 If you liked
Ga-Rei: Zero
|
 ...then you might like
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
|
A bait-and-switch first episode (first two episodes in TE's case) and the fact that anyone can die in the gritty setting is in both series. Both have an alien (not in the extraterrestrial sense) force that humans fight against but MLA: TE obviously goes in a different direction with the mecha/mecha and mecha/alien combat while GR: Z is human/supernatural combat.