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Summer Time Rendering is one of the standout series of the season, as it’s the only one of its kind. However, mystery-thrillers are a common concept in anime, and there are many that are just as exciting to watch. Fans of Summer Time Rendering should check these series out as they wait on the next episode to release.
Updated September 11, 2022 by Danny Guan: Summer Time Rendering is about to reach its end, as the renowned mystery thriller reaches its climax. Fans of the series might already be looking for their next supernatural mystery show to fill the hole Summer Time Rendering leaves behind. Luckily, fans have plenty of additional options when it comes to filling that void. This list has been updated to include a few more shows to check for those who are looking for another excellent supernatural thriller.
15 Terror In Resonance
After plutonium is stolen from a nuclear facility, Tokyo falls under the threat of a terrorist attack by two mysterious boys who refer to themselves as “Sphinx.” The true identities of the boys are Nine and Twelve, and as a young girl named Lisa Mishima gets wrapped up in their plots, she slowly begins to learn the truth behind their shared past.
Terror in Resonance is a psychological thriller where the interest lies in the personal drama between the main characters. The main characters all have tortured pasts, and while watching the series from the perspective of the terrorists might be uncomfortable for some people, unraveling their motivations and history in the process is incredibly appealing.
14 Durarara!!
Mikado Ryugamine moves to Ikebukuro in order to experience the big city life he always dreamed of. As he explores the city with his childhood friend, he learns of various odd people in town, including the mysterious gang “The Dollars.” On his first day in the city, Mikado witnesses the “Black Rider,” starting off his slow descent into the supernatural world behind Ikebukuro.
Durarara!! is an incredibly wacky show with a vibrant cast of characters, all of which have their own stories and adventures. The world of Durarara!!’s Ikebukuro is incredibly idiosyncratic, and the intrigue behind each and every character brings viewers back for more.
13 Bungo Stray Dogs
Atsushi Nakajima saves the detective Osamu Dazai from drowning in the river, not knowing he was attempting suicide. Atsushi soon learns that Dazai is part of a society of superpowered humans called the Armed Detective Agency, and Atsushi is soon recruited into the same group.
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Bungo Stray Dogs is a more conventional mystery series, focusing on the variety of cases the Armed Detective Agency must handle. The interactions between the quirky main characters and exciting action scenes are what make this show a favorite among mystery fans.
12 xxxHolic
Kimihiro Watanuki is able to see spirits, an ability that has plagued him since childhood. By chance, he happens upon a shop that claims to grant wishes. He meets with the owner Yuko Ichihara, who promises to take away Watanuki’s ability to see spirits in exchange for working for her.
xxxHolic is one of CLAMP’s many works and is one of their quintessential series. Unlike a lot of the other series on this list, xxxHolic is more relaxed, but it still has its share of dark and mystical stories and is a great suggestion for fans of urban legends and folktales.
11 Bakemonogatari
In a chance encounter between Koyomi Araragi and the mysterious Hitagi Senjogahara, Koyomi discovers that Hitagi’s body is lighter than air. He directs her to a man named Meme Oshino, who is an expert in supernatural phenomena. Koyomi and Hitagi work together to find out the reason behind her sudden weight loss.
Bakemonogatari is the first part of the Monogatari series, an anime based around a bizarre sequence of supernatural phenomena. Each case brings forth a new bizarre circumstance for Araragi to get through, while the strange interactions between characters serve to develop them in interesting ways.
10 Gosick
Kazuya Kojo, the third son of a Japanese officer, transfers to a European school called St. Marguerite Academy. Due to unfounded rumors, he is ostracized by the students, leading him to make no friends. One day, he meets the mysterious and reclusive Victorique de Blois and becomes embroiled in a series of criminal cases.
Gosick is a historical mystery story involving an atypical detective in Victorique. The cases and mysteries the two get caught up in are often dangerous and shrouded in darkness, but Victorique’s intelligence and Kazuya’s resourcefulness manage to uncover the truth.
9 Astra Lost in Space
Nine young students board a spaceship in order to head out on a camping trip to another planet. When they get there, however, they are caught by a mysterious sphere of light that spits them out into the darkness of space. They manage to get onto an abandoned ship but realize that they are light-years away from home. Even worse, they soon learn that their accident may not have been an accident after all.
