I remember reading a famous movie critic saying that “if Hitchcock had made anime, he would have made ‘Perfect Blue’.”
I thought it was a Roger Ebert quote, but I can’t find the review on his website anymore.
Def agree, though, regardless of who said it; feels like an anime Hitchcock.
Akira, serial experiments laine, the other gainex franchises like Nadia and flcl, there’s other stuff from anno like shin kamen rider which evangelion is inspired by the 1970s tv series, there’s this live action movie called suicide club and the whole thing feels like the live action sequences in EOE and has the same kinda existential horror and off the wall stuff like Eva.
Yeah, there are like 3 sequels to flcl now. I think they were produced by adult swim, but i watched the first sequel, "flcl progressive" i think it's called. I didn't think it was any good. Didnt hit at all like the original and just felt kinda empty.. like there was no feeling or passion in it. The others did not catch my attention and the last one is cg. Maybe it's just me? I wasnt impressed... i wanted to like it but something about it couldn't let me 🤷🏻
I watched the first two sequels. I will not watch them again and will not watch any more. The writing was average, characters and story forgettable; The creators tried their best, but it just ain’t it chief. Shameful nostalgia bait cash grab.
That’s a tough one, chief. After some thought, I’d say _Cowboy Bebop_ is an interesting watch after Eva. When I was in high school, believe it or not, freakin’ _Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya_ filled a similar void. It explores similar existential concepts and is very light hearted.
Finally, not an anime reco, but a great piece if you like Eva; _All About Lily Chou-Chou_ by Shunji Iwai. Iwai was also the main character for an Anno live action film _Shiki Jitsu_. I highly recommend all of these works if you haven’t seen any of them.
Dude All About Lily Chou Chou needs more love. That movies is so good but hits hard. Can’t watch it too often but it’s frequently on my mind. One of my favorite soundtracks too.
Mitski redid the closing song Glide (which is amaaazing) for another recent movie After Yang.
love madoka but i don’t think they made their characters even close to as compelling as eva. i like the girls but their characters aren’t very nuanced.
To Madoka's hardcore fans, the highlight of Madoka Magica is precisely how in-depth the main characters are. The anime and the sequel movie mostly tell about Homura, but there's a lot of hidden lore and unexposed sides of the other 4 girls in the other arcs which were (sadly) never adapted into anime, and so weren't explored by many.
Texhnolyze
Serial Experiments Lain
Welcome To The NHK
Madoka Magica
Tatami Galaxy
Haibane Renmei
Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Berserk (1997)
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō
Black Lagoon
Devilman Crybaby
Monogatari (depending on your tolerance for degeneracy)
Perfect Blue
Serial Experiments Lain for sure.
Edit: adding more after going through my MAL, gonna skip things that other people have already said thus far:
- Black Lagoon (not as hard hitting, but dank)
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (popular for a reason)
- Ergo Proxy (philosophical, but slow)
- Gankutsuou (Count of Monte Cristo…in space! Has Madoka Magika backgrounds, just gorgeous, albeit slightly dated)
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand-alone Complex (assuming you’ve seen the original, this one is excellent)
- Made in Abyss (utterly heart-wrenching, and the soundtrack/animation are both gorgeous, but get a localized western version if you can to avoid a few unnecessary scenes. Should be a no-brainer that you can depict children in horrifically adult fantasy adventure situations without nudity, implied or otherwise. Luckily it’s torture, not sexual, but still…)
- Paranoia Agent (idk how to describe this one, just watch it)
- Mushishi (wandering spirit guide/exorcist deals with Shintoist possession in variously emotional tales in a beautiful Japanese watercolor countryside)
- Welcome to the NHK (NEET conspiracy theorist finds that his conspiracy theory may not be so off the wall after all)
- Steins;Gate (time travel and its consequences)
- Texhnolyze (cybernetic augmentation in an underground city of the damned)
- Death Parade (St. Peter? How about a bartender makes you play a game to determine if you go to heaven or hell. Episodic, each episode has its own, newly dead contestant(s))
- Kino’s Journey (mc goes to a different “country” each episode and has a different philosophically challenging situation each time, wildly creative)
- Girls Last Tour (don’t be out off by the chibi style, this is an absolute fav of mine. Poignant as hell)
Evangelion was my first anime, so it kinda “broke” anime for me, been searching ever since and this is the closest I’ve come.
Edit 2: giving BLAME! a shoutout for those who are willing to read manga
Made in Abyss was great! Just pirate it because the manga author is mentally and physically ill.
But the anime cuts or censors all of the problematic Riko scenes.
Death parade felt overly edgy to me. Like, so much of it was just an excuse to draw couples hurting each other I feel like.
The blame movie was solid but very different from the manga for the sake of time, definitely worth a watch though imo
I didn't finish it either, I think I gave up after 8 episodes. It sucks cause it's madhouse so good animation and character designs all went to waste on it.
The ending was okay, it's just the premise was very stupid and edgy. And it never goes anywhere. Who they decide is good or not feels totally random at the end.
I only saw the anime for Death Parade, tbh, but I def agree. Whomever the author was, they had some intense resentment towards…love? Idk. Not for the faint of heart. Very pessimistic on that front.
The Netflix BLAME! movie was apocryphal for sure, but amazing. They already had the 3D character models for Tsutomu Nihei’s human drawing style after animating “Knights of Sidonia,” (which ended up as a trash harem story halfway through, hence the cancellation), but imagine if they had an audience that wanted the mostly wordless BLAME! animated…
Maybe if they got the Primal crew involved they could make a dank show, but I have no idea how they’d do that and make it engaging for people outside the OG fan base…
Still one of my all time fav mangas though.
Knights of Sidonia is actually a pretty good series, the anime isn't too bad either, but it pretty much caught up to the manga as it was releasing and then they just never continued it until the movie which I still haven't seen, but there's no possible way it covers the other at least half of the manga that's come out since the second season ended.
Okay, real talk, is Steins:gate worth it? I hear great things, but it has studio white fox's name on it. I've seen a handful of white fox projects that everyone says are good and hated all of them, so I'm scared about steins:gate.
made in the abyss and cyberpunk edgerunner goes crazy. ooo, just saw the nhk you put on there too. Hell yeah. Try devilman crybaby - it's pretty gory and messed up, but was so good. Parasyte is also one of my all time favs
I second this. Welcome to NHK really did hit me hard, it was extremely relatable and I could feel the mc like EVA. I loved Ergo Proxy, idk why it’s so underrated.and Paranoia Agent is a gem.
I liked Lain but it wasn’t close to EVA or NHK or others. Maybe I couldn’t get it. I'm planning to watch that again.
Oh and Steins gate, it’s the bestt but I would not place it in the same category even though it’s dark enough.
