Anime like Senpai wa Otokonoko

Hourou Musuko

Also known as Wandering Son.

Studio: Aniplex , AIC , Dentsu , Fuji TV , Magic Capsule , Enterbrain
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Fifth grader Shuuichi Nitori is considered by most to be one of the prettiest girls in school, but much to her dismay, she is actually biologically male. Fortunately, Shuuichi has a childhood friend who shares similar feelings of gender dysphoria: the lanky tomboy Yoshino Takatsuki, who, though biologically female, does not identify as a girl. These two friends share a similar secret and find solace in one another; however, their lives become even more complicated when they must tread the unfamiliar waters of a new school, attempt to make new friends, and struggle to maintain old ones. Faced with nearly insurmountable odds, they must learn to deal with the harsh realities of growing up, gender identity, relationships, and acceptance.

Lauded as a decidedly serious take on gender identity and LGBT struggles, Takako Shimura's Hourou Musuko is about Shuuichi and Yoshino's journey to discover their true selves as they enter puberty, make friends, fall in love, and face real and difficult choices.

Note: The full version of Hourou Musuko was originally intended to be 12 episodes, but the programming block it aired on only had space for 11 episodes. Therefore, episodes 10 and 11 were edited together and aired on TV as episode 10. Episode 12 was aired on TV as episode 11. The full versions of episodes 10 and 11 were included on the BD & DVD releases and are included in the Hourou Musuko Specials entry.

Tags: LGBTQ+ Themes , Transgender , Coming of Age , Gender Bending , Female Protagonist , School , Crossdressing , Primarily Child Cast , Bullying , Family Life , Love Triangle , Seinen , Acting , Iyashikei , Bisexual , Writing , Photography , Basketball

Yagate Kimi ni Naru

Also known as Bloom Into You.

Studio: TROYCA , AT-X , Sony Music Entertainment , Kadokawa Pictures Japan , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Yuu Koito thought love would be something amazing and magical, but when a male friend asks her to date, she feels nothing. She doesn't even know how to respond until she overhears the student council president of her new high school, Touko Nanami, turning down a similar request. With Touko's help, Yuu manages to let her friend down gracefully, but then Touko confesses that she, herself, is starting to have feelings for Yuu, leaving Yuu in a quandary. Yuu doesn't think that she's in love with Touko, but she does feel something. As Yuu joins the Student Council, and she and Touko become closer, her confusion about her feelings only continues to grow. Because you can't control who you love, or who falls in love with you.



Tags: Yuri , Female Protagonist , LGBTQ+ Themes , Coming of Age , School , School Club , Asexual , Aromantic , Love Triangle , Primarily Teen Cast , Philosophy , Bisexual , Shounen , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , POV , Acting , Meta , Trains , Writing , Athletics

Sasaki to Miyano

Also known as Sasaki and Miyano.

Studio: Studio DEEN , KADOKAWA , Nippon Columbia , Movic , BS Nippon , U-NEXT , Frontier Works , Kadokawa Media House , TV Aichi
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

Miyano spends his days reading Boys’ Love manga and worrying about the soft features of his face. His world of fiction becomes reality when a chance encounter leads him to high school senior Sasaki in the middle of a fight. Now, Sasaki wants to spend every opportunity he can to get to know Miyano. And what was once admiration quickly turns into affection.



Tags: Boys' Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Otaku Culture , Meta , Primarily Male Cast , Shoujo , Bisexual , Coming of Age , Iyashikei , Chibi , Table Tennis , Crossdressing , Trains

Hoshiai no Sora

Also known as Stars Align.

Studio: 8-bit
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life , Sports

Due to the apparent incompetence of its members and lack of results, the boy's soft tennis team is on the verge of being shut down. Toma Shinjou, captain and seemingly only motivated member, seeks the help of newly transferred, and old friend, Maki Katsuragi to improve the club's track record but soon it becomes apparent that what is holding the boys back are problems that run far deeper than the simple sport.

Tags: Coming of Age , Tennis , School Club , Primarily Male Cast , Family Life , Tragedy , School , Male Protagonist , Primarily Child Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Bullying , Revenge , Ensemble Cast , Adoption , LGBTQ+ Themes , Boys' Love , Crossdressing , Twins , Transgender

Asagao to Kase-san.

Also known as Kase-san and Morning Glories.

Studio: ZEXCS
Status: Finished
Genres: Romance , Slice of Life

A relationship is like a garden. It's hard, really hard, to plant the initial seeds. Once you've gone through the agonizing process of wondering if the other person even likes you, fought the fear that telling her could destroy everything, and made your confession, the most difficult part begins. Because you have to keep nurturing this wonderful new feeling to keep it growing. Not just in your own heart, but in hers. And since even the most beautiful rose can cut you to the bone with its thorns, who can you talk to for advice? Especially when you're both girls in high school? For shy Yamada and boyish Kase, time is running out.



