Takopii no Genzai

If you like one of them, you might like the other for: * Girl saves alien – Both stories begin with a girl rescuing an alien, sparking life-changing events. * Cute meets dark – Adorable characters contrast with heavy themes like trauma, apathy, and societal collapse. * Surreal tragedy – Whimsical or sci-fi elements mask deeply emotional and disturbing truths. * Childhood under pressure – Focus on young characters dealing with pain caused by adults or society. * Emotional gut-punches – Both stories gradually (or suddenly) reveal heartbreaking realities. * Existential undertones – Questions about meaning, happiness, and identity run throughout.  

These shows are both a love letter to the broken young children (even to the adult's inner children) whom have suffered alone; And aims to show it's understanding of the cruel nature of childhood trauma rooted from domestic violence, school bullying, childhood indoctrination, infidelity and the cycle of hatred being instilled. Both have characters that serves as an audience surrogate; assuming the role of understanding the reasons for the actions of others and they do everything in their power to prevent a tragedy to occur; albeit sometimes to no avail. The storytelling uses elements of time reversal & mystery to search for answers in a given timeline which unravels some answer but also raises more questions on their circumstances. In comparison to Takopi, Higurashi has a more extensive storyline enabling a further analysis of mystery elements, whereas Takopi feel more of an abridgement of the same themes yet it is more divisive and maintains coherency. There's much credit to be shown with the art direction for both shows as it retains its rough yet violent design that actually enhances the violent nature of certain scenes. (ie: its made that way because it is as intended as such.) read more 

If you look at Takopi as a deconstruction of Doraemon, then Madoka does the same with Sailor Moon, to put it short. 

Both show some pretty horrific abuse of children (though Takopii has more and it's basically constant). The MC makes use of a particular ability to try to fix up the timeline and make things better for the young sufferers.  

Girls struggling with their psychological problems. Very eerie atmosphere but at the same time disturbingly colorful. Peak animation and music. 

- Both series convey similar feeling: guilt, hopelessness, inferiority, dread / terror. - It will give you sense of psychological trauma. - Touch upon terrible parent-children relationship. - Basically kids in dark / grim environment. 

Aku no Hana and Takopii no Genzai set a very similar tone and vibe and set the stage with a feeling of dread. These two shows also fantastically use camera angles and intense framing along with silence and the expressions on characters faces to really deliver the message during each scene. The subject material is different between both shows, but if you enjoy a psychological drama series, I would highly recommend both. 

Similar energy. In both, virtually all characters have some form of mental illness, typically linked to trauma. Plus, the obsessive main character is accompanied by a cute, cheerful companion. 

A depressed girl finds an adorable alien and starts getting along with them. Totally normal and not depressing and messed up disturbing, depressing, dreary or anything... Till you realize everything is worse than it seems. Ah yeah and the opening foreshadows the entire plot in a happy childish way. 

-Both delve into deeply disturbing and depressing psychological themes. Both series have child main characters forced into difficult situations (usually directly or indirectly caused by the adults around them) and having to deal with that and the complex emotions that come with that. -Both are not for the faint of heart as they feature children as the main characters often suffering physically/mentally and having to overcome extreme adversity. Do not watch them if you're in a particularly bad place mentally or just sensitive to that kind of thing. -Yes, they both feature a lot of suffering, but also there's some comforting/wholesome stuff like in the bonds of friendship the characters share with each other (trauma-bonding yay). And in Takopi's case, his dedication to making the main character smile even if it doesn't go as planned. -Be prepared to cry...or to at least feel something stir in your empty husk of a soul. read more 

This is another short watch, also with high quality animation of a similar style. One main part is about what a character would do if they could have gone back and changed something that happens, with some very gut wrenching scenes related to this. It also mainly focuses on the characters and their relationship, which I found really well done especially with such a short runtime to show it. All of these things are what I loved about both anime, and I highly recommend if you liked either one. 

Both shows explore in depth the subjects of mental illness and trauma without sugar-coating. And like Takopi "Welcome to the NHK" leaves you with a bitter-sweet taste without pretending that everything has a solution. And despite being realistic and not relying on magic to drive the plot, "Welcome to the NHK" has a Takopi-like character who ends up helping the MC not quite the way you would've expected from the beginning. 

