In between seasons of Komi Can’t Communicate, there is plenty of other clever rom-com anime to keep fans entertained. Here are the best to check out.
The popular slice-of-life comedy series Komi Can’t Communicate is set in a typical Japanese high school, with Shoko Komi as the protagonist. Komi is a gorgeous and graceful girl with long, dark hair who is universally adored and wildly popular despite her mysterious nature. Shoko Komi’s modest effort to acquire 100 new friends, overcome her long-standing communication disorder, and improve her personal life is explored in this story.
Many anime fans are already captivated by Komi Can’t Communicate. This series’ sweet, romantic atmosphere and sense of humor, as well as its growing collection of eccentric characters, helped this anime adaptation stand out as an anticipated series.
As the show has completed its first season, many people are more familiar with the heartwarming and hilarious slice-of-life anime series.
Viewers have fallen in love with Shoko Komi, the apprehensive but endearing main character, while others have been drawn in by the charm of the series’ various odd characters. During the wait for this hit romance-comedy anime’s second season, here are some more series to check out during the wait.
Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu
A lot of us have experienced the arduous process of transitioning to a new school with few to no friends and having to establish new relationships. As someone who just graduated from elementary school and has been thrown into middle school, Bocchi Hitori understands this struggle well.
Sadly, she has extreme social anxiety: she faints when overwhelmed, vomits when nervous, and makes ridiculously convoluted plans to avoid social interaction. Having her only friend from elementary school, Kai Yawara, attend a different middle school doesn’t help. Kai wants to help Bocchi, so she cuts ties with her and promises to reconcile when she becomes friends with her new middle school classmates.
Despite her lack of confidence, Bocchi is determined to be friends with Kai again. Bocchi summons all her courage in order to make friends with her entire class, starting with the delinquent-looking girl in front of her.
Hitori Bocchi means being alone or lonely. That fits Bocchi’s characteristics. Bocchi’s amusing name is applied to all the characters in the series.
Bocchi uses some quirky methods to accomplish normal tasks. She makes scripts for everyday conversations that never work because the other person doesn’t talk as planned. Bocchi also misinterprets what other people say. Her behavior often leads to humorous situations.
In conclusion, Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu is an anime that does two things that it wants to do well. It has sweet scenes to put smiles on your face and some lighthearted comedy to keep you entertained. The characters are shortly defined by their names, but they extend beyond just those names.
Handa-kun
Sei Handa is shunned by everyone in high school and regarded as an outcast – or at least that’s what he thinks. Sei is one of the most popular students at school, revered for his unmatched calligraphy skills, good looks, and cool personality.
Handa, however, misinterprets his legions of followers’ adoration as bullying, causing the school’s idol to distance himself from the rest of his classmates.
Distancing himself from his peers, however, has no effect on their admiration for him; in fact, his attempts to shift attention away from himself frequently wind up unintentionally converting even the most skeptic students into believers. No one can stand up to Sei Handa’s brilliance: fashion models, shut-in delinquents, obsessive fangirls, and more.
Handa-kun is a prequel to Bakaramon, and it follows Sei Handa through his high school years.
There is no magical element, no romance, no drama—none of the overused elements that we see in a variety of films, books, and anime to make it seem “unique” All we have is our boy Handa-kun and the ridiculous events that occur because he believes everyone at school despises him when, in fact, the opposite is true.
Handa is not just dense; he’s overwhelmingly negative. A type of MC that is pretty rare, combined with the way the anime works, showing Handa’s thoughts makes the anime extremely hilarious. An example would be Handa thinking an obvious love letter is a letter of misfortune. And a cute girl asking him out is secretly trying to beat him up or bully him!
Things always work out oppositely, or at least people have the opposite impression of Handa’s negativity, making them think he is great.
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen
At the elite Shuchiin Academy, the student body’s top representatives are Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya. Miyuki, the student council president, is a top student in the country, well-liked by peers and mentors alike. Vice President Kaguya is the eldest daughter of the rich Shinomiya family, who excels in every field imaginable alongside him. Everyone believes they’re the perfect couple, and they’re the talk of the school.
They have feelings for one other, but neither of them will admit it. The first to confess will be looked down upon and regarded as the lesser. Miyuki and Kaguya are both equally motivated to emerge triumphant on the battlefield of love, with their honor and pride on the line!
The story is excruciatingly relatable. Even their failures are entertaining to watch since their approach to love is so misguided, but their mind games are amusing. They are both walking disasters. Irony, sarcasm, and other sarcastic supporting characters are employed in the show to mock them for this.
With its wildly contrasting tones, visual excitement, and music, it creates a dynamic comedic experience. There is a lot of character interaction throughout the series, as well as a silent monologue in the heads of our two main characters. The catch is that the inner selves of the characters differ from what they appear to others in real life.
Confessing your love for someone can be terrifying. Growing up is even more challenging. In the midst of their tangled emotions, Kaguya and Miyuki are gradually and steadily navigating. There are perfectly timed jokes, expert directing, and relatable characters in this show. It subverts the standard tropes of the genre in an interesting way, regardless of whether you like anime rom coms or not.
