Anime like Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!

K-ON!

Also known as K-ON!.

Studio: Kyoto Animation , Pony Canyon , TBS , Movic , Rakuonsha , Animation Do , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Slice of Life

Hirasawa Yui, a young, carefree girl entering high school, has her imagination instantly captured when she sees a poster advertising the ‘Light Music Club’. Being the carefree girl that she is, she quickly signs up. However, Yui has a problem, she is unable to play an instrument.

When Yui goes to the clubroom to explain, she's greeted by the other members: Ritsu, Mio and Tsumugi. Although disheartened at Yui’s lack of musical know-how, they still try to convince her to stay to prevent the club’s disbandment. After playing Yui a short piece which re-ignites her imagination, they succeed in keeping their new member and guitarist.

Along with the tasks of school and homework, Yui begins to learn the guitar with the help of the other band members, experiencing many mishaps along the way. However, with the school-festival drawing near and Yui getting stuck with her practice, will the Light Music Club be ready in time for their debut?



Tags: School Club , Rock Music , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Band , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Iyashikei , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Episodic , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Food , Slapstick , Seinen , Tomboy

Do It Yourself!!

Also known as Do It Yourself!!.

Studio: PINE JAM , Avex Pictures , TV Tokyo , Yostar , MAGNET , Asmik Ace , AT-X , BS11 , Niigata Sogo Television
Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life

Building furniture and friendships have a lot in common. Intention, effort, and hard work are needed for both crafts. This is a story of girls in a DIY club building both as they carve out their futures. None of it comes easy, but that doesn’t stop any of ’em. Furniture, friendships, and the future—they’re building it all with their own hands!



Tags: School Club , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Iyashikei , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Tsundere , Educational , LGBTQ+ Themes , Tomboy , Slapstick

Ichigo Mashimaro

Also known as Strawberry Marshmallow.

Studio: Daume , TBS , Movic , Ashi Productions , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

"Cute girls doing cute things in cute ways."

Everyday things make up the fabric of life, whether it's making friends, going to school, trying to make money, or celebrating a holiday. Ichigo Mashimaro is a heartwarming series that follows the daily lives of Itou Chika, her sister Nobue, and her friends Miu, Matsuri, and Ana.

Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Child Cast , Female Protagonist , School , Iyashikei , Surreal Comedy , Language Barrier , Shounen

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu

Also known as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Studio: Kyoto Animation , Lantis , Bandai Entertainment , Kadokawa Pictures USA
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Mystery , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Kyon, your typical high school student, has long given up his belief in the supernatural. However, upon meeting Haruhi Suzumiya, he quickly finds out that it is the supernatural that she is interested in; aliens, time travelers and espers among other things. When Haruhi laments about the lack of intriguing clubs around school, Kyon inspires Haruhi to form her own club. As a result, the SOS Brigade is formed, a club which specializes in all that is the supernatural.

Much to his chagrin, Kyon, along with the silent bookworm, Yuki Nagato, the shy and timid Mikuru Asahina, and the perpetually smiling Itsuki Koizumi, are recruited as members. The story follows the crazy adventures that these four endure under their whimsical leader, Haruhi. The story is based on the light novels by Nagaru Tanigawa.

Note: This entry is for the original 14-episode 2006 airing. The series was further expanded and reordered into a 28-episode series in 2009.

Tags: School Club , Achronological Order , Urban Fantasy , Gods , School , Time Manipulation , Primarily Teen Cast , Meta , Aliens , Alternate Universe , Philosophy , Parody , Male Protagonist , Magic , Otaku Culture , Kaiju , Female Protagonist , Tsundere , Kuudere , Filmmaking , Ensemble Cast , Episodic , Unrequited Love , Baseball , Maids

Azumanga Daiou THE ANIMATION

Also known as Azumanga Daioh.

Studio: J.C. Staff , Genco , Lantis , Imagica , TV Tokyo Music , Cosmic Ray , Sentai Filmworks , J.C. Staff
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Ten year old child prodigy, Chiyo Mihama, is finding it tough fitting in at high school with the girls five years her elder: Osaka (dimwitted with a weird take on the world), Tomo (a powder keg that goes off at a moment’s notice), Kagura (the competitive athlete of the bunch), Yomi (the hothead), and Sakaki (timid and obsessed with a love of animals that isn’t reciprocated). Together with their teacher, they navigate the rough waters and fun times of high school.



