Yurei Deco is an extremely unique anime that passed under the radar during its release on July 3rd of this year. It is set in a virtual world called Tom Sawyer Island, where Love is their main currency.
Any purchases made throughout the entire island can be done using this Love.
This also includes a decoration customizer, also known as deco, which lets citizens change their avatars. This had been implanted in them since early childhood.
The story follows a young girl named Berry, who is fascinated by the operations of a mysterious villain named Phantom Zero.
When her decoration customizer malfunctions, she encounters a person called Hack, who she suspects of being Phantom Zero.
However, this leads her to join the Ghost detectives club, the Yurei detective club.
As we see the members Hack, Berry, Hank, Finn, Smiley, Mister Watson and others who each have distinctive personalities and work towards their own agenda from the shadows, several secrets regarding the colourful tom sawyer island are revealed.
The dialogue might be a bit off-putting, with terms such as “glitchy witchy” being used. However, the anime still makes the viewer think a lot about society.
With a well-written and ingenious plot and “socially dead” characters who make us attached to them, this anime breaks boundaries in Japanese media.
You need not look any further if you’re looking for anime recommendations similar to Yurei Deco since that’s what we will cover in this list.
10 Similar Anime Like Yurei Deco
10. Summer Wars
- Number of Episodes: 1
- Number of Seasons: Movie
- Genres: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
- MAL Rating: 8.04
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Prime Video, Vudu
Summer Wars is a movie that you will find is related to Yurei Deco in more ways than one.
Made by the impeccable Madhouse studios, Summer Wars centres around a virtual world where people interact and do activities.
They do this using customizable avatars.
When a young boy who works as a moderator for his part-time job is invited by a woman he likes on a summer trip, he immediately says yet.
This sets off a series of events which could drastically impact humanity and all its lives.
During the trip where the protagonist is asked to act as his crush’s fiancĂ©, he receives an ominous text with a math problem.
Being a genius, he was able to quickly figure it out but then became involved in something that could affect everyone’s future.
Summer Wars is a great addition to the unique anime out there, with a great cast of characters and pleasing music.
9. Wonder Egg Priority
- Number of Episodes: 12
- Number of Seasons: 1 + 1 Special Episode
- Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
- MAL Rating: 7.67
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
Wonder Egg Priority is one of the best Japanese original anime in recent years.
It follows the life of a group of girls caught in a dangerous game following the death of close friends.
Having decided to compete in the game due to its huge reward, they needed to know what they were signing up for.
As the group encounter several alien creatures, they relive traumas from their past while experiencing the tragedies that a person living in this world faces.
Wonder Egg Priority is an amazing series with an animation style that resembles art and music that sets the tone.
In addition, it also has elements of mystery and suspense along with its action sequences.
8. Garokawa: Restore the World
- Number of Episodes: 1
- Number of Seasons: Movie
- Genres: Drama, Sci-Fi
- MAL Rating: 6.67
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Prime Video
Garokawa is a very entertaining anime movie which engrosses you into its world despite the short duration.
It follows the story of a pair of anti-virus programs that live a dull and monotonous life as they constantly search for any viruses in the system.
Whenever a virus is detected, there are even chances an entire virtual is destroyed.
However, when they run into a peculiar virus in the form of a small girl, they instantly form a bond.
Along with the new virus, they explore the vast world while experiencing the nature of people of environments through every city they visit.
The pair of anti-virus programs find the joy of different emotions for the first time outside their jobs.
Through this wonderful adventure, they also try to find out the background of the virus, who seems to have lost her memories.
Garokawa is a delightful anime which keeps us entertained with its creative plot as well as the life of characters we don’t usually think about.
7. Sword Art Online
- Number of Episodes: 96
- Number of Seasons: 3 + 3 Movies
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
- MAL Rating: 7.20
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu
Sword Art Online is one of the classics in many anime, where characters get stuck in a video game world.
The story revolves around a fantasy world inside a video game where people get stuck.
As the citizens of this new world are forced to form a new society, the true nature of several of them is revealed.
The protagonist, a boy by the name of Kirito decides to undertake the challenge of how to escape and go back into the real world.
In his journey, he is forced to overcome many hurdles in every episode. He even finds a woman he loves to the point where he’d do anything to protect her.
Sword Art Online is an action-packed fest with amazing animation that paved the way for the rest of the anime in its genre.
6. Deca-Dence
- Number of Episodes: 12
- Number of Seasons: 1
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
- MAL Rating: 7.38
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu
Deca-Dence is a great anime to check out if you’re searching for shows related to Yurei Deco.
It is set in a future where most of humanity has been wiped out, and the remaining live in fear in a giant mobile fortress.