Kimi ni Todoke
Sawako Kuronuma is nicknamed “Sadako” because of her resemblance to Sadako from The Ring series. Despite having a shy and kind demeanor, she is mistaken to be frightening and wicked like her fictional counterpart.
Sawako is automatically drawn to Shouta Kazehaya, the most popular boy in her class because she wants to make friends and live a regular life. Since their first meeting, Sawako has admired Kazehaya’s ability to be the center of attention and aspires to be like him.
When Kazehaya holds a test of courage for the entire class, he invites Sawako to participate; she sees it as a chance to bond with her classmates, particularly Ayane Yano and Chizuru Yoshida.
Meeting Kazehaya, Sawako believes, has changed her life for the better with each new interaction and emotion she experiences. Sawako is completely unaware that her presence has also transformed Kazehaya.
Rarely does a series break the genre’s expectations, and even fewer times does it stand out from the crowd. Kimi ni Todoke is an example of this. It turns all of the traditional shoujo romance cliches and plot elements on their heads, resulting in a very satisfying and ground-breaking romance.
The feelings and situations we are shown are authentic and strong, but not excessively so. Nobody has a horrible family life, a tragic history, or other things that feel forced in order to create drama that could be handled more effectively with wonderful characters and storytelling.
While on the surface, Kazehaya and Sawako seem to be completely different people, deep down, they both share the same confusing emotions and fears about the feelings each has for the other.
Horimiya
On the surface, Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura getting along would be the furthest thing from most people’s minds. Hori, after all, possesses the ideal mix of beauty and intellect, whereas Miyamura appears meek and aloof to his classmates. And then a fateful encounter between the two reveals both of their hidden personas.
Hori is popular at school, but she doesn’t have much time to mingle with her friends because of her responsibilities. Miyamura, on the other hand, lives in the shadows of his peers, his body adorned with hidden tattoos and piercings that give him the appearance of a gentle delinquent.
Despite their polar opposite personalities, the two immediately become friends and spend a lot of time together at Hori’s house. As they emerge from their shells, they reveal a side of themselves to each other that has been hidden from the outer world.
A misjudgment leads to a surprise interaction that develops into a wonderful friendship in the story. The characters are well-developed, and their interactions in the show are excellent.
Hori is sweet and kind and very hardworking, but she sometimes has a temper, but that’s more to do with being surprised or unsure on a few occasions. Izumi is very relatable in regards to who he is, an average guy who keeps to himself and has real feelings when dealing with all these new friendships placed upon him. Meanwhile, their friends are very supportive of each other.
You will be hooked by the first episode’s art, characters, song, etc. There will be no character you will dislike! Horimiya is a standout in this genre. This anime is where you can put your feet up with a cup of tea and relax and enjoy some top-quality entertainment.
Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku
Komichi Akebi has loved sailor uniforms since she was a child, even going so far as to ask her mother to sew one for her if she gets into Roubai Academy, her mother’s alma mater. And thus, Komichi is overjoyed when she is accepted into the renowned school.
However, Komichi is surprised to learn that the middle school no longer requires sailor uniforms, making her stand out among her classmates. Despite this, Komichi is allowed to continue wearing his traditional attire.
Komichi regains her confidence as she meets fascinating classmates and goes through school life with them. An exciting tomorrow awaits her under the colorful shower of budding prospects!
Akebi-chan exudes confidence simply by being the sole student in her school to wear a sailor uniform. This makes her the perfect catalyst for conversation. Beyond her being the girl in a sailor uniform, her inquisitiveness and arguably intrusiveness propel much of the story forward. Her classmates can’t help but be enamored by her happy-go-lucky attitude.
The characters do a great job of not just siding against characters that let Komichi have all the spotlight; instead, the anime gives focus to these characters and how they interact with Akebi. And just like every Slice-of-life anime, the characters have contrasting personalities, which make them interesting, to say the least.
Watch this anime expecting to fall in love with how earnest and charming Akebi is and how wonderful each classmate is because the story just glows with sheer optimism while Akebi shines like the sun at the center of it all. If you like watching cute girls doing cute things, then this is an anime that you absolutely cannot miss.
Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan
Psychic abilities may appear to the normal person to be a godsend; yet, for Kusuo Saiki, this could not be further from the truth. He has a wide range of supernatural powers, from telepathy to x-ray vision, and he sees this so-called blessing as nothing more than a curse. All Kusuo wants is an ordinary, hassle-free life—a life where ignorance is bliss—as his powers produce an endless stream of troubles.
Unfortunately, a psychic’s life is far from peaceful. Though Kusuo tries to keep his abilities hidden from his classmates, he unwittingly attracts the attention of a number of strange personalities, including the empty-headed Riki Nendou and the delusional Shun Kaidou. When Kusuo is forced to deal with the madness of those around him, he discovers that the mundane reality he has been yearning for is far more difficult to accomplish than he had anticipated.
