Welcome to The Abyss, a strange giant hole that appeared out of nowhere filled with mystery, intrigue, and danger. Those who have decided to descend into the depths of The Abyss in hope of fortune, fame, and prestige are called Divers and their mission is for only the bravest. One young girl named Riko, the daughter of a famous White Whistle—Divers who were considered the best of them all—has begun to wonder what happened to her mom and seeks to explore The Abyss as she did long ago. One day, Riko discovers a small android she calls Reg and after seeing the power/abilities of this little machine the two decide to enter The Abyss themselves. Little do they know that every adventure has rewards as well as consequences…

Reviewed with a general score of 8.70 on MAL, Made in Abyss takes the sci-fi adventure genre to an entirely new plane of existence. Made in Abyss might only be 13 episodes—and several movies—but this anime is an experience that very few series can match. One minute you’ll be laughing alongside Riko and Reg as they discover beautiful elements in The Abyss and the next you’ll be crying waterfalls as they understand just how nightmarish The Abyss is. Sakugan might not reach the levels of Made of Abyss—not that many could—but we know Sakugan fans will want to check out Made in Abyss as the two are eerily similar and quite immersive!

Friends Simon and Kamina might look like just ordinary young men but they are far from “normal”. Born in an underground complex, the two are quite different as Kamina dreams of a larger-than-life existence while Simon just wants to live a simple life. Sadly, Kamina’s dreams come to life when Simon discovers a powerful relic deep in the Earth and it leads the duo to find a powerful machine from an ancient war. As they leave their homes behind, the two meet a sexy bikini-clad girl named Yoko Littner and the trio decides to explore the wastelands in search of adventure and possibly more!

Rarely do we meet mecha fans who haven’t heard of Gurren Lagann and that is because this anime is famous for a reason. Not only is Gurren Lagann helmed by the great animation team Gainax but this mecha series literally is unlike anything else ever before seen. Like Sakugan, Gurren Lagann has no two similar episodes and that is why we always recommend Gurren Lagann to those few who are still learning the greatness of mecha anime.

Sometime in the far future, around the year 2400, humanity finds itself almost annihilated by several factors. Not only is the air becoming almost unbreathable but an alien race called the Gadoll have deemed humans insignificant and have unleashed destruction on mankind. In a fleeting attempt to survive, cyborgs were made to reobtain humanity's future but they too began to surpass simple humans. Elsewhere, a young girl is beginning her adventure as an armor repairer but her next set of actions will be the beginning of something new for the future of cyborgs, Gadoll, and humans…

Deca-Dence shocked the anime world when it was released in the latter half of 2020 and for good reason, this anime has some shocking revelations. Similar to Sakugan, Deca-Dence is a constantly evolving series that keeps you guessing what will come next and make you question how good you are at spotting obvious clichés and tropes. Deca-Dence is and was a hidden gem of 2020 with intense action, an original narrative, and a few deviations from what we think we know about the sci-fi genre.

The Gauna, a strange alien race that appeared from nowhere and in a blink of an eye left humanity almost utterly extinct. With no Earth to call home, the few remaining humans were launched to space on large asteroid-like ships to escape the Gauna and hope to find a new world to call home. Despite the Gauna being quiet for centuries, the Sidonia—one of the few remaining ships with humans—sees a possible threat in the distance. Little does the Sidonia know that their future and humanity's future will be left in the hands of a young man who grew up sheltered in the depths of the Sidonia, Nagate Tanikaze.

One of the biggest strengths of Sakugan is how it blends comedy, mature drama, and adventure in an anime series and that immediately made us think of a similar series to pull that feat off, Knights of Sidonia. Animated by Polygon Pictures—like another series on our list—Knights of Sidonia evolves endlessly to create a brilliant space anime with some eye-catching mecha battles and surreal sci-fi concepts. Knights of Sidonia just had a final movie air not too long ago—which we reviewed and loved—so you readers can go and watch this entire series whenever you feel the need for a truly epic sci-fi/mecha anime.

In a strange world far different than ours, dragons exist and they are indeed the rulers of the skies above. Yet, there are those that combat these powerful creatures as they are resource-heavy and can save even the most dying of cities. One such group is the Quin Zaza who make it their mission to fly through the skies and kill dragons for the survival of man. Their battles aren’t to be taken lightly but together, the crew of the Quin Zaza can and will survive!

If you missed out on Drifting Dragons in 2020 we can’t blame you, there was little hype for this anime adaptation. Despite the lack of mecha, Drifting Dragons shines in the adventure elements seen in Sakugan and you will come to love the crew members of the Quin Zaza and endure with them as they battle dragons of various shapes and sizes. Polygon Pictures did an admirable job bringing this once manga series to life in anime form and we think many who dig Sakugan will fall in love with Drifting Dragons!

When a 4th dimension is discovered by the human race, the world begins to change in a rather drastic way. Within Dimension W lies seemingly energy and technology begins to evolve to utilize this special form of power. However, it doesn’t take long for a powerful group to emerge—the New Tesla Energy Corporation—and monopolize energy from Dimension W, causing the rise of those who want this new power but are willing to gain it via illegal methods. Kyouma Mabuchi—a man who lives more in the analog world than the modern—is tasked with stopping these illegal entities but one mission leads him to discover a new type of being that was made by the inventor of the coils crafted from Dimension W. Kyouma was an ex-soldier but he will need to unleash all of his past skills if he wishes to survive a new battle heading straight for him and his discovery.

Dimension W might lack mecha and giant kaiju but the sci-fi themes are quite present and like Sakugan, this isn’t an anime you can predict with such ease. Dimension W has numerous surprises for the viewers as it shows what happens when technology gives humans a bit too much power. There’s also a comical dynamic between the series MC Kyouma and his “android” partner Mira Yurizaki that can be heartwarming and downright goofy. In many ways, Kyouma is the adoptive father of Mira like Gagumber is the father to the rather rumbunctious Memempu. If you need a break from the mechs and giant monster fights but still want to stay close to the feelings found in Sakugan, then we fully recommend Dimension W!