Anime like SHIROBAKO

What is SHIROBAKO about?

Studio: P.A. Works
Status: Finished

Once upon a time, five girls made an animated film and it was so much fun that they pledged to get jobs in animation so that someday they could make another film together. Now, two years later, Aoi, Shizuka, Ema, Misa and Midori have learned the truth about the anime industry: it's not always fun, it's anything but easy, and having talent isn't always enough to open the right doors.

Which is why Aoi's overwhelmed by her job as a production assistant, Shizuka's waiting on tables between auditions, Midori's currently scriptless, Misa's switched to C.G., and Ema's working long hours as a key animator. Is it what they imagined? No. But are they ready to give up? Not just yet! Sometimes, when things happen in animation, they can happen in the most wonderful ways!

Tags: Work , Drawing , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Meta , Otaku Culture , Educational , Office Lady , Primarily Female Cast , Coming of Age , Office , Acting , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Cars , Kuudere , Primarily Teen Cast

Where to watch?

HIDIVE

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

Where to watch?

Crunchyroll

Netflix

More About This Anime

NEW GAME!

Also known as NEW GAME!.

Studio: Doga Kobo , MAGES. , Funimation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Fresh out of high school, 18-year-old Aoba Suzukaze is bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready for her first day of work at her dream job. She’s joining the character design team at Eagle Jump, the company that makes her favorite video games! But the real world of office culture can be a challenge for a total noob. From her awkward first day to her first game’s debut, she’s got a lot of skills to master. Luckily, her charming determination wins over even her quirkiest of coworkers, and before she knows it, Aoba has joined the party!

Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Work , Primarily Female Cast , Software Development , Video Games , Office Lady , Female Protagonist , Seinen , Ensemble Cast , Office , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban , Drawing , LGBTQ+ Themes , Episodic , Tomboy , Tanned Skin , Politics , Tsundere , College , Cosplay

Where to watch?

Crunchyroll

YouTube

More About This Anime

Bakuman.

Also known as Bakuman..

Studio: J.C. Staff , NHK , Media Blasters , NHK Enterprises , NYAV Post
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are pretty much foils of each other. Mashiro, an average 9th grade student but talented artist, and Takagi, an overall advanced 9th grader and aspiring writer. After great convincing, Takagi convinces Mashiro to join him in becoming the greatest mangakas Japan has ever seen. Takagi, with his gift of writing, hopes to become a successful mangaka, and Mashiro, with his gift of art, hopes to marry the girl of his dreams, Azuki Miho.

Tags: Work , Writing , Drawing , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Meta , Shounen , School , Primarily Teen Cast

Where to watch?

Hulu

Tubi TV

More About This Anime

NEW GAME!!

Also known as NEW GAME!!.

Studio: Doga Kobo , Funimation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

The second season of New Game!.

Aoba Suzukaze starts another year designing characters at Eagle Jump, and she can’t wait to meet the newbie recruits…if any are hired. But before she can even unlock her senpai status, she finds herself in a lead designer position for the company’s newest game! Following in her manager’s footsteps, Aoba’s gotta get good if she wants her skills to compete with Ko Yagami’s. Working hard alongside some interesting new coworkers, only time will tell if Aoba gets her best ending.

Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Work , Video Games , Software Development , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Office , Office Lady , Seinen , LGBTQ+ Themes , Drawing , Otaku Culture , Tomboy , Airsoft , Episodic , Cosplay , Tanned Skin , College

Where to watch?

Crunchyroll

YouTube

More About This Anime

Sakura Quest

Also known as Sakura Quest.

Studio: P.A. Works
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Five young women have one thing in common—the careers they planned for themselves weren’t working out. Job dissatisfaction, trying to make ends meet, and personal insecurities lead each of them to start working at a local tourism bureau where their lives become intertwined. As the girls experience their first year on the job, they learn a lot about their town, their industry, and themselves.

Tags: Work , Rural , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Female Cast , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Politics , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Acting

Where to watch?

Crunchyroll

More About This Anime

Hanasaku Iroha

Also known as Hanasaku Iroha ~Blossoms for Tomorrow~.