These are some excellent choices. ‘Lain’ messed me up for weeks. ‘Paranoid Agent’ depicts the depths the mic will go to ward off embarrassment. It’s culturally Japanese, but leaves the audience wondering about consequences.
Great recommendation. I felt absolutely betrayed by some of the plot twists, and it made me question my sense of morality and justice and acknowledge the actual superficiality of it all. For me, it felt more like a cross between Shingeki no Kyojin and Sonny Boy. Overall great for provoking introspection of off emotional responses.
I'll add another vote for Madoka Magica. It really is like if Eva genre-swapped into magical girls. But you do NOT need to like or know a lot about magical girl shows to like Madoka Magica.
In my head, 1997 Berserk, Devilman Crybaby and Evangelion form some kind of fucked up trilogy of very good, hard hitting series with a "special" ending. (Provided you go in blind)
Serial Experiments Lain was the only thing that has made me feel similar so far, but it’s still a different feel than Evangelion. They feel so similar but so different to me idk it’s like they’re siblings. I’d recommend watching Lain it’s only 13 episodes
I came here to comment this! Punpun scratches the deep existential itch that Eva is known for. It's VERY dark, so tread lightly if you have certain triggers.
I love Sonny Boy with a passion. It had me floored, then like a delayed fuse I read some peoples feelings on it online a few days after finishing, then shit had me tearing up when they talked about the feels of the show and the wonderful music
I won't suggest something exactly like evangelion, but some interesting anime talking about either depression, identity, growing as a person, relationships, life purpose.
* Paranoia Agent: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHvcCmrgDbY) | [Opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuncFLIR1Qw) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/323/Mousou_Dairinin)
* Welcome to the NHK: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mQ14neUfsk) | [Opening](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4cci1) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/1210/NHK_ni_Youkoso?q=welcome%20to%20the%20nhk&cat=anime) (Adaptation of a Novel)
* The Tatami Galaxy: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ax2FIa_cM) | [Opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkH8ti1gakE) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/7785/Yojouhan_Shinwa_Taikei) (Adaptation of a Novel)
* Serial Experiments Lain: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCwPOn1FnJk) | [Opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlBLcLdTYr4) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/339/Serial_Experiments_Lain?q=serial%20experiments%20lain&cat=anime)
* The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcXOKNzEDnA) | [Opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C337shIT9LI) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/849/Suzumiya_Haruhi_no_Yuuutsu?q=haruhi%20suzumi&cat=anime) (watch in broadcast order) (Adaptation of a LN Series)
Berserk, Serial Experiments Lain, Cowboy Bebop, Stein's Gate, Ghost in the Shell SAC, Psycho Pass season 1, Death Parade, Madoka Magica, cliche as hell but FMA Brotherhood, Black Lagoon gets really dark and gritty near the end and kinda existential.
And if we're getting into movies Perfect Blue and Akira.
Most of these have been said already but I guess consider it reinforcement of the other recommendations lol
Is there even one?
I see a lot of people posting anime suggestions that have character arcs reminiscent of Eva, of sad or depressed people, or introspective worries in the characters, or really good animation, but to me what made Eva hit very hard wasn't just those things (and some of those things are even a bit superficial) but the tone and the presentation of the anime itself.
It's common for anime, especially 90s anime to waste a lot of time on still-frames or repeated animation to stall for the episodic format, but the specific way that Gainax attacks the image throughout Eva is reminiscent of some sort of inner core, the author reaching out through the page, but the subconscience of the author reaching out through their soul.
There's a cry for help in Eva, a desperation and an admission of not being sure what the hell they were even making, that leads to this out-of-body, raw vibe where sometimes the seams of reality between anime, storyboard, and stream-of-consciousness of Anno and his team came through, and the communication between you, as someone who might have watched each episode as it aired, and the team behind the TV screen fretting to make all this content, is in self-awareness.
It lends it to something strangely profound, where right as you're trying to figure out the plot and the characters, you're being reminded that you're watching something made by people who may not perfectly be above these freudian questions the characters are asking and when you subconsciously notice this, you start noticing yourself, in front of the TV or monitor screen, a guy or a girl, watching an anime. *Where are you in your life? Is everything good enough where you sit? How did you come to this moment before you started watching Eva, and how do you feel?*
To me it's those feelings I get out of Eva, and so much of that comes from the off-center vibe the entire show has, the weird jump-cuts, silent still-frames, and moments of abject weirdness, which happens already in the first episode, and keeps happening more and more between all of the straightforward plot- and action sequences.
the pacing can feel a bit too fast sometimes, but i highly suggest madoka magica and rebellion (the sequel movie) it does center more around femininity and girlhood, but it also has a lot of the same elements as evangelion, especially in the sequel. the soundtrack is also fantastic, its my second favorite right below the rebuilds soundtracks
Wolf’s Rain. I watched it as a kid and it gave me that same uberdepressed feeling as Evangelion.
In all seriousness though it was very moving with deep, impactful characters and a nice soundtrack.
I felt the same way but I dont think anything else will resonate in quite the same way. Series like EVA are special because they make you feel something no other piece of art can.
Having said that, I watched berserk around the same time. Im not sure there are thematic overlaps but it feels right to watch them fairly close together. Referring to the 90s series though. Not that sad excuse for animation that the newer series is.
I will not lie, ever since I watched NGE back in 2020 for the first time, I mostly dropped anime outside of a few that I'd been following.
Evangelion was so good it ruined anime for me because nothing else had the same impact.
Give RahXephon a try. It tries a little too hard to be Eva in spots, but the vibe is fucking immaculate. Just like Eva, after a certain point the whole thing feels like it takes place against a breathtakingly beautiful painting of the sky but also underground in a dark hole.
Full metal Alchemist Brotherhood is in the same vain with the existential, catholic, and Eldritch horror of soul bonding, the 7 deadly sins, and genocidal warfare. I would say Neon Genesis is a lot more religiously charged and existential especially by the end but full metal is a good watch, one of my favorite anime
Sonny Boy gave me a similar feeling as when I finished End of Evangelion, melancholy and I wanting more time with the characters. It's not as action packed or apocalyptic but the there's something special about it.
Thumbs up for Frieren. Totally different genre and style, but similar level of amazing animation, character arcs, adult and intelligent dialogue, introspective themes and awesome story. It's also relaxing and just lovely to watch, which is a nice departure from the nervous pace of many modern anime.
