Looking for anime/manga/VN recs (twisty/high HSQ, fast paced/not super long, from last few years)

[ara]

(By HSQ I of course mean this: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient)

I guess the title kind of says it all, but to elaborate a bit: I've been playing Scarlet Nexus since it came out, getting close to the end of Yuito's route and I'm enjoying the story a LOT. Sure it has its issues, but it's absolutely chock full of "holy shit!" moments, twists, reveals, all kinds of crazy shit, which has made it insanely entertaining to me. It's also absolutely rapidly paced.

So I'm looking for something similar in anime, manga and visual novels, from the last... let's say 4-5 years. I used to watch/read/play a lot of those when I was younger so if it's older than that, I've probably checked it out, but somewhere around maybe 2016 I kind of started losing interest and I think the only thing I've read/watched/played since were like... The House in Fata Morgana, Danganronpas and Uchikoshi games, One Piece manga and the first season of Attack on Titan? And a few episodes of Higurashi and Umineko.

Subject matter isn't that important, it doesn't have to be scifi or fantasy or even very action-y necessarily. I just want something that makes you go "holy shit..." often and isn't like... 50+ hours or hundreds of episodes or volumes long.

 

[Odesu]

(By HSQ I of course mean this: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient)

I guess the title kind of says it all, but to elaborate a bit: I've been playing Scarlet Nexus since it came out, getting close to the end of Yuito's route and I'm enjoying the story a LOT. Sure it has its issues, but it's absolutely chock full of "holy shit!" moments, twists, reveals, all kinds of crazy shit, which has made it insanely entertaining to me. It's also absolutely rapidly paced.

So I'm looking for something similar in anime, manga and visual novels, from the last... let's say 4-5 years. I used to watch/read/play a lot of those when I was younger so if it's older than that, I've probably checked it out, but somewhere around maybe 2016 I kind of started losing interest and I think the only thing I've read/watched/played since were like... The House in Fata Morgana, Danganronpas and Uchikoshi games, One Piece manga and the first season of Attack on Titan? And a few episodes of Higurashi and Umineko.

Subject matter isn't that important, it doesn't have to be scifi or fantasy or even very action-y necessarily. I just want something that makes you go "holy shit..." often and isn't like... 50+ hours or hundreds of episodes or volumes long.

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Danganronpa 1 - V3
Zero Escape Trilogy
AI: The Somnium Files

That will entertain you for a good, long time. Highly recommend all of those and they are pretty much exactly what you are looking for. They are pretty good examples for games going for exactly the same thing Scarlet Nexus is going for with its plot but doing so (imo) in a way more interesting way. A lot more show, don't tell in all of those. Even though they will also dump A LOT of exposition on you, of course^^

 

[Zache]

Since you are open to VNs, try Raging Loop. Great protagonist, virtually no fanservice, and a metric ton of "holy shit" moments and suspense.

And it's on sale on Steam.

 

[tokkun]

Take a look at Naoki Urasawa's body of work. 20th Century Boys, Monster, Pluto, Billy Bat, etc.

If the anime version of Monster is too long / slow for you, read the manga instead.

 

[LProtagonist]

Since you are open to VNs, try Raging Loop. Great protagonist, virtually no fanservice, and a metric ton of "holy shit" moments and suspense.

And it's on sale on Steam.

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I honestly hated this, as much as I wanted to love it. The protagonist is a total shitty dude, in my opinion. Also I don't feel like it stuck the landing.

 

[JAlpsWanderer]

You might enjoy Steins; Gate based on what you've said. Both the anime and VN are incredible and the back half consistently left my jaw on the floor. Pacing is pretty slow for the first half but the payoff is definitely there IMO if you're willing to invest.

 

[Zache]

I honestly hated this, as much as I wanted to love it. The protagonist is a total shitty dude, in my opinion. Also I don't feel like it stuck the landing.

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I agree the ending was a let down but I thought it was a great ride and I actually liked that the protagonist was an asshole.

 

[ara]

Lots of absolutely wonderful recommendations, but I'm unfortunately familiar with all of them: Uchikoshi VNs and the Danganronpa games, Urasawa's 20th/21st Century Boys and Pluto and Steins;Gate are all some of my all-time favorites.

Raging Loop is definitely something I've thought about, but like this extremely short thread already demonstrates, it seems very divisive which is why I have yet to take the leap lol.

 

[LycanXIII]

Id: Invaded anime. It's 13 episodes about detectives hunting a serial killer.

 

[Orayn]

Oddtaxi just ended and it's 13 episodes of perfect mystery/crime thriller TV. It's a bit of a slow burn and seems like a quirky comedy at first but once you realize what's going on the "holy shit" is constant.

 

[ara]

Id: Invaded anime. It's 13 episodes about detectives hunting a serial killer.

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Oddtaxi just ended and it's 13 episodes of perfect mystery/crime thriller TV. It's a bit of a slow burn and seems like a quirky comedy at first but once you realize what's going on the "holy shit" is constant.

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These two seem to be exactly the sort of stuff I was looking for, thanks a lot! Like I said, I kinda fell off anime/manga some years ago so aside from the genuinely biggest names around like AoT, One Piece, MHA and so on, I have absolutely no idea what's come out in recent years and I'm sure there's a ton of cool stuff.

 

[Ultron]

I will say if you only watched the first season of Attack on Titan definitely go in for the rest of it. Genuinely the best "holy shit!" moments of any single piece of media of the last few years I've seen.

Some other anime that could fit the bill are Deca-Dence for some truly wild twists, The Promised Neverland (first season) for really compelling and well thought out 5-D chess with good twists and turns, and Akudama Drive for just a lot of really good "holy shit!" action. Oh, and watch the movie Promare for additional Holy Shit! action. (Edited for images and added Promare)

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim isn't quite a VN, but a lot of it is. And also has a lot of those moments but it does take a decent amount of time investment.

 

[ara]

I will say if you only watched the first season of Attack on Titan definitely go in for the rest of it. Genuinely the best "holy shit!" moments of any single piece of media of the last few years I've seen.

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Yep, absolutely going to, I'm just waiting for it to end so I can binge it to my heart's content if it hooks me lol.

Some other anime that could fit the bill are Deca-Dence for some truly wild twists, The Promised Neverland (first season) for really compelling and well thought out 5-D chess with good twists and turns, and Akudama Drive for just a lot of really good "holy shit!" action.

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Haven't heard of these so I'll check em out, thank you!

 

[LycanXIII]

Yep, absolutely going to, I'm just waiting for it to end so I can binge it to my heart's content if it hooks me lol.



Haven't heard of these so I'll check em out, thank you!

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If you like the first season of Promise Neverland, skip the second and read the manga instead. Only 181 chapters.

 

[ibyea]

Remember 11, go for it for the complete mind bending experience even if it is not a complete story.

 

[yyr]

I just read the manga "Happiness" a short while ago. 10 volumes long, vampires, lots of action, not much in the way of dialogue. HSQ was pretty high on that. Liked it a lot.

I really enjoyed the anime of "Erased."

 

[Pellaidh]

Talentless Nana is great at ending almost every episode with some sort of nonsense cliffhanger escalation. It's not a very intelligent show, but if you just want to be bombarded by plot-twists and cliffhangers it pulls of those very well. Only 13 episodes in the anime, although it continues in the manga (and sadly the anime ending doesn't really resolve anything).

Re:Zero has a ton of issues, but I think overall it's probably the closest thing I've seen to Steins;Gate, as it also deals with time loops, despair, and has some pretty large character similarities. Also a good number of twists, including one that's pretty incredible.

Rokka -Braves of the Six Flowers- is I think objectively a pretty terrible show with a garbage ending, but it sort of fits, being a fantasy murder mystery. Wouldn't really recommend it unless you've ran out of everything else to watch, but I know some people liked it and I thought it was at least decent enough to finish it.

 

[HustleBun]

The Promised Neverland
It's a manga but it checks all of your boxes and has more twists than pretty much any other manga I've ever read. Do not watch Season 2 of the anime. It does the FMA 2003/Game of Thrones S7/S8 thing while simultaneously spoiling parts of the real ending. It's really fucking bad. The manga is fantastic.

 

[ara]

Rokka -Braves of the Six Flowers- is I think objectively a pretty terrible show with a garbage ending, but it sort of fits, being a fantasy murder mystery. Wouldn't really recommend it unless you've ran out of everything else to watch, but I know some people liked it and I thought it was at least decent enough to finish it.

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Hahah, sounds great

Thanks for the recommendations, everyone, got a lot to check out for sure!

 

[Aaronrules380]

It's a bit before 2016 but have you watched Samurai Flamenco? If not watch it right now with no context because it is a ride

 

[ara]

It's a bit before 2016 but have you watched Samurai Flamenco? If not watch it right now with no context because it is a ride

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Nope, never heard of it! I'll add it to the list.

 

[Mesoian]

If you're going to do Neverland, read it.

The anime is hot garbage.

As Always, Monster is excellent, You'd probably enjoy The Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer. I personally don't like Chainsaw Man that much but you'd probably have fun with it, maybe wait for the anime next season.

