Top Software Development Anime Recommendations

Kobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon

Also known as Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy , Slice of Life

What happens when a drunken promise leads to living with a dragon? That’s Miss Kobayashi’s new reality when Tohru appears in her life. With a maid-slash-dragon in her home, she’s experiencing a whole new level of domestic bliss! But the dragons don’t stop there. On a mission to find Tohru appears Kanna, a little dragon with a big attitude. Before she knows it, Kobayashi’s got a house full of dragons—one serving tail and the other serving serious moe! Together, they live side by side with only the occasional disaster…well, maybe. But nothing beats coming home to the warm welcome of a dragon maid!



Tags: Found Family , Dragons , Monster Girl , Family Life , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Maids , Magic , Episodic , Urban , Yuri , Urban Fantasy , Seinen , Large Breasts , LGBTQ+ Themes , Primarily Adult Cast , Office Lady , Otaku Culture , Kuudere , Software Development , Bisexual , Surreal Comedy , Nudity

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Also known as Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

Studio: TRIGGER
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Psychological , Sci-Fi

An original anime series set in in the universe of Cyberpunk 2077.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners tells a standalone, 10-episode story about a street kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an edgerunner—a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk.



Note: The first episode received a pre-screening at Anime Expo on July 2, 2022. The first 3 dubbed episodes were streamed on Twitch as part of a co-stream promotion on September 12, a day before the show’s premiere.

Tags: Cyberpunk , Tragedy , Crime , Dystopian , Cyborg , Class Struggle , Orphan , Gangs , Male Protagonist , Urban , Body Horror , Guns , Gore , Revenge , Anti-Hero , Primarily Adult Cast , Drugs , Terrorism , Coming of Age , Nudity , Artificial Intelligence , Ensemble Cast , Tomboy , Time Skip , Time Manipulation , Software Development , Space , Robots , Cars , Age Gap

Zankyou no Terror

Also known as Terror in Resonance.

Studio: MAPPA
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

Painted in red, the word "VON" is all that is left behind after a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility in Japan. The government is shattered by their inability to act, and the police are left frantically searching for ways to crack down the perpetrators. The public are clueless—until, six months later, a strange video makes its way onto the internet. In it, two teenage boys who identify themselves only as "Sphinx" directly challenge the police, threatening to cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo. Unable to stop the mass panic quickly spreading through the city and desperate for any leads in their investigation, the police struggle to act effectively against these terrorists, with Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki caught in the middle of it all.

Zankyou no Terror tells the story of Nine and Twelve, the two boys behind the masked figures of Sphinx. They should not exist, yet they stand strong in a world of deception and secrets while they make the city fall around them, all in the hopes of burying their own tragic truth.



Tags: Terrorism , Anti-Hero , Detective , Tragedy , Crime , Revenge , Male Protagonist , Orphan , Urban , Police , Politics , Primarily Male Cast , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Mythology , Motorcycles , Suicide , Software Development , Guns , Time Skip

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

Also known as The Pet Girl of Sakurasou.

Studio: J.C.STAFF
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

The first time he saw her, it was love at first sight. Unfortunately for Sorata Kanda, "she" was a cat named Hikari and his school's rules forbid keeping pets in the regular dorms. As a result, Sorata is banished to the infamous Sakura Hall alongside other troublesome and unusual students like Jin, overzealous playboy, Ryuunosuke, the reclusive hermit, and Mashiro, a brilliant artist who's so unfocused and clueless about the real world that dorm supervisor Ms. Sengoku assigns Sorata the task of taking care of her along with his ever-growing collection of stray cats!



Tags: Kuudere , Heterosexual , School , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Found Family , Love Triangle , Work , Drawing , Disability , Yandere , Boarding School , Cohabitation , Nudity , Female Protagonist , Tsundere , Male Protagonist , Software Development , Family Life , Hikikomori , Video Games , Crossdressing , Ghost

serial experiments lain

Also known as Serial Experiments Lain.

