Other anime like NGE or Nadia

Non-Eva Anime and Manga discussion

Moderators: Rebuild/OT Moderators, Board Staff

AdamMalkovitch
Clockiel
Clockiel
User avatar
Age: 24
Posts: 403
Joined: Jul 23, 2017
Location: Hell
Gender: Male
Contact:

Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby AdamMalkovitch » Fri Sep 03, 2021 9:02 pm

What are some other anime, preferably retro [just because I enjoy the aesthetic and the imperfect art and presentation lends to the creepy factor], that are comparable to Neon Genesis or Nadia Secret of Blue Water? Specifically
-Starting with a relatively light or normal tone, but slowly revealing itself to be nightmarish and dark
-Alternate histories, ancient species, eldritch abominations, horrifying technology
-Sick action from time to time
-Just fuckin godlike music
-A mild horror vibe, but not strictly horror [the genre is so repetitive even when it's good]
*injects Angel blood* I know what the fuck an EVA is now :)

Blockio
Full/Super Moderator
Full/Super Moderator
User avatar
Age: 24
Posts: 3839
Joined: Dec 03, 2017
Location: vtuber hell
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Blockio » Fri Sep 03, 2021 9:19 pm

I've heard that Serial Experiments Lain fits the bill there, but I haven't watched it myself, so I can't say for certain; I know I've seen some more that have these characteristics, but I'm drawing a complete blank on them right now
I can see why Gendo hired Misato to do the actual commanding. He tried it once and did an appalling job. ~ AWinters
Your point of view is horny, and biased. ~ glitz2hard
What about titty-ten? ~ Reichu
The movies function on their own terms. If people can't accept them on those terms, and keep expecting them to be NGE, then they probably should have realized a while ago that they weren't going to have a good time. ~ Words of wisdom courtesy of Reichu

AdamMalkovitch
Clockiel
Clockiel
User avatar
Age: 24
Posts: 403
Joined: Jul 23, 2017
Location: Hell
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby AdamMalkovitch » Fri Sep 03, 2021 9:25 pm

Oh fuck yeah Lain is awesome! Final Fantasy VII and Xenoblade Chronicles fit here as well, even though they're games. Thanks for humoring my incessant begging for weird, specific Japanese media :nyao:
*injects Angel blood* I know what the fuck an EVA is now :)

pwhodges
A Lilin in Wonderland
A Lilin in Wonderland
User avatar
Age: 77
Posts: 11035
Joined: Nov 18, 2012
Location: Oxford, UK
Contact:

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby pwhodges » Sat Sep 04, 2021 5:47 am

Starts dark, and just gets darker: Texhnolyze.
Not so dark, but an engaging lesser-known story: Kemono no Souja Erin.
And not to forget a long slow build: Monster.
"Being human, having your health; that's what's important." (from: Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi )
"As long as we're all living, and as long as we're all having fun, that should do it, right?" (from: The Eccentric Family )
Avatar: The end of the journey (details); Past avatars.
Before 3.0+1.0 there was Afterwards... my post-Q Evangelion fanfic (discussion)

The Killer of Heroes
Armisael
Armisael
Age: 32
Posts: 944
Joined: Sep 29, 2012
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby The Killer of Heroes » Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:50 pm

If you watch Texhnolyze and Lain, you should watch Haibane Renmei too to finish off that "trilogy". It may not be dark in the way that something like those or Eva can get, but there's such a bittersweet sadness under the whole thing that I found really moving.

UrsusArctos
The Beginning and The End
The Beginning and The End
User avatar
Posts: 10501
Joined: Jun 28, 2007

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby UrsusArctos » Sat Sep 04, 2021 10:24 pm

I can think of quite a few, both ones that I've seen and ones that I've had others recommend.

Evangelion's shojo sister, Revolutionary Girl Utena, fits the bill perfectly and it is a hoot to watch.

There's also the show that followed right in Evangelion's wake by airing in the exact same timeslot a week after Episode 26 : The Vision of Escaflowne. It's not openly dark but it has many violent/disturbing/horrifying moments and themes running through it and generally fits the other criteria. How often do you get a shonen/shojo hybrid that features Yoko Kanno's music and robotic knights designed by the great Shoji Kawamori fighting each other in classical animation?

