6 Anime Like Shinsekai yori (From the New World) [Recommendations]

Shinsekai yori (From the New World) is an anime based on a novel written by Kishi Yusuke. It's set in a future Japan where some people possess the gift of telekinesis. Our protagonist, Watanabe Saki, attends the Sage Academy with her friends, Satoru, Maria, Shun and Mamoru. During a camping trip organized by the school, these kids find out hidden truths about humans, disclosed by a False Minoshiro, a mythical creature. There was a time when humans had telekinetic powers and used them to commit crimes and spread violence.

This anime has an evocative soundtrack and scenarios that leave us with bated breath until the very last episode. With this list of 6 Anime Like, we'll try to fulfill your expectations by selecting the ones with the same atmosphere and themes; for example, a future world, supernatural phenomena and encounters with different species. Let's take a look!


Similar Anime to Shinsekai yori / Similar Anime to From the New World

1. Psycho-Pass

  • Episodes: 22
  • Aired: October 2012 – March 2013

This anime is set in a futuristic Japan too, where the Sibyl System determines the Psycho-Pass, which is the level of criminal tendencies of each citizen. However, the Sibyl System prevents felony from happening, by scanning people and ranking their intention of committing a crime. Our protagonist, Kogami Shinya, after being an Inspector, turned into an Enforcer of the Public Safety Bureau. He starts to work with Tsunemori Akane, a new colleague. Akane, working with Shinya, finds out that the Sibyl System's yardstick has its flaws.

Psycho-Pass and Shinsekai yori both set their perspective in a perfect society where criminals and anyone who does not stick to the rules are made to disappear. Both also have supernatural elements, but Psycho-Pass has more of an action/thriller atmosphere than Shinsekai yori, which is darker and mysterious.

If in Shinsekai yori you've loved the spiritual powers and the quest for hidden truth, in Psycho-Pass you will be absorbed by action scenes and tangled situations.

In both shows, the thrill and the level of suspense are so high, that you won't be disappointed. What are you waiting for?

Psycho-Pass PV


2. Nagi no Asukara (A Lull in the Sea)

  • Episodes: 26
  • Aired: October 2013 – April 2014

There was a time when all humans lived under the sea. This is a story that leads us into different realities: humans that still live at the bottom of the sea, and those who moved to the surface, on the mainland. Our four protagonists, Hikari, Manaka, Chisaki and Kaname, after leaving the sea, move to the surface in order to attend school. There, they meet Tsumugu. Our protagonists will face the hostility between the people from the sea and the ones that live on the surface. This slice of life/fantasy anime develops focusing on the main characters' lives with shades of drama and romance.

Both Shinsekai yori and Nagi no Asukara have young characters, fantasy elements, complicated relationships and prejudice against people considered “different”. However, A Lull in the Sea leaves behind the dark atmosphere which is strong in Shinsekai yori.

You'll notice that in both of these shows the characters’ design is similar! Also, in both Shinsekai yori and A Lull in the Sea, humans bump into different species. Still, Nagi no Asukara remains way more lighthearted than Shinsekai yori. So, if you need a bit of “rest” from anxiety, dramatic turns of events and riddles, well, we think that this could be the right choice!

Nagi no Asukara PV


3. Shiki

  • Episodes: 22
  • Aired: July 2010 – December 2010

Shiki is based on the manga series drawn by Fujisaki Ryu, and the manga series is an adaption of the horror novel written by Fuyumi Ono. We are in the village of Sotoba and, at the end of summer, a bizarre family moves into a castle on a hill. After this fact, many citizens start to die without any logical explanation... Ozaki Toshio, the doctor of the village, starts to think that those people died because of a plague. But the reality is worse than the expectations. In fact, the mysterious family is made up of vampires... Their purpose is to create a ghost village full of vampires and to reign over it.

Well, that's a scary one! Shiki has a really dark and creepy mood. The atmosphere is sinister and mysterious, like in Shinsekai yori. In both, we have disappearances, supernatural elements, and humans confronting a different species. In both Shiki and Shinsekai yori, the story takes place in an apparently peaceful remote village. The supernatural component is strong in both of them. Shinsekai yori deals with kids that have special telekinetic powers, while in Shiki, vampires loom over humans.

