We generally listen to people saying that animes are always about fights, action, horror, and fantasy, and that’s the fun about anime. But what good is the anime series which belongs to the slice of life, romantic and cutesy genre? They are attractive just the way they are, and just like other shounen anime, they have there different kind of theme that are fascinating to people who like watching them. One anime series that made its way directly to viewers’ hearts is Komi Can’t Communicate. The manga series is also known as Komi-san wa, Kmoyusho Desu, and is one of the high-ranked lifelikeness anime series. Komi Can’t communicate gained popularity for including some of the most beautifully designed characters, and here we shall look into anime like it.
Initially, the series Komi Can’t Communicate was released as a manga series drafted and demonstrated by Tomohito Oda. The manga was officially published by Shogakukan and dropped its very first chapter on 18th May 2016. Till now, the manga has collected 23 tankobon volumes and is still moving to collect more. Later, an anime series was introduced as one of the top releases of the year 2021 on 7th October. Just like manga series, anime is still ongoing and till now have collected 12 episodes. A television drama series that was a must was also released under the direction of Yoshihito Okashita and Eiji Ishii, which dropped its first episode on 7th September 2021. The drama series concluded on 1st November 2021 with eight episodes in total.
Komi Can’t Communicate Plot
Since the main theme of the series is a slice of life, it centers on the life of a normal high school girl Shouko Komi. Although every single girl on this planet is beautiful, some of them get a different level of attention from people around them. The same happened with Shouko on her first day of attending elite Itan Private High School. She immediately started receiving a lot of attention that resulted in an overwhelming increase in her popularity. Her unmatched beauty combined with pure elegance was the sole reason that her classmates, along with the whole school, admired her. However, none of them ever tried to reach how Komi actually felt about all this sudden admiration and attention.
Unlike some other girls, who would have enjoyed getting so much attention, Komi was socially awkward. She suffered from a severe communication disorder and gets numb whenever someone tries to talk to her. But every princess has her knight in shining armor to protect her. In this case, it was Hitohito Tadano. Tadano noticed her different behavior with the crowd and figured out behind her immense beauty, he hid her weakness. His attempts to help Komi overcome this fear of her and reach the goal of 100 friends have been depicted in this series.
Anime like Komi Can’t Communicate
Since we have got a good introduction to the series Komi Can’t Communicate, it’s time to get back to the subject. Below is the list of Top 10 anime that are just like the series we have discussed above. The series listed below are related to Komi Can’t Communicate just because they share the same genre of a slice of life and romance. All the series listed below don’t have literally similar plots with Komi Can’t communicate, just have a similar concept of theme. Let’s get started. Stick till the very end to know every detail about all the anime listed below.
Kaguya Sama: Love is War
The series that is similar to Komi Can’t communicate is Kaguya Sama: Love is War by Aka Akasaka. The manga has been officially published by Shueisha and is available to read on Viz Media as an English-translated version. The manga series debuted with its very first chapter on 19th May 2015 and is still ongoing. As for the anime adaption, it has been produced by A-1 Pictures Studio and is one of the well-known works by the studio. The series is set up in the senior high school of Shuchiin Academy and goes around the life of Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya, who look really good together.
Kaguya Sama: Love is war
Don’t Toy with me, Nagatoro – San
Don’t Toy with me, Nagatoro – San or Ijiranaide, Nagatoro San is a Japanese web manga series by Nanashi. The manga series was released on 1st November 2017 and is still going on. Till now, it has been collected into 11 tankobon series. The anime adaptation manga was produced by Telecom Animation Films and debuted on 11th April 2011. The plot of the series goes around the life of an introverted second-year student of Kazehaya High School Naoto Hachioji. The protagonist avoids having social interactions and prefers to draw manga in his spare time when his junior comes to toy with him.
Don’t toy with me miss Nagatoro
Relife
ReLIFE
Horimiya
Horimiya also known as Hori – San to Miyamuara -Kun is a Japanese web manga series by Hiroki Adachi. A hard copy of the manga was published by Square Enix and debuted in February 2007. As the manga has been concluded, it can be collected as 10 tankobon volumes. The plot of the manga series focuses on the life of Kyoko Hori, who is a very bright and popular student at high school but has a totally different personality at home. Sae goes with Miyamura, who is a very shy boy at school but has many piercings and tattoos while he is outside the school. Both of them, after knowing each other’s truth, helped each other to keep it a secret at school. The anime series also centered on the same plot and was released on 10th January 2021.