Both deliver kind of dark and unfair atmosphere, talking about kids neglect, murders, violence in all its forms 

Akane and Shizuka share the same voice actress, are similarly mentally-unhinged, and have an alien as their only company and emotional support.  

Both Made in Abyss and Takopii no Genzai may seem cute at first glance, but they are actually quite dark and psychological anime. The contrast between the sweet art style and the heavy, sometimes disturbing themes makes the story more striking. Made in Abyss leans more towards the fantasy side, while Takopii no Genzai is more realistic and closer to everyday life. I think those who like this one will also like the other one 

Themes of bullying and suicide. The King of Pigs is the better one of of two. 

A Silent Voice quickly became my favorite movie after I watched it the first time because of how well it represented how cruel children can be and the severe effects bullying can have. Takopi's Original Sin is very similar in that aspect, except it takes a much darker approach than A Silent Voice did. Takopi's Original Sin is only 6 episodes (which is basically like a movie) and they didn't waste a single frame, it was phenomenal start to finish and I can't recommend it enough if you loved A Silent Voice.  

"The Summer Hikaru Died" and "Takopi's Original Sin" are two sides of the same coin. They both dive deep into some aspect of the human experience through the use of supernatural beings. While "The Summer Hikaru Died" explores ideas associated with human grief and love through the use of a creature possessing the corpse of Hikaru, "Takopi's Original Sin" shows the complexity of human suffering, such as our participation in it and the role our environment play in continuing that suffering. Both animes also show their themes through characters with specific identities. While "The Summer Hikaru Died" accomplishes its themes through queer characters, "Takopi's Original Sin" does so through young children, which helps create an interesting juxtaposition between human suffering and the innocence and naivety of children. read more 

I'm surprised this hasn't been recommended yet. Below the obvious surface level of being dark shows with kids and aliens, they're both stories about the trauma adults inflict on children and how they render kids unable to escape from their situation. They're both shows that are really cynical towards adults imo 

They're very different types of anime—Takopi’s Original Sin is dark and tragic, while T.P Bon is a children's adventure series. Though they’re polar opposites, both explore the theme of using different gadgets to fulfill their missions and feature a mascot that guides them throughout their journey. It’s fun to see the creative ways they use these tools each day.  

Takopi no Genzai is similar to Clannad: After Story because both deeply explore human emotions and universal themes like trauma, loss, love, hope, and redemption. Despite being from different genres and mediums, they both take the audience through a journey of despair and emotional breakdown, only to deliver a message of healing, growth, and the power of compassion. They remind us that: > "Sometimes, the deepest wounds are not meant to be erased or avoided, but to be understood and accepted as part of growing up." 

The cycle of abuse and the worst parents in anime 

Both seem cutesy at first, but is actually very dark and gory. Both have a little hint of scifi/magic. Both have great plot twists.  

Colorful leans toward introspective healing, Takopii no Genzai confronts you with the raw brutality of childhood pain in a cruel world. Both explore serious topics including depression, bullying, and suicide. Loneliness, neglect, regret and the desperate need to be seen are themes in both. 

Both anime are a bit different: Zenshu leans more into isekai, while Takopi’s Original Sin is in real life, however, they do share some similar themes. Both are quite dark, exploring what it means to overcome harsh realities and grow as individuals. The characters are aware of the impending doom that awaits them, so they try their hardest to avoid it. They focus on battling depression and learning to rely on others to survive. The magic in both series is also very creative and rarely repeats. It's fun to see what new tools or spells the characters will use in each episode. 

Death, trauma, hysteria, what does it mean to be human? Dealing with loss, family, and mental illness, from the lenses of multiple perspectives, and at the center of both is a cute pink innocent mascot 

The setting might be drastically different, but both are about a rotten world seen from the innocence of children. I would say more but it would involve spoilers. 

Both touch similar themes of child neglect, intergenerational trauma, changing fate, and a very adorable creature (or creatures) that acommpany the protaginist. Both might leave you crying, although Penguindrum is more complex and (slightly) less explicit. 

Both are dark anime about children who are abused and traumatized by their parents. 

Scenes of domestic violence against children. Mentally traumatized girls and their relationships. Using of magical devices that look cute but deadly.