7 Anime to Watch If You Like OreGairu

7 Anime to Watch If You Like OreGairu
3C Category

There’s no doubt that OreGairu is a fantastic Anime under the romance and slice-of-life genres. It has strong characters, beautiful animation, and a compelling plot story. However, everything comes to an end and, even though season 3 is still airing at the moment of writing this piece, it’s not going to take much time until we find ourselves without anything to watch. Fortunately, there are some Anime that are very similar to OreGairu that you can take on with heartwarming stories involving romance and strange clubs that always have something exciting going on. Here are my top 7 recommendations for the ones who love OreGairu (in no particular order).

1. Hyouka

Hyouka

Hyouka is probably the Anime that comes to mind first for fans of the genre. It revolves around a school group that has the objective to unveil all the secrets within school grounds. Although the show premise is a little different, the execution is very similar to OreGairu. However, instead of using intelligence to solve students’ problems, Hyouka’s characters use their brains to solve any kind of mystery, no matter how small. The main characters, Houtarou and Hachiman, also have similar aloof personalities, though for different reasons. While the former just doesn’t like to do any unnecessary work, Hachiman prefers to stay away from others so he doesn’t get dragged to unnecessary drama. If you haven’t seen Hyouka, then I highly recommend putting this one on the top of your watchlist.

2. Kokoro Connect

Kokoro Connect

Kokoro Connect is similar to OreGairu mainly due to two reasons: it portrays a school club and there’s a love triangle throughout the show. But probably that’s where things end, as Kokoro Connect is one of the most original Anime of this high-school romance genre. The story focus on five students who join a club just because it’s required by the school rules. However, what they couldn’t predict was that an alien would appear with a power of switching their consciences. In other words, the characters start changing bodies randomly and, while it’s quite funny at the beginning, the plot develops to a deep and heartwarming story about love, friendship and overtaking one’s fears.

3. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

On a brighter note, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is an exceptional comedy who is often praised by Anime fans. The story follows Suzumiya Harui, an eccentric girl who wants to meet aliens, time travelers, and more. Like the other shows, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu revolves around a school club and, in this case, the main objective is to discover the mysteries of the world.

4. Classroom of the Elite

Classroom of the Elite

Classroom of the Elite takes a more serious approach to high school. In this case, we follow the worst ranked class from a very special school. Unlike any other organizations of the same kind, Tokyo Koudo Ikusei Senior High School ensures that 100% of its students will get into the best colleges or jobs. There’s a catch, though. The school is completely cut out from the rest of the world and students need to use the school’s point system to get necessities. The problem is, when you’re at the bottom, getting points is quite difficult. This means that student need to be overly intelligent to climb up the ladder, and we follow two of the brightest students –  Suzune and Kiyotaka. Unfortunately, both also have quite difficult personalities, as the girl is way too serious and Kiyotaka does everything to stay in the shadows. Does it remind you of someone?

5. Toradora!

Toradora!

Toradora! might not be the closest to OreGairu you can get. Still, it offers a nice love triangle, some of the best character development I’ve ever seen, and a lot of joy. The show focuses on the relationship between Ryuuji, a guy who everyone thinks is a delinquent due to his not so friendly expression, and Taiga, a tiny girl who will kick anyone who gets in her way. In a surprising turn of events, both Ryujji and Taiga discover that they love each other’s friends and decide to work together to conquer their love interest. Obviously, things aren’t as simple as they seem to be, and it doesn’t take much time for the show to get deeper and approach themes like coming of age and independence.

6. Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends

Haganai: I Don't Have Many Friends

Probably the least known of the bunch, Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends resembles OreGairu on the part the main characters share their inner monologues. They both join a club and, although starting with zero friends, they eventually create new bonds throughout the Anime. It’s your decent slice-of-life anime with some comedic bits but may put off people who dislike ecchi stuff.

7. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Bunny Girl Senpai is one of the most recent debuts of this list. Released in the Fall season of 2018, it got a massive fanbase right away. If you watch a few episodes, you’ll understand why. The story focuses on a rare disease called Puberty Syndrome, which symptoms are as random and supernatural as they could be. Basically, these effects show up to teenagers who are going through distressing or agonizing events, and their symptoms will depend on the events themselves. For example, Mai Sakurajima (one of the main characters) is someone who became invisible after halting her promising career as an actress. Yes, I’ll give it to you that the shows are quite different, but they both still tackle interesting themes such as coming of age and overcoming your past problems. Moreover, Bunny Girl Senpai is an excellent Anime for anyone who likes romance.

2 thoughts on “7 Anime to Watch If You Like OreGairu

  1. Interesting list, especially since Oregairu is a good gateway anime for people who are interested in realistic, “slice of life” type stories. Before I found your post, I wrote an article recommending it as one of the best anime of the decade for general audiences, and included Hyouka as the top “if you like this, try that” recommendation for it for much the same reasons that you did (https://thenewleafjournal.com/anime-recommendations-of-the-decade-2011-20/#bnp_i_3).

    From your list, I agree that Kokoro Connect, Toradora!, and Rascal are all good recommendations for people who like Oregairu in terms of having some similar themes. Of the three, I think Toradora! is the best show, but Rascal has the strongest similarities in its direction. Interesting choice to include Haruhi Suzumiya as well, I do like it, but not one I would have thought of as being similar.

    Your list got me thinking – so I came up with a few additional recommendations for people to consider:

    Kimagure Orange Road – The original high school love triangle drama, and the first movie, which serves as a capstone to the long series, confronts some similar issues and questions to the latter stages of Oregairu

    His and Her Circumstances – The best series I’ve seen outside of Oregairu on the subject of looking for something genuine, not as readily available these days as the other recommendations, however

    Sound! Euphonimum – Not especially similar on the whole, but the most similar show I can think of with a female protagonist

    White Album 2 – Oregairu’s love triangle where everything is much worse than expected

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