Funny anime
September 30, 2021 11:09 AM Subscribe
Looking for comedy like Saiki K or Welcome to Demon School... suggestions?
My kid recently started liking anime with me and I'm struggling with searching for similar shows that match the ones we've liked the most. Favs-
Saiki K, Ouran Host Club, Sakamoto, Kamisama Kiss, The Devil is a Part Timer, Welcome to Demon School--- shows that are kind of overflowing with goofiness and silliness. There's also not really anything bad that happens to any of the characters in these.
When I search comedy a lot of references are to Gintama and One Punch Man- which are definitely goofy, but have a lot less... gushy cuteness? Like I'm thinking having a lot of characters that get covered in sparkles and hearts when they talk lol. Turning chibi for humor or turning into paper (what is this called?). I'm not sure how to search for this and I have been spending hours of time looking. Even Jujutsu Kaisen had a good deal of it even with some heavier content.
Other likes that have less of what I'm talking about but we enjoyed- Black Clover, My hero academia, Dr. Stone
After Saiki K and Ouran Host it took a long time to find anything else until someone recommended welcome to demon school- so I know there's more out there, but my hours of searching are slow going! Thanks for sharing! And any anime ideas that are super lighthearted and funny are also welcome. No ecchi/oversexualization preferred- watching with my teen. Thanks all!
My kid recently started liking anime with me and I'm struggling with searching for similar shows that match the ones we've liked the most. Favs-
Saiki K, Ouran Host Club, Sakamoto, Kamisama Kiss, The Devil is a Part Timer, Welcome to Demon School--- shows that are kind of overflowing with goofiness and silliness. There's also not really anything bad that happens to any of the characters in these.
When I search comedy a lot of references are to Gintama and One Punch Man- which are definitely goofy, but have a lot less... gushy cuteness? Like I'm thinking having a lot of characters that get covered in sparkles and hearts when they talk lol. Turning chibi for humor or turning into paper (what is this called?). I'm not sure how to search for this and I have been spending hours of time looking. Even Jujutsu Kaisen had a good deal of it even with some heavier content.
Other likes that have less of what I'm talking about but we enjoyed- Black Clover, My hero academia, Dr. Stone
After Saiki K and Ouran Host it took a long time to find anything else until someone recommended welcome to demon school- so I know there's more out there, but my hours of searching are slow going! Thanks for sharing! And any anime ideas that are super lighthearted and funny are also welcome. No ecchi/oversexualization preferred- watching with my teen. Thanks all!
Flying Witch? It's about a witch who moves in with non-witchy relatives and funny stuff happens.
It's the best season to watch Yuru Camp which is about a middle schooler and her camping adventures. It has its silly moments and nothing bad happens - it's very, very calm.
Sakamoto Desu Ga is amusing. He's more like Mr. Cool and people try to trip him up but fail to do so which makes it all the more entertaining.
Non Non Biyori is very cute and silly, I don't think anything bad happens in it either but it was too cute for me so I didn't end up finishing it.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 12:13 PM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
It's the best season to watch Yuru Camp which is about a middle schooler and her camping adventures. It has its silly moments and nothing bad happens - it's very, very calm.
Sakamoto Desu Ga is amusing. He's more like Mr. Cool and people try to trip him up but fail to do so which makes it all the more entertaining.
Non Non Biyori is very cute and silly, I don't think anything bad happens in it either but it was too cute for me so I didn't end up finishing it.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 12:13 PM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
My 15 year old, who is a big anime fan, suggests Himouto! Umaru-chan or Aggretsuko. He hasn't actually watched either of these but has heard enough about them to feel like they fit what you're looking for and the descriptions make them sound like they might be good choices.
posted by Redstart at 12:25 PM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Redstart at 12:25 PM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Love comedy anime! We’ve watched Hinamatsuri, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, and are watching Nichijou right now. Also Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a favorite. Maybe a little too weird in humor, but Asobi Asobase was really good too. My Love Story! or Assassination Classroom or Amagi Brilliant Park might also hit the sweet notes?
posted by actionpact at 12:34 PM on September 30, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by actionpact at 12:34 PM on September 30, 2021 [3 favorites]
Oh also on a similar note to Yuru Camp, I’ve found that shows about slice of life craftsmanship have been pretty appealing during the pandemic— we’re watching Sakura Quest (tourism in a small town), and have watched Yakunara Mug Cup mo (pottery), The Great Passage (making a dictionary) Hands Off Eizouken (animation), and Kakushigoto (manga artist father). These might not fit the bill, but they hit a similar sweet spot as some of the other comedy shows!
posted by actionpact at 12:40 PM on September 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by actionpact at 12:40 PM on September 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Azumanga Daioh is like, an absolute classic of this genre.
Sket Dance is kind of like if iCarly were an anime and the webshow was instead a school club. There are a few serious character moments but for the most part it’s shenanigans.