Astra Lost in Space is a short series with plenty of thrilling moments. While there is a lot of sci-fi space exploration in this series as the characters make their way home, there are also elements of suspense as the cast tries to figure out which of them is the traitor.
8 Higurashi: When They Cry
Keiichi Maebara moves to the village of Hinamizawa, where he befriends several of the locals, like Rena Ryugu and Mion Sonozaki. The village seems peaceful, but strange occurrences here and there make Keiichi believe there is something happening below the surface.
Higurashi: When They Cry is a classic mystery series with elements of horror and suspense. The series is broken up into several alternate stories featuring different endings, and the sequel series Higurashi: When They Cry: Kai is meant to provide an ultimate conclusion to the story.
7 Moriarty The Patriot
William James Moriarty is a crime consultant who wishes to use his skills in order to end the corrupt class system of the British Empire and reform society. He uses his intellect to help victims of class-related crimes take their revenge without leaving any evidence behind, but his actions catch the attention of the famed Sherlock Holmes.
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Moriarty the Patriot puts a unique spin on the classic Sherlock Holmes formula by retelling the story from Moriarty’s perspective. The story is dark and intriguing, and the mental battle between Moriarty and his eventual rival Sherlock Holmes is exciting to watch unfold.
6 Erased
Satoru Fujinuma is a normal mangaka and part-time delivery man with a unique power that sends him back in time to right before a fatal accident occurs, allowing him to stop it from happening. When his mother is murdered, he is sent back time all the way back to his childhood days, in order to solve a murder involving his classmates.
Erased is a thrilling supernatural mystery with elements of time travel. Satoru’s efforts to catch the mysterious murderer and kidnapper are exciting to watch, and fans of darker mysteries will definitely enjoy this series.
5 Baccano!
Baccano! is a very unique series, as it involves a lot of different stories surrounding a lot of different characters, and the events are not necessarily in chronological order. All of the different stories are connected by one singular trait; they revolve around the concept of immortality and the existence of an immortality elixir.
The series features elements of adventure, supernatural phenomena, and mystery. The cast of characters is huge, including the employees of the information company Daily Days, mafia gangs, thieves, and a group of Immortals who have managed to gain eternal life.
4 Mononoke
This unique anime features a mysterious character known only as the Medicine Seller. The Medicine Seller hunts down mysterious creatures named mononoke, monsters who are bound to negative emotions. The Medicine Seller can exorcise these mononoke, but only after learning their shape, truth, and reason.
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Mononoke is an incredibly unique series featuring a unique art style and a traditionally-influenced aesthetic. The action is focused more on trying to discover the motives of the mononoke, so it is less about action and more about the mystery behind these monsters.
3 The Promised Neverland
Grace Field House is an orphanage where the children live a happy idyllic life. Emma, the main character of the series, believes just like the other children that eventually they will all be adopted one day and leave the orphanage, but one day, they learn that their happy home is darker than they initially believed.
The Promised Neverland is a dark and thrilling tale that features a group of children trying desperately to escape certain death. While this series is not as focused on mysteries, it is still an incredibly exciting series to watch.
2 Odd Taxi
In a world of anthropomorphic animals, Odokawa lives a simple life as a taxi driver. As he goes through his life, he is eventually embroiled in a case involving a missing high school girl. The situation is complicated further by events happening around him, which he comes into contact with due to his job as a taxi driver.
Odd Taxi might seem cute and cuddly at first glance, but it is actually quite dark. The elements explored here are quite mature, and the mysteries in the background only grow in complexity as the series goes on.
1 Monster
Kenzo Tenma is a prodigious surgeon with a bright future ahead of him. One day, he defies orders and chooses to save a young boy’s life over a mayor, causing him to lose everything for the sake of his morals. Some years later, Tenma learns that the boy he saved has grown up to become a cold, ruthless killer.
Monster is a legendary manga series created by the iconic Naoki Urasawa, and the anime series is just as good. The character drama and intense situations that Tenma and the growing cast of characters find themselves in are thrilling to watch unfold.
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