Studio: Triangle Staff
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

We're all connected... There is the world around us, a world of people, tactile sensation, and culture. There is the wired world, inside the computer, of images, personalities, virtual experiences, and a culture all of its own. The day after a classmate commits suicide, Lain, a 14-year-old girl, discovers how closely the two worlds are linked when she receives an e-mail from the dead girl: I just abandoned my body. I still live here...

Has the line between the real world and the wired world begun to blur?



Tags: Denpa , Virtual World , Philosophy , Dissociative Identities , Augmented Reality , Female Protagonist , Memory Manipulation , Artificial Intelligence , Software Development , Cyberpunk , Gods , Cosmic Horror , Conspiracy , Cult , Video Games , Suicide , Religion , Urban , Meta , Tragedy , Primarily Female Cast , Amnesia , Afterlife , Adoption , Orphan , POV , Anti-Hero , Drugs , Trains , Aliens , School , Death Game , Age Gap , Bullying , Zombie

Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou

Also known as Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest.

Studio: WHITE FOX , Asread
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy , Psychological

When a classroom of students is transported to another world to act as its saviors, Hajime Nagumo finds himself the weakest link. As his friends and classmates are granted strong classes and impressive abilities due to their existing skills, he is given the weak title of Synergist. When a dungeon quest leaves him separated from his group, Hajime must discover his own talents or be left to rot in this world forever.



Tags: Isekai , Male Protagonist , Magic , Alternate Universe , Dungeon , Anti-Hero , CGI , Cosmic Horror , Female Harem , Conspiracy , Primarily Female Cast , Vampire , Monster Girl , Guns , Demons , Revenge , Kemonomimi , Chuunibyou , Anachronism , Nudity , Tragedy , Software Development , Dragons , Drugs , Kuudere , Battle Royale , Cannibalism , Death Game , Primarily Teen Cast , Tsundere , Pirates , Swordplay , Gore , Cohabitation

NHK ni Youkoso!

Also known as Welcome to the N-H-K.

Studio: GONZO
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Psychological , Romance , Slice of Life

Satou’s life – or what’s left of it – is a paranoid mess of conspiracy theories and social anxieties. He’s terrified of the outside world; his apartment is overflowing with the remnants of cheap take-out food; and his retinas have been permanently scarred by a steady diet of internet porn. But maybe it’s not all his fault. After all, the nefarious N-H-K is out there, and they’re determined to turn society’s fringe-dwellers into a brainwashed lot of jobless, hopeless, futureless recluses.

Enter Misaki – a mysterious girl-next-door type who is Satou’s last chance to beat down his inner demons and venture out into the light of day. She’s ready to help him overcome his crippling phobias, but Satou would rather cower in his existential foxhole and pretend to work on the demo for his virtual sex game.

He’s afraid to face the world. She’s strangely desperate to fix a total stranger. Maybe together they can be normal.



Tags: Hikikomori , Rehabilitation , Otaku Culture , Male Protagonist , Denpa , Conspiracy , Philosophy , Suicide , Primarily Adult Cast , Coming of Age , Psychosexual , Tragedy , Disability , Video Games , Software Development , Heterosexual , Politics , Nudity , Trains , Drugs , Youkai

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata

Also known as Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

The life of Tomoyo Aki, a highschool otaku working part time to support his BD hoarding. With remarkable luck, he bumps head-first into Megumi Kato, the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. Naturally, the meeting twists his life into a complicated torrent of relationships. Eriri Spencer Sawamura, his half-foreigner childhood friend who’s always valued her relationship with MC. Kasumigaoka Utaha, a cold, composed renowned literary genius who shoves everyone aside from our protagonist. What is this? An eroge introduction?

The tale of a small not quite doujin circle, but not quite indie studio’s journey through the tough territory of comiket and beyond.

Note: Includes episode 0.

Tags: Otaku Culture , Female Harem , Heterosexual , Software Development , Male Protagonist , Meta , Primarily Female Cast , School Club , Writing , Video Games , Kuudere , Tsundere , Love Triangle , Ensemble Cast , School , Nudity , Drawing

Paprika

Also known as Paprika.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Thriller

Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination where reality and dreams collide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject's dream. After being stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device before it falls into the hands of a dream terrorist.