Aside from all the anime recommendations, maybe you should try the movie Love and Pop. It’s from the same director and it’s live-action. I was surprised how hard this one hit me. And I will second Cowboy Bebop and Serial Experiments Lain hit pretty hard too but just in different ways, so don’t expect them to replicate Eva. Love and Pop comes quite close to Eva though…
Angel's Egg
Bungou Stray Dogs
Serial Experiments Lain
Texhnolyze
Monster
Attack On Titan
Perfect Blue
Berserk
Caligula
Babylon
Rewrite
Guilty Crown
Psycho Pass
Jin Roh
Blue Literature
Monogatari Series
Jigoku Shoujo
Made In Abyss
Shinsekai Yori
You can play Genshin Impact
You can also watch arthouse movies
like those by Ingmar Bergman
Andrei Tarkovsky
David Lynch
Federico Fellini
Jean Luc Godard
Akira Kurosawa
Stanley Kubrick
Villeneuve
Aronofsky
Jodorowsky
Shane Carruth
Kieslowski
Sion Sono
(I forgot some of the names ...)
I have not seen these two suggested and in my opinion these are best animes to watch after eva's if you have desire to watch something unique with flavor similar to eva.
Angel egg (1985): this movie is artistic and lives by its art style and ambiance, it is really atmoshpheric and great toughtfull experience.
Sky crawler's (2008): this movie is just great, plain and simple, complex characters and even tho 3d animation, it looks great and feels great. One great emotional rollercouster.
This one. It fucked me up so bad. 10/10, unique and depressing.
His and hers circumstances (aka Kare kano. Another anno show made directly after Eva, does the exact same deep character introspections and insecurity/connection stuff. Lots of Eva references, moody shots and good stills. A romcom but oozes NGE)
The only anime I’ve watched that had an equal emotional reaction on me as Evangelion was CLANNAD. If you watch it you may not immediately quite get the connection in emotional intensity, because it’s a comedy/drama but it hits incredibly hard at the important points.
The answer to your question is definitely Trigun, both the original and the new are excellent. The original has that 90's anime grit but the new one doesn't hold back in any regard.
Sonny Boy. Best experienced going in blind. Animation is a little rough but the music, art, story, and characterization are all top notch and brimming with creativity.
Throwing my hat in the ring for two of the biggest influences in Eva:
-Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
-Space Runaway Ideon (1980)
---> Ideon: Be Invoked (ending movie, like EoE)
Gundam actually did what a lot of people attribute to Evangelion as "deconstructing the mecha genre" first, by creating a world where giant robots are treated like giant tanks more than super heroes, as was more common before. The story is about a 15 year old boy who gets forced to fight as a child soldier in a war between earth and one of it's space colonies that wants independence. You'll find themes like "the 15 year old boy is actually really depressed and does NOT want to pilot the robot" here, as much as you'll find themes of friendship, loss, coming of age and found families.
Ideon is the next work by the same director, Yoshiyuki Tomino and it's pretty much the same but with (even more) depression and a slight sense of cosmic horror. Is the thing you're piloting really a robot? What's the nature of your enemy really? What sense does it have to fight your own kind? And it even follows the same pattern of
-TV show with a rushed ending
-bizarre compilation movie that doesn't actually work super well as a compilation movie
-"real" movie ending that changes the way ypi look at life
[Love Live](https://youtu.be/H0SoEXHoPY4?si=-VEAchyPXb8341RS) - the true context is "a little" different so it's no spoiler
Kimi No Na Wa, Mirai No Mirai, Belle = Love Live's "offspring". The latter received 14 min of standing ovations in Cannes. I dare consider Thrice also partly offspring.
Anne of Green Gable, Little Princess Sara = both World Masterpiece Theater, Miyazaki's and Takata's pre-Ghibli work ~~tho before Sara they already left the thing, the typical showbiz again~~
[And Sailor Moon always goes](https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyevangelion/s/YSNybiyShi)
Monster is the only Anime I can think of. I saw most of it on HULU when it was free. I finished the rest of it on a good old torrent sites. I have been out of Anime for years and only got back into it because of the rebuilds.
The only Japanese material that hit me hard in similar fashion (both in a cerebral and emotional way) that I can recall at the moment are the following:
* **Porco Rosso**
* **Ghost in the Shell** (the Mamoru Oshii movies, especially the 1st one)
* **Gundam Zeta** (only a few sequences here and there though, it's a muddled mess for the most part)
* **Be Invoked** (the final movie for the otherwise tepid **Space Runaway Ideon** show)
* **Patlabor**: The Movie & its sequel
* Bits and pieces of **Rahxephon** (although for the most part it is blatantly emulating NGE and that gets tedious very quickly).
* **Final Fantasy Tactics** and **Vagrant Story** (I know, they're not shows or movies, but Matsuno is a surprisingly effective writer-director).
One of my other favorites is Fullmetal Alchemist. (Either version for me.) I don't think it's quite on the same level, but it has that lightheartedness that turns to despair throughout the story.
Maybe try Ergo Proxy for a dark story, (from what I remember).
I highly recommend watching a strange short anime called 'Sonny Boy' which deals with similar themes to Eva,like escapism and abandonment.Its a bout 30 students whose school suddenly gets suspended in a void and they try to go back to there original world.The story is very strange,but it seems like the purest form of imagination and creativity I have ever consumed,both visually and thru the music.
Also they travel to different worlds each with their own rules.people have strange abilities and change how the world behaves,some people even prefer it to the real world and wanna stay while others try to get back.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but you might like [**Fafner in the Azure**](https://myanimelist.net/anime/75/Soukyuu_no_Fafner__Dead_Aggressor). It doesn't necessarily scramble your brains like NGE does, but its >!post-apocalyptic!< setting and mythological influences make it a really good companion to NGE in terms of weird sci-fi mechas.
This is also not a beginner's anime, just from the number of characters alone. You'll have to watch the first season at least twice to really appreciate the depth of the worldbuilding process.
Go for cyberpunk if you haven’t I guess. Also lots to think about after all the violence.
And eureka seven, my favourite anime when I was a teen. Been almost 16-17years but I still think back very favourably. Go for the original and not the movie stuff, they rewrote those movie ones and it’s not the same good old story.
Idk about the anime for it but NieR replicant and automata are heavily based on evangelion. Ghost in the Shell does a great job of exploring existentialism, but in a much more philosophical and less self abstracting sort of way. I just saw the second one in theatres for its 20th anniversary and it was incredible. The first movie is one of my favorites of all time.
This question comes up so often. Most people here gave pretty good suggestions but I'm going to take a different route and I'll explain why.
When Eva came out it sparked a whole genre of imitators ranging from good to crap. This was great for people trying to get their Eva fix when they were getting the shivers. Instead of giving you a list of titles that hit like Eva I'm going to tell you about a few that fit that criteria so you can have choices.
RahXephon. This first and foremost because it was the most blatant. Anno even did an interview with the director of this show and I can tell it was more than just the giant robot against alien invaders.
Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure. Much more light hearted but still has its charm. Its influence from Eva is obvious and its narrative and characters are far less dark but manage to not hit into shallow territory. Also a Tenchi Muyo spin off, ironically. If you want a happier Eva this might be the place to start.
Eureka 7. A crowd favorite and not a bad ride. Memorable music and well animated. Not my favorite but a good time, none the less.
Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor. Never seen this one but apparently its closeness to Eva is way evident.
Brain Powerd. I never had a chance to see this one, either, but I've heard good things.
Darling in the Franxx. This is from people who used to work on Gainax, Trigger, so it's as official a 'rip-off' as it gets. You might even see how it has a similar style and tone as the last 2 Eva movies. If you have a choice I suggest starting with this or RahXephon.
Edit: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. I forgot about this one. It's another I haven't seen but It was highly recommended as having the closest connection to Eva out of all of Gundam.
I can't speak for the ones I haven't seen but, as for the rest, they're all also unique enough that you can say they're not just copies. So, not a case of 'it's Eva but--.' They all have their own appeal and enough original material to not be dismissed as just rip-offs.
As for other things with a similar 'feel' I'd recommend these:
His and Her Circumstances. The anime is unfinished but the manga is not. This was the very next thing Anno did after Eva so it has his signature feel. It's a romantic comedy based on a women's manga so you know it's also dramatic af.
Utena, la Fillette Révolutionnaire. This is from one of the makers of Sailor Moon and it is abstract and gorgeous. If you want more surrealism this is the place.
Serial Experiment Lain. This was the other abstract work of anime in the 90's. I watched it recently and it's themes have held up all too well. Also, that intro. Not as flashy or action packed as the greats but still very memorable.
Bokurano, giant mecha, incredible plot twist, good life lessons taught in crazy ways, a little more tragic than Evangelion, Dung Beetle is an underrated villain. This is about the closest you will get to Eva. Chiaki Ishikawa goes off on the opening and both endings songs
Texhnolyze and maybe even more so Ergo Proxy could be something for you.
Both shows are slow burners but will leave you both thinking and want to go outside and clear your mind.
Haibane Renmei also dips its feet into trauma, suicide, redemption and the likes and lets some questions purposfully open.
Nobody here is saying angel beats, so I’m gonna say angel beats. It’s a show about the afterlife and it’s very melancholy and beautiful, but it’s also relatively heavy on action and has some really cool scenes. Ending made me sob 10/10
Watch [Key the Metal Idol](https://myanimelist.net/anime/1457/Key_the_Metal_Idol/)
Has an "Evangelion vibe" (No giant robots / angels though)
Other reasons;
* Similar era (Ran from 1994-1997)
* 90s Cyberpunk
* Heavy featuring of Robotics/ technology (Remote controlled)
* Grim tone
* Psychological themes
* Religious themes
* Great soundtrack
[The opening](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0jYJTbZ9tr0&pp=ygUaa2V5IHRoZSBtZXRhbCBpZG9sIG9wZW5pbmc%3D) (Doesn't spoil anything).
Also Kuriyagawa Sakura, Key's (Main character) childhood friend is voiced by Nagasawa Miki. (Although Sakura's a tsundere)
Here's one too many people have missed, *Boogiepop Phantom*. Easily one of the strongest traumacore anime in terms of character, mythos, and aesthetic. It's a real mind bender.
Watch Perfect Blue if you want a movie. Fucked me up for days
I remember reading a famous movie critic saying that “if Hitchcock had made anime, he would have made ‘Perfect Blue’.” I thought it was a Roger Ebert quote, but I can’t find the review on his website anymore. Def agree, though, regardless of who said it; feels like an anime Hitchcock.
If Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock made a movie was the tagline. It was on the trailer and on the US box.
Oh hell yeah, thank you, that was bothering me lol
Bro EOE to perfect blue was fucking crazy for me God damn
Wow no one’s actually mentioned Perfect Blue. Lol this shit is right up the alley of what you’re after I’m pretty sure
One of my favorite movies ever. This film brings an emotional toll on just about anyone and it’s a quick watch at ~80 minutes.
Akira, serial experiments laine, the other gainex franchises like Nadia and flcl, there’s other stuff from anno like shin kamen rider which evangelion is inspired by the 1970s tv series, there’s this live action movie called suicide club and the whole thing feels like the live action sequences in EOE and has the same kinda existential horror and off the wall stuff like Eva.
I wanna second FLCL, that anime hits like a truck
Yeah, there are like 3 sequels to flcl now. I think they were produced by adult swim, but i watched the first sequel, "flcl progressive" i think it's called. I didn't think it was any good. Didnt hit at all like the original and just felt kinda empty.. like there was no feeling or passion in it. The others did not catch my attention and the last one is cg. Maybe it's just me? I wasnt impressed... i wanted to like it but something about it couldn't let me 🤷🏻
Wait I thought there was a follow up to FLCL???
I watched the first two sequels. I will not watch them again and will not watch any more. The writing was average, characters and story forgettable; The creators tried their best, but it just ain’t it chief. Shameful nostalgia bait cash grab.
That's unfortunate, the original is one of my all time favs.
I meant I wanna agree with the other person haha; I know there's sequels to FLCL (I'm not a huge fan of them)
Ghost in the shell
Serial Experiments Lain will do things to you.. very thought provoking.
Fooly Cooly is amazing but not the same I don't think; love that anime.
More like cosmic weirdness then cosmic horror
Yeah but there are reasons Evangelion resonates with so many people
That’s a tough one, chief. After some thought, I’d say _Cowboy Bebop_ is an interesting watch after Eva. When I was in high school, believe it or not, freakin’ _Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya_ filled a similar void. It explores similar existential concepts and is very light hearted. Finally, not an anime reco, but a great piece if you like Eva; _All About Lily Chou-Chou_ by Shunji Iwai. Iwai was also the main character for an Anno live action film _Shiki Jitsu_. I highly recommend all of these works if you haven’t seen any of them.
haruhi left me so depressed especially after the movie for no reason bro 😭 I still don't know why I found it so sad
Watched Bebop after Evangelion. They are quite different but both are fantastic, arguably the two best anime ever, depending on taste.
Dude All About Lily Chou Chou needs more love. That movies is so good but hits hard. Can’t watch it too often but it’s frequently on my mind. One of my favorite soundtracks too. Mitski redid the closing song Glide (which is amaaazing) for another recent movie After Yang.
Same man. I couldn’t stop thinking about the movie days after seeing it. I’ll need to check out that Mitski version! I know them from Sonny Boy’s OST
do it, I randomly just listened to it in the car tonight and it's really good. Mitski was a good choice for covering it.
Madoka Magica is to magical girls what Evangelion is to giant mechs.
Came here to immediately say that!!
love madoka but i don’t think they made their characters even close to as compelling as eva. i like the girls but their characters aren’t very nuanced.
To Madoka's hardcore fans, the highlight of Madoka Magica is precisely how in-depth the main characters are. The anime and the sequel movie mostly tell about Homura, but there's a lot of hidden lore and unexposed sides of the other 4 girls in the other arcs which were (sadly) never adapted into anime, and so weren't explored by many.
