Higurashi: When They Cry is the textbook example of never judge a book by its cover, Sure, on the surface, Higurashi: When They Cry looks like another slice-of-life anime about highschool boy surrounded by a club of cute girls. After taking a peek, however, you'll discover that those cute anime girls are far more twisted, horrific, and brutally violent than one could ever imagine.
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The storytelling of Higurashi: When They Cry ranges from cutesy to disturbing; delivering an uncomfortable experience you can't help but watch. If you want more anime like Higurashi: When They Cry, then check out these other horror-inspired series.
10 School Days
School Days is a 12-episode anime series about a high schooler named Makoto Itou who becomes enchanted by Kotonoha Katsura. While he's too shy to ask her out, Makoto instead snaps a photo of Kotonoha and uses it as his cellphone wallpaper. However, Sekai Saionji spots Makoto's wallpaper, but instead of blackmailing him, she instead helps Makoto by befriending Kotonoha so he can get closer to her. The relationship among these teenagers goes from sweet to sour, as love and sex spring forth jealousy and homicidal rage.
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9 Another
Another is a horror anime deals with a cursed setting just like Higurashi: When They Cry, and also features some unbelievably gruesome kills. After transferring to class 3-3 of Yomiyama North, 15-year-old Kouichi Sakakibara is perplexed by the gloomy atmosphere that shrouds his new classmates. Somehow, it all connects to the mysterious death of a popular student that attended the same classroom 26 years ago. Despite being warned, Kouichi is drawn to an eye-patch wearing student named Mei Misaki, who seems to know the horrible truth about what happened all those years ago.
8 Shiki
Shiki is a supernatural horror story that takes place in the small Japanese village of Sotoba in 1994. A series of mysterious deaths are plaguing Sotoba, meanwhile, a strange new family has moved into the abandoned Kanemasa mansion that's located on top of a hill. Megumi Shimizu, a young woman who dreams of moving out of Satoba and into the city, pays the new family a visit but never returns. Her dead body is found lying in a forest; prompting an investigation by Doctor Toshio Ozaki that suggests vampiric causes.
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7 The Future Diary
If you're a fan of Higurashi: When They Cry, Death Note, and Battle Royale, then The Future Diary will be right up your alley. Yukiteru Amano, a high school loner who uses his cell phone as a diary, has his phone magically transformed into a Future Diary that can predict the future up to 90 days. The gift was given by his two "imaginary" friends named Deus Ex Machina, the God of Space and Time, and his assistant Muru Muru. However, the imaginary deities enlist Yukiteru into a battle royale game where he must kill 11 other diary holders like himself or die by their hands.
6 School-Live!
Don't let the cutesy look of School-Live! fool you. Much like Higurashi: When They Cry, all hell will break loose. School-Live! transitions from an adorable slice-of-life show about four cute high school girls doing cute things to an anime version of The Walking Dead. The four girls - Yuki Takeya, Yuuri Wakasa, Kurumi Ebisuzawa, and Miki Naoki - are all trying to survive the deadly zombie apocalypse at Megurigaoka High School.
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5 Puella Magi Madoka Magica
In the same vein as School-Live! and Higurashi: When They Cry, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a cute but deceiving anime that turns the magical girl anime genre on its head. The average middle school lives of Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki are changed forever after a magical cat-like creature named Kyuubey offers them a once-in-a-lifetime offer. Kyuubey will grant them any wish they desire, but in exchange, they'll become magic girls. A magical girl named Homura Akemi, however, warns Madoka and Sayaka about the offer, as this dream come true is really a nightmare in disguise.
4 Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
Beware anime viewers with a weak stomach: Corpse Party: Tortured Souls is a high school horror series that features some truly horrifying kills. The series takes place at Kisaragi Academy where students perform a farewell ritual for Mayu Suzumoto, who is transferring to another school. Unfortunately, the charms used for the ritual are connected to the gruesome murders of the decimated Heavenly Host Elementary School, which Kisaragi Academy now rests upon. The students are transported to the alternate dimension of Heavenly Host Elementary School, where they struggle to survive from the supernatural assault of their spiritual tormentors.
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3 Hell Girl
In contrast to most of the recommendations here, Hell Girl is a more of a horror anthology series. However, it does share the same psychological drama of Higurashi: When They Cry. Anyone who holds a powerful grudge against another will be granted access to a supernatural website at midnight. Whoever has their name entered into the website will be instantly doomed to an eternity in Hell. The Hell Girl, Ai Enma, will conduct the punishment with no questions asked. However, in exchange for the service, the Hell Girl will demand the user surrender their afterlife to an eternity in Hell as well.
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2 Paranoia Agent
From the mind of the late Satoshi Kon, Paranoia Agent is a psychological thriller about a mysterious killer that terrorizes a city. The residents of Musashino City are at the mercy of an unknown assailant known only as Lil' Slugger; nicknamed by the police for his small stature and use of a golden bat as an assault weapon. The series revolves around the surreal mystery of Lil' Slugger and the twisted lives of his victims. It's a crime drama and a horror anthology series all rolled into one!
1 Devilman: Crybaby
Devilman: Crybaby is a horror-action series about Akira Fudou: a weak, yet, compassionate soul stuck in a deranged world. After agreeing to help his childhood friend, Ryou Asuka, find demons, Akira finds himself in an immoral party filled with death and devils. To save his best friend's life, Akira merges with the devil Amon to become the Devilman. The cruel power of Amon matched with the bleeding heart of Akira leads to an unlikely partnership.
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