 If you liked
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
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 ...then you might like
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
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One major inspiration for Madoka Magica - a show which starts off like a bubbly, innocent anime but eventually descends into madness, mass hysteria and distrust among people, as well as murder - but ultimately shows the idealistic themes of friendship and trust.
Higurashi and Madoka Magica share cutesy character designs juxtaposed by graphic scenes of physical violence and psychological disturbance. Both series begin with a misleading carefree mood - which quickly transforms into an atmosphere of horror and suspense.
Both shows have a light-hearted side to them which is fairly quickly overtaken by madness and violence. There is a focus on friendship in the beginning, adding to the drama when the friends get pulled apart. The characters appear very cute and lovable and the art has similar elements to it as well. Both shows have cute art that remains when the violence and madness come on. I love both of these series to bits and would recommend them both to anyone who likes a thriller!
Psychological, horrific and sets thinking. Both affect the real friendship; comrades, who lost their way; deceiving. Step by step the troubles resolved which caused a complicated ending. And both of them have the things, you expect the least.
Both anime play with the audience by misleading them with cute little moe characters and then putting them in incredibly violent scenarios.
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Recommended by LittleCaesars
Both commit psychological warfare upon your brain.
Both have outstanding and memorable characters and an intense story build up!!! (WITH A BAD ASS FINALE)
Both have a crazy amount of action and innovation that will keep you hooked for hours
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Recommended by deathnote2468
Both have normal characters trying to live normal lives but supernatural happenings cause them all to go mad.
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Recommended by iBlewupthemoon
Both have so many cute girls in a similar horrorific atmosphere, both involve time travels and a very good soundtrack
Both anime start out very different from how they actually portray themselves later in the story, leaving gaps in the plot which only get made sense of as the story goes on - i.e. very psychological. Both contain a lot of deaths, and a mix of "moe" slash gruesome atmosphere. It's not what it seems.
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Recommended by HandsomeMan
Both start off lighthearted but soon take a turn to the dark side.
Both feature time loops.
Both are very emotional series.
Both shows share an opening facade that makes a very dark and ominous story line. They also share major plot devices. The main characters in both show are trying to resolve a seemingly hopeless situation that most everyone else is unaware of.
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Recommended by IskuPuppet
Both anime are dark with excellent character development and are placed in a time loop. Additionally, they are both horror with lots of sickening twists to further on the story.
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Recommended by Kyouko_Sakura
Both put the design of moeblob characters and add them into dark scenarios.
Higurashi has gore and is more focused on mystery and murder.
Madoka is less violent, but still surreal.
You can see some similarities in the plot elements as well, such as replaying time.
Both are recommended for brutal moe fans. But Madoka has 99% less blood than Higurashi so far as I know, so pick your poison.
Highly recommended for horror/thriller fans as well.
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Recommended by parallelle_slip
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Puella Magi Madoka Magica are both shows that are pretty deceiving at first. Both shows start with a cutesy, moe atmosphere until revealing their true colors eventually. Both shows can be somewhat disturbing at times. Both shows have a similar concept to them. Both shows have a solid cast of characters. And finally, both shows are great at what they do. Higurashi is a solid horror, mystery anime while Madoka Magica is my definite go-to magical girl anime. I definitely recommend both of these anime cause chances are that if you enjoyed one, then you'll most likely enjoy the
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Like things that seem sweet and cute on the surface but actually have some darker themes and elements under the surface? These two anime do a good job on delivering that.
-Deceiving premise: Both have elements suggesting a plot which is far more less-violent than what they actually are. This helps to keep you thrilled as the show carries on
-Both share scenes which will leave you with your mouth gaping in surprise
-Time rewinding is also shared between the two
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Recommended by Joeywatches
Facades. Madoka Magica and Higurashi both present a lifestyle which on the surface, seems reasonable, however, as their stories progress, it becomes clear that there are deeper meanings for the life to live.
In the shallow sight of things, both Madoka Magica and Higurashi give a setting which seems innocent to being with, though, within a short while, it can be seen that the characters ideas are corrupted by their surroundings causing impending chaos.
Although Higurashi corrupts characters as the story goes on, Madoka Magica gives more suffering to characters. Both are dark, tragic anime, though Higurashi is more horrific.
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Recommended by NextUniverse
Both are the epitome of "don't judge a book by its cover". Don't let the cute (and even childish) design of characters fool you !
Both series have a deceptively cute atmosphere but as you progress through the series', you find they is much darker than they led you to believe. They are both about changing fate. Both amazing anime with similarity in story.
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Recommended by _Neferupitou_
Higurashi and Madoka Magica are remarkably similar, despite their difference in genre. I don't want to give everything away, so I'll just say this: both series will leave you with a strong desire to see these characters be happy.
The main similarity is that these animes like to play with superficial appearances by making their cast look and appear cute to hide the horrors that lurk in the depths.
Additionally, they both break up the tense moments with slice-of-life red herrings to further develop their casts' humanity and allow the viewers' hearts a moment to rest from all the traumatic material they will be consuming upon viewing these animes.
The most important similarity between Madoka Magic and Higurashi is that they focus on the characters' mental states and emotions rather than external world lore.
This theme is also seen in Neon Genesis Evangelion & Steins;
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