And then there's Noir, an assassins/ancient conspiracy-themed show with elements that anticipate The Da Vinci Code well before that book came out.
(Was Board Staff from Dec 31, 2007 - Oct 17, 2015 and Oct 20, 2020 - Aug 1, 2021)
Not knowing that Monk is bi is like not knowing the Pope is Catholic - ZapX
You're either really bad at interpreting jokes or really good at pretending you are and I have no idea which.-Monk Ed
WAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!(<-link to lunacy)...Taste me, if you can bear it. (Warning: Language NSFW)
The main point of idiocy is for the smart to have their lulz. Without human idiocy, trolling would not exist, and that's uncool, since a large part of my entertainment consists of mocking the absurdity and dumbassery of the world, especially the Internet.-MaggotMaster

The Killer of Heroes
Armisael
Armisael
Age: 32
Posts: 944
Joined: Sep 29, 2012
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby The Killer of Heroes » Sun Sep 05, 2021 1:39 am

Yeah I dunno that I'd call Escaflowne dark exactly, but its excellent at any rate and one of the best TV shows of the 90's period. I do think it actually has a few interesting parallels with Nadia too, come to think of it.

The Escaflowne movie I would say gets kind of dark, but well that's a whole strange can of worms in its own right.
Last edited by The Killer of Heroes on Sun Sep 05, 2021 5:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Blockio
Full/Super Moderator
Full/Super Moderator
User avatar
Age: 24
Posts: 3839
Joined: Dec 03, 2017
Location: vtuber hell
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Blockio » Sun Sep 05, 2021 1:22 pm

I suppose Martian Successor Nadesico does also fit the bill in a few ways; not anything close to Eva, but it does get a lot darker than you'd expect from the admittedly rather silly start
I can see why Gendo hired Misato to do the actual commanding. He tried it once and did an appalling job. ~ AWinters
Your point of view is horny, and biased. ~ glitz2hard
What about titty-ten? ~ Reichu
The movies function on their own terms. If people can't accept them on those terms, and keep expecting them to be NGE, then they probably should have realized a while ago that they weren't going to have a good time. ~ Words of wisdom courtesy of Reichu

Gus Hanson
Authentic Wizard
Authentic Wizard
Posts: 1547
Joined: Oct 24, 2012
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Gus Hanson » Tue Sep 07, 2021 3:24 pm

Anno himself said that Space Runaway Ideon by Yoshiyuki Tomino inspired him in making NGE. If you thought the massacre at EoE was bloody and massive, the fact that the whole galaxy is obliterated by the end of Ideon and it even shows children dying in the frontline...
"Damn it! Who do I have to screw around here just to get a stupid story?!" - Gail Hailstorm, author of the book You're Dead, I'm Rich (Scary Movie)

::KL7::
Ireul
Ireul
User avatar
Age: 38
Posts: 666
Joined: Dec 29, 2013
Location: The corner of everywhere and nowhere, ya dig?
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby ::KL7:: » Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:13 pm

I actually got Evangelion vibes from magical girl anime Yuki Yuna is a hero, but if it’s a darker tone you’re looking for, Madoka Magica, perhaps?
It's Ok if you hate me, I hate me too.

Blockio
Full/Super Moderator
Full/Super Moderator
User avatar
Age: 24
Posts: 3839
Joined: Dec 03, 2017
Location: vtuber hell
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Blockio » Tue Dec 14, 2021 6:09 pm

If I'm not completely mistaken, wasn't Yuki Yuna is a hero also pretty squarely on the dark end?
I can see why Gendo hired Misato to do the actual commanding. He tried it once and did an appalling job. ~ AWinters
Your point of view is horny, and biased. ~ glitz2hard
What about titty-ten? ~ Reichu
The movies function on their own terms. If people can't accept them on those terms, and keep expecting them to be NGE, then they probably should have realized a while ago that they weren't going to have a good time. ~ Words of wisdom courtesy of Reichu

::KL7::
Ireul
Ireul
User avatar
Age: 38
Posts: 666
Joined: Dec 29, 2013
Location: The corner of everywhere and nowhere, ya dig?
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby ::KL7:: » Tue Dec 14, 2021 7:37 pm

^ It does get pretty dark, but I wouldn’t say on the same level of Madoka.

