Kara Dennison
August 20, 2020 
If you’ve seen DECA-DENCE and you’re anything like us, you’re still reeling from the series’s early twist, even weeks later. (And if you haven’t seen it… we’re not spoiling it for you. You owe it to yourself to witness it firsthand!) Crazy reveals are one of the best things about many anime series, whether it’s right at the front or further down the line when you’re feeling sure of yourself. And if you like to be on the back foot, there are plenty of surprising series to choose from.
Here are a few to keep you busy while you wait for more DECA-DENCE… and don’t worry, we won’t actually give away what happens. You’ll just have to dive in and see for yourself!
GaoGaiGar: The King of Braves
If you love the big action, monster fighting, and sci-fi edge of DECA-DENCE, take a step back to 1997’s Sunrise series GaoGaiGar: The King of Braves. The series was made to serve as a finale to the studio’s Brave franchise, Japan’s own take on the wildly popular Transformers. With a young adult protagonist, intense action, and higher than usual stakes, the series pitched to an older audience than its predecessors like Exkaiser and Goldran.
GaoGaiGar also threw you for some major loops just when you thought you were on solid ground, with cyborg hero Guy and young alien Mamoru teaming up to fight off a band of mechanized alien invaders. We won’t say where or how the twist comes, but just remember: not everything is as it seems, and sometimes our heroes don’t have as much information as they think they do.
Samurai Flamenco
Contrary to DECA-DENCE dropping its surprise early, it would be impossible for us to tell you where the twist in Samurai Flamenco is… because the question becomes: which one? The tokusatsu pastiche never stops subverting your expectations, no matter what your expectations may be. Whatever you believe to be going on at any point, as male model Masayoshi follows his childhood dream of being a masked do-gooder, you will probably find you are simultaneously right and wrong at least once.
The constantly evolving story also makes for a great group watch, especially if you and your friends have different tastes in anime. You’ll all catch different hints as the story progresses.
School-Live!
If you like that first-episode shocker to reel you into a series like DECA-DENCE, School-Live! is sure to get you. The adorable slice-of-life series centers on the four members of the School Living Club, a group of high schoolers who make the most of their life at school by staying there as much as possible. At the center of the club is the always cheerful Yuki, enjoying her third year of high school to the fullest.
Of course, if it’s on this list, that means something is amiss. But that’s for you to find out. After all, Yuki doesn’t seem to see anything wrong. So it can’t be all that bad, right?
Be sure to check out DECA-DENCE and see what all the buzz is about — and when you’re caught up, enjoy uncovering the mysteries of these series and more!
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