, it is apparant that GANTZ and Bokurano are pretty much the best recommendations for each other ever. They do both have remarkably similar stories, and each has a very tragic and demented feel that will make you cringe. Bokurano is missing the gore that GANTZ has, but its adult themes including sex and betrayal fit perfectly with the excessiveness of GANTZ.
I strongly recommend one if you liked the other.
You'd definitely like GANTZ if you are a fan of Bokurano for they share a lot in terms of plot and feel. Characters are lost and trying to deal with an extremely foreign and deadly situation, and each other. Though beware, GANTZ is incredibly violent whereas Bokurano is not.
If you liked Bokurano, you would like GANTZ because it has a very similar story, except in GANTZ it's not based around kids and there is a lot of gore and sex.
GANTZ has one thing that Bokurano is lacking: it has a lot of gore. That alone might decide whether you like an anime or not, but the similarities are definitely present! The feelings of fear and despair bring out the exact same atmosphere. And these two anime are definitely unique when it comes to that!
Both Bokurano and Gantz are about a dreadful game that entraps its players and submits them to inhuman torment. Gantz is considerably more violent in terms of credible gore while Bokurano is more pervasive insofar as the violence is mostly psychological yet in both there is an overwhelming feeling of unfairness and unavoidable doom. The mystery that surrounds the nature of the game is similar in both series, Bokurano eventually provides an explanation that ties up with larger than life consequences while Gantz remains enigmatic through and through.
Both anime feature mysterious protagonists that don't reveal there true motives until much later on in the series. Both are also filled with similar amounts of gore, violence, sex and characters...
Both involve a life-or-death 'game', both have a manipulating figure with all the answers, and both have great battle scenes. They're basically the same anime with a different age group, though Bokurano had more at stake with each battle.
I think that the two are similar they both are games that play with peoples lives and there is no apparent reason why they have to fight. They both have the same feeling of struggling for your life and the chaos of working together to try to survive.
Bokurano is very similar to GANTZ. They are both about effects of power on human personality, but Bokurano has much less graphic violence than GANTZ. Although Bokurano sometimes focuses on the individials, anime is mostly on greater scale compared to GANTZ. Also the games in both anime is quite similar.
Both Gantz and Bokurano have a similar atmoshphere. The people involved have only one realistic way out - death in combat. Both are fairly depressing, very unfair on the "participants" and constantly questioning the value of life.
These two animes have very similar themes: They both involve people having to participate in a game where the choices are win or die. Both series follow the protagonists as they try to figure out the game whilst battling with their thoughts and emotions. While GANTZ is really violent, I'm sure that if you liked one you'll see a lot of similarities in the other.
Inexperienced people? Fighting aliens for their lives? gauranteed deaths, Unnerving feeling before battle? Thats bokurano for you, id say it describes pretty much what gantz is too, cept this time its with kids so all the more creepier, If you liked gantz for its diluted combination of gore from elfen lied and creepyness from bokurano then im sure youd love the concentrated version :D in Bokurano. Or if you liked Bokurano, you'd like Gantz too.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Alt titles: Evangelion
In the future, a devastating event known as Second Impact destroyed Tokyo as we know it, giving rise to the current day Tokyo III, a city under siege by mysterious lifeforms known only as Angels. Mankind's only defense are Evangelions, man-made machines piloted by Rei, Shinji, and Asuka, all who are the tender age of fourteen. The fate of Japan and the entire world now lie with these children, though they might not have the power to save the most important thing of all: each other.
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add recBoth anime are on the sinister side of the mecha genre; they're about how riding a giant robot into battle is not in the least bit cool, but has horrifying personal and psychological consequences. There are no heroes in either series - just children forced to save the Earth without anyone preparing them for it. Add to that a similar sort of set-up i.e. kids defending a city from consecutive enemies with unique designs, and plots that are driven by totally screwed-up characters, liking one is bound to mean you'll like the other.
Eva and Bokurano deconstruct the mecha genre by adding layers of extremely dark psychological content. Both are highly visceral, the action being centered around children who are forced into a conflict of literally cosmic proportions. In these series the nature of the enemy is ambiguous to the extreme, which makes the whole experience all the more poignant. Eva's latter episodes focus heavily on existential topics, which are replaced in Bokurano with a more psychological approach. The limitless situations the casts are subjected to and the depth of characterization makes these anime masterpieces, with an appeal that goes beyond the giant robot niche.