Restaurant to Another World isn’t goofy but it’s really lovely and chill, my favorite sub genre of isekai.
Slayers is a really classic anime that is based on a possibly more classic series of comedic fantasy light novels. The anime has a good amount of fan service and icky dated stuff, but the books recently got a brilliant translation from J-Novel Club. Disclaimer: I’m related to someone in the company and have worked with Slayers’ translator in the far past. But seriously it’s so funny and absolutely inspired any comedy fantasy stuff that came after.
posted by Mizu at 1:00 PM on September 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Sket Dance is kind of like if iCarly were an anime and the webshow was instead a school club. There are a few serious character moments but for the most part it’s shenanigans.
Restaurant to Another World isn’t goofy but it’s really lovely and chill, my favorite sub genre of isekai.
Slayers is a really classic anime that is based on a possibly more classic series of comedic fantasy light novels. The anime has a good amount of fan service and icky dated stuff, but the books recently got a brilliant translation from J-Novel Club. Disclaimer: I’m related to someone in the company and have worked with Slayers’ translator in the far past. But seriously it’s so funny and absolutely inspired any comedy fantasy stuff that came after.
posted by Mizu at 1:00 PM on September 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Super lighthearted and funny anime...I may know a few. Almost all the anime I watch falls into this category.
Use LiveChart to see where things are streaming: https://www.livechart.me/
All of these should be available to stream legally:
- Yuru Camp (licensed as Laid-back Camp): high school girls (not middle school as someone else mentioned) go camping. Two seasons.
- K-ON!: high schools girls start a rock band as their school club. One of the best comedy slice-of-life anime ever made. Two seasons and a movie.
- Hidamari Sketch: high school girls go to art school, have many hijinks. Four seasons, 11 OVAs. (I love the anime, but the manga is also top-tier)
- Is the Order a Rabbit: cute girls working in cafes. Very fluffy. Three seasons, two OVAs.
- Non Non Biyori: girls in the country-side, lots of fun things happen. Three seasons, a movie, two OVAs.
- Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater: girl who loves indoor activities joins the fishing club at her high school. One season.
- Encouragement of Climb: girls climb mountains (more like hike up mountains). Three seasons, a fourth on the way.
- Flying Witch: maximum comfy. One season (again, the anime is great, the manga is better).
These may require you to sail the seas to acquire:
- Tamayura: a low key slice of life from the same director as ARIA. High school girls goof around and also think about their futures. Two seasons, two OVAs.
- Kamichu!: a middle school girl wakes up one day to find that she's a god (in the Shinto sense). Easy going, light hearted, and a good time. One season.
posted by ralan at 2:32 PM on September 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Use LiveChart to see where things are streaming: https://www.livechart.me/
All of these should be available to stream legally:
- Yuru Camp (licensed as Laid-back Camp): high school girls (not middle school as someone else mentioned) go camping. Two seasons.
- K-ON!: high schools girls start a rock band as their school club. One of the best comedy slice-of-life anime ever made. Two seasons and a movie.
- Hidamari Sketch: high school girls go to art school, have many hijinks. Four seasons, 11 OVAs. (I love the anime, but the manga is also top-tier)
- Is the Order a Rabbit: cute girls working in cafes. Very fluffy. Three seasons, two OVAs.
- Non Non Biyori: girls in the country-side, lots of fun things happen. Three seasons, a movie, two OVAs.
- Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater: girl who loves indoor activities joins the fishing club at her high school. One season.
- Encouragement of Climb: girls climb mountains (more like hike up mountains). Three seasons, a fourth on the way.
- Flying Witch: maximum comfy. One season (again, the anime is great, the manga is better).
These may require you to sail the seas to acquire:
- Tamayura: a low key slice of life from the same director as ARIA. High school girls goof around and also think about their futures. Two seasons, two OVAs.
- Kamichu!: a middle school girl wakes up one day to find that she's a god (in the Shinto sense). Easy going, light hearted, and a good time. One season.
posted by ralan at 2:32 PM on September 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle - this absolutely overflows with goofiness and silliness. Really, she just wants to enjoy some quality sleep!
Tsuritama Whimsical. It involves fishing. And aliens. And sadly it seems to have been dropped by the major streaming services, so may require sailing the seven seas to watch.
posted by needled at 3:36 PM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Tsuritama Whimsical. It involves fishing. And aliens. And sadly it seems to have been dropped by the major streaming services, so may require sailing the seven seas to watch.
posted by needled at 3:36 PM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: First handwavy suggestion: Join us in the seasonal anime discussions posted on Fanfare! We have links to references for the coming season's anime, and talk about what we want to watch and/or how they're currently going.
Second handwavy suggestion: Anime Feminist is an excellent resource for reviews on recent anime, from the point of view (in case it's not obvious) of people who want to see woke-er anime but aren't going to walk entirely away from their problematic faves (even while holding them to higher standards). It will be good for cross-checking shows you might find to see in advance whether they're suitable for teenagers and where problems might lie.