Each episode has another core story, but the main story, which is that Saiki Kusuo possesses special powers, still carries through all episodes. Some moments are really unexpected and catch you by surprise.
All the characters are well-developed and unique, and they are all clearly related to each other. Saiki’s family, classmates, and anyone he meets are all weirdos. They are each hilarious and awesome in their own way and won’t leave him alone.
It is the variety of uses for psychic powers that makes this anime so enjoyable. Every episode feels very different from the others because of their multiple purposes.
Watching this anime, you will be laughing all the time, for the humor itself is quite fast-paced and manages to be constantly funny. There is just enough screen time for all of the side characters to become memorable, yet they never feel overused.
Senryuu Shoujo
Nanako Yukishiro is a 16-year-old girl who is lovely, peaceful, and cute to the students at Karai High School. Nanako, however, is no ordinary girl since she cannot speak! Nanako instead communicates through senryuu or 17-syllable poems.
Eiji Busujima, now sixteen, used to be a delinquent in middle school. Due to his newfound love of senryuu, he has since turned over a new leaf. Despite his intimidating appearance, Eiji gets along well with Nanako as a fellow Literature Club member.
Despite Nanako’s muteness, the cute pair has no trouble speaking with one another. Senryuu Shoujo is a lighthearted and soothing story about the daily lives of two teenagers.
With its endearing ensemble of characters, this anime manages to captivate you. Nanako has the personality of a kind girl who is very open-minded and prepared to accept everyone as a friend, including ex-delinquent Eiji. Because of his intimidating appearance, Eiji is presented as a misunderstood character throughout the series. We get an intimate peek at their relationship as members of the Literature Club.
There are a lot of running gags between the two, but it’s clear that they care about one other at the end of the day. Perhaps it’s more than meets the eye. Someone as oblivious as Eiji is unaware of Nanako’s feelings for him. This anime has plenty of hilarious moments as a slice-of-life comedy. There’s never a shortage of ways to poke fun at their relationship. Behind their external shell, we can see their actual personalities at their best.
At its core, Senryuu Shoujo is an easy-going slice-of-life anime that relies a lot more on its character chemistry than storytelling. It doesn’t and shouldn’t take anyone to think about what this anime means with each episode.
Isshuukan Friends
Yuuki Hase, sixteen, musters the confidence to approach his crush and ask if she wants to be friends. Kaori Fujimiya, the object of his affection, is a shy and withdrawn girl who isolates herself from everyone and rejects him as harshly as she rejects everyone else.
Yuuki spots her eating lunch on the roof, where she spends her lunch break alone. In the hopes of better understanding Kaori, he chooses to meet with her every day. She opens up to him gradually as they spend more time together.
As the week progresses, however, she begins to push him away once more. The cause of Kaori’s cold front is disclosed to him: at the conclusion of each week, her memories of individuals close to her, excluding her family, are erased since they are reset every Monday. Because of an accident that happened in middle school, Kaori, who was formerly popular and nice, is now hesitant to make friends for fear of hurting those she cares about.
Yuuki asks her the same question every Monday, determined to become more than simply one-week friends: “Would you like to be friends?” Because he understands that deep inside, that is what Kaori craves the most.
The show’s central theme is friendship. Almost everything revolves around Kaori and Yuki’s friendship in each episode. They get to know one other better and participate in basic yet meaningful things together, such as studying, eating Bentos, or singing karaoke.
Isshuuken Friends is anime that anyone can watch. It’s charming, innocent, relatable, and beautiful in its aspects. Its drama isn’t forceful, and neither does the story go off track with any trite clichés.
ReLIFE
Arata Kaizaki, 27, is dismissed as a hopeless loser by people around him, and after quitting his first workplace, he bounces around from job to job. His mundane lifestyle is turned upside down when he meets Ryou Yoake, a member of the ReLife Research Institute, who offers Arata the chance to transform his life for the better by taking a mysterious pill. Arata accepts it without hesitation and wakes up the next day to discover that his appearance has reverted to that of a 17-year-old.
Arata quickly discovers that he is the subject of a one-year experiment and must attend high school as a transfer student. Arata believed that this would be easy due to his superior life experience, but he is proven tragically incorrect on his first day: he flunks all of his exams, is hopelessly out of shape, and can’t keep up with the new school policies that have cropped up in the last decade.
Ryou has also been tasked with keeping an eye on him, which annoys Arata to no end. ReLIFE follows Arata as he tries to acclimate to his hectic new lifestyle and avoid making the same mistakes he did in the past, all while learning more about his classmates.
There is conflict around every corner, but you recognize the source of the problem and want to know how it will be resolved. All of the episodes are well-connected and make you want to watch them all at once as soon as you have the opportunity.
It takes something extraordinary to develop a story with universally adored characters. ReLIFE places its characters in the spotlight, confident that their dialogue and unique personality traits will captivate us.