Bokurano and Neon Genesis Evangelion use giant robots to explore similar emotional reactions in characters - whether it's moral obligations about saving the world, or the mystery of the enemy (leading to be ultimately somewhat more human in the end than we first realise). Bokurano, in some ways, is an extension of themes touched upon by Evangelion; while Evangelion attempts a wider philosophy than Bokurano's "personal" philosophies.
Evangelion and Bokurano share some obvious similarities. Both have kids fighting in big robots, and both have a storyline that involves messing with the characters' heads. Whether it's psychological breakdowns or being a hero, everyone deals with the events in their own way while having to save the world. These are definitely very alike!
Neon Genesis Evangelion and Bokurano both have a similar plot. Enemies coming one by one and if you don't defeat them - bye bye to planet earth. The giant robots in both series are far more advanced than the world around them which creates a similar "all or nothing" atmosphere.
in both series we can see how the main characters , faces problems, which they must have very clear who they are and because they are there. overcoming problems unusual, and occasions doubt on if they are doing the right thing.
This has a very NGE feel about it, special children piloting giant robots, relationships between children and parent explored between fights and a fairly good ending, if somewhat abrupt. With the negative character coming out on top.The fight scenes can get a little repetative with the children finding a sure-fire way to always win...
The first and foremost similarity between Bokurano and NGE is obviously the Meccha tag both anime rightfully carry, they are after all both about huge fighting robots. It goes a bit further than that though. What links these two shows together, is both the psychology aspect they share, and the premise.
In both shows kids pilot these robots, constantly with their lives on the line. You are constantly confronted with the terrors they go through and how each kid deals with it differently.
Finally, in both shows the kids are forced to fight against an unknown enemy, one not from this world. They just appear out of nowhere and just have to be eliminated. Only later in the series you'll get to know what they actually are and what their reasons are.
If you liked one of these shows for the Meccha action, psychological factor or premise, don't miss out on the other.
Shadow Star Narutaru
Alt titles: Narutaru
- TV (13 eps)
- 2003
While visiting her grandparents on a remote island, Shiina Tamai, our young protagonist, inadvertently finds a strange star shaped creature, which she names Hoshimaru. This creature, while seemingly harmless and unusual, holds many secrets. As Shiina and her new friend Akira soon find out, their creatures are much more than they seem to be...and against their will, they are thrown into a dangerous and hostile situation of trying to save the world from others who would use their dragonets to enslave it.
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add recInterestingly enough, after I had come up with this recommendation I discovered that the same minds behind Narutaru created Bokurano -- I guess it makes sense that I'd naturally think of this recommendation anyways, right? Both Bokurano and Narutaru have something in common: a MESSED UP story involving kids. Not only is the animation style similar, but the amount of implied and disturbing violence is prevalent in both.
If you like watching things that are dark, violent, and sometimes wrong (you'll know what I mean when you watch either of these), check out either Bokurano or Narutaru. Narutaru is more of a "here's what Pokemon would look like in hell" feel, while Bokurano has more of a "GANTZ with kids" feel.
Both Narutaru and Bokurano are adaptations of manga from the same mangaka, and they both have a dark theme. The main characters are kids between 11-13 years old; and among them, there are some who have many problems, while some other kids are pretty cruel and don't mind killing people or care what happens to innocent bystanders. There is considerable violence in both and some mysteries for anyone who likes that kind of stuff.
Shadow Star Narutaru and Bokurano share the same general atmosphere of fateful horror. The same creator is behind both series and it shows. Children caught in a recurring pattern of violence and death form the basic premise of both series. The issue of the value of life is prominent in both, as is the role of responsibility. These series are character-driven and extremely dark; Bokurano focuses on the destiny of the whole planet, while Shadow Star Narutaru deals primarily with the cast itself, but in both cases children are pushed to the limit, making for agonizing situations that are masterfully handled.
Darkness prevails among school kids; Bokurano and Narutaru have the same creator behind them, and it shows. They are violent but philosophical, sometimes delving into their horror repertoires. The characters are far from simple, and topics such as rape and murder are broached in both, with some shocking results.
