Anime like Astro Note

Maison Ikkoku

Also known as Maison Ikkoku.

Studio: Studio DEEN , Kitty Film
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Maison Ikkoku is a romantic comedy series created by Rumiko Takahashi. The story centers around the development of the relationship between Kyoko Otonashi and Yusaku Godai. Kyoko is a recent widow who moves into the apartment house Ikkoku-kan where she becomes the manager. Godai is a wanna-be student ("ronin") struggling with college entrance exams.

When they meet, it's love at first sight—for Godai anyway. Along the way, the other tentants, the mysterious Yotsuya, the seemingly alcoholic Ichinose, and the brash Akemi, watch and occasionally take part to make their lives more interesting. To complicate matters further, the wealthy tennis coach Shun Mitaka has his eye on Kyoko, while Godai is pursued by both Nanao Kozue and Ibuki Yagami. Covering a wide range of emotions from hysterically funny to painfully sad, Maison Ikkoku—all 96 episodes—is well worth seeing.


Tags: Heterosexual , Coming of Age , Love Triangle , Tsundere , Primarily Adult Cast , Episodic , Seinen , Slapstick , Male Protagonist , College , Female Harem , Male Harem , School Club , Ensemble Cast , Female Protagonist , Tennis , Nudity , Rugby , Baseball , Age Gap

Urusei Yatsura (2022)

Also known as Urusei Yatsura (2022).

Studio: David Production , Fuji TV , Aniplex , Shogakukan , Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions , Fuji Creative Corporation , Dentsu , David Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

When an alien race known as the Oni invade Earth, the chronically unlucky and unapologetically lecherous Ataru Moroboshi is selected as humanity’s representative in a duel for the fate of the planet! His opponent is Lum, the Oni’s very pretty princess, and it’s only thanks to Ataru’s unscrupulous behavior that he’s able to scrape out a win in a treacherous game of tag against her. Ataru thinks he’s had his lucky break at last, but when Lum takes a shine to him off the battlefield, the conflict follows him home as Lum invades not only planet Earth, but also the womanizing Ataru’s love life!



Tags: Surreal Comedy , Slapstick , School , Episodic , Aliens , Love Triangle , Unrequited Love , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Tsundere , Male Protagonist , Parody , Shounen , Super Power , Family Life , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Youkai , Tomboy , Shrine Maiden , Yandere , Meta , Gender Bending , Crossdressing , Time Manipulation , Animals , Shapeshifting , Snowscape , Tennis

Arakawa Under the Bridge

Also known as Arakawa Under the Bridge.

Studio: Shaft , Square Enix , Starchild Records , Rakuonsha , NIS America Inc.
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance

Ko Ichinomiya's family motto is "Never be indebted to anyone," but after losing his pants and falling into the Arakawa River, he quickly finds himself in debt to his savior, the cutely insane Nino (who happens to live under the bridge). To repay her, he vows to help her with her desire to "experience love." Along the way he'll meet the river's other residents, including a hot-blooded kappa, a Sister in drag, and a literal rock star. Sorry, Ko—when you fell into that river, I guess you really got in over your head!



Tags: Surreal Comedy , Seinen , Ensemble Cast , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Outdoor , Nun , Homeless , Episodic , Kuudere , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , Samurai

Kuragehime

Also known as Princess Jellyfish.

Studio: Funimation , Brain's Base , Asmik Ace , Sony Music Entertainment , Sakura Create , Fujipacific Music
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

Plain, timid and obsessed with jellyfish, Tsukimi is a far cry from her idea of a princess. Her tepid life as a jobless illustrator comes complete with roommates who harbor diehard hobbies that solidify their status as hopeless social rejects. These wallflowers run a tight, nun-like ship, but their no-men-allowed-not-no-one-not-no-how bubble is unwittingly burst after Tsukimi brings home a rescued sea jelly and a beauty queen... who's actually a guy.

When the threat of losing their cozy convent inspires this glamour boy to turn the neurotic entourage into a portrait of success, will Tsukimi take her chance to bloom, or will she end up a hot mess?



Tags: Josei , Crossdressing , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Otaku Culture , Makeup , Slapstick , Primarily Female Cast , Found Family , Gender Bending , Femboy , Fashion , Ensemble Cast , Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Urban , LGBTQ+ Themes , Politics , Drawing

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou

Also known as The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior.

Studio: Brain's Base
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

Usa, a high-school student aspiring to begin a bachelor lifestyle, moves into a new apartment only to discover that he not only shares a room with a perverted roommate that has an obsession for underaged girls, but also that another girl, Ritsu, a love-at-first-sight, is living in the same building as well!

