Higurashi When They Cry, first released in 2006, follows Keiichi Maebara as he moves to the seemingly idyllic village of Hinamizawa, only to uncover layers of paranoia, murder, and supernatural curses tied to an annual festival. At its core, the series masterfully subverts expectations by blending cute slice-of-life moments with intense psychological horror, mystery, and cycles of violence that explore themes of trust, madness, and inescapable fate.
These selected anime deserve more attention because they capture similar deceptive charm and dark twists, often flying under the radar despite their innovative storytelling and emotional depth, providing fresh horrors for fans seeking overlooked gems.
1. Shiki (2010)
- Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll, HIDIVE
- Brief Plot Summary: In a remote village, a series of mysterious deaths coincide with the arrival of a strange family in an old mansion, leading doctor Toshio Ozaki to uncover a vampiric plague that pits neighbors against each other in a fight for survival.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Like Higurashi, Shiki builds dread in a isolated rural setting, blending community paranoia with supernatural horror and moral dilemmas about trust and violence among friends.
- MAL Rating: 7.74
- Episode Count: 22
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Tetsuro Amino, produced by Studio Daume and Aniplex.
- Awards/Recognition: Nominated for Best Horror Anime at the 2011 Anime Grand Prix.
2. Another (2012)
- Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll
- Brief Plot Summary: Transfer student Koichi Sakakibara joins a cursed class where students die gruesomely unless they ignore a mysterious girl named Mei Misaki, unraveling a decades-old supernatural secret.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Shares Higurashi’s school-based mystery and escalating paranoia, with deceptive normalcy giving way to brutal deaths and a cycle of inescapable fate.
- MAL Rating: 7.47
- Episode Count: 12
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, produced by P.A. Works.
- Awards/Recognition: Won Best Mystery Anime at the 2012 Newtype Anime Awards.
3. School-Live! (2015)
- Current Streaming Availability: HIDIVE
- Brief Plot Summary: Four high school girls form a club to “live” at school amid a zombie apocalypse, but one member’s denial creates a fragile illusion of normalcy that slowly crumbles.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Mirrors Higurashi’s subversion of cute slice-of-life tropes into psychological horror, with themes of denial, trauma, and group dynamics under existential threat.
- MAL Rating: 7.61
- Episode Count: 12
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Masaomi Ando, produced by Lerche.
- Awards/Recognition: Praised for innovative genre-blending at the 2015 Tokyo Anime Award Festival.
4. Happy Sugar Life (2018)
- Current Streaming Availability: Amazon Prime Video
- Brief Plot Summary: Teenage girl Satou Matsuzaka kidnaps a young child to create her perfect “sweet” life, descending into obsession and violence to protect her twisted happiness.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Echoes Higurashi’s deceptive innocence turning to madness, with psychological depth in character motivations and a focus on hidden darkness in everyday relationships.
- MAL Rating: 6.96
- Episode Count: 12
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Keizo Kusakawa, produced by Ezo’la.
- Awards/Recognition: Noted for bold themes at the 2018 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
5. Summertime Rendering (2022)
- Current Streaming Availability: Disney+
- Brief Plot Summary: Shinpei returns to his island hometown for a funeral and gets trapped in a time loop involving shadowy doppelgangers that mimic and murder residents.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Features Higurashi-like time loops and island isolation, with mystery-solving amid paranoia and supernatural entities that erode trust.
- MAL Rating: 8.50
- Episode Count: 25
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Ayumu Watanabe, produced by OLM.
- Awards/Recognition: Won Best Mystery at the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
6. Paranoia Agent (2004)
- Current Streaming Availability: Funimation
- Brief Plot Summary: A mysterious boy on roller skates attacks stressed-out citizens with a golden bat, unraveling a web of urban legends and collective psychosis in Tokyo.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Captures Higurashi’s psychological thriller vibe through unreliable narratives and societal paranoia, subverting reality with surreal horror.
- MAL Rating: 7.66
- Episode Count: 13
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Satoshi Kon, produced by Madhouse.
- Awards/Recognition: Won Best TV Anime at the 2004 Tokyo International Anime Fair.
7. Boogiepop Phantom (2000)
- Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll
- Brief Plot Summary: High school students encounter a supernatural entity called Boogiepop that hunts anomalies in a city plagued by disappearances and distorted memories.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Like Higurashi, it uses non-linear storytelling and atmospheric dread to explore teen alienation, mystery, and hidden horrors.
- MAL Rating: 7.15
- Episode Count: 12
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Takashi Watanabe, produced by Madhouse.