Some specific shows (all are on Crunchyroll):
My Next Life as a Villainess (aka Bakarina) is about a high schooler who gets reborn into the otome (dating) sim she was playing. The show is always lighthearted and frequently silly. The first season is MUCH better than the second season.
How to Keep a Mummy: The main character receives a tiny cute mummy in the mail and they have fun with their friends.
Princess Connect: ReDive: A tie-in to a gacha game for phones, has good writing and surprisingly high production values, considering. Sword and sorcery fantasy adventures but for the most part the characters act like goobs.
Zombie Land Saga: Surprised nobody has mentioned this yet. Hilarious and surprising and touching. I'm inclined to say the less you know going into it, the better. The sequel Zombie Land Saga: Revenge is more plot-driven and darker and also spoils most of the reveals of the first season, so if you watch these be sure to see them in order. Not sure whether the first season is still available on Crunchyroll.
Recovery of an MMO Junkie: A woman leaves her job and decides to hole up in her apartment and spend all her waking hours in a multiplayer fantasy game. Not nearly as dark as the summary makes that sound, it's kind of sitcommy but the story is really good and it's fun watching the main character's world unfold.
Dagashi Kashi: A high school boy stuck in a small town, working at his father's candy shop, has his life turned upside down by an out-of-town girl whose view of the world is completely unlike his own, and they bond over the cheap candies in the shop. I don't know if that's the best way to digest this fairly lighthearted comedy full of gently weird people, but there you go.
posted by ardgedee at 4:37 PM on September 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Second handwavy suggestion: Anime Feminist is an excellent resource for reviews on recent anime, from the point of view (in case it's not obvious) of people who want to see woke-er anime but aren't going to walk entirely away from their problematic faves (even while holding them to higher standards). It will be good for cross-checking shows you might find to see in advance whether they're suitable for teenagers and where problems might lie.
Some specific shows (all are on Crunchyroll):
My Next Life as a Villainess (aka Bakarina) is about a high schooler who gets reborn into the otome (dating) sim she was playing. The show is always lighthearted and frequently silly. The first season is MUCH better than the second season.
How to Keep a Mummy: The main character receives a tiny cute mummy in the mail and they have fun with their friends.
Princess Connect: ReDive: A tie-in to a gacha game for phones, has good writing and surprisingly high production values, considering. Sword and sorcery fantasy adventures but for the most part the characters act like goobs.
Zombie Land Saga: Surprised nobody has mentioned this yet. Hilarious and surprising and touching. I'm inclined to say the less you know going into it, the better. The sequel Zombie Land Saga: Revenge is more plot-driven and darker and also spoils most of the reveals of the first season, so if you watch these be sure to see them in order. Not sure whether the first season is still available on Crunchyroll.
Recovery of an MMO Junkie: A woman leaves her job and decides to hole up in her apartment and spend all her waking hours in a multiplayer fantasy game. Not nearly as dark as the summary makes that sound, it's kind of sitcommy but the story is really good and it's fun watching the main character's world unfold.
Dagashi Kashi: A high school boy stuck in a small town, working at his father's candy shop, has his life turned upside down by an out-of-town girl whose view of the world is completely unlike his own, and they bond over the cheap candies in the shop. I don't know if that's the best way to digest this fairly lighthearted comedy full of gently weird people, but there you go.
posted by ardgedee at 4:37 PM on September 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The Misfit of Demon King Academy was extremely funny and a good watch. A demon king reincarnates and attends school with his descendants, who go to a school where the strongest becomes the next demon king. Of course, he's already the demon king, but no one seems to believe him. It also neatly side-stepped a few of the romance tropes I thought it would go into, and the first season ended pretty strong. I'm looking forward to the second season that was announced earlier this year.
Also nth-ing the recommendation above for Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. Incredibly cute.
posted by lesser weasel at 6:52 PM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also nth-ing the recommendation above for Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. Incredibly cute.
posted by lesser weasel at 6:52 PM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: These recommendations are great! We just watched half of Demon King Academy and it's great!! I like happy goofiness but also demons and battles and magic- which um tend to understandably get more heavy lol.
Full Metal Alchemist and Code Geass and such were pretty fun but we stopped cause of too much heavy stuff. The bummer is I like the rest of it. Hard to find that balance! Thanks everyone for sharing and feel free to share more- I hope others with similar tastes can get ideas from this list too.
posted by xarnop at 7:31 PM on September 30, 2021
Full Metal Alchemist and Code Geass and such were pretty fun but we stopped cause of too much heavy stuff. The bummer is I like the rest of it. Hard to find that balance! Thanks everyone for sharing and feel free to share more- I hope others with similar tastes can get ideas from this list too.
posted by xarnop at 7:31 PM on September 30, 2021
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