Recently the detached struggling manga artist Satoru Fujinuma finds himself going back in time just minutes before tragedy strikes around him. He has saved many lives with this power of “Revival,” but when he is wrongly accused of murdering someone close to him, Fujinuma finds himself sent back to his childhood. As he discovers the recent death in his life is somehow connected the kidnap-murder of three of his classmates, this time he may be able to use his power to save more than just one life, easing his past regrets in the process.

Erased was as addicting to watch as heroin is to mainline. Especially since it didn’t give much in the way of pay off in the end, try to chase that high with these anime recommendations.

For Fans of Time Travel

Steins;Gate

Mad scientist Rintarou Okabe spends his days tinkering around and creating futuristic inventions with his lab assistants in Akihabara, but nothing of any consequence. That is, until one day when his Phone Microwave, a device that changes bananas into green gel, gains the ability to send e-mails to the past, altering the flow of history. Now Okabe must frantically deal with the consequences of selfishly messing around with the past.

In both anime series, the main character time travels into the past to save someone dear to him. However, each time, it messes with the natural timeline, for better or worse. However, Erased tends to be faster moving and more emotional, but Steins;Gate actually addresses how the time travel is done. It’s not just plot magic.

Re:ZERO  – Starting Life in Another World

On his way back from a midnight snack run, high school truant Subaru Natsuki suddenly finds himself summoned to another world, one more at home in an RPG than the real world. After having his life saved by a mysterious girl, he vows to help her recover a stolen item. Unfortunately, his tale ends soon after with his death. Yet, while bleeding out on the floor, Subaru summons forth a new ability – the power to return from death.

Throughout Erased, the main character returns to the past multiple times. The same thing essentially happens in Re: Zero. Each time the main character dies, he has to go through the motions and make the correct decision to not only save himself, but others.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Madoka Kaname is your average cheerful middle school girl, but her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets transfer student Homura Akemi and a strange creature named Kyuubey. Kyuubey makes Madoka a proposal: become a magical girl to fight witches and he will grant her one wish. However, the mysterious Homura begs Madoka not to accept.

Both Erased and Madoka Magica deal with time travel and Multiverse Theory. However, both also feel similar in terms of sheer urgency that is evoked as things get tenser. While Madoka Magica gets a bit more mind fuck-y, both storylines feature fantastic plot twists that leave you hungry for more.

For Fans of Emotional Mysteries

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

After the death of childhood friend Meiko “Menma” Honma, Jinta Yadomi and his group of friends grew apart, each trying to deal with grief and guilt in their own way. However, when Jinta starts seeing what he believes to be Menma’s ghost, the group of friends are drawn together to help grant her long-desired wish.

Both anime series deal with the difficult topics of death and regret. As such, each main character ultimately sets out to fix what happened to a little girl from their past. While in Erased, the main character can actually fix it, in Aohana, the characters actually just have to deal with their emotions.

From the New World

After a small portion of the population awakened to psychokinectic powers, violence and upheaval rocked the world. However, those with powers were able to achieve peace by separating themselves into their own society. In the town of Kamisu 66, Saki Watanabe has just awakened to her powers. Pleased she can now attend the Sage Academy with her friends, it seems a great life is ahead of her. However, when Saki and her friends start to peer into their society’s darkest secrets, like what happens to kids that don’t awaken to their powers, the utopian veneer begins to peel away.

Although each ultimately have different storylines, both anime series involves a group of kids trying to figure out why students are disappearing from their school. While Erased works on a small-scale mystery From the New World eventually grows grand in scheme.

For Fans of Plot Twists

Blast of Tempest

Hakaze Kusaribe is a sorceress tasked with protecting the Tree of Origins. However, when a rival member of her family seeking to revive the Tree of World’s End catches her, she is stuffed into a barrel and banished to an island. From there Hakaze sends a message out to sea, one received by Mahiro Fuwa. In agreement to help Hakaze off the island, he asks that she use her magic to help find his sister’s killer.

Although more of a fantasy setting, Blast of Tempest and Erased both start things off with a murder, one that is slowly unraveled throughout the series, but not without some crazy plot twists. Although the different settings ultimately dictate the plot, both are the type of shows in which you can’t wait for the next episode.

Death Note

Bored with the endless monotony of immortality, shinigami Ryuk drops his death note, a tool that will kill anyone who has their name written in it, on Earth. High school student and academic prodigy Light Yagami picks it up. Deploring the state of the world, he quickly decides to use it to end the lives of criminals.

Like Erased, Death Note is a constant game of cat and mouse, the only difference is that in Death Note, the main character is technically the villain. In both, watch the antagonists try to get out of getting caught and the protagonists actively trying to foil them. It is an anime full of the twists and turns that come with these types of detective-style mysteries.

Monster

Dr. Kenzou Tenma is a renowned brain surgeon working abroad in Europe. With a great job and beautiful fiancée, he has everything in life. However, one night he is faced with a dilemma – save the mortally wounded mayor or a mortally wounded boy. Ignoring his colleagues’ pleas, Tenma’s morals force him to save the boy. However, when a series of murders begin to happen around the doctor, all evidence points to the boy he saved.

While Erased is more supernatural in its murder mystery, both it and Monster feature characters unraveling a suspenseful and tense situation. Both main characters find themselves framed for murder, while both are heroes that actually save people. Both shows are also addicting in their plot twists as well.

Have your own recommendations for anime series like Erased? Tell us about it in the comments section below.