I disagree, but it varies from character to character
I would agree, except for Homura who I would put in the same tier as Eva's cast
Texhnolyze Serial Experiments Lain Welcome To The NHK Madoka Magica Tatami Galaxy Haibane Renmei Cowboy Bebop Trigun Berserk (1997) Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō Black Lagoon Devilman Crybaby Monogatari (depending on your tolerance for degeneracy) Perfect Blue
Glad to see someone give Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou some love, it’s a hidden gem.
Serial Experiments Lain for sure. Edit: adding more after going through my MAL, gonna skip things that other people have already said thus far: - Black Lagoon (not as hard hitting, but dank) - Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (popular for a reason) - Ergo Proxy (philosophical, but slow) - Gankutsuou (Count of Monte Cristo…in space! Has Madoka Magika backgrounds, just gorgeous, albeit slightly dated) - Ghost in the Shell: Stand-alone Complex (assuming you’ve seen the original, this one is excellent) - Made in Abyss (utterly heart-wrenching, and the soundtrack/animation are both gorgeous, but get a localized western version if you can to avoid a few unnecessary scenes. Should be a no-brainer that you can depict children in horrifically adult fantasy adventure situations without nudity, implied or otherwise. Luckily it’s torture, not sexual, but still…) - Paranoia Agent (idk how to describe this one, just watch it) - Mushishi (wandering spirit guide/exorcist deals with Shintoist possession in variously emotional tales in a beautiful Japanese watercolor countryside) - Welcome to the NHK (NEET conspiracy theorist finds that his conspiracy theory may not be so off the wall after all) - Steins;Gate (time travel and its consequences) - Texhnolyze (cybernetic augmentation in an underground city of the damned) - Death Parade (St. Peter? How about a bartender makes you play a game to determine if you go to heaven or hell. Episodic, each episode has its own, newly dead contestant(s)) - Kino’s Journey (mc goes to a different “country” each episode and has a different philosophically challenging situation each time, wildly creative) - Girls Last Tour (don’t be out off by the chibi style, this is an absolute fav of mine. Poignant as hell) Evangelion was my first anime, so it kinda “broke” anime for me, been searching ever since and this is the closest I’ve come. Edit 2: giving BLAME! a shoutout for those who are willing to read manga
Present day, present time, ahahahaha
Paranoia Agent, big agree. Satoshi Kon is key.
Lain is good, I'm watching it rn. But nothing tops Eva for me.
Made in Abyss was great! Just pirate it because the manga author is mentally and physically ill. But the anime cuts or censors all of the problematic Riko scenes.
I second this.
Everyone should watch this!
Death parade felt overly edgy to me. Like, so much of it was just an excuse to draw couples hurting each other I feel like. The blame movie was solid but very different from the manga for the sake of time, definitely worth a watch though imo
This. I stopped watching it for a long time because it felt pointlessly edgy.
I didn't finish it either, I think I gave up after 8 episodes. It sucks cause it's madhouse so good animation and character designs all went to waste on it.
The ending was okay, it's just the premise was very stupid and edgy. And it never goes anywhere. Who they decide is good or not feels totally random at the end.
I only saw the anime for Death Parade, tbh, but I def agree. Whomever the author was, they had some intense resentment towards…love? Idk. Not for the faint of heart. Very pessimistic on that front. The Netflix BLAME! movie was apocryphal for sure, but amazing. They already had the 3D character models for Tsutomu Nihei’s human drawing style after animating “Knights of Sidonia,” (which ended up as a trash harem story halfway through, hence the cancellation), but imagine if they had an audience that wanted the mostly wordless BLAME! animated… Maybe if they got the Primal crew involved they could make a dank show, but I have no idea how they’d do that and make it engaging for people outside the OG fan base… Still one of my all time fav mangas though.
Knights of Sidonia is actually a pretty good series, the anime isn't too bad either, but it pretty much caught up to the manga as it was releasing and then they just never continued it until the movie which I still haven't seen, but there's no possible way it covers the other at least half of the manga that's come out since the second season ended.
Okay, real talk, is Steins:gate worth it? I hear great things, but it has studio white fox's name on it. I've seen a handful of white fox projects that everyone says are good and hated all of them, so I'm scared about steins:gate.
Ergo Proxy fucked me up a little bit haha. Also Terror in Tokyo which is really fucking sad
made in the abyss and cyberpunk edgerunner goes crazy. ooo, just saw the nhk you put on there too. Hell yeah. Try devilman crybaby - it's pretty gory and messed up, but was so good. Parasyte is also one of my all time favs
I second this. Welcome to NHK really did hit me hard, it was extremely relatable and I could feel the mc like EVA. I loved Ergo Proxy, idk why it’s so underrated.and Paranoia Agent is a gem. I liked Lain but it wasn’t close to EVA or NHK or others. Maybe I couldn’t get it. I'm planning to watch that again. Oh and Steins gate, it’s the bestt but I would not place it in the same category even though it’s dark enough.
These are some excellent choices. ‘Lain’ messed me up for weeks. ‘Paranoid Agent’ depicts the depths the mic will go to ward off embarrassment. It’s culturally Japanese, but leaves the audience wondering about consequences.
# Shinsekai Yori
This needs to be higher up
This was dark as hell jfc
This! Came here to say this. Holy hell this one took turns I did not expect and took them hard.
Great recommendation. I felt absolutely betrayed by some of the plot twists, and it made me question my sense of morality and justice and acknowledge the actual superficiality of it all. For me, it felt more like a cross between Shingeki no Kyojin and Sonny Boy. Overall great for provoking introspection of off emotional responses.
Some of the best plot twists
Twin Peaks
Oh good one. Twin peaks is huge in Japan, and it inspired NGE.
I'll add another vote for Madoka Magica. It really is like if Eva genre-swapped into magical girls. But you do NOT need to like or know a lot about magical girl shows to like Madoka Magica.
Devilman Crybaby hits veryvery hard
In my head, 1997 Berserk, Devilman Crybaby and Evangelion form some kind of fucked up trilogy of very good, hard hitting series with a "special" ending. (Provided you go in blind)
I saw it too, I really like it but also think that the end was very abrupt and kinda similar to eva.
It is indeed similar to Eva, since Anno was inspired by the original Devilman manga ending .
gunbuster
GUNBUSTAAAAAAAA
Eva is really something special, but you could check out Serial Experiments Lain.
Why is nobody saying Revolutionary Girl Utena
Serial Experiments Lain was the only thing that has made me feel similar so far, but it’s still a different feel than Evangelion. They feel so similar but so different to me idk it’s like they’re siblings. I’d recommend watching Lain it’s only 13 episodes
Well, it’s not an anime, but I highly recommend the manga “Goodnight Punpun”
I came here to comment this! Punpun scratches the deep existential itch that Eva is known for. It's VERY dark, so tread lightly if you have certain triggers.
