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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?
Both manga share the same dark and depressing tone and deal with very similar ethical problems. While in Bokurano you have the giant robot and saving the Earth issue and in Ikigami is the Prosperity Law, they both center around individual stories of people who are expecting the same fate and try to deal with their thoughts, cope with despair and come to a resolve. Story-wise, Ikigami is more mature and episodic, while Bokurano seems more brutal, involving children.
The art is also somehow similar, not quite your pretty manga style, being more explicit and realistic in Ikigami.
So, if you liked one, you’d definitely –I can’t say enjoy- but appreciate the other.
Hiroyuki is in love with his friend Hikari, but she's already confessed to his older brother Atsuya. Out of jealousy the teen attempts to interfere with the pair's upcoming date, leading to Atsuya being tragically killed in an accident. However, something much worse was waiting for Hiroyuki in the aftermath, and he soon wakes up in a strange place wearing an animal mask and handcuffs. Along with seven other strangers, Hiroyuki must survive the Judge game by voting for someone to be sacrificed. Based on majority rule, one will die each round until only four survive, and not everyone can be trusted...
Bokurano is far less violent (at least, visually), but both follow a group of people in a terrifying, psychological game where their very choices dictate the lives of others. If you like the feel of one, give the other a try.
One night, Madoka has a terrible nightmare – against the backdrop of a desolate landscape, she watches a magical girl battle a terrifying creature. The next day, the teen's dream becomes reality when the girl – Homura – arrives at Mitakihara High School as a transfer student, mysteriously warning Madoka to stay just the way she is. But when she and her best friend Miki are pulled into a twisted illusion world and meet a magical creature named Kyubey, the pair discovers that magical girls are real, and what's more, they can choose to become one. All they must do is sign a contract with Kyubey and agree to fight witches that spread despair to the human world, and in return they will be granted a single wish. However, as Homura's omen suggests, there's far more to becoming a magical girl than Madoka and Miki realize...
Bokurano is a much better, more dark/psychological version of Madoka (even more so compared to the Madoka manga, which is far more light than the anime). Still, those who appreciate the themes of sacrifice will enjoy these titles. Just bear in mind Bokurano is better!
It is the year 2015, and Tokyo-3 is under attack by the Angels. With fifteen years of relative peace disrupted, mankind faces its toughest enemy. Summoned by his father to NERV headquarters, Shinji Ikari finds himself tasked with having to pilot an Evangelion - a powerful weapon which is humanity's only chance of defeating the Angels. As well as having to shoulder the burden of protecting a city, Shinji must struggle with school, his father and his fellow pilots as well as himself. But will he even be able to survive his first encounter against the enemy?
In both Neon Genesis Evangelion and Bokurano children have to fight in gigantic Robots against extraterrestrial forces without knowing why. Both mangas are about why they have to fight and how they handle this burden.
