Anime like Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou

Shin Seiki Evangelion

Also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Studio: Gainax , TV Tokyo , ADV Films , Kadokawa Shoten , NAS , Tatsunoko Production , GKIDS , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In the year 2015, the Angels, huge, tremendously powerful, alien war machines, appear in Tokyo for the second time. The only hope for Mankind's survival lies in the Evangelion, a humanoid fighting machine developed by NERV, a special United Nations agency. Capable of withstanding anything the Angels can dish out, the Evangelion's one drawback lies in the limited number of people able to pilot them. Only a handful of teenagers, all born fourteen years ago, nine months after the Angels first appeared, are able to interface with the Evangelion. One such teenager is Shinji Ikari, whose father heads the NERV team that developed and maintains the Evangelion. Thrust into a maelstrom of battle and events that he does not understand, Shinji is forced to plumb the depths of his own inner resources for the courage and strength to not only fight, but to survive, or risk losing everything.



Note: Later releases include edited versions of Episodes 21-24 called the "Director's Cut" with some visual editing and adding extra scenes that appeared in the theatrical recap 'Death'.

Tags: Philosophy , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Super Robot , Denpa , Dystopian , Post-Apocalyptic , Angels , Psychosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Suicide , Kaiju , Male Protagonist , Conspiracy , Cosmic Horror , Aliens , Body Horror , Mythology , Religion , Military , Clone , Kuudere , Tokusatsu , Tsundere , Politics , Bisexual , Gore , Trains , Espionage , LGBTQ+ Themes , Nudity , Episodic , Boys' Love

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensaitachi no Renai Zunousen

Also known as Kaguya-sama: Love is War.

Studio: A-1 Pictures , Aniplex , Shueisha , JR Higashi Nihon Kikaku , Mainichi Broadcasting System
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Psychological , Romance , Slice of Life

Known for being both brilliant and powerful, Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya lead the illustrious Shuchiin Academy as near equals. And everyone thinks they’d make a great couple. Pride and arrogance are in ample supply, so the only logical move is to trick the other into instigating a date! Who will come out on top in this psychological war where the first move is the only one that matters?



Tags: School , Heterosexual , Tsundere , Primarily Teen Cast , School Club , Ojou-sama , Episodic , Slapstick , Female Protagonist , Seinen , Parody , Male Protagonist , Meta , Ensemble Cast , Kemonomimi , Rotoscoping , Nekomimi

Horimiya

Also known as Horimiya.

Studio: CloverWorks , Aniplex , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Square Enix , Movic , My Theater D.D. , Global Solutions , Mirai Koujou , Kanetsuu Investment
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

A secret life is the one thing they have in common. At school, Hori is a prim and perfect social butterfly, but the truth is she's a brash homebody. Meanwhile, under a gloomy facade, Miyamura hides a gentle heart, along with piercings and tattoos. In a chance meeting, they both reveal a side they've never shown. Could this blossom into something new?



Tags: School , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Family Life , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Tsundere , Slapstick , Episodic , Shounen , Love Triangle , Bullying , Masochism , Sadism , Iyashikei , Chibi , LGBTQ+ Themes

Kimi ni Todoke

Also known as Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You.

Studio: Production I.G , NIS America Inc. , Nippon Television Network , VAP , Shueisha
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Kuronuma Sawako is completely misunderstood by her classmates. Her timid and sweet demeanor is often mistaken for malicious behavior. This is due to her resemblance to the ghost girl from "The Ring", which has led her peers to give her the nickname Sadako. Longing to make friends and live a normal life, she is naturally drawn to Kazehaya Shouta, the most popular guy in class, whose "100% refreshing" personality earns him great admiration from Sawako. So when Kazehaya starts talking to her, maybe there is hope for the friendships Sawako has always longed for. Maybe...there is even a little hope for some romance in her future.

Tags: Shoujo , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Heterosexual , Kuudere , Love Triangle , Bullying , Unrequited Love , Tsundere , Chibi , Tomboy , Gyaru , Teacher , Baseball , Football

3-gatsu no Lion

Also known as March comes in like a lion.

Studio: Shaft , Aniplex
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

Rei Kiriyama is a 17 year old boy who recently started living alone, financed by his salary as a professional Shogi player. Despite his independence, however, he's yet to mature emotionally, and his problems continue to haunt him in his daily life. His relationship with his adoptive family is strained, and he has difficulties interacting with his fellow high school students.

Meanwhile, his professional career in Shogi has entered a slump. Burdened with the heavy expectations placed upon him, his wins and losses are fluctuating as his record and progression into the ranks begin to stagnate.

Acquainted with Rei are the three Kawamoto sisters: Akari, Hinata, and Momo. Unlike Rei, they live happily in their modest home, which they warmly welcome Rei into as if he were one of their own. He frequently visits the family, interacting with them and receiving the kind of care and affection he never quite had while under his foster home.
This is the story of Rei's triumphs and failures, relationships new and old, and his growth as a person.



Tags: Coming of Age , Rehabilitation , Shogi , Seinen , Family Life , Found Family , Estranged Family , Male Protagonist , Board Game , Philosophy , Tragedy , Bullying , Primarily Adult Cast , Food , Trains

FLCL

Also known as FLCL.