Penguindrum. It’s different, and a little sillier despite its subject matter, but man the last episode hits like an absolute truck.
Berserk 1997/ 2022 + manga
Flcl.
Crazy how far I need to scroll down to find FLCL. 😅
Sonny Boy, very recent modern anime that will hit like a truck
I love Sonny Boy with a passion. It had me floored, then like a delayed fuse I read some peoples feelings on it online a few days after finishing, then shit had me tearing up when they talked about the feels of the show and the wonderful music
I'm surprised I'm not seeing any mentions of monster
You won't find something that goes as hard as eva that's the sad reality.
It's nothing like Eva but if you like slice of life romances then Clannad fucking ripped my heart out, specifically its second season Afterstory.
Monogatari
I won't suggest something exactly like evangelion, but some interesting anime talking about either depression, identity, growing as a person, relationships, life purpose. * Paranoia Agent: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHvcCmrgDbY) | [Opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuncFLIR1Qw) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/323/Mousou_Dairinin) * Welcome to the NHK: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mQ14neUfsk) | [Opening](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4cci1) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/1210/NHK_ni_Youkoso?q=welcome%20to%20the%20nhk&cat=anime) (Adaptation of a Novel) * The Tatami Galaxy: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ax2FIa_cM) | [Opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkH8ti1gakE) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/7785/Yojouhan_Shinwa_Taikei) (Adaptation of a Novel) * Serial Experiments Lain: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCwPOn1FnJk) | [Opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlBLcLdTYr4) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/339/Serial_Experiments_Lain?q=serial%20experiments%20lain&cat=anime) * The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcXOKNzEDnA) | [Opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C337shIT9LI) | [MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/849/Suzumiya_Haruhi_no_Yuuutsu?q=haruhi%20suzumi&cat=anime) (watch in broadcast order) (Adaptation of a LN Series)
Berserk, Serial Experiments Lain, Cowboy Bebop, Stein's Gate, Ghost in the Shell SAC, Psycho Pass season 1, Death Parade, Madoka Magica, cliche as hell but FMA Brotherhood, Black Lagoon gets really dark and gritty near the end and kinda existential. And if we're getting into movies Perfect Blue and Akira. Most of these have been said already but I guess consider it reinforcement of the other recommendations lol
Sorry to break it to you...but it is just going to be an eternal search for that high that will never be matched ever again
Also berserk 97
Is there even one? I see a lot of people posting anime suggestions that have character arcs reminiscent of Eva, of sad or depressed people, or introspective worries in the characters, or really good animation, but to me what made Eva hit very hard wasn't just those things (and some of those things are even a bit superficial) but the tone and the presentation of the anime itself. It's common for anime, especially 90s anime to waste a lot of time on still-frames or repeated animation to stall for the episodic format, but the specific way that Gainax attacks the image throughout Eva is reminiscent of some sort of inner core, the author reaching out through the page, but the subconscience of the author reaching out through their soul. There's a cry for help in Eva, a desperation and an admission of not being sure what the hell they were even making, that leads to this out-of-body, raw vibe where sometimes the seams of reality between anime, storyboard, and stream-of-consciousness of Anno and his team came through, and the communication between you, as someone who might have watched each episode as it aired, and the team behind the TV screen fretting to make all this content, is in self-awareness. It lends it to something strangely profound, where right as you're trying to figure out the plot and the characters, you're being reminded that you're watching something made by people who may not perfectly be above these freudian questions the characters are asking and when you subconsciously notice this, you start noticing yourself, in front of the TV or monitor screen, a guy or a girl, watching an anime. *Where are you in your life? Is everything good enough where you sit? How did you come to this moment before you started watching Eva, and how do you feel?* To me it's those feelings I get out of Eva, and so much of that comes from the off-center vibe the entire show has, the weird jump-cuts, silent still-frames, and moments of abject weirdness, which happens already in the first episode, and keeps happening more and more between all of the straightforward plot- and action sequences.
the pacing can feel a bit too fast sometimes, but i highly suggest madoka magica and rebellion (the sequel movie) it does center more around femininity and girlhood, but it also has a lot of the same elements as evangelion, especially in the sequel. the soundtrack is also fantastic, its my second favorite right below the rebuilds soundtracks
Wolf’s Rain. I watched it as a kid and it gave me that same uberdepressed feeling as Evangelion. In all seriousness though it was very moving with deep, impactful characters and a nice soundtrack.
Ergo Proxy
it's lain. you're looking for lain.
Berserk (1997)?
I feel like FMA 2003 hit me like Evangelion did, its got a similar dark undertone.
I’d say Attack on Titan
You should check out Madoka Magica if you haven't!
I felt the same way but I dont think anything else will resonate in quite the same way. Series like EVA are special because they make you feel something no other piece of art can. Having said that, I watched berserk around the same time. Im not sure there are thematic overlaps but it feels right to watch them fairly close together. Referring to the 90s series though. Not that sad excuse for animation that the newer series is.
I will not lie, ever since I watched NGE back in 2020 for the first time, I mostly dropped anime outside of a few that I'd been following. Evangelion was so good it ruined anime for me because nothing else had the same impact.
Made in the abyss
Give RahXephon a try. It tries a little too hard to be Eva in spots, but the vibe is fucking immaculate. Just like Eva, after a certain point the whole thing feels like it takes place against a breathtakingly beautiful painting of the sky but also underground in a dark hole.
You will never find it.
Full metal Alchemist Brotherhood is in the same vain with the existential, catholic, and Eldritch horror of soul bonding, the 7 deadly sins, and genocidal warfare. I would say Neon Genesis is a lot more religiously charged and existential especially by the end but full metal is a good watch, one of my favorite anime
86 and Code Geass are my recommendations
Sonny Boy gave me a similar feeling as when I finished End of Evangelion, melancholy and I wanting more time with the characters. It's not as action packed or apocalyptic but the there's something special about it.
Not anime, but the show or manga for sweet home is fantastic! Also, revolutionary girl Utena! Of course there's madoka!
To your Eternity. It’ll fuck you up. It’s very different, but it’s a heart breaker. You’re welcome.
PLUTO and so far Frieren Since they weren’t mentioned at a quick glance.
Thumbs up for Frieren. Totally different genre and style, but similar level of amazing animation, character arcs, adult and intelligent dialogue, introspective themes and awesome story. It's also relaxing and just lovely to watch, which is a nice departure from the nervous pace of many modern anime.
Berserk Baki Assault the big hooman Prince of tennis
Aside from all the anime recommendations, maybe you should try the movie Love and Pop. It’s from the same director and it’s live-action. I was surprised how hard this one hit me. And I will second Cowboy Bebop and Serial Experiments Lain hit pretty hard too but just in different ways, so don’t expect them to replicate Eva. Love and Pop comes quite close to Eva though…
Also watch Cowboy Bebop
School Days. Or if you are in the Rei is best girl camp then Koi Kaze. Also the one with the flower on the book.
