After taking on a school project in which he carves a statue out of the trunk of a sacred tree, Jin’s life takes a twirl into a different direction. After bringing the school project outdoors, the statue turns into none other than a–girl. A guardian deity, this strange girl; Nagi, takes it upon herself to move in with Jin. As backlash for cutting down her tree, she is hellbent on unleashing her anger upon the world by bringing death to the “impurities”.

Kannagi gives us a great interpretation of C³, had it been approached in a more carefree manner. It revitalizes many of the aspects of C³ that helped keep the series balanced, and will provide for a perfect alternative if watching C³ over again isn’t exactly your intention. Nagi will instantly become your favorite person as you fall in love with her madcap personality; at times feeling reminiscent of Fear. Not to mention that both Kannagi and C³ share a harem basis; and that’s always fun to watch.

People collect weird things, just like Kakeru Daichi, who collects rare juice cans. As such, weird things call for weird circumstances. Behold Melon, a girl whom Kakeru almost mistakenly drank. If you think her name is a word pun, then you’re probably right. Melon is an Akikan, a girl who is–wait for it–a can. A strange experiment, Akikans were created to fight one another in hopes of determining which container is the strongest. . . Weird!

However, the weirdness doesn’t end there for Kakeru, as his childhood friend Najimi happens upon her own Akikan. May the battle royal commence.

If powerful girls popping out of strange objects isn’t enough to get you hooked on sight, then maybe you could use some more convincing. Melon is an enjoyable character that, in many ways, helps keep the series afloat. Of course, she is not the only female in the mix, but her tag team relationship with protagonist Kakeru will marry these two within the spotlight similar to series favorites Fear and Haruaki. Filled with action, romance, and comedy, Akikan is hard to ignore for anyone who is a fan of C³.

When God abandons the world, the cycle of life ceases. Life for those living cannot end, and new life cannot be created. Thus, the dead are forced to traverse endlessly amongst the living. Fortunately, God created “gravekeepers” prior to abandoning his people. Granting them the ability to put the dead to rest. One such gravekeeper is the young and naïve girl, Ai.

When a man kills everyone within her village, Ai decides to accompany him; having no other plans for her future. While traversing from village to village, Ai sticks to her duties of laying the dead to rest. However, as her journey continues, she begins to learn a bit more about this godless world.

Now it’s time to tackle what made C³ such a unique series in this highly-saturated world of anime. That is; of course, the grimy nature of its darkest moments, that helped push the story over the edge into a pool of unforgettable anime. Sunday Without God will soon find itself in that same place, as it fails to beat around the bush with its grim reality. In many ways, this anime is an interpretation of fear in its entirety. With a lot of us digging past the horrors of this world by holding faith in our god, it can be a real fear to consider that very same god turning its back on us. Making the concept of Sunday Without God, in a way, similar in essence to the concept of fear; both the character and the emotion, in C³. With its handful of supernatural elements, Sunday Without God is a great anime that is similar; while at the same time, creatively different from C³.

Ryuji Kisaragi was living the peaceful life of a regular high schooler; up until his cousin Eriko Nanao’s return. Upon her return, Ryuuji and Eriko get a hold of a relic from a black broker. A case that happens to contain the red dragon girl, Rose, within. Now hunted by the black organization, Rose’s life is put in danger. Fortunately, using his abilities as a relic handler, Ryuuji decides to fight to protect Rose from the shady organization.

Let’s kick-start by being plainly obvious. Our male lead, Ryuuji, finds a girl hidden within an object who happens to have magical abilities. Much like Fear’s discovery within a black box. So, for those who are looking for a relatable element that is rather straight forward, then Dragon Crisis is here to save the day. But the similarities don’t end just yet. We see an echo of the character Haruaki within our protagonist Ryuuji as well. As his personality begins to grow alongside Rose, we begin to feel the elements of the series form within a similar pattern to that of C³. While less dark in tone, Dragon Crisis still manages to bring forth well executed action sequences that complement its story presentation. Giving you a great visual performance like in C³.

Lucy, a mutant species called “Diclonii”, was blessed with powerful telekinetic abilities. Both feared and admired, it wasn’t long before she became the unfortunate subject of government “experimentation”. Surely enough, it was all in the name of protecting the people, right? Until she broke free, that is. Now, Lucy is out on a rampage, and she’s sparing no one. Fortunately, for any of her potential targets, Lucy suffered severe head trauma, and battles with a split personality named Nyu. Taken in by local cousins Kouta and Yuka, the hassle of an unrelenting shady government, and the blood buckets of Lucy’s killing spree come knocking at their front door.

Elfen Lied is a dark, relentless piece that sets itself right in line with everything that drew you towards C³ in the first place. With a female lead riddled with an on-edge personality, and rather wicked character traits similar to Fear, Lucy will provide you with all the reasons as to why Elfen Lied is such an attractive piece for any fans of C³. We also get the male and female duo that provides for that great dynamic between our protagonists that we often got amongst the spurts of romance, and straight malarkey between Haruaki and Fear. Lastly, the overwhelming likeness between these two wonderful series is often found within their developments. Both in story and in character. The big question of who these characters are, how both Fear and Lucy differ from the “ordinary” people around them, and their constant battle of understanding themselves is a common motif within both Elfen Lied and C³ that help marry these two anime in unforgettable fashion.

All is normal in the life of Haimura Kiri, a boy who can’t get enough of cutting other people’s hair. Like a match made in heaven; or hell, Kiri happens upon Iwai Mushanokouji, otherwise known as the “Hair Queen”. Iwai has an inherited curse that’s preventing people from cutting her hair, until she meets Kiri. Kiri’s scissor, "Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge" happens to be the only pair of scissors that do the job, but that isn’t the only thing that it brings to the table. Iwai’s and Kiri’s meeting sparked the rebirth of a game in which the goal is to kill the Hair Queen by use of cursed tools, known as the “Killing Goods”. Now it’s time for Kiri’s commitments to really be put to the test as he fights to protect Iwai from numerous opponents.

Carrying the same dark, grimy tone masked beneath the false pretense of, at times, light-hearted scenes; The Severing Crime Edge’s likeness to C³ can be rather unfathomable. Aside from the obvious cursed female role paired to your unsuspecting male lead, Crime Edge and C³ have a lot to offer in terms of similarities. With the basis of the story following along the concept of the protagonists being targets for numerous enemies looking to shed blood, your love for C³ will without a doubt be reborn.

While C³ can at times be on the ecchi side with its content, Crime Edge is a bit more toned down. However, while focusing more on its dark nature, Crime Edge has its dose of romance, thus providing a well-balanced piece that also helped stitch C³ together rather well. While these elements between Crime Edge and C³ may be easy to list, the most compelling likeness is one that can’t be easily explained. Which is the atmosphere. Watching an episode of Crime Edge will fill you with a feeling that is all too familiar from those days spent with C³. In short, if you’re a fan of C³, then you’re a fan of The Severing Crime Edge.