The characters of both these anime may not be the ones with whom you regularly sympathize, but we are sure you're going to like them. Shinsekai yori and Shiki are awfully intricate, so don't miss the chance to be lead into dark paths!

Shiki Trailer



Any Anime Like Shinsekai yori ? / Any Anime Like From the New World ?

4. Kamisama Dolls

  • Episodes: 13
  • Aired: July 2011 – September 2011

Our protagonist is Kuga Kyouhei and he has moved from Tokyo to his old village in order to escape from bad events that happened. One day, he spends the night drinking with his old neighbor and classmate, Hibino. Later, that same night, they discover a dead body in an elevator. Kyouhei's sister, Utao, tells him that the culprit of that brutal murder is an old friend of his, Aki, and his Doll. What is the secret behind the old village where our characters came from?

In Kamisama Dolls, the characters have spiritual and dangerous powers like in Shinsekai yori. Both shows recall bloodthirsty and unmentionable secrets that happened in the past. In Kamisama Dolls, a calm and quiet reality is broken by a murder. Our protagonist has, like other people, a Doll that he controls with his mind. This anime is evocative like Shinsekai yori, but the dark atmosphere is less powerful and mystic. Moreover, in Kamisama Dolls the suspense is very strong, as in Shinsekai yori, but it has more funny moments.

Kamisama Dolls PV


5. Ergo Proxy

  • Episodes: 23
  • Aired: February 2006 – August 2006

Our protagonist Re-I, the granddaughter of the ruler, lives in a domed city named Romdo. After an ecological catastrophe that changes the structure of the Earth, living outside the domed city is impossible. Humanoids called Autoreivs were created to heal humankind. These androids, though, suddenly contract the Cogito Virus, a disease that makes them start to feel emotions and increases their self-awareness.
What will happen when these Autoreivs begin to kill humans and their idyllic life?

Here we are again with similar themes as in Shinsekai yori, about humans being confronted with non-human beings, such as Autoreivs. Both Ergo Proxy and Shinsekai yori have a utopian idea of the world, and in both, we have a female protagonist. Also, the setting is a futuristic era that slowly becomes a dystopian reality. So, if you like Sci-Fi anime with a twisted reality and post-apocalyptic scenarios, Ergo Proxy is the one for you!

Think about it... what if the utopian world you live in collapses? Would you search for answers?

Ergo Proxy PV


6. Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu (Parasyte -the maxim-)

  • Episodes: 24
  • Aired: October 2014 – March 2015

In a calm and peaceful world, parasites suddenly invade the Earth and decide to insinuate themselves into human bodies to seize their brains.
In Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu, our protagonist is a high school student named Izumi Shinichi. One night, a parasite tries to insinuate itself inside Shinichi's ear, but it fails as Shinichi manages to stop it somehow. The parasite, too weak to fight or escape, remains trapped inside Shinichi's right hand.

This forced cohabitation is really hard at first, but Shinichi will learn more about parasites, while Migi -this is the way Shinichi called the parasite inside of his body- will learn more about humans. However, since Migi wasn't able to control Shinichi's brain, it'll result in drawing other parasites attention. In this path, Shinichi will face up a deep and unavoidable change.

With our last anime recommendation, we would like to highlight the theme of mankind encountering an alien species. In Shinsekai yori, our protagonists face Monster Rats; and in Parasyte -the maxim-, Shinichi is dealing with parasites. In both shows, aliens seem to be very dangerous. The Monster Rats shout in a strange idiom and love violence, while the parasites seize human bodies by killing their hosts without mercy. But what are these different species trying to communicate? Are they pure evil? If you want to know more about Shinichi and his close encounter of the seventh kind, don't miss the chance to watch Parasyte -the maxim-!

Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu PV


Final Thoughts

This is it! We hope that with this list of 6 Anime Like Shinsekai yori you'll be satisfied! We selected the most similar anime, especially atmosphere-wise. So, if you like dark feelings, hidden secrets about a so-called perfect society, and if you have an interest in alien creatures or something like that, please watch these anime and let us know what you think in the comments below!

by Navi