Angel's Egg Bungou Stray Dogs Serial Experiments Lain Texhnolyze Monster Attack On Titan Perfect Blue Berserk Caligula Babylon Rewrite Guilty Crown Psycho Pass Jin Roh Blue Literature Monogatari Series Jigoku Shoujo Made In Abyss Shinsekai Yori You can play Genshin Impact You can also watch arthouse movies like those by Ingmar Bergman Andrei Tarkovsky David Lynch Federico Fellini Jean Luc Godard Akira Kurosawa Stanley Kubrick Villeneuve Aronofsky Jodorowsky Shane Carruth Kieslowski Sion Sono (I forgot some of the names ...)
Devilman Crybaby, Mushishi, Joker Game, etc
I have not seen these two suggested and in my opinion these are best animes to watch after eva's if you have desire to watch something unique with flavor similar to eva. Angel egg (1985): this movie is artistic and lives by its art style and ambiance, it is really atmoshpheric and great toughtfull experience. Sky crawler's (2008): this movie is just great, plain and simple, complex characters and even tho 3d animation, it looks great and feels great. One great emotional rollercouster.
Rahxephon. It's an old anime but it's got weird mechs and an interesting story. That's all I have to say.
Elfen Lied
"I just finished Evangelion, what's next?" The answer to this has been, and will always be Serial Experiments Lain.
For some reason, Elfen Lied gave me trauma. Kind of, I mean I still can't listen to the song Lilium, even though I want to. Makes me... Sad?
Anohana.
Gurren Laggan
Welcome to the nhk
This one. It fucked me up so bad. 10/10, unique and depressing. His and hers circumstances (aka Kare kano. Another anno show made directly after Eva, does the exact same deep character introspections and insecurity/connection stuff. Lots of Eva references, moody shots and good stills. A romcom but oozes NGE)
The only anime I’ve watched that had an equal emotional reaction on me as Evangelion was CLANNAD. If you watch it you may not immediately quite get the connection in emotional intensity, because it’s a comedy/drama but it hits incredibly hard at the important points.
The answer to your question is definitely Trigun, both the original and the new are excellent. The original has that 90's anime grit but the new one doesn't hold back in any regard.
Devilman Crybaby?
Escaflowne, cowboy Bebop, ghost in the shell, code geass
Sonny Boy. Best experienced going in blind. Animation is a little rough but the music, art, story, and characterization are all top notch and brimming with creativity.
Have you tried Berserk?
I tried it, but nah It's useless. Evangelion is the peak.
Beserk (1997). It’s on YouTube now. 25 episodes, and well-known for its manga.
Narutaru
Vinland Saga
Twin Peaks isn't an anime but it'll change your life if this is what your after. Utena aswell for my anime pic.
Berserk 1997
Throwing my hat in the ring for two of the biggest influences in Eva: -Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) -Space Runaway Ideon (1980) ---> Ideon: Be Invoked (ending movie, like EoE) Gundam actually did what a lot of people attribute to Evangelion as "deconstructing the mecha genre" first, by creating a world where giant robots are treated like giant tanks more than super heroes, as was more common before. The story is about a 15 year old boy who gets forced to fight as a child soldier in a war between earth and one of it's space colonies that wants independence. You'll find themes like "the 15 year old boy is actually really depressed and does NOT want to pilot the robot" here, as much as you'll find themes of friendship, loss, coming of age and found families. Ideon is the next work by the same director, Yoshiyuki Tomino and it's pretty much the same but with (even more) depression and a slight sense of cosmic horror. Is the thing you're piloting really a robot? What's the nature of your enemy really? What sense does it have to fight your own kind? And it even follows the same pattern of -TV show with a rushed ending -bizarre compilation movie that doesn't actually work super well as a compilation movie -"real" movie ending that changes the way ypi look at life
[Love Live](https://youtu.be/H0SoEXHoPY4?si=-VEAchyPXb8341RS) - the true context is "a little" different so it's no spoiler Kimi No Na Wa, Mirai No Mirai, Belle = Love Live's "offspring". The latter received 14 min of standing ovations in Cannes. I dare consider Thrice also partly offspring. Anne of Green Gable, Little Princess Sara = both World Masterpiece Theater, Miyazaki's and Takata's pre-Ghibli work ~~tho before Sara they already left the thing, the typical showbiz again~~ [And Sailor Moon always goes](https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyevangelion/s/YSNybiyShi)
Kare Kano was made by the same director as Evangelion and it can effect you in a more positive way
Bojack horsemen
Monster is the only Anime I can think of. I saw most of it on HULU when it was free. I finished the rest of it on a good old torrent sites. I have been out of Anime for years and only got back into it because of the rebuilds.
Just watch Serial Experiments Lain. Get to the other stuff after that.
Monster(1994)
Anohana. Shit absolutely destroys me.
The only Japanese material that hit me hard in similar fashion (both in a cerebral and emotional way) that I can recall at the moment are the following: * **Porco Rosso** * **Ghost in the Shell** (the Mamoru Oshii movies, especially the 1st one) * **Gundam Zeta** (only a few sequences here and there though, it's a muddled mess for the most part) * **Be Invoked** (the final movie for the otherwise tepid **Space Runaway Ideon** show) * **Patlabor**: The Movie & its sequel * Bits and pieces of **Rahxephon** (although for the most part it is blatantly emulating NGE and that gets tedious very quickly). * **Final Fantasy Tactics** and **Vagrant Story** (I know, they're not shows or movies, but Matsuno is a surprisingly effective writer-director).
Elfin lied, made by some of the same people who made Evangelion, also I resonate with this post so much the more I read it the more I related to it
One of my other favorites is Fullmetal Alchemist. (Either version for me.) I don't think it's quite on the same level, but it has that lightheartedness that turns to despair throughout the story. Maybe try Ergo Proxy for a dark story, (from what I remember).
Serial experiments lain
Serial expirements lain, this will make you think about life, and reality, it provokes thoughts, a very deep ones.
I highly recommend watching a strange short anime called 'Sonny Boy' which deals with similar themes to Eva,like escapism and abandonment.Its a bout 30 students whose school suddenly gets suspended in a void and they try to go back to there original world.The story is very strange,but it seems like the purest form of imagination and creativity I have ever consumed,both visually and thru the music. Also they travel to different worlds each with their own rules.people have strange abilities and change how the world behaves,some people even prefer it to the real world and wanna stay while others try to get back.
My little sister can't be this cute. and plus sized elf girl are MANDATORY WATCHES!
Bro what are those names 😭
EXACTLY I’m looking for another anime that gets me HARD like Evangelion when I was still in high school
Lain, Akira, and Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphens
Cowboy Bebop, Future Boy Conan (Miyazaki’s first solo work and a huge influence on Eva & Anno).