Tags: Kuudere , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Episodic , Tomboy , Female Protagonist , School , Ensemble Cast , Seinen , Meta , Afterlife

Otonari ni Ginga

Also known as A Galaxy Next Door.

Studio: Asahi Production , King Records , Kodansha , Crunchyroll , KLOCKWORX
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance

Ever since their father died, Ichirou Kuga has struggled to support his two younger siblings on nothing but a small inheritance and his passion for drawing manga. But it’s becoming harder to keep up with his growing responsibilities and deadlines, especially after his last two assistants quit to follow their dreams.

Just as he’s nearing his breaking point, the beautiful and scarily competent Shiori Goshiki applies to become his new assistant. But there’s something almost otherworldly about Goshiki, and soon Kuga finds his reality turned upside down when she suddenly declares them engaged to marry!



Tags: Family Life , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Work , Iyashikei , Drawing , Marriage , Seinen , Aliens , Estranged Family

Urusei Yatsura

Also known as Urusei Yatsura.

Studio: Studio Pierrot , Studio DEEN , Kitty Film , Discotek , Fuji TV
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Urusei Yatsura concerns the tempestuous relationship between two focal characters: Ataru Moroboshi who is possibly the most unfaithful, unlucky and lecherous idiot to have ever been born, and there's Lum, a tigerskin-bikini clad alien package of sex appeal, jealousy and electricity who's fallen for him. The series chronicles the misadventures of these two stubborn teenagers along with a veritable entourage of weird characters. Among these characters is the richest boy on the planet, a superhuman schoolgirl, a fire-breathing baby, a powerful priestess/school nurse, a cute and psychotic alien vixen with a split personality, a gender-bending martial artist, an alien biker chick, an ice queen of Neptune, a deranged monk, a giant ghost cat and hundreds of other lunatic personalities; aliens, humans and inhumans alike interract in endless hysteria in a town named Tomobiki.

Tags: Episodic , Aliens , Shounen , Urban Fantasy , Slapstick , Heterosexual , Parody , Surreal Comedy , Male Protagonist , Tomboy , Super Power , School , Youkai , Female Protagonist , Mythology , Monster Girl , Love Triangle , Family Life , Shrine Maiden , Nudity , Tsundere , Animals , Tanks , Crossdressing , Female Harem , Ojou-sama , Magic , Time Manipulation , Military , Dinosaurs , Shapeshifting , Goblin

Ano Natsu de Matteru

Also known as Waiting in the Summer.

Studio: J.C. Staff , NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan , Genco , AT-X , Sentai Filmworks , Bushiroad , Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

When a group of friends decide to make a movie over a long summer holiday, they end up learning a little about filmmaking and a lot more about each other and themselves. What begins as a simple way to avoid the summer doldrums quickly turns into something much more complex, intimate and revealing, as the maturing relationships between the members of the young cast take on new, and sometimes very unexpected, turns.



Tags: Love Triangle , Ensemble Cast , Tragedy , Heterosexual , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Aliens , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Rural , School

Level E

Also known as Level E.

Studio: Studio Pierrot , Aniplex , Funimation , David Production , TV Tokyo Music , Sony Music Entertainment , Sakura Create
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Sci-Fi

Hundreds of aliens inhabit our Earth today. Some friendly, some belligerent - some are here for research purposes while others came for the sake of committing crime. It is only us humans who have yet to realize their existence.

One day, a hell of a troublemaker arrives on our planet. Though he is regarded as the smartest man in the universe, he has a major flaw in his personality - he is always causing trouble to bide his time.



Tags: Aliens , Shounen , Surreal Comedy , Meta , Parody , Space , Baseball , Shapeshifting , LGBTQ+ Themes , Crossdressing

Golden Time

Also known as Golden Time.

Studio: J.C. Staff , Genco , Starchild Records , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

Due to a tragic accident, Banri Tada is struck with amnesia, dissolving the memories of his hometown and past. However, after befriending Mitsuo Yanagisawa, he decides to move on and begin a new life at law school in Tokyo. But just as he is beginning to adjust to his college life, the beautiful Kouko Kaga dramatically barges into Banri's life, and their chance meeting marks the beginning of an unforgettable year.

After having a glimpse of college life, Banri learns that he is in a new place and a new world—a place where he can be reborn, to have new friends, fall in love, makes mistakes and grow. And as he begins to discover who he was, the path he has chosen leads him towards a blindingly bright life that he will never want to forget.

Tags: Amnesia , Memory Manipulation , Male Protagonist , College , Love Triangle , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Ghost , Heterosexual , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Yandere , Dissociative Identities , School Club , Cult