10 More Anime With Spooky Environments & Ideas!
School-Live! is a great anime that incorporates cutesy girls in an apocalyptic setting. They’ll rely on common school activities and their knowledge of the world to get by. This anime tackles some mental health-related issues involving its protagonist Yuki Takeya too. It’s an anime that will keep you on your toes and will make you question how our cast will survive this harsh situation.
Fear not if you’re having trouble finding anime similar to School-Live! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as School-Live!
Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows/anime that should whet your appetite when you’ve finished streaming School-Live!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Similarities – Psychological & Themes
When School-Live! released in 2015, many people were reminded of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. What reminded people of this work was School-Live’s dark approach to the “moe” subgenre. Both anime highlights complex character relationships and traumatic experiences to provide folks with an anime that’s captivating and chilling.
In Madoka Magica, we follow a pair of female friends who accept a cat-like being named Kyubey’s offer to become magical girls. Although they believe this will be a fun endeavor, numerous missions will make them think otherwise. As one can tell, both anime feature a young, female-dominant cast who must navigate complex relationships with other characters.
For example, Sayaka will confront circumstances where she feels betrayed and rejected by the person she held close to her heart. This will resonate with many folks who endured similar pain in their life. If you’re looking for an anime that goes harder on its darker aspects than School-Live!, check out Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
Higurashi When They Cry
Similarities – Horror, Psychological, Themes
Higurashi When They Cry is an iconic mystery series with thrilling horror elements. This anime has a unique plot structure, a fun cast, and many gruesome scenes that’ll leave you at the edge of your seat. It follows Keiichi, a boy who moves to Hinamizawa Village with his family. He meets and befriends numerous folks and attends the village’s annual Wataganashi Festival.
After the event concludes, strange things occur in the village, leaving Keiichi and his friends in great danger. Like School-Live!, Higurashi’s another anime that depicts young adolescents’ lives in peril. Higurashi’s violence is at an all-time high compared to School Live! You’ll see characters getting stabbed to death with knives and their nails removed in the most barbaric ways possible.
On top of that, the anime’s mystery elements will keep you invested. The first season presents viewers with multiple arcs detailing several mysteries surrounding our main group. You won’t receive a clear-cut answer until the second season. This entices fans to solve the anime’s mysteries using key information from season one. This gives the anime an interactive approach. If you’re up for anime that raises the bar regarding violence and secrecy, check out Higurashi When They Cry.
The Promised Neverland
Similarities – Psychological & Themes
Need psychological thriller with intelligent children, The Promised Neverland has you covered. While its second season isn’t as strong as its first, this anime will keep you on your toes with its glorious plot twists, delightful cliffhangers, and authentic mind games. In it, we follow a group of kids who live in an orphanage with their caretaker Isabella.
After one of their friends leaves to meet her “family,” our protagonists Emma and Norman flee the home to return their friend’s stuffed animal. What they find will make them shrivel up inside, leading to them devising a scheme to flee the orphanage with the remaining children. Like School-Live!, The Promised Neverland touches upon themes of survival.
Emma, Norman, and the other kids attempt to flee an orphanage where they’re treated like cattle. They’ll form clever plans and strategies to accomplish their goals. Similarly, Yuki and Yuri will devise ways to make the girls’ lives easier and somewhat cheerful during the zombie apocalypse. Their situations will cause them to grow up quickly, making viewers feel empathetic toward each cast’s situation. that the characters couldn’t live a proper life.
You can read our thoughts on The Promised Neverland in our full-season review here!
Shadows House
Similarities – Themes
Shadows House is about the Shadows House’s servant Emilico, a living doll who serves as the face of the house despite her being relegated to cleaning duties. As she works alongside her companion Kate, they uncover the horrid truth about the house and its administrators’ dark ideals. Like School-Live!, Shadows House maintains its eerie tension and atmosphere throughout the series.
You’ll be questioning the Shadows House’s rules and the inhabitants who reside within it. Emilico embarks on a journey of self-discovery and identity like the protagonists in School-Live! She lacks any recollection of her past and as she discovers more about the manor and its other residents, she begins to develop her own identity and understanding of the universe. For those looking for an anime that knows how to build upon its chilling content well, check out Shadows House.
Girls’ Last Tour
Similarities – Themes & Characters
Girls’ Last Tour and School-Live! are anime that looks comforting based on their promotional material. However, when you examine them further, you’ll realize they’re much darker than you’d expected. Girls’ Last Tour follows two girls named Chito and Yuuri who travel through the remains of a dead civilization. During their exploration, they’ll reflect on the city’s past.
This is yet another anime featuring female characters navigating a world that’s vast and run-down. They showcase the importance of resilience and survival instincts in overcoming obstacles and living in an adverse environment. Their environments force them to grow up quickly and make difficult decisions. You’ll get to see Chito and Yuri their existence, identity, and purpose during their travels.
While it sounds gloomy, Girls’ Last Tour offers some heartfelt and cheery content to comfort viewers. Viewers can expect Yuri and Chito to rely on each other’s strengths and support to survive in their bleak world. They also engage in some calm but amusing banter that will help lighten the mood and keep you rooting for them to survive.