Note: The film received an early premiere at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2006.

Tags: Dissociative Identities , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Body Horror , Meta , Terrorism , Crime , Denpa , Software Development , Conspiracy , Philosophy , Detective , Police , Mythology , Heterosexual , Circus , Unrequited Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Cyberpunk , Nudity

NEW GAME!

Also known as NEW GAME!.

Studio: Doga Kobo
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 , Airsoft , Tanned Skin , Politics , Tsundere , College , Cosplay

Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou 2nd season

Also known as Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Season 2.

Studio: Asread , studio MOTHER
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy , Psychological

The second season of Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou.

Transported to another world and left behind by his former friends, Hajime had to make his rise from literal rock bottom. It was in the labyrinth where he strengthened his weak magic and found several beautiful allies. Now after saving his classmates, he ventures for Erisen to escort Myuu and her mother. He'll fight and defeat anyone he has to in order to find a way home—including a god!



Tags: Isekai , Anti-Hero , Female Harem , Male Protagonist , Magic , Dungeon , Angels , Love Triangle , Guns , Demons , Monster Girl , Primarily Female Cast , Vampire , CGI , Kemonomimi , Software Development , Age Gap , Satire , Primarily Teen Cast , Necromancy , Yandere , Slavery , Cosmic Horror , Gore

Summer Wars

Also known as Summer Wars.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi

When timid eleventh-grader and math genius Kenji Koiso is asked by older student and secret crush Natsuki to come with her to her family's Nagano home for a summer job, he agrees without hesitation.

Natsuki's family, the Jinnouchi clan, dates back to the Muromachi era (1336 to 1573), and they've all come together to celebrate the 90th birthday of the spunky matriarch of the family, Sakae. That’s when Kenji discovers his "summer job" is to pretend to be Natsuki's fiance and dance with her at the birthday celebration.

As Kenji attempts to keep up with Natsuki's act around her family, he receives a strange math problem on his cell phone which, being a math genius, he can't resist solving. As it turns out, the solution to the mysterious equation causes Oz, the program that controls nearly every aspect of life to be hacked into, it's up to Kenji and his new "family" to stop the hacker before it's too late.



Tags: Family Life , Virtual World , Artificial Intelligence , Ensemble Cast , Software Development , Rural , Male Protagonist , Terrorism , CGI , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Card Battle , Military , Alternate Universe , Robots , Tanned Skin , Fake Relationship , Work , War , Kemonomimi , Matriarchy , Anthropomorphism , Estranged Family , Space , Baseball , Revenge , Gods

Higashi no Eden

Also known as Eden of the East.

Studio: Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi , Thriller

On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be known as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory, is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding in the other. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash.



Tags: Amnesia , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban , Terrorism , Death Game , Battle Royale , Memory Manipulation , Male Protagonist , Artificial Intelligence , Conspiracy , Software Development , Crime , Heterosexual , Hikikomori , College , Love Triangle , Politics , Nudity , Police , Foreign , Josei

Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san

Also known as The Helpful Fox Senko-san.

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

Sometimes the cure to a hard day’s work is the tender love and care of…a fox girl?! Salaryman Nakano’s stressful life is suddenly intruded upon by the fox, Senko-san, who is eager to help him heal his exhaustion. Whether she’s cooking, cleaning, or finding other ways to care for Nakano, she’s there to take away his stress!



Tags: Kemonomimi , Youkai , Iyashikei , Gods , Male Protagonist , Maids , Urban , Seinen , Primarily Adult Cast , Ensemble Cast , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Food , Software Development , Monster Girl , Video Games

Bokutachi no Remake

Also known as Remake Our Life!.

Studio: feel.
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

28-year old Hashiba Kyouya has hit a new low after losing his job at a shady game developer. He originally quit his steady office job to work in the creative industries that he admires, but it's proving to be a challenge even for a motivated go-getter like him. As he finds himself back at his parents house, between jobs, he can't help but wonder what would happen if he had a chance to redo his collegiate studies. Maybe things would turn out differently if he had gone to art school instead... and, shockingly enough, he might just get a chance to test that theory.



