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When a group of children discover a strange cave at the beach, their lives are forever changed. Inside they find a hide out filled with computers and a man named Kokopelli who gives them a curious offer: to participate in a special game in which they save 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?
"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...
Bokurano 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.
Maebara Keiichi, an ordinary high-school boy, has transferred to a new school in Hinamizawa, a small rural village. At the outset everything seems peaceful and Keiichi becomes friends with a nice group of schoolgirls with whom he spends many idle summer afternoons. Suddenly violence encroaches upon the blissful peace of the village and Keiichi becomes entangled in an endless cycle of fear and death. The inconsistent, but inevitable horrors of Hinamizawa are told and retold becoming an endless and inescapable nightmare of insanity. Will it end even if the mystery of Hinamizawa is solved?
Recommending a horror and a non-horror anime might definitely seem strange, epecially when Higurashi is the only anime that actually succeeds 100% at bringing out the right feelings to make it a horror series. However, it manages to do this by creating an atmosphere, not by creating horrifying creatures like zombies or vampires.
With that said, creating an atmosphere and bringing out exactly those feelings of fear is what these two anime have in common. Both have characters who reflect on their lives to find a way out of messy situations, but are trapped by a higher power. This is one of the best recommendation pairs I've made!
Though lacking in the department of visual gore, Bokurano possesses many similar thematical elements to Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. Each series follows a rather sick, sadistic storyline with a number of twists and turns, and each makes a point to emphasize the seriousness of its events. There's no glossing over of the dark, brooding events that befall both groups of children, and that perhaps is what drives the emotional power present in each.
*It should be noted that Bokurano does not tend to visually show the consequences of its heavier scenes on screen. Higurashi, however, is quite graphic, and those with a low tolerance for gore should keep this in mind before watching.
Both Higurashi Naku Koro ni and Bokurano are stories of characters who are ‘trapped' in a situation and what different characters do in those situations. But what makes these two a match is there success at being a good horror. Death and terror with explanation is so much better than random killings.
Both shows show the struggle of children with coming to terms with their own inner turmoil, and the horrific outside factors that are destroying their lives. Reconciling these things is a major part of both series.
Higurashi is significantly more gory, and bokurano is more emotionally heartbreaking, but i think fans of one series will appreciate the other.
Amidst a beautiful sunset, Shu is violently whisked away to a grim future devoid of water, and empty of hope; a place where children are forced to become soldiers, and kill countless others in the name of King Hamdo. Shu's companion is a mysterious girl named La La Ru, who may hold the key to survival. Now, he must concentrate on the only things that matter: escaping Hellywood, and finding a way home.
Both of these shows are about children dealing with difficult, violent, and sad realities of life.
On a more abstract note, they both share the same mildly depressing, but hopeful view of the world.
While the story and setting are very different, they're both anime that center around kids being put through very violent and depressing scenarios.
Bokurano and Now and Then, Here and There and two really special series that I believe will not be made in the future because of the direction that the anime industry is going. Both use Children to tell you about morals and will change your entire view on life. Both are very intenese Dramas also. But Bokurano is much more sadder than Now and Then, Here and There. Also, Bokurano has a different premise but conveys the same "real" feeling that Now and Then, Here and There has. A feeling that is hard to find in anime.
In both series the most important issue is reaction of indivuals (espacially youngsters), to extremal situation, which is linked up with death, war (in Bokurano - against alliens, and in Ima Sokoni, Iru Boku - between two fractions of humankind), and other difficult topics, about which sometimes we want to forget, but we shouldn't.
In the not-so-distant future, mankind is at war with itself. The lives of Chise and Shuu are torn apart when Chise is chosen to become the ultimate weapon to fight for Japan against their enemies. Death, sadness, and the hardships of love accompany Sai Kano in its grim look at war and its consequences.
Bokurano and Saikano do not appear very similar on the surface but they share the same overreaching theme of foreboding doom, subjecting their respective casts to situations of intense despair. Both deal with the end of the world as we know it; in Saikano due to human folly and war and in Bokurano due to a bizarre game of fatal consequences. In both anime the protagonists are very young people forced to deal with extreme situations in which death is ever present and annihilation threatens. Saikano has an element of romance while Bokurano deals with family and friendship relations first and foremost. These are anime about excruciating choices and are very bitter through and through; they are very rewarding series, even if highly draining viewing experiences, with solid character development.
The mood that Saikano and Bokurano give is quite sad and sombre. Both titles are really dramatic with the overall theme of war. Nothing much else to say, if you liked the atmosphere/mood of one anime, I think you'll like the other.
Both series involve children dealing with war and the whole scope of their responsibilites is overbearing to the point of great emotional distress. While Bokurano may be a bit more tame than Saikano, both still leave you with the taste of despair in your mouth after only a few episodes.
Both of these shows depict young kids being thrust with wartime responsibilities, and the stressful and bitter life that follows. Both are very dark stories with pretty much zero room for cuteness or comedy. If you njoyed one you'd most likely enjoy the other.
At a typical elementary school in Japan, yearly chores are being distributed. Yuri and 3 other students are chosen to be the beneficiaries of the alien hats for the year. Alien hats?! Yuri's sentiments, exactly. Despite her misgivings, she and her classmates must round up stray aliens that have escaped from a crashed spaceship -- with the help of the alien hats, of course.
Both shows are a good mix of very good sci-fi, action and a subtle blend of dark humour. I like shows that aren't afraid to play with the psyche, and Bokurano and Alien Nine achieve this with aplomb. Don't expect a happy, feel good ending from these shows, as they are both ominous and foreboding
Bokurano and Alien Nine both share the concept of children placed in situations where they must fight against otherworldly opponents and shows the effects that such battles have on those involved, from the children themselves to the adults that take care of them. Bokurano is more character-driven on the whole, but both are still emotionally wrenching series.
Alien Nine and Bokurano are two series which set themselves apart with their characters--they feature children who are forced to grow up fast when put in dangerous situations. In the former, young girls are assigned to eliminate dangerous aliens who are attacking their school; in the latter, a group of kids must engage in dangerous mecha battles in which death is guaranteed. As dark and twisted as these anime sound, though, I wouldn't say they become perverse or over-the-top in an offensive way.