Tags: Yuri , Tomboy , LGBTQ+ Themes , Female Protagonist , Shoujo , Coming of Age , School , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Horticulture , Agriculture , Rural

Skip to Loafer

Also known as Skip and Loafer.

Studio: P.A.WORKS , DMM.com , Kodansha , Crunchyroll , NetEase Games , Kansai TV , BS Asahi , A-Sketch
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

This country girl is ready for the big city! Well, at least she thought she was. Mitsumi’s dream is to attend a prestigious school and make the world a better place. But when she finally gets to Tokyo, it turns out she isn’t exactly prepared for city life. Luckily, she runs into Shima, a sweet and handsome classmate who becomes her first friend! Can she make it in Tokyo with Shima by her side?



Tags: School , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Coming of Age , Urban , Seinen , Iyashikei , Heterosexual , Acting , Transgender , Rural , Coastal

Aoi Hana

Also known as Sweet Blue Flowers.

Studio: J.C.STAFF , The Right Stuf International , Fujipacific Music
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Fumi and Akira were close childhood friends until Fumi had to move away. Ten years after losing touch with each other, the two girls meet again as high school freshmen. The two struggle to reconnect after so much has changed, and both deal with the trials and tribulations of high school — sometimes independently and sometimes with each other’s help.



Tags: Primarily Teen Cast , Yuri , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , Primarily Female Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , School , Love Triangle , Bisexual , Tomboy , Josei , Basketball , Acting , Rural

Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Oji-san to

Also known as Life With an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated Into a Total Fantasy Knockout.

Studio: OLM , Bushiroad , Cygames , Bit Grooove Promotion , bilibili , TV Tokyo
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy , Romance

Childhood friends Tachibana Hinata and Jinguuji Tsukasa were living the everyday life of office workers. Then, on the way home from a mixer, they were sent flying into another world by a mysterious being. Once there, Jinguuji sees his best friend has been turned into a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl...?!

The adorableness of Tachibana’s female form completely flummoxes Tachibana. But these two are each others’ best friends. To keep their relationship from being destroyed, they must defeat the Demon Lord as quickly as possible and return to their original forms.



Tags: Gender Bending , Isekai , Slapstick , LGBTQ+ Themes , Primarily Adult Cast , Parody , Boys' Love , Gods , Magic , Shounen , Satire , Meta , Heterosexual , Elf , Chuunibyou , Travel , Vore , Male Protagonist

Onii-chan wa Oshimai!

Also known as ONIMAI: I'm Now Your Sister!.

Studio: Studio Bind , Toho , Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures , Ichijinsha , AT-X , BS11 , Pia , Pony Canyon , Movic , TOKYO MX , Bit Grooove Promotion , EGG FIRM
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Ecchi , Slice of Life

Mahiro Oyama was just a normal erotic-game loving dude…until he woke up one morning as a woman! Turns out his mad-scientist little sister, Mihari, tried out one of her new experiments on him…with a disastrous outcome, as far as Mahiro’s concerned! But Mihari is as determined to study him as he is determined to go back to his shut-in, game-playing life, and one thing’s for sure…life is going to get a whole lot weirder from here on out!



Tags: Gender Bending , Rehabilitation , Age Regression , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Hikikomori , Otaku Culture , Family Life , Found Family , Transgender , Crossdressing , School , LGBTQ+ Themes , Gyaru , Tomboy , Chibi , Nudity , Chuunibyou

Given

Also known as given.

Studio: Lerche
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life

Tightly clutching his Gibson guitar, Mafuyu Satou steps out of his dark apartment to begin another day of his high school life. While taking a nap in a quiet spot on the gymnasium staircase, he has a chance encounter with fellow student Ritsuka Uenoyama, who berates him for letting his guitar's strings rust and break. Noticing Uenoyama's knowledge of the instrument, Satou pleads for him to fix it and to teach him how to play. Uenoyama eventually agrees and invites him to sit in on a jam session with his two band mates: bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji.

Satou's voice is strikingly beautiful, filling Uenoyama with the determination to make Satou the lead singer of the band. Though reticent at first, Satou takes the offer after an emotional meeting with an old friend. With the support of his new friends, Satou must not only learn how to play guitar, but also come to terms with the mysterious circumstances that led him to be its owner.



Tags: Band , Boys' Love , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Suicide , Tragedy , Rehabilitation , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Urban , School , Josei , Bisexual , Rock Music , Ensemble Cast , CGI , Basketball , Tsundere