Horimiya
Val X Love
Another manga series on the list is Val X Love by Ryousuke Asakura that was published by Square Enix Publications. The manga debuted with its very first chapter in December 2015 and is still moving on with more chapters. An anime adaption of the series by Hood Entertainment was released on 5th October 2019 that concluded with 12 episodes in total. The plot of the manga focuses on the life of the protagonist Takuma Akustsu who is known for having a scary face. He was sidelined by his classmates and always got bad attention of like gangsters and thugs. Due to this, he developed social anxiety and stayed awkward while covering with people.
Val X Love
Senryuu Shoujo
Senryuu Shoujo or Senryuu girl is a Japanese manga series by Masakuni Igarashi and was officially published by Kodansha. The manga debuted its very first episode chapter on 19th October 2016 and concluded on 22nd April 2020. The manga has been collected into 13 tankobon series and is continuing with its anime adaptations. The story of the series centers on the relationship of Nanako Yukishiro and Eiji Busujima. Each episode picks up with every day through their life and their journey together writing Senryu. As for the anime adaption of the manga, it was produced by Connect Studio and debuted on 6th April 2019.
Sneryuu Shoujo
Rent a Girlfriend
Rent – A – Girlfriend, also known as Kanojo Okarishimasu, is a Japanese manga series by Reiji Miyajima. The manga was officially published by Kodansha and dropped out its very first chapter on 12th July 2017 and is still going on. Another manga series by the same author titled Rent a (Really Shy!) Girlfriend was released on 21st June 2020, and its status is also ongoing. The anime adaption of the manga was released on 11th July 2020 and is still ongoing and currently has 12 episodes in total. Crunchyroll has officially licensed the series to air it all over the world. As for the plot of the series, it’s about the life of a boy named Kazuya Kinoshita who was dumped by his girlfriend after dating for a month.
Rent a girlfriend
Working!!
Working!! or Wanganaria is a Japanese four-panel comic strip manga series by Karino Takatsu. The manga was officially published by Square Enix and dropped its very first chapter in January 2005. As the manga has already been concluded, it has been collected into 13 tankobon manga series. An anime adaption was of the series was released on 4th April 2010 that concluded with 13 episodes. Later, the series get renewed with another season on 1st October 2011, and it also contains the same amount of episodes as the previous season. Further another season for the series was also released titled Web-ban Working!!, WWW.Working!!. All over, the series contains 59 episodes in total and is available to stream on official platforms.
Working!!!
Karakai Jozu No Takagi- san
Karakai Jozu no Takagi- san, popularly known as Teasing Master Tagaki San, is a Japanese manga series that is in the limelight because of its upcoming movie in 2022. The manga series was created by Soichiro Yamamoto, was published by Shogakukan, and released on 12th June 2013. The manga centers on the life of two high school students named Nishikata and Takagi who are schoolmates, classmates, and bench mates. Takagi is the type of person who likes to tease other people and, therefore, always pranks and teases Nishikata. However, Nishikata decides to get his revenge but fails every time. The time he really won, he didn’t feel like enjoying his victory resulted in him getting feelings for her.
Karakai Jouzo no Takagi San
My Senpai is Annoying
My Senpai is Annoying, also known as Senpai ga Uzai Kohai no Hanashi, is a Japanese manga series by Shiro Manta. Just like all the anime and manga series above, this also belongs to the romance, comedy, and slice of the genre. The manga was officially published by Ichijinsha and English translation by Seven Seas Entertainment. It debuted its first chapter in the year 2017 and till now is collected in 8 tankobon volumes. An anime adaption of the manga was produced by Doga Kobo Studio, which released its very first episode on 10th October 2021. The anime series has already concluded and contains 12 episodes in total.
My Senpai is Annoying
The plot of the series goes around the life of a young girl named Futaba Igarashi, who is infamous because of her short stature. The protagonist is a tiny, untidy girl who is an office worker but was generally mistaken as a small kid. Throughout the series, you will get to witness Futaba complaining about her big and muscular coworker Harumi Takeda who always bugs her. However, in the midst of all this, Fubata develops feelings for him and struggles to get in terms with him.