SPOILER: Show
Plus the concept of the monsters they battle in this anime, (Vertexes) remind of the angels, as well as there end goal of destroying human life.
It's Ok if you hate me, I hate me too.

Alaska Slim
Frigus Ignoramus
Frigus Ignoramus
User avatar
Posts: 5013
Joined: Oct 08, 2007
Location: The Land Up Over
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Alaska Slim » Mon Jan 03, 2022 6:30 pm

Oregairu. The protagonist constantly self-deprecates, but in a way that's as external as internal, and it's the sole focus of the show. No giant robots, save for the Gundam reference. No body horror, no sci-fi, it's just unapologetically the drama of "why relate to, and care about others?"

EDIT:

No one has mentioned Rahxephon yet? Wow.

Image

View Original PostBlockio wrote:I suppose Martian Successor Nadesico does also fit the bill in a few ways; not anything close to Eva, but it does get a lot darker than you'd expect from the admittedly rather silly start

Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure Is closer still. It's just Tenchi Muyo x Evangelion stitched together.

View Original PostGus Hanson wrote:Anno himself said that Space Runaway Ideon by Yoshiyuki Tomino inspired him in making NGE.

And Tomino made his own response to Evangelion. It's laughably terrible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Powerd

Ideon is more hilarious as it was riffing on everything from Star Wars to Planet of the Apes.
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"God is in his Heaven, and free men walk upon the Earth" - Rev. Robert Sirico, President of the Acton Institute

cyharding
Our Man in Tokyo 3
Our Man in Tokyo 3
User avatar
Age: 42
Posts: 1924
Joined: Jun 08, 2007
Location: In Glorious Technicolor
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby cyharding » Mon Jan 03, 2022 8:34 pm

View Original PostAlaska Slim wrote:Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure Is closer still. It's just Tenchi Muyo x Evangelion stitched together.

Doesn't it take place in the whole Tenchi multiverse or something? It's been nearly 20 years since I've seen it.
Finding intelligent life on the web is not easy, we must all be glad we found EGF. - A.T. Fish
You Can Start Again. Chapter 32 now released. Now on FF.net
Oh, Eva, you never cease to amaze me. Your fans are analizing a calendar, for god's sake.- Alpha

::KL7::
Ireul
Ireul
User avatar
Age: 38
Posts: 666
Joined: Dec 29, 2013
Location: The corner of everywhere and nowhere, ya dig?
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby ::KL7:: » Thu Jan 06, 2022 11:27 pm

Very underrated mecha anime Captain Earth has some Evangelion Vibes. Parent less emo protagonist, weird albino kid, monster of the week, alien villains piloting mechs trying to destroy the world, beautiful animation with some awesome shoulder pylons, plenty of fan service. I really enjoyed this anime, and has some banging OP’s, especially the second one by Nico Touches the wall https://youtu.be/P75eMffs04Q Shame not a lot of people seem to know or talk about this one.
It's Ok if you hate me, I hate me too.

Alaska Slim
Frigus Ignoramus
Frigus Ignoramus
User avatar
Posts: 5013
Joined: Oct 08, 2007
Location: The Land Up Over
Gender: Male

Re: Other anime like NGE or Nadia B/

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Alaska Slim » Sun Jan 09, 2022 4:41 am

View Original Postcyharding wrote:
View Original PostAlaska Slim#933519 wrote:Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure Is closer still. It's just Tenchi Muyo x Evangelion stitched together.

Doesn't it take place in the whole Tenchi multiverse or something? It's been nearly 20 years since I've seen it.

Don't recall noticing while watching, but the creator did apparently confirm that.

It's the distant past... which I don't get, as I thought Tenchi was set in modern-day.
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"God is in his Heaven, and free men walk upon the Earth" - Rev. Robert Sirico, President of the Acton Institute


Return to “Anime and Manga”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests