Television series
Cross Ange
Cross Ange is a gleefully unhinged mecha anime that starts as a princess-gets-exiled story then spirals into increasingly bonkers territory. It's visually gorgeous, relentlessly earnest about ridiculous plot twists, and commits harder to its weirdness with every episode. For anyone who loves anime that swings wildly between genuine emotion and 'did that really just happen?' moments.
If you liked this
Kill la Kill2013
Explosive action sequences, radical character design, and a protagonist who refuses to be broken by a system designed to humiliate her. Shares Cross Ange's gleeful disregard for subtlety and its commitment to pure spectacle.
But The sexual imagery is intentional and unrelenting. If fan service makes you tune out immediately, this will test your patience.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans2015
A mecha series that treats its premise seriously but lets genuine character bonds and moral compromise drive the narrative. Stunning animation and a cast that earns your investment through suffering and survival.
But Slower pacing than Cross Ange, with episodes that sit with dread rather than explode into action. Also genuinely bleak.
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch2006
A protagonist with a superpower navigating betrayal, revolution, and the corrupting nature of power. Wildly ambitious plotting that escalates faster than seems possible, with a protagonist nobody quite likes but everyone can't stop watching.
But The second season loses the tight plotting of the first. Some character decisions feel arbitrary rather than inevitable.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Cross Ange
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Revolutionary Girl Utena1997
Both use a princess-to-exile framework to interrogate power, agency, and what it means to be used by systems larger than yourself. Both refuse easy answers about redemption or belonging.
A magical girl series that dismantles its own conventions from within, using surrealism and repetition as narrative tools. Visually experimental in ways that still feel fresh. The thematic DNA connecting to Cross Ange's trajectory is real: both watch a girl's world collapse and her agency become complicated.
But The structure is deliberately disorienting and some episodes feel like they're operating on dream logic. Not grounded, not explanatory. Patience required.
More like this (7)
Nana2006
Character-driven and emotionally raw, following two women with the same name building a life together. It understands friendship as the central relationship and doesn't treat that as second priority to romance or action.
But It ends abruptly mid-story. The manga continued but the anime just stops, which is infuriating if you want closure.
Carole & Tuesday2019
A gleaming sci-fi setting that serves as backdrop for intimate character moments. Two young women finding their voice through music and each other, with genuine warmth and a colour palette that rewards watching.
But The central conflict isn't what drives momentum—that's relationship development. If you need high stakes and antagonists, this meanders.
Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story2020
A deconstruction of magical girl anime that treats its premise with philosophical weight. Stunningly confident in its tonal shifts and willing to genuinely hurt its characters. Gorgeous and strange.
But Its reputation precedes it, which can oversell what's actually a slow-burn series that takes time to get strange. Early episodes might feel conventional.
Senki Zesshou Symphogear2011
Unironic magical girl mecha action with a cast of women fighting apocalypses together. Absurdly earnest, visually inventive, and genuinely invested in its characters' friendships and growth across five seasons.
But The premise is nonsense and the show never pretends otherwise. If you can't embrace the ridiculous foundation, nothing else will land.
Michiko e Hatchin2008
A road-trip story following a woman and a boy seeking freedom from their circumstances. Beautifully animated with real emotional stakes and a willingness to let characters change and surprise you.
But It's deliberately paced and meditative. Nothing explodes. Some episodes prioritise mood over plot momentum.
Carrie1976
Both centre on a female protagonist whose difference from society's expectations makes her a target, and both escalate to violence as the only language the system understands. Both ask: whose fault is that?
A film about a girl with power she didn't ask for, forced to hide herself, destroyed by a system that punishes her existence. Devastating and precise. Brian De Palma's direction creates something mythic from high school cruelty.
But It's a horror film from 1976 with practical effects that don't hide anything. The finale is graphic. Not spectacle; consequence.
Southside with You2016
Both use genre spectacle as a frame for stories about women resisting systems designed to erase them. Both trust their audiences to find meaning in escalation rather than explanation.
A Brazilian sci-fi film about a woman fighting an oppressive system from the margins. Low-budget but visually imaginative, with genuine stakes and a protagonist who survives by adapting, not by winning. Uncompromising.
But It's subtitled and deliberately plotted rather than paced for excitement. The world-building requires attention. Some viewers will find it slow.