Studio: Bandai Visual , Yomiuri TV , Lantis , P.A. Works , Pony Canyon , NIS America Inc. , Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Slice of Life

After her single mother decides to run off with a boyfriend to dodge debt collectors, the young and energetic Ohana is sent to live with her grandmother. However, her grandmother is the strict owner of a hot springs inn and requires her to work at the inn to pay for her living expenses. Although Ohana is unhappy about this situation at first, she decides to make the best of her situation and work hard. Ohana's life is suddenly filled with fun, mischief, and drama!

Tags: Work , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Rural , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Family Life , Primarily Female Cast , Inn , School , Love Triangle , Writing , Trains , Crossdressing

Where to watch?

Crunchyroll

Tubi TV

More About This Anime

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho

Also known as A Place Further Than the Universe.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Media Factory , AT-X , Movic , Sony Music Communications , Crunchyroll
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Drama

Mari Tamaki is in her second year of high school and wants to start something. It's then that she meets Shirase, a girl with few friends who's considered weirdo by the rest of the class and nicknamed "Antarctic" since it's all she ever talks about. Unlike her peers, Mari is moved by Shirase's dedication and decides that even though it's unlikely that high school girls will ever go to Antarctica, she's going to try to go with Shirase.

Tags: Travel , Coming of Age , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Outdoor , Snowscape , Foreign , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Tragedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Work , Konbini , Iyashikei , Educational , Ships , School

Where to watch?

Crunchyroll

Netflix

YouTube

Bilibili TV

More About This Anime

Eiga Daisuki Pompo-san

Also known as Pompo: The Cinéphile.

Studio: CLAP , Kadokawa Pictures Japan
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama

The manga depicts the craft of movie-making and revolves around Joelle Davidovich "Pompo" Pomponette, a talented movie producer who looks like a little girl.

Operating out of the movie capital "Nyallywood," Pompo has been shooting one B-grade entertainment flick after another that anyone would enjoy. One day, Pompo's "movie buff" assistant Gene spots a new script written by Pompo, and is moved by its exquisite story. In a fit of passion, he proclaims, "I want to see this as a finished work in theaters as soon as possible!"

However, Pompo tells him, "So you shoot this film." Thus, Gene takes on his first directing gig. Meanwhile, Natalie, an ordinary girl who just arrived in town with movie actress dreams, has been discovered by Pompo.

Tags: Filmmaking , Work , Acting , Educational , Coming of Age , Foreign , Meta , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Shoujo , Writing

Where to watch?

No streaming links available

More About This Anime

Fune wo Amu

Also known as The Great Passage.

Studio: ZEXCS , Kansai TV , KYORAKU
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

The series follows the employees at the Genbu Shobou publishing company. Araki, who is a veteran editor for the dictionary department, is looking for a successor now that he's approaching retirement age. After Majime Mitsuya — a salesman who's a poor talker — meets Masashi Nishioka — Araki's coworker who is sociable and frivolous — Araki overhears their conversation and decides to recruit Majime into the department. The story follows "the awkward humans" Majime and Masashi as they work together to compile a medium-sized Japanese dictionary titled "The Great Passage" (Daitokai).

Tags: Primarily Adult Cast , Work , Writing , Male Protagonist , Time Skip , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Educational , Office Lady , Heterosexual , Office , Marriage , Meta

Where to watch?

Amazon Prime Video

More About This Anime

Gi(a)rlish Number

Also known as Girlish Number.

Studio: diomedéa , TBS
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

College student Chitose Karasuma is determined not to do boring things as she enters the adult world. To this end, this bad-mannered beauty barges into a facility that trains would-be voice actors and actresses, somehow landing a job at “Number One Produce,” a voice actress agency managed by her older brother, Gojou. In Chitose’s mind, she’s poised for greatness, but finds herself at a loss when she continues to only get minor roles. As she clashes with other girls in the agency, including a cunning airhead and a girl with a Kansai accent, Chitose is about to learn that there’s more to succeeding in this competitive industry than she imagined.

Tags: Work , Acting , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Meta , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Idol

Where to watch?

HIDIVE

More About This Anime