 

[Orayn]

Oh yeah Chainsaw Man is 100% this thread as well. It's a short read, 97 chapters, most people blow through it in a week at most. Anime coming soon, maybe Q4 this year or early next.

It's an action/horror/comedy/tragedy/suspense thing. Very unpredictable with an author who's not afraid to shock and upset his audience. Some people compare it to a modern Devilman, though the author says some of his biggest influences were FLCL and Abara.

I can also vouch for Deca-dence. Gorgeous animation, snappy pacing, emotionally affecting.

 

[Nigthwizard]

Nope, never heard of it! I'll add it to the list.

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You're in for a ride, just go blind.

I second most of the recommendations.

Akudama drive was amazing, try to look for the blu ray version of the last chapter, since it has some extra scenes.

Shoutout to Deca-dence and ID:Invaded.

 

[Airi]

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. It's a Korean web novel and admittedly on the longer side of things, but it is completed and has a full fan translation in English. It has an ongoing comic adaptation that is officially in English if you'd prefer a more visual medium and a regular weekly dose of "What just happened?!". Plenty of strategy, unexpected moments, and surprises.

 

[br0ken_shad0w]

Let me tell you about Fire Punch. It's an insane roller coaster ride that you think goes one way, but nope it goes in a completely different way. And it happens again. And again. And again. The manga is definitely not for everyone, but it's definitely a wild ride throughout the entire run. Not a huge long read, only like 83 chapters.

 

[fallingedge]

Since you are open to VNs, try Raging Loop. Great protagonist, virtually no fanservice, and a metric ton of "holy shit" moments and suspense.

And it's on sale on Steam.

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this looks fun, count me in

 

[ara]

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. It's a Korean web novel and admittedly on the longer side of things, but it is completed and has a full fan translation in English. It has an ongoing comic adaptation that is officially in English if you'd prefer a more visual medium and a regular weekly dose of "What just happened?!". Plenty of strategy, unexpected moments, and surprises.

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Ooh, that's an interesting recommendation!

 

[Mesoian]

Let me tell you about Fire Punch. It's an insane roller coaster ride that you think goes one way, but nope it goes in a completely different way. And it happens again. And again. And again. The manga is definitely not for everyone, but it's definitely a wild ride throughout the entire run. Not a huge long read, only like 83 chapters.

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:|

As someone who likes Fire Punch more than most, you have to tell people that Fire Punch deals with incest, cannibalism and rape upfront.

Much like Made in Abyss, it's not something you just suggest like "Yeah this is super cool haha you'll love it".

 

[Orayn]

I liked Fire Punch and I think it might be what OP is looking for but yeah it's very much a "content warning for absolutely everything" and not an easy recommendation.

 

[GoldenFlex]

Manga:

Kengan Ashura (and its ongoing sequel Kengan Omega). Very very fun and intense martial arts tournament manga. Never know how these battles will go and they're drawn quite well. There is an anime on netflix, only watched the trailer and it looked like pretty bad CGI so can't comment on that but the manga is excellent.

Spoiler: Example panels

Take a look at Naoki Urasawa's body of work. 20th Century Boys, Monster, Pluto, Billy Bat, etc.

If the anime version of Monster is too long / slow for you, read the manga instead.

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All of these are great, I found Billy Bat the hardest to get into but the rest are very excellent reads.

 

[ara]

:|

As someone who likes Fire Punch more than most, you have to tell people that Fire Punch deals with incest, cannibalism and rape upfront.

Much like Made in Abyss, it's not something you just suggest like "Yeah this is super cool haha you'll love it".

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That certainly sounds like a jolly good time, lol.

Totally forgot about Made in Abyss, but now that you mentioned the name, I do recall it being just way to skeevy with the child nudity for me to continue reading. The stuff you mention about Fire Punch can definitely go south real fast depending on how it's handled, but I'm willing to give it a shot, at least.

 

[Orayn]

That certainly sounds like a jolly good time, lol.

Totally forgot about Made in Abyss, but now that you mentioned the name, I do recall it being just way to skeevy with the child nudity for me to continue reading. The stuff you mention about Fire Punch can definitely go south real fast depending on how it's handled, but I'm willing to give it a shot, at least.

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Fire Punch definitely succeeds at the twisty turny stuff but you can feel author still trying to find his voice and decide what the theme actually is.

Chainsaw Man is much more refined and focused thematically and you can tell that Fujimoto had more of an overarching plan.

 

[GoldenFlex]

Fire Punch was okay, it kind of meanders for a bit which is weird for a 83 chapter manga. Chainsaw man feels like a much more realized series.