
Shows that feel likeNeon Genesis Evangelion (1995–1996)
If you loved Neon Genesis Evangelion, the closest series we have are given (2019), This Is Us (2016) and The Leftovers (2014). All three share Neon Genesis Evangelion's contemplative and melancholy feel, which is what we rank on before quality.
Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Carrie (2026).
If Neon Genesis Evangelion hit the spot, these will too

Contemplative where it counts, romantic underneath
The difference: Trades the ideas of Neon Genesis Evangelion for an angle of its own

Turns on grief, self-worth and whether you'll let people love you
The difference: A warm network family drama — no sci-fi, and it wants you to cry, not spiral

One thread runs through both: depression
The difference: Easier on the romance than Neon Genesis Evangelion

Animation used to unsettle — bodies, machines, and death without comfort
The difference: An anthology of shorts — no characters to live with, no long descent

The same mix in both: ideas, then melancholy
The difference: Leans harder into mystery than Neon Genesis Evangelion does

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

Animation built on melancholy, twice over
The difference: Sits closer to action & adventure than Neon Genesis Evangelion does

Loneliness and the ache of connecting through something artificial
The difference: A gentle romance — none of the apocalypse or psychological weight

Adolescent depression taken seriously, with the adults no help at all
The difference: Grounded high-school realism — and far messier in its later seasons

A passive boy forced to share his body with something alien — and changed by it
The difference: A leaner monster-action spine; the philosophy stays digestible

Dreamlike sci-fi & fantasy, and it commits to that
The difference: Made in the 2020s, in a different era of the craft

Both lean on ideas more than on sci-fi & fantasy
In the mood for more cerebral?
all cerebral shows →The best-reviewed series that share Neon Genesis Evangelion’s defining feeling.









