The brand-new animated series named Horimiya is based on the manga series of the same name, which in turn was based on an ongoing webcomic series. It's another high school anime, but with a gentle and charming twist: no one is like they seem to be. A first impression can't tell the whole story.
This is true to real life, as real people are multi-faceted beings who have many surprises and hidden sides of their personality in store. In Horimiya, seemingly ordinary classmates get together and become good friends, and they learn a lot about each other and themselves in the process. Which other animated series should fans of Horimiya try next?
10 Maid-Sama!, When The Tough Girl Is Secretly A Maid
This is another high school romcom series, but this time, the male lead is a superstar, contrasting sharply with the seemingly boring Miyamura-kun. Takumi Usui could land any girl he likes, but he has eyes for only one: the tough-as-nails student council president, Misaki Ayuzawa.
Misaki has her hidden side since she secretly works at a lovely maid cafe to support her impoverished family. Takumi stumbles upon this secret, then vows to keep it safe, and wins over Misaki's heart bit by bit. And Takumi has secrets of his own.
9 Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku, The Workplace Romcom
If Horimiya and The Office had a baby, the result would be Wotakoi, down to the finest detail. This is the rare romcom that doesn't take place in high school or junior high; instead, adult office workers are getting caught up in workplace hijinks day in and day out.
Hirotaka Nifuji is a closet gamer, hiding his intense passion from his co-workers. Similarly, his co-worker and childhood friend Narumi Momose is secretly a huge BL and manga fan, and they find love in each other's arms while keeping their geeky side a total secret from the outside world.
8 Fruits Basket, A Shojo Flagship Series
This series may be considered a must-watch title, as one of the core essentials of the shojo genre. Tohru Honda may be an orphan, but she's in good spirits, and she befriends the members of the mysterious (and cursed) Sohma family, who all live in a fancy estate.
The Sohmas have a dark secret: they possess the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, and that means they can't easily fit into everyday society. But Tohru is determined to help, and her gentle ways will heal the Sohma members' hearts, one by one. No one is beyond saving.
7 A Silent Voice, The Story Of Redemption
This heart-warming series is equal elements of romance, humor and tragedy, and the main character, Shoya Ishida, has a long road ahead of him. He was a merciless bully in 6th grade, tormenting the hard-of-hearing Shoko Nishimiya.
Like Horimiya, this series proves that first impressions aren't everything, and there is always another layer to a person, waiting to be revealed. Shoya is ready to atone for his past wrongdoings, and he is desperate to prove to Shoko (and himself) that he's a new man. Can he pull it off?
6 After The Rain, A Gentle Love Story Of Healing
This short but animated series cuts back on the "high school hijinks" element and instead focuses on the themes of healing and self-actualization. Akira Tachibana loved to run track, but a nasty injury has been keeping her off the track, and she fears that she'll never run again.
However, Akira is developing feelings for her forty-something restaurant boss, Mr. Kondo, and while they can't have a true relationship (the age gap is too big), Akira gets to know the real Mr. Kondo, and there's much more to him than the goofy, bumbling restaurant owner whom everyone else sees.
5 One-Week Friends, With Many First Dates
High school student Kaori Fujimiya has a problem. Every Monday morning, her memories of all friends and associates are wiped clean, and she can't keep a friendship for more than a week at a time. So, she gave up on the idea of friends and put on a cold exterior to keep people away.
Yuuki Hase, a classmate of hers, is not afraid of that chilly exterior at all. He is determined to become Kaori's friend, and he's ready to challenge that memory-loss problem and help Kaori fix it. There's much more to her than meets the eye.
4 Bloom Into You, When Two Girls Find Real Love
The yuri genre of anime got a real boost when the Bloom Into You manga series was animated, and it depicts the tale of the meek high schooler Yuu Koito befriending her awe-inspiring senior, Touko Nanami. Touko has a secret or two, as Yuu will soon learn.
Everyone idolizes Touko as the beautiful, smart and kind girl she is, but Touko is not perfect. She's struggling with some serious grief and identity issues concerning her late sister, and Yuu is ready to help Touko face this challenge and figure out just who Touko is meant to be. Self-identity is rarely a simple affair.
3 Toradora!, Starring The Tiny Tiger
In this beloved romcom series, male protagonist Ryuji Takasu has the face of an ice-cold bully, and he can scare people off with eye contact alone. But it's all a big misunderstanding; he's actually a gentle boy who loves to cook, and he gets along well with his single mother. He's actually very cuddly.
Ryuji enters a love-hate relationship with the petite but tough Taiga Aisaka, who is feared for her bad-girl persona but is actually rather lonely at home (and she makes a huge mess of everything). Will these two misunderstood students find true happiness someday?
2 TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You
This particular animated series from the fall 2020 season turns many anime conventions on their head. The male lead, Nasa Yuzaki, gets married right off the bat, to the lovely but mysterious Tsukasa. They're already at the finish line, so it's time to work backward.
Nasa and Tsukasa get along swimmingly, but they have to prove the legitimacy of their relationship to everyone from Nasa's parents to Tsukasa's rambunctious foster sister, Chitose. And there's also the ongoing mystery of whether Tsukasa is really an ordinary girl or a mythical moon princess in disguise. Just what is she hiding?
1 Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai
In this high school romance/drama series, Sakuta is a seemingly ordinary high school student who soon stumbles upon a bizarre phenomenon, where young women suffer from Adolescence Syndrome. The first affected girl he meets is Mai Sakurajima, the bunny girl.
She's not ordinarily a bunny girl, but Mai is totally invisible to the world, and she dresses that way in an attempt to get people to notice her. There's much more to her than that bunny-girl outfit, and Sakuta embarks on a quest to help everyone suffering from this condition and put their lives back on track. He learns a lot about his classmates along the way.
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