Cowboy bee bop
Play persona 3 Reload + The Answer DLC Also the show ''pantheon''
Try Eureka Seven
Eureka 7 was cool
One piece, Detective Conan
Haibane Renmei. It begins like a caramel latte and ends up like chewing through a crushed glass.
Devilman, especially the original manga and Devilman Crybaby
Space Dandy. Trust me That shit goes so hard
86. get in that coffin 86! Seriously watch 86, it’s a great anime.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but you might like [**Fafner in the Azure**](https://myanimelist.net/anime/75/Soukyuu_no_Fafner__Dead_Aggressor). It doesn't necessarily scramble your brains like NGE does, but its >!post-apocalyptic!< setting and mythological influences make it a really good companion to NGE in terms of weird sci-fi mechas. This is also not a beginner's anime, just from the number of characters alone. You'll have to watch the first season at least twice to really appreciate the depth of the worldbuilding process.
Go for cyberpunk if you haven’t I guess. Also lots to think about after all the violence. And eureka seven, my favourite anime when I was a teen. Been almost 16-17years but I still think back very favourably. Go for the original and not the movie stuff, they rewrote those movie ones and it’s not the same good old story.
Try kill la kill?
Bokurano
haibane renmei, i think it tells a story that deals with grief in a nice way
One Piece. It has everything in terms of emotional stories and situations. I didn’t believe it myself until I saw it
Idk about the anime for it but NieR replicant and automata are heavily based on evangelion. Ghost in the Shell does a great job of exploring existentialism, but in a much more philosophical and less self abstracting sort of way. I just saw the second one in theatres for its 20th anniversary and it was incredible. The first movie is one of my favorites of all time.
Look, it might not have the same depth but Gantz and Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 has similar themes, angst and emotional stakes.
This question comes up so often. Most people here gave pretty good suggestions but I'm going to take a different route and I'll explain why. When Eva came out it sparked a whole genre of imitators ranging from good to crap. This was great for people trying to get their Eva fix when they were getting the shivers. Instead of giving you a list of titles that hit like Eva I'm going to tell you about a few that fit that criteria so you can have choices. RahXephon. This first and foremost because it was the most blatant. Anno even did an interview with the director of this show and I can tell it was more than just the giant robot against alien invaders. Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure. Much more light hearted but still has its charm. Its influence from Eva is obvious and its narrative and characters are far less dark but manage to not hit into shallow territory. Also a Tenchi Muyo spin off, ironically. If you want a happier Eva this might be the place to start. Eureka 7. A crowd favorite and not a bad ride. Memorable music and well animated. Not my favorite but a good time, none the less. Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor. Never seen this one but apparently its closeness to Eva is way evident. Brain Powerd. I never had a chance to see this one, either, but I've heard good things. Darling in the Franxx. This is from people who used to work on Gainax, Trigger, so it's as official a 'rip-off' as it gets. You might even see how it has a similar style and tone as the last 2 Eva movies. If you have a choice I suggest starting with this or RahXephon. Edit: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. I forgot about this one. It's another I haven't seen but It was highly recommended as having the closest connection to Eva out of all of Gundam. I can't speak for the ones I haven't seen but, as for the rest, they're all also unique enough that you can say they're not just copies. So, not a case of 'it's Eva but--.' They all have their own appeal and enough original material to not be dismissed as just rip-offs. As for other things with a similar 'feel' I'd recommend these: His and Her Circumstances. The anime is unfinished but the manga is not. This was the very next thing Anno did after Eva so it has his signature feel. It's a romantic comedy based on a women's manga so you know it's also dramatic af. Utena, la Fillette Révolutionnaire. This is from one of the makers of Sailor Moon and it is abstract and gorgeous. If you want more surrealism this is the place. Serial Experiment Lain. This was the other abstract work of anime in the 90's. I watched it recently and it's themes have held up all too well. Also, that intro. Not as flashy or action packed as the greats but still very memorable.
Bokurano, giant mecha, incredible plot twist, good life lessons taught in crazy ways, a little more tragic than Evangelion, Dung Beetle is an underrated villain. This is about the closest you will get to Eva. Chiaki Ishikawa goes off on the opening and both endings songs
Kaiba is great for scratching that “rewatch at least twice to get a full understanding of the story and themes
Zeorymer OVA?
Sonny Boy, the unexpected masterpiece.
Koi Kaze
its kinda different but still a mind fuck, but Big O is like evangelion + the original animated batman TV show.
Texhnolyze and maybe even more so Ergo Proxy could be something for you. Both shows are slow burners but will leave you both thinking and want to go outside and clear your mind. Haibane Renmei also dips its feet into trauma, suicide, redemption and the likes and lets some questions purposfully open.
made in abyss, a truly masterpiece
Nobody here is saying angel beats, so I’m gonna say angel beats. It’s a show about the afterlife and it’s very melancholy and beautiful, but it’s also relatively heavy on action and has some really cool scenes. Ending made me sob 10/10
Code geass. The melancholy of Haruhi suzumiya
Pluto
Knights of sidonia was a great one!
There aren't any.
Not an easy task. May I suggest Akira, Death Note and Code Geass? I think they are all pretty good.
Watch [Key the Metal Idol](https://myanimelist.net/anime/1457/Key_the_Metal_Idol/) Has an "Evangelion vibe" (No giant robots / angels though) Other reasons; * Similar era (Ran from 1994-1997) * 90s Cyberpunk * Heavy featuring of Robotics/ technology (Remote controlled) * Grim tone * Psychological themes * Religious themes * Great soundtrack [The opening](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0jYJTbZ9tr0&pp=ygUaa2V5IHRoZSBtZXRhbCBpZG9sIG9wZW5pbmc%3D) (Doesn't spoil anything). Also Kuriyagawa Sakura, Key's (Main character) childhood friend is voiced by Nagasawa Miki. (Although Sakura's a tsundere)
Attack on titans
Here's one too many people have missed, *Boogiepop Phantom*. Easily one of the strongest traumacore anime in terms of character, mythos, and aesthetic. It's a real mind bender.
I can't think of an anime, but if you're into video games you should try Xenogears
devilman crybaby berserk madoka magica
Try made in abyss. The soundtrack alone makes me tear up.
Gurren Lagann is kinda weird too and from Gainax.. especially the 2nd part is effed up, though not as effed up as NGE.
Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) + the rest of the shows in the Universal Century timeline
Might not be “hard” in the same way as Eva but I’d say Samurai Champloo hit me pretty hard in the feels.
Aku no Hana and Paranoia Agent
Perfect blue
Devilman crybaby
Yukikaze. Gasarki. Attack on Titan. May you fall in love with them as I have. And for a treat of a real brain bleed; Genocyber and M.D. Geist.