- Awards/Recognition: Influential in experimental anime, cited in academic discussions on horror.
8. Serial Experiments Lain (1998)
- Current Streaming Availability: Funimation
- Brief Plot Summary: Introverted girl Lain Iwakura delves into a virtual network after a classmate’s suicide, blurring lines between reality and digital existence.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Shares Higurashi’s themes of identity crisis and paranoia, with mind-bending psychological horror in a seemingly normal world.
- MAL Rating: 8.07
- Episode Count: 13
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Ryutaro Nakamura, produced by Triangle Staff.
- Awards/Recognition: Won Excellence Prize at the 1998 Japan Media Arts Festival.
9. Hell Girl (2005)
Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll
- Brief Plot Summary: A website allows users to send enemies to hell via the enigmatic Ai Enma, but at the cost of their own soul, exploring cycles of revenge.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Mirrors Higurashi’s anthology-style arcs of moral horror and inevitable doom, with themes of grudges and psychological fallout.
- MAL Rating: 7.60
- Episode Count: 26 (Season 1)
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Takahiro Omori, produced by Studio Deen.
- Awards/Recognition: Long-running series with cult following for episodic horror.
10. Corpse Party: Tortured Souls (2013)
- Current Streaming Availability: HIDIVE
- Brief Plot Summary: Students perform a ritual that transports them to a haunted school dimension filled with vengeful ghosts and gruesome traps.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Echoes Higurashi’s brutal violence and cursed school setting, with mystery-solving amid paranoia and betrayal.
- MAL Rating: 6.43
- Episode Count: 4 (OVA)
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Akira Iwanaga, produced by Asread.
- Awards/Recognition: Based on a popular horror game series.
11. Ghost Hunt (2006)
- Current Streaming Availability: Funimation
- Brief Plot Summary: High schooler Mai joins a paranormal investigation team to solve haunted cases, uncovering personal traumas and supernatural truths.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Features Higurashi-like episodic mysteries with psychological depth, blending humor and horror in group dynamics.
- MAL Rating: 7.75
- Episode Count: 25
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Rei Mano, produced by J.C. Staff.
- Awards/Recognition: Praised for authentic ghost lore adaptations.
12. Umineko: When They Cry (2009)
- Current Streaming Availability: HIDIVE
- Brief Plot Summary: A wealthy family gathers on an island where murders unfold according to a witch’s riddle, challenging logic versus magic.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: From the same creator, it shares closed-circle mysteries, paranoia, and meta-narratives of truth and illusion.
- MAL Rating: 7.06
- Episode Count: 26
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Chiaki Kon, produced by Studio Deen.
- Awards/Recognition: Part of the acclaimed When They Cry franchise.
13. Mayoiga (2016)
- Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll
- Brief Plot Summary: A group escapes society to a hidden village, only to face psychological horrors and unraveling secrets among themselves.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Like Higurashi, it explores village isolation, group paranoia, and deceptive normalcy leading to chaos.
- MAL Rating: 5.48
- Episode Count: 12
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, produced by Diomedéa.
- Awards/Recognition: Noted for experimental narrative despite mixed reception.
14. Shinsekai Yori (2012)
- Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll
- Brief Plot Summary: In a utopian future, children with psychic powers discover dark societal secrets and the cost of their “perfect” world.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Parallels Higurashi’s subversion of innocence into dystopian horror, with mystery and ethical dilemmas.
- MAL Rating: 8.26
- Episode Count: 25
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Masashi Ishihama, produced by A-1 Pictures.
- Awards/Recognition: Won Best Sci-Fi at the 2013 Anime Grand Prix.
15. Erased (2016)
- Current Streaming Availability: Netflix
- Brief Plot Summary: Satoru Fujinuma time-travels to his childhood to prevent a series of murders, facing personal traumas along the way.
- Specific Similarities to Higurashi: Incorporates time loops and mystery-solving like Higurashi’s later arcs, with psychological tension and subversion of fate.
- MAL Rating: 8.28
- Episode Count: 12
- Notable Staff/Studio: Directed by Tomohiko Ito, produced by A-1 Pictures.
- Awards/Recognition: Nominated for Anime of the Year at the 2017 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
Why These Anime Work for Higurashi When They Cry Fans
These series resonate with Higurashi enthusiasts by subverting expectations through deceptive setups—often starting light-hearted before plunging into psychological depths, paranoia, and moral ambiguity. They emphasize isolated settings, unreliable narratives, and the fragility of trust, offering underrated explorations of horror that reward patient viewers with intricate mysteries and emotional payoffs, much like Hinamizawa’s endless cycles.
