Summary
Anime is blessed with a plethora of greatpsychological thrillers, many of which are considered ‘greats’. The likes ofSerial Experiments Lain, andMonstercome to mind as incredible shows that are rich in suspense that fans can enjoy.
That said, most people have probably given these classic shows a try and might want to scratch the itch with something more contemporary. Thankfully, there are great shows that have come out in the last little while that fill the gap and tell great stories while also adding a sense of jeopardy to the audience member.
Tomodachi is a word in Japanese used for ‘Friend’. So in a sense this is ‘Friend Games’. While the name seems innocuous enough, the show is anything but. Five friends find themselves stuck in a white room and have to play games to win $20,000 which had been stolen from a class trip fund.
The show is filled with various twists and turns and while the protagonist might rub some people the wrong way, he is certainlynot bland.Tomodachi Gameblends sequences already seen in other shows, but still manages to stand out as its own thing.
ID: Invaded
2020 started off with some interesting shows including the 3rd season ofHaikyu!and Darwin’s Game. It was also the time whenId:Invadedcame out which not as many people took notice of. The show had an interesting premise: a specialized detective unit would go into the mind of killers to figure out the mystery.
The protagonist is a former detective who is qualified to enter into minds because he has taken a life before. Id:Invaded is a tense story with a lot of interesting ideas and some pretty decent characters. An example is Koharu, a rookie who helps in the investigation, but she is strong-willed and unwilling to shirk from responsibility.
Classroom Of The Eliteis one that seems to have become a lot more popular over time since it first made its debut in 2017. The show is set in a prestigious school where the students use points as a means of currency. The school empowers students to plot and scheme in a bid to rise to the top, a position which will see them do well in society at large.
Ayanakoji is in Class D, the class of duds and problem kids. Ayanakoji along with his classmates must scheme their way to the top of the school food chain. There isn’t much violence in this one, but some serious stakes make each game and activity exciting.
Japan lovesSherlock Holmesand there have been loads and loads of shows that either feature him as a character or have characters inspired by him.Moriarty The Patriottakes things in another direction by focusing on the antagonist of the Sherlock Holmes books; James Moriarty.
In this show, Moriarty wants to turn England upside down and turn it into a society that is more egalitarian. He is willing to go to any lengths to do this, and of course there is a Sherlock Holmes character there to stop him. The show is a battle of wits, which is something that every good thriller anime should have.
Isekai at its heart is ahorror show. The idea of a person being snatched to not another state, or another country…but to another world entirely, where nothing works as one would understand it.Re:Zerocaptures this perfectly, even giving its protagonist a busted power that is both a blessing and a curse.
The first season came out in 2016, and it was one of the best shows of the time. However, the fact that the second season did not come for almost five years might have doused interest a bit. However, the third season is airing and it is a masterpiece. The woes of Subaru really tug at the heartstrings and the hellish world of Re:Zero has the audience really rooting for the protagonist to make it.
Summertime Renderingis a show everyone has probably heard about, but not enough people have watched. This means while it is highly rated, it doesn’t get as talked about as it should. Shinpei Ajiro returns to his hometown for his foster sister’s Ushio, and after being told that she might have been murdered, he realizes that things aren’t as they seem.
This title has a few similarities toRe:Zero. The protagonist is able to return from death, but unlike Subaru who would die again and again just to get the ending he wants, Shinpei is a lot more circumspect. It is certainly a show worth seeing and is one of the best psychological thrillers from the last decade.
Link Clickis another example of a veryunderrated Chinese showthat should be on more radars. It follows Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang who have the ability to go back in time through pictures. They use this to solve mysteries and carry out other activity.
While in the past, they must be careful not to change the course of the future as that has dire consequences. While the premise of the show is strong by itself, it has some surprisingly tender character stories that sometimes get pretty emotional. Naturally, there is a mysterious antagonist and a lot of twists and turns. It deserves a watch.
When the writer ofMonster, Naoki Urasawa, puts forth anything, it is sure to get a lot of attention. Unfortunately, not as much attention has been given toPluto. This is the plight of many cerebral shows as Pluto is a story devoid of bombastic flashes and shine more in its methodical dialogue and masterful plotting.
It is a retelling of the Astro Boy story, but with a lot of deviations and is surprisingly grounded considering its futuristic setting. There’s also a twist that comes later in the story that is incredible. Pluto is a show that requires attention so as to follow it well, but it pays off immensely.
