Charlotte follows Yuu Otosaka, a friendly teenage boy who has the ability to secretly slip into other people’s bodies and control them for five seconds. Yuu has been using this gift for a while to help get better grades, but one day a girl named Nao Tomori catches Yuu using his ability. Nao manages to persuade Yuu and his younger sister Ayumi to transfer to a different school, one that is specifically for students with special powers. But that’s not all! At Hoshinoumi Academy, the student council secretly searches for teenagers who abuse their supernatural gifts. And because Nao is the leader of the student council, Yuu is forced to join in this as well. Yuu and his new friends will face many things together as they discover the truth behind what it means to have powers.

Charlotte and The Reflection share similar themes of people with unusual powers living in a largely average society. Both anime also share the idea of a much darker and more serious look at how superpowers can affect people’s lives. Charlotte does have a bit of a lighter feel, as the characters are younger and still attend school. Yet Yuu’s discoveries are no less heavy than those The Reflection’s characters deal with. Both series show a willingness to delve into the dark side of gaining special gifts, rather than just looking at all the benefits that come with powers. The unexpected gift of superpowers bestowed by special events unites these two shows. You cannot go wrong with Charlotte if you enjoy The Reflection.

Atsushi Nakajima has been seeing a strange tiger for weeks, one that he alone seems to notice. His orphanage believes Atsushi is the one behind the strange events that have been happening, so they throw him out on the street. One day, as he aimlessly wanders near a riverbank, Atsushi notices a man drowning and saves his life. The man he saved is named Osamu Dazai, and coincidentally Dazai has been investigating the same tiger that has been following Atsushi! Atsushi helps Dazai and his partner Doppo Kunikida solve the mystery, and then realizes he must continue on in their firm of supernatural detectives. Can Atsushi get used to solving crimes with his unusual new companions?

Now, we know that Bungo Stray Dogs and The Reflection might seem like two very different shows at first, but they actually share a lot in common. Atsushi discovers he has unusual powers and must learn how to deal with them, just as the characters from The Reflection must when they discover their gifts. Both groups of characters decide how they want to use their supernatural abilities, and whether they want to be heroes for society. While The Reflection addresses this in a more straightforward fashion, Bungo Stray Dogs shows how Dazai’s firm and the detectives within it can use their gifts to benefit a wider society. Also, neither show shies away from darker subjects, indicating that not everyone with powers will make good choices. The two anime take their inspiration from written works. The Reflection is a Stan Lee-written anime that is inspired by many of his Marvel works, while Bungo Stray Dogs takes much of its character inspiration from book authors.

10 years ago, the strange Heaven’s Gate and Hell’s Gate appeared on Earth, changing the landscape of humanity forever. When the Gates suddenly showed up, so did the Contractors. The Contractors are people who give up their humanity in order to obtain supernatural powers. And so the world became much darker… In Japan, near where Hell’s Gate lies, Section Chief Misaki Kirihara struggles to find the truth, particularly because of a Contractor known as Hei. Hei is referred to as the “Black Reaper,” carrying out jobs for the Syndicate while trying to uncover a mysterious plot against Contractors. If he fails to learn the truth, it could mean the end for those like him…

Darker Than Black and The Reflection both focus on the strange manifestation of powers and what that means for society. Seeing the epic action sequences in The Reflection is thrilling. Darker Than Black also has action and mystery in its series. Hei uses his gifts on the darker side of the law, but also for good in some respects. Darker Than Black uses a more futuristic, sci-fi feel for its episodes, but its connection with The Reflection stems from a more serious focus on superpowers.

Kotetsu T. Kaburagi was well known as a hero called “Wild Tiger” for many years, until his inability to work with other heroes put him at a disadvantage among the newcomers. After Tiger has a rather disappointing season, he is paired up with another hero, one called Barnaby Brooks Jr. Tiger decides to call his new partner “Bunny” – after all, who wants to go by their real name as a hero? However, nothing good can come of this strange union… Tiger and Bunny could not be more different! Yet the two must learn how to join together, for the sake of their future as heroes, as well as the future of their city. Welcome to the misadventures of Tiger and Bunny!

Tiger and Bunny shares the same focus on superheroes that The Reflection does. However, the former show occurs when people with superpowers are more established, even competing for sponsors and fame on television! Yet both anime share a sense of moral right and wrong, with Tiger and Bunny discovering their own moral code as they continue to struggle to be noticed. You can’t go wrong with Tiger and Bunny’s superhero focus if you enjoy The Reflection!

Jitou Hitoyoshi has a strange job. He works for a place known as the “Superhuman Bureau,” where non-human entities are gathered. None of Jitou’s coworkers are human, and they hunt down other non-humans to be either placed under their care or eliminated. Jitou himself is in charge of recruiting new members to the Bureau so that they may continue to work for the government. However, one day Jitou decides that he can no longer work for the Bureau, and so he goes on the run, becoming a vigilante. Though the world is strange, filled with everything from ghosts to aliens, Jitou must now learn to live as a fugitive… or be hunted down by the very people he used to serve.

Just like in The Reflection, Concrete Revolutio focuses on those beings with unusual abilities trying to find their place in society. The difference is that Concrete Revolutio is less about people with superhuman powers, and more about unusual people/creatures trying to live among humanity. However, the gist of both shows ends up being the same. People are forced to decide whether having powers can make you a hero, or a villain. In the case of Concrete Revolutio, this comparison can be seen in the Superhuman Bureau and those causing chaos on the streets. Both projects also derive from American comic book ideas, with The Reflection being Stan Lee’s anime project and Concrete Revolutio taking inspiration from the comic series “Watchmen.” The Reflection stems much closer to the comic book style, but Concrete Revolutio still has some older mirroring of comic books in its art.

Kazuma is a young boy who lives his life as a mercenary in the secluded area known as the Lost Ground. When a mysterious environmental catastrophe caused the land to split 22 years prior, the Lost Ground was created, forming a land mass very difficult to reach. Kazuma became a mercenary due to his struggle to survive on this land mass. However, he is gifted with an ability called the Alter ability, which allows him to coat his arm and torso in a metal substance. One day, a group trying to suppress those with the Alter ability shows up. And thus, Kazuma battles for his freedom against a surprising enemy! What will the outcome of this struggle be?

In s.CRY.ed, the price for Kazuma losing his battle against his rivals is his life, much like in The Reflection. However, Kazuma’s quest is more violent and a bit more serious than that of the characters in The Reflection. Eleanor Evans and her fellow new heroes are searching for who they should be after their gift of powers, while Kazuma is merely trying to survive a hostile environment with his. Though both have dark moments and are serious in nature, s.CRY.ed is more intense in both respects. That being said, you should still check out s.CRY.ed if you enjoyed The Reflection’s superhero fights – there’s plenty of that to go around!