Anime Series Like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Kyon had long given up on his belief in the supernatural
until he meets Haruhi Suzumiya. Haruhi, a strange girl in her own right, is
interested in all things supernatural, but laments the lack of intriguing clubs
on campus. Kyon, however, inspires her to create her own club, and thus, the
SOS Brigade is born. Unfortunately for Kyon, he is also roped into joining this
new club dedicated to all things supernatural.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was one of those anime sensations. It has faded some with age, but remains a classic. If you are looking for more anime recommendations, head on down below.

For Fans of Supernatural Mysteries

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

On a day like any other, Sakuta is in the library, and there
he spots a wild bunny girl. This wild bunny girl, or rather, Mai Sakurajima, a
semi-retired actress dressed like a bunny girl, catches no one else’s eye. In
fact, Sakuta seems to be the only on that can see her on that day and on many
other days. This phenomenon, called Puberty Syndrome, is rumored on the
internet. As Sakuta decides to solve the mystery, he grows closer to Mai and
other girls that suffer the same malady.

When watching both these series, they are both masterful at creating a supernatural series without necessarily feeling like it. There are supernatural factors at play, but much of the moments feel very much like a standard school series. However, Haruhi does tend to go off the wheels from this more as you get later into the series.

Kokoro Connect

One day, for seemingly no reason in particular, the members
of the Cultural Research Club start randomly switching bodies with each other.
It becomes utter chaos, especially when members of the opposite sex start
switching. However, when you are wearing someone else’s skin, it is hard to
keep your most guarded secrets inside.

In Haruhi, the supernatural elements are unexpected and often vary in circumstance. In Kokoro Connect, there is one quirk in reality – the body switching. In both series, much of the time feels normal aside from the supernatural events, but they also both want you to watch and learn why they are happening. Of course, as secrets come out with body switching, Kokoro Connect is far more drama.

Occult Academy

Maya is the daughter of the former headmaster of Waldstein Academy and a time traveler. These time travelers were sent back to find and destroy the Nostradamus Key in order to stop an alien invasion. Returning with her mother to the Academy, Maya investigates in order to find and destroy the key.

There are aliens and other supernatural phenomenon at play here. However, Occult Academy takes it far more seriously much of the time. Regardless, both series paint a mystery and you want to watch to see it solved.

For Fans of Aliens, Espers, and Time Travelers

Steins;Gate

In a rickety old building in Akihabara, mad scientist
Rintarou Okabe and his lab assistants work on so-called future gadgets.
However, their most successful contraption to date, the Phone Microwave, a
machine that can turn bananas into gel, also has the added function of sending
emails into the past, thus altering the flow of history.

Both series feature time travelers, though with different focus. They also both have a knack of blending in some science and philosophy with its surprisingly complex story line. Both series start of relatively normally, then sort of spiral into various chaos as they go on.

Waiting in Summer

While testing out his filming camera one night, Kaito is
blown off the bridge by a streak of blue light. When he wakes up, he finds
himself in his room. This leads to a meeting with an upperclassman that changes
his summer forever.

While the presence of aliens is the immediate tie between these two series, you will also note a similar color palate. Both series highly favor very bold and bright colors that makes them extremely pleasant to the eye. However, Waiting in Summer is a much shorter series with not as satisfying a conclusion as you would hope.

Charlotte

Yuu Otosaka has the ability to slip into other people’s mind
and control them for five seconds at a time. He has been using it to get good
grades, but after he is caught by the enigmatic Nao Tomori, he is forced to
transfer to a special school with his sister. At this supernatural new school
he is forced to use his powers to hunt down other students who are abusing their
own powers.

Both series center around clubs in a school that end up
being pack fulled of supernatural oddballs. While Charlotte has a more serious
plot, the similarities in this series lie between the interesting characters
that you want to get to know.

For Fans of Along For The Ride Main Characters

Angel Beats

Otonashi wakes up without any memories, only to be told that
he is dead. What’s more, a rifle-toting girl named Yuri suddenly asks him to
join the Afterlife Battlefront to wage war against the Angel that rules this
world and the unfair god she serves. Unable to believe Angel is evil, he tries
to talk to her, but the meeting does not go as planned. From there, Otonashi
gradually discovers more about himself and the mysteries of the afterlife.

Although Angel Beats makes no effort to hide they are in the afterlife, the afterlife turns out a lot of like a school. As such, a normal guy ends up joining a club of oddballs just like in Haruhi. Both these main characters end up playing the straight man in many of the jokes.

Clannad

Tomoya Okazaki is a delinquent who finds everything dull and
believes he will never amount to anything, that is, until a girl named Nagisa
catches his eye one day on his way to school. Suddenly, Tomoya begins to notice
Nagisa more and more. She is sickly and weak, but she always tries her best in
order to follow her dream of reviving the school’s drama club. Claiming he has
nothing better to do, he decides to help Nagisa, and along the way ends up
helping several other girls and potential drama club members. However, as he
learns more about the girls and helps them overcome their problems, he might
just be able to overcome his own as well.

While Tomoya is not quite as average as Kyon, he still plays that role in Clannad. Both Tomoya and Kyon end up bending backwards to either help the girls int heir life or because they got caught up in their schemes. While Clannad is more romance, there is an element of supernatural to it, in a way.

Love, Chunibyou, and Other Delusions

Everyone has that stage in their life where they think
themselves special, different from mere humans. In middle school, Yuuta Togashi
thought himself the Dark Flame Master, but upon entering high school, he has
grown out of it. Unfortunately, after a chance meeting with Rikka Takanashi, a
girl believing to have a God in her eye, attaches herself to him and brings
that Chunibyo past back out.

Both series end up being about a normal guy that gets dragged into an odd club. Despite what the girls say in Chunibyou, there is nothing supernatural going on. However, like Haruhi, they still find fun shenanigans.

If you have more anime recommendations like The Melancholy
of Haruhi Suzumiya, let fans know in the comments section below.