While a few venture out to battle, most humans in the fortress are content in working from the backgrounds.
However, a girl who wishes to be something more than just a person living to survive wishes to join the fighting struggle.
With the help of a mentor she finds, the girl goes through several harsh circumstances in order to bring about a change in the system.
Facing the disapproval of society and citizens inside the fortress, we see the protagonist defy expectations while going on an epic adventure.
If you have already watched Deca-Dence, you can check out anime similar to deca-dence.
5. Gatchaman Crowds
- Number of Episodes: 24
- Number of Seasons: 2 + 1 OVA + 1 Special Episode
- Genres: Adventure, Sci-FI
- MAL Rating: 7.29
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
Suppose you’re looking for an unorthodox superhero anime with a fresh and original plot. In that case, Gatchaman Crowds is an anime which fits all those criteria.
Hajime, our girl protagonist, gains the ability to turn into the protector of her city after receiving a curious device.
After receiving this, she is taken to the base of a group of people with similar abilities.
With a lovable set of side characters, they exist to fend off supernatural threats threatening the future of society and the world as a whole.
The quality of the animation and the character design is very distinctive in this anime which is one of the reasons that make it memorable.
With enough nostalgic elements that make us remember early childhood yet have insightful commentary on modern society, the anime is very appealing to fans of Yurei Deco.
4. Den-noh Coil
- Number of Episodes: 26
- Number of Seasons: 1
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
- MAL Rating: 8.05
- Where to Watch: Netflix
At first glance, Den-noh Coil might seem like a show targeted at kids due to its simplistic animation and character designs.
However, this couldn’t be further from the truth as the anime deals with several mature and severe concepts.
It is set in the near future, where people spend the majority of their time on an augmented version of reality.
The main character, a girl by the name of Yuuko, joins her own version of the ghost detectives club from Yurei Deco due to a coincidental meeting with one of its members.
They work together to solve the mystery of a new virus affecting the system and combating corruption in the alternate world.
As they go on this journey, several secrets come to light.
Den-noh Coil is an extremely underrated anime with a well-developed story as well as dedicated voice actors behind the scenes.
3. The Night is Short, Walk on Girl
- Number of Episodes: 1
- Number of Seasons: Movie
- Genres: Romance, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy
- MAL Rating: 8.19
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney+
The Night is Short, Walk on Girl, similar to its name is a one-of-a-kind movie.
It revolves around the story of a college student who is in love with a junior in his college and hopes to win her favour.
The girl is very free-spirited while going with the flow of life instead of letting any plans tie her down.
She is a big believer in fate, and coincidental meetings lead to connections.
The college student plans to use this to his favour while trying to purchase a book which the girl cherishes.
The anime movie is a comedic adventure with beautiful animation that has the stylistic touch of its director, who made Tatami Galaxy and Samurai Champloo.
With extremely entertaining and likeable main characters, the story is simple yet meticulously written.
2. Psycho-Pass
- Number of Episodes: 22
- Number of Seasons: 1
- Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Thriller
- MAL Rating: 8.34
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+
Psycho-Pass is one of the best psychological thrillers that you can watch in anime.
It is set in a world where technology has advanced to a stage in which they can assess the slightest bad intention and determine the threat levels of every citizen.
The anime follows the adventures of a young yet determined detective who strives to uphold justice.
However, as she keeps working dutifully at her job, she discovers several dark truths regarding the system.
This starts an internal battle in her where her ideals and belief in the system are questioned as a whole.
Psycho-Pass also has an amazing antagonist who acts as the perfect antithesis to everything the protagonist stands for.
Seeing their game of cat-and-mouse with the survival of society at stake is one of the most entertaining experiences we can have.
1. Serial Experiments Lain
- Number of Episodes: 13
- Number of Seasons: 1
- Genres: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Thriller, Horror
- MAL Rating: 8.08
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Prime Video
Serial Experiments Lain is one of the most highly acclaimed anime in the psychological horror genre.
This is due to its intricate plot which plays with viewer’s mind and the anime itself which was well ahead of its years despite being made in 1998.
We are told the story of an introverted girl named Lain who receives a message from a recently deceased classmate.
On opening it, she is led down a rabbit hole of communication networks set in a virtual world.
Lain, an awkward girl with no know-how of technology, struggles to process all this.
Things get even weirder when she is chased by suspicious men who keep bothering her about the virtual world.
The complexity and cryptic nature of everything lead to Lain’s perception of reality changing as she questions her sense of self.
Its avant-garde approach, combined with the insightful and profound nature of the anime, makes it very deserving of the praise it deserves.
Therefore, Serial Experiments Lain has cemented its place at the top of this list of anime to watch if you enjoyed Yurei Deco.