Note: The first episode aired with a runtime of ~51 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: College , Age Regression , Coming of Age , Time Skip , Time Manipulation , Video Games , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , Drawing , Male Protagonist , Otaku Culture , Work , Software Development , Acting , Tragedy , Filmmaking , Photography , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Tsundere

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭

Also known as Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend ♭.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

After finally completing the first route of his visual novel, Blessing Software's producer Tomoya Aki is optimistic about the future of his team and achieving their goal of creating the best game of the season.
However, they still have a long way to go. For one, Megumi Katou still has an incredibly flat personality and is unable to fit the role of Tomoya's ideal heroine. The other members of Blessing Software, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Michiru Hyoudou, often forget she is even there due to her lack of presence and character.
Throughout the development of their game, Blessing Software learns the struggles of working in an industry where deadlines must be met and edits are made constantly, and the hardships of working in a group setting.
Note: Includes episode 0.


Tags: Otaku Culture , Primarily Female Cast , Female Harem , Heterosexual , School Club , Video Games , Meta , Software Development , Tsundere , Male Protagonist , School , Writing , Kuudere , Primarily Teen Cast

GOLDEN BOY: Sasurai no Obenkyou Yarou

Also known as GOLDEN BOY.

Studio: APPP
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Ecchi

Kintarou Oe doesn't look like it, but he is a genius who completed all his university courses and then quit before graduating. He becomes a wandering student, going from place to place on his bicycle, seeking to learn what he can about life, the world, and women. He is willing and able to do any job he has to prove himself. His travels take him to a variety of locations and a variety of women, each who learns to love the hardworking guy, but not before he can run off.



Tags: Episodic , Work , Satire , Seinen , Male Protagonist , Travel , Cycling , Female Harem , Heterosexual , Nudity , Meta , Primarily Adult Cast , Tanned Skin , Motorcycles , Office Lady , Software Development , Swimming , Yakuza

Tonikaku Kawaii Season 2

Also known as TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You Season 2.

Studio: Seven Arcs
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

The sweet story of Nasa and Tsukasa continues! After surviving some awkward first nights together, dealing with doubters, and recovering from their apartment fire, it's clear the fate of these lovers was written in the stars. Now, they're ready to settle back into domestic bliss and finally plan their wedding ceremony! But with plenty of new friends on the way, what will their big day look like?!



Tags: Marriage , Family Life , Iyashikei , Heterosexual , Shounen , Age Gap , Mythology , Adoption , Primarily Adult Cast , Parody , Historical , Software Development , Aliens , Astronomy , School , Amnesia , VTuber , Meta

NEW GAME!!

Also known as NEW GAME!!.

Studio: Doga Kobo
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

Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou 3rd season

Also known as Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Season 3.

Studio: Asread
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy , Psychological

The third season of Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou.

En route to conquer a Great Labyrinth with his allies and former classmates, Hajime Nagumo is sidetracked by a tragedy that befalls his party member Shea Haulia. After encountering a group of rabbitmen caught in an ambush, Nagumo learns that members of Shea's Haulia Tribe have been abducted by soldiers of the Hoelscher Empire. To alleviate the anxiety of Shea, whose father may be in mortal danger, Nagumo decides to head toward the empire and rescue the missing Haulias. After arriving at his destination, Hajime is caught up in political turmoil between the empire and the Heiligh Kingdom. As princess Liliana S. B. Heiligh tries to formalize an alliance with the empire to protect her weakened kingdom against demon attacks, the Haulia Tribe plans to assassinate Emperor Gahard D. Hoelscher to free all rabbitmen from the empire's threat. Determined to protect his allies at any cost, Hajime will need to ignore all political considerations and unleash his unstoppable power on anyone who may stand in his way.



Tags: Anti-Hero , Male Protagonist , Magic , Isekai , Kemonomimi , Software Development , Heterosexual , Demons , Female Harem , Revenge , Monster Girl , Guns , Vampire , Slapstick , Gore , Slavery , Dragons