Arisa - Recommendations

phoenixaurora says...

If you liked reading about sociopathy, cults, attachment between twins and twins disguising as one another in Arisa, you'll find the same elements in the thriller manga Monster.  In both series, a master manipulator drives people to suicide and is behind such crimes as arson and attempted murder, leaving behind strange messages.  

This mysterious perpetrator's perfect, charming front hides a person without empathy for others and a twisted sense of protectiveness over their twin.  The protagonists of Arisa and Monster race to track down this person before more people get hurt by uncovering this person's past from their life at an orphanage to how they became the monster they are today.  

The main difference between Arisa and Monster is the target demographic.  Arisa is a shoujo manga that takes place in a junior high school cult akin to Lord of the Flies.  Thus, the writing is more juvenile and the plot twists more implausible and dramatic.  Monster is a seinen with adult protagonists on the run in Germany and is more realistic in both art and writing.  The time and place the series is set in plays an important role in the story of Monster.   

fuzzyirulz says...

Arisa and Torikago Syndrome are pretty similar in that:

-both in a school setting

-there is some kind of mysterious "King" who is in control and grants wishes

-protagonists are both pretty positive and won't give up

There are more similarities, but those would be considered spoilers, so I won't say.

Good:

I liked reading them both because it kept me wondering, "Who done it?" and "What were the reasons for this King figure to exist?". 

Arisa has a lot mysteries to solve and more things get thrown into the story that it just keeps you reading.

Torikago Syndrome is a much shorter story compared to Arisa, but it's story is well told.

Torikago Syndrome is also tagged as Shounen Ai, but there's pretty much no boy love. There's some bromance I guess. So don't disregard Torikago Syndrome because of a tag. 

Lastly, what I enjoyed about Torikago Syndrome the most was the last couple of lines in the manga. 

Bad:

I don't really note the bad points of stories because I focus more on enjoying the story for what it is.

But if I had to mention something, then:

"Arisa has scenes where the culprit appears, but the protagonist sees them as a shadow with scary eyes. It's annoying that the protagonist can't see their faces when she should have been able to." -noted from my sister

Torikago Syndrome may leave you with a few questions by the end of the manga. However, if you google you'll figure it out.

phoenixaurora says...

Fast-paced, crazily over the top, full of implausible plot twists and yanderes, Future Diary and Arisa are thrillers about teens holding power over the lives of others using special cellphones.  Rivals get picked off one by one as the elaborate game of playing god draws to a close.