Studio: Gainax , Production I.G , Starchild Records , Funimation , GANSIS
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Mecha , Sci-Fi

Naota is a detached sixth grader afflicted by the pangs of puberty. He's fooling around with his brother's ex-girlfriend when a crazed girl on a motor scooter runs him over, brains him with a bass guitar, and moves into his house. This pink-haired girl, Haruko - who claims she's an alien - hurls Naota into the middle of a mega-corporation's secret agenda. Oh, and now giant battling robots shoot from his skull. Mix in mind-bending animation and tunes that echo through your cerebellum to top off the trip that will have you falling hard for FLCL.



Tags: Coming of Age , Psychosexual , Surreal Comedy , Male Protagonist , Age Gap , Female Protagonist , Meta , Philosophy , Robots , Slapstick , Primarily Teen Cast , Denpa , Love Triangle , Aliens , Parody , Heterosexual , Mopeds , Vore , Amnesia , Guns , Kaiju , Urban , Gods , Super Robot , Body Horror , Real Robot , Nudity , Episodic , Baseball , CGI

Mimi wo Sumaseba

Also known as Whisper of the Heart.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Tokuma Shoten , Walt Disney Studios , GKIDS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

During summer vacation, a schoolgirl named Shizuku, who longs to discover her true talents, observes an ordinary-looking cat riding by himself on the train. Intrigued, she decides to follow him. This chance encounter leads her to the mysterious Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers in her heart. Soon, Shizuku's exciting adventures carry her far beyond the boundaries of her imagination.



Tags: Coming of Age , Writing , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Shoujo , Animals , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Tsundere , Fairy Tale , Crossover , Love Triangle , Kemonomimi , Nekomimi , Unrequited Love , Cycling

Kaichou wa Maid-sama!

Also known as Maid-Sama!.

Studio: J.C.STAFF , NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan , Hakusensha , Half H.P Studio , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance

Being the first female student council president isn't easy, especially when your school just transitioned from an all boys high school to a co-ed one. Aptly nicknamed "Demon President" by the boys for her strict disciplinary style, Misaki Ayuzawa is not afraid to use her mastery of Aikido techniques to cast judgment onto the hordes of misbehaving boys and defend the girls at Seika High School.

Yet even the perfect Ayuzawa has an embarrassing secret—she works part-time as a maid at a maid café to help her struggling family pay the bills. She has managed to keep her job hidden from her fellow students and maintained her flawless image as a stellar student until one day, Takumi Usui, the most popular boy in school, walks into the maid café. He could destroy her reputation with her secret... or he could twist the student council president around his little finger and use her secret as an opportunity to get closer to her.



Tags: Shoujo , Female Protagonist , School , Maids , Work , Tsundere , Primarily Teen Cast , Heterosexual , Episodic , School Club , Femboy , Otaku Culture , Love Triangle , Restaurant , Chibi , Kuudere , Crossdressing

Lovely★Complex

Also known as Lovely Complex.

Studio: Toei Animation , TBS , TAP , Discotek , Sony Music Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

Love is unusual for Koizumi Risa and Ootani Atsushi, who are both striving to find their ideal partner in high school—172 cm tall Koizumi is much taller than the average girl, and Ootani is much shorter than the average guy at 156 cm. To add to their plights, their crushes fall in love with each other, leaving Koizumi and Ootani comically flustered and heartbroken. To make matters worse, they're even labeled as a comedy duo by their homeroom teacher due to their personalities and the stark difference in their heights, and their classmates even think of their arguments as sketches.

Lovely★Complex follows Koizumi and Ootani as they encourage each other in finding love and become close friends. Apart from their ridiculous antics, they soon find out an unexpected similarity in their music and fashion tastes. Maybe they possess a chemistry yet unknown, but could love ever bloom between the mismatched pair?



Tags: Female Protagonist , Shoujo , School , Slapstick , Primarily Teen Cast , Heterosexual , Tsundere , Tomboy , Netorare , Basketball , LGBTQ+ Themes , Transgender , Gender Bending , Femboy

Kodomo no Omocha

Also known as Kodocha.

Studio: TV Tokyo , Studio Gallop , NAS , Pony Canyon , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance

Sana Kurata has a charmed life. Not only is her mother is a famous, award-winning writer, but she's the star of the hit TV comedy "Child's Toy" while still in the fifth grade. But Sana's biggest concern is Akito Hayama, a pint-sized hellion who's organized the boys in their grade-school class into a mass of unending noise and violence. With the help of Rei, her manager, chauffeur and "pimp," Sana is determined to win back control of the classroom from her new arch-enemy. But as her crusade continues, Sana moves further into Akito's life, and finds that he might not be entirely bad...or entirely safe.



Tags: Work , Primarily Child Cast , Shoujo , Female Protagonist , Slapstick , Foreign , Adoption , Meta , Love Triangle , Coming of Age , Surreal Comedy , School , Acting , Rehabilitation , Bullying , Urban , Heterosexual , Age Gap , Tragedy