Both Bokurano and NaruTaru take a familiar genre (Bokurano takes mecha, and NaruTaru takes Pocket Monster) and bring them out of their comfort zones by bringing in dark elements, violence, and philisophical points. Also, both anime delve into a well known, yet seldom aknowledged fact: Children can be cruel.
Again both anime is about effects of power on human personality but Bokurano has less graphic violence than Narutaru.If you line up GANTZ -> Narutaru -> Bokurano these three anime are about the same concepts, but graphic violence decreases in that order while the scale increase.
Very dark and disturbing in many ways, focussing on the relationships between children and their reaction to receiving destructive power. Bokurano and Narutaru both feature some beautiful and intreguing powered creatures/robot.
Fafner
Alt titles: Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor
- TV (25 eps)
- 2004
"Are you there?" This is the question that the aliens always demand before they attack. The quiet island of Tatsumiyajima is secretly the last line of defense against mysterious invaders. In a quiet and rustic villiage, children were raised without any knowlege that they were born to pilot the Fafnirs, giant robotic war machines of terrible powers that are the only thing that can defend all they hold dear.These children's struggles will be the only thing that can hold off an enemy that attacks both our bodies and our sense of identity...
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add recBokurano and Fafner have kids fighting in giant mecha to protect their homes and families at the cost of their own lives. If you like those elements in one, you'll love the other. Not to mention they both have awesome fight scenes and dishonest adults.
Fafner and Bokurano deal with young pilots who are forced to ride mechas in order to defend their homes at all costs. Fighting an enemy whose true nature proves to be ambiguous, the children in both series are manipulated by corrupt adults and must find the strength to deal with the chaos and violence that threatens them. Bokurano is perhaps a greater tour de force than Fafner (with its relatively tame content), but in both cases the personal relationships established between the pilots, each other, and their loved ones are at the forefront of the narrative, providing a solid emotional background for the action. Both series highlight the role of family as they develop character-driven stories that are bitter sweet and very moving in their emotional rapport.
Fafner and Bokurano both have the basic Evangelion concept and have chosen children battle it out in robots. But in both, our new heroes must find their own way amidst all the chaos. They must look at themselves, at the world, and must definitely not lose track of their enemies. As the fights continue the two anime keep becoming more similar, but the stories in each are still refreshing and different enough to keep you interested until the end.
Both anime deal with the psychological toll inflicted on the young pilots of giant mecha who solely hold the faith of the planet in their hands every time they battle. Both anime also start off in the same unassuming way before all hell breaks loose. Get ready for alot death and suffering in both. If you like one you will like the other.
Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek
- Movie
- 2004
Near the ruins of an old and abandoned city, there is played a game simply known as "Otokoyo." It is said that when children play this game, they go missing one by one. Some say it is ghosts. Others say it is demons. But for Hikora, one thing is certain: his sister disappeared playing the game and he will do whatever it takes to find her, even if it means playing the game himself. He and seven others will do just that, all for their own reasons, and learn that rumors aren’t always fictitious. Escaping with their lives will become the main concern when this game of hide-and-seek turns deadly.
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add recBoth anime focus on a dark world where kids are sucked into a game in which they are eliminated and disappear one by one. It is a dangerous game and more life-threatening than they could have ever imagined.
The game which these children play, in either anime, is haunting, doomed and ultimately moot. There are no winners, and not even the strong can survive.
The thing Bokurano and Kakurenbo have in common, is it's basic premise. There is a group of young teenagers caught up in what they thought would be a fun game, but as soon as they're in the middle of it, things turn out to be far more real than they ever wanted it to be. Note that Kakurenbo is 20min short and fairly shallow, while Bokurano is 24Eps long and goes quite deep into the psyche and lives of the characters, but aside from that (obvious) difference, these two are a good recommendation for each other
Children playing games.... very dangerous games as it turns out with both these anime. Kakurenbo is short and straight to the point after a while where Bokurano takes it's time and teases you with every episode to figure out what's going on. Scary and thrilling for a fun romp in the horror genre following children around in what seems to be game like check one out if you liked the other as i'm sure you'll enjoy.