Alien 9
Similarities – Atmosphere, Characters, Action
Alien 9 is a 4-episode OVA with similar vibes to School-Live! It’s another anime that feels like a sweet slice-of-life anime but slowly reveals its characters aren’t in a world that’s pleasant. In it, we follow Yuri, a girl who is coerced into joining an “Alien Party” despite having a fear of extraterrestrial life. She’ll spend her time capturing and fighting aliens with her friends Kasumi and Kumi.
Like School-Live!, this anime’s main cast is comprised of females who live in a bizarre world. Nevertheless, both anime take place in a school setting. Where Yuri and her friends spend their lives capturing aliens, Yuki and her crew must develop methods to cope with the zombie apocalypse. That said, both anime tackles themes like friendship and teamwork.
Yuri, Kasumi, and Kumi will rely on each other countless times to capture their alien targets. Each alien threat will provide them with great challenges to overcome and you’ll find yourself cheering for them to succeed in every encounter. Yuki and Yuri have their share of mental traumas they must overcome in their series, making them more enticing to follow. Give this anime a watch if you’re looking for the alien-hunting version of School-Live!
Mieruko-chan
Similarities – Lighthearted Horror
School-Live! and Mieruko-chan are anime with great horror and lighthearted elements. For those who liked seeing the girls participate in school-like activities during their time away from the zombies, you’ll attain similar vibes with Mieruko-chan. It has a laid-back atmosphere and likes to lean into its slice-of-life and comedic elements more than its horror ones.
In it, we follow Miko, a girl with the ability to see invisible monsters. She vows never to acknowledge the monsters even when they disturb people, herself, or her best friend, Hana. Miko vows to protect everyone from the monsters’ antics by continuing her life as normal and avoiding troublesome interactions with the monsters.
This is another anime that delves into the daily lives of high schoolers and contains a supernatural twist. Where School-Live! adds in zombies and decrepit locales, Mieruko-chan inserts ghosts and monsters that will creep its protagonist out in amusing ways. Like Yuki, Miko has her own set of internal issues. However, this anime handles it more in a comedic fashion while School-Live! takes Yuki’s mental issues seriously. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for another horror anime that feels more lighthearted than spooky, watch this.
Highschool of the Dead
Similarities – Zombies & Action
Although both anime are adaptations of seinen manga, Highschool of the Dead feels more adult-oriented than School-Live! Like School-Live!, it follows a group of high schoolers who are struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic environment. These students embark on a quest to locate the cause of their situation and to learn of their parent’s fates.
That said, this anime feels more adventurous than School-Live! You’ll be seeing our cast traveling to multiple locations and meeting new people along the way who’ll assist or annoy them. Furthermore, this anime offers more exaggerated fights and sexual content than School-Live! While both anime isn’t for the faint of heart, High School of the Dead takes that title more literally with its bodily physics.
Nevertheless, it provides entertaining humor to coincide with its over-the-top cast and plot. The humor helps lighten the mood since there will be some moments jammed in this anime that will make you feel somewhat saddened. Therefore, if you liked School-Live!, but wanted something that feels more mature in scope and imagery, check this out.
Talentless Nana
Similarities – Psychological
Talentless Nana is a psychological thriller anime that will keep you on your toes. It features a world filled where academy students with supernatural prowess fend off horrific creatures to maintain peace in their world. At the center of this bout is Nanao, a boy with no powers. He often gets targeted by bullies despite wanting to complete his training.
Eventually, he befriends two transfer students named Kyouya and Nana. When students start disappearing left and right, it’s up to our heroes to figure out what’s happening. Both anime contain great psychological elements, with characters experiencing various mental hurdles that’ll challenge their sanity.
Where characters often get manipulated to do things in Talentless Nana, Yuki struggles to cope with the reality of her situation. Lastly, both anime series feature strong characters. While School-Live!’s cast doesn’t have the firepower as the folks you’d find in Talentless Nana, both anime’s characters utilize their wits and human strength to outmaneuver their respective supernatural opponents.
Yuki Yuna Is A Hero
Similarities – Atmosphere, Action, Characters
Puella Magi Madoka Magica isn’t the only magical girl series that’ll give viewers similar feelings as School-Live! Yuki Yuna Is A Hero is a dark magical girl anime with characters, themes, and scenarios that will remind you of School-Live! Like School-Live!, Yuki Yuna Is A Hero delivers another group of well-rounded female protagonists who must survive in a world that looks wholesome but isn’t.
The protagonist Yuna and her friends all have rich personalities and experience different forms of trauma. The anime does a wonderful job of delving into most of the cast’s internal issues, allowing viewers to develop sympathy toward them. This anime plays into its supernatural aspects harder than School-Live! by giving its cast a fair fight against their fantastical adversaries.
Nevertheless, Yuki Yuna Is A Hero implements enough challenging hurdles in our protagonists’ way to make matters exciting for the audience. With its shared focus on friendship, compelling fights, and memorable cast, Yuki Yuna Is A Hero is a great anime to check out after you’ve finished watching School-Live!
So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with School-Live!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!