Tags: Episodic , School , Primarily Female Cast , Surreal Comedy , Slapstick , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Teacher , Iyashikei , Tomboy , Shounen , LGBTQ+ Themes , Kuudere

Hyakko

Also known as Hyakko.

Studio: Nippon Animation , The Right Stuf International , Flex Comics
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

On their first day of high school shy Ayumi Nonomura and taciturn Tatsuki Iizuka become lost on the immense campus of Kamizono Academy. An irresistible force of nature named Torako Kageyama accompanied by her best friend Suzume Saotome appears in front of them. Led, sometimes pushed, by Torako, the girls and their classmates work through problems of school, home and adolescence.

Tags: School , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Ensemble Cast , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Shounen , Bisexual

Kemono Friends

Also known as Kemono Friends.

Studio: Yaoyorozu , Crunchyroll
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

The anime's story takes place in Japari Park, a "gigantic integrated zoo." In the zoo, due to the mysterious "sand star" substance, the animals start turning into human-shaped creatures called Animal Girls. Japari Park is a place where many people visit and have fun at, but one day a lost child wanders into the park. The lost child starts a journey to return, but because so many Animal Girls join in on the quest it becomes an unexpected grand adventure.



Tags: Kemonomimi , Full CGI , Post-Apocalyptic , Primarily Female Cast , Animals , Iyashikei , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Educational , CGI , Female Protagonist , Kids , Desert , Idol , Lost Civilization

Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!

Also known as Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!.

Studio: Science SARU , Crunchyroll , NHK Enterprises , Shogakukan , Warner Bros. Japan
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Slice of Life

First year high schooler Midori Asakusa loves anime so much, she insists that "concept is everything" in animation. Though she draws a variety of ideas in her sketchbook, she hasn't taken the first step to creating anime, insisting that she can't do it alone. The producer-type Sayaka Kanamori is the first to notice Asakusa's genius. Then, when it becomes clear that their classmate, charismatic fashion model Tsubame Mizusaki, really wants to be an animator, they create an animation club to realize the "ultimate world" that exists in their minds.



Tags: Drawing , Primarily Teen Cast , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Otaku Culture , Urban , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Coming of Age , Surreal Comedy , Educational , Urban Fantasy , Meta , Seinen , Tanned Skin , Filmmaking , Ensemble Cast , Tomboy

Lucky☆Star

Also known as Lucky☆Star.

Studio: Kyoto Animation , Lantis , Rakuonsha , Lucky Paradise , Funimation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

What’s the best way to eat dessert? Do twins really have a psychic connection? What kind of guys are into moe girls? These are the kinds of questions that float through the inquisitive mind of anime super-fan Konata Izumi. When she’s not lost in her favorite manga or logging hours in one of her online games, she’s debating the mysteries of the universe with the best friends a girl could ask for.



Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Ensemble Cast , Parody , Otaku Culture , School , Meta , Episodic , Coming of Age , Twins , Video Games , Philosophy , Tsundere , Kuudere , Cheerleading , Ojou-sama , Shounen , Shrine Maiden , Baseball

Hidamari Sketch

Also known as Hidamari Sketch.

Studio: Aniplex , Shaft , Lantis , TBS , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

For years, Yuno has dreamed of attending Yamabuki Arts High School, but now that she's been accepted, it means the scary prospect of moving away from her home and family for the first time! Fortunately, Yuno quickly learns that if her new neighbors at the eclectic Hidamari (Sunshine) Apartments aren't technically family, at least the majority share the bond of being fellow art students. From second year students like Hiro and Sae, who try to behave like helpful older sisters (mostly successfully) to her hyperactive new neighbor, classmate and best friend Miyako (who has the scariest apartment ever) Yuno begins to build the support network she'll need for dealing with strange characters like her oddly masculine landlady, her cosplay obsessed home room teacher, her tooth-chattering principal and all of the other odd denizens who inhabit her chosen world of art.



Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Iyashikei , Achronological Order , Primarily Female Cast , School , Drawing , Female Protagonist , Seinen , Chibi , Episodic , Denpa