Memes of the Day
Doutei Sotsukatsu
Natsu to Inaka to Yuuwaku shite kuru Dekkai Oshiego [Mikemono Yuu]
Almost all of us love the feeling of the adrenaline rushing in and our heart beating faster than usual while watching thrilling and mystery dramas and movies. However, this feeling does not compare to what we feel while watching a story with which we somehow end up relating to. Chinese dramas with the coming-of-age theme, with teenagers going through a transition into adults just like us, struggling to make their dreams come true, is somehow so satisfying to watch that we feel our youth being painted on the screen. Not all of us are still close with our high school buddies after completing the higher secondary. Maybe that’s a reason why watching these high school friends in Chinese dramas being friends even after years make the viewers feel so nostalgic as well as happy.
Want to experience a plain and simple life without any smartphone or social media as students where people still enjoy their lives to the fullest? Here are our top eight picks for the best high school youth Chinese dramas that you should definitely watch to relive your old school days.
8. Our Secret (2021)
Screenwriter: Joker Sun Starring: Chen Zhe Yuan, Rainbow Xu, Wang Ze Xuan, Wang Yi Lan, Fan Zhi Xin, Liu Zhi Wei Total Number of Episodes: 24 Where to Watch: YouTube, MGTV
One of the highest-rated Chinese youth dramas of 2021, ‘Our Secret’ centers on a girl named Ding Xian whose family relocates to a new city, where her childhood family friend, Zhou Si Yue has been living. However, they don’t seem to remember each other and fails to get along well. Their bickering continues even after they become deskmates at school. Although Ding Xian is a hard-working and sweet girl, she is brave when it comes to arguing with the relatively calm, intelligent, but unruly Zhou Si Yue. Little did they know that they will start caring for each other so much that every decision they make will be affected by each other.
Our Secret
‘Our Secret’ is a delightful and coming-of-age youth drama with refreshing lead characters who undergo development as the story proceeded. Thanks to the funny second lead couple, who aid in making this slow-paced Chinese drama watchable even for impatient people.
7. A Little Thing Called First Love (2019)
Screenwriter: Zhao Qian Qian, Hu Xiao Yu, Wu Xue Ying Director: Qi Xiao Hui Starring: Zhao Jin Mai, Lai Kuan Lin, Wang Run Ze, Chai Wei, Yu Shui Ge, Wang Yi Miao Total Number of Episodes: 36 Where to Watch: YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, We TV
Well, it’s pretty typical for a Chinese drama to cast the main male lead as the genius know-it-all student who is cold and arrogant while the female lead is shy and clumsy. The only exception that we see here is the guy, despite his good looks, intelligence, and popularity is a kind and helpful person both on the inside and on the outside. That’s the reason our girl, Xia Miao Miao, falls head over heels for him! Miao Miao is a sweet and cheerful person but isn’t very good at studies or is very confident owing to her not-so-attractive looks. One day, when the senior at her school named Liang You Nian helps her with her studies, she realizes how kind and loving he is.
A Little Thing Called First Love
She works hard to become a capable person with the help of You Nian and her friends, Lin Kai Tuo and He Xin, and ends up getting into the same university like his. From a shy and unsmart girl, she becomes a confident girl capable of taking her own decisions. The best part of their high school romance is that Miao Miao is a girl with dreams and not just a girl chasing her crush.
6. A Love So Beautiful (2017)
Director: Yang Long Screenwriter: Wu Tong, Wu Xue Ying, Wang Yan Bei, Hu Xiao Yu, Duan Yu Le, Zhou Chu Cen, Yu Ku Starring: Hu Yi Tian, Shen Yue, Gao Zhi Ting, Wang Zi Wei, Sun Ning, Monica Lu Total Number of Episodes: 23 Where to Watch: YouTube, Netflix, Viki, We TV
One of the most satisfying Chinese dramas to watch, ‘A Love So Beautiful’ starts off with a typical story of a clumsy and cheerful girl named Chen Xiao Xi who has a crush on her neighbor and classmate Jiang Chen since childhood. He is an ace in studies and is well-known in the school for his tall and handsome looks as well as his cold and aloof personality. Although he openly rejects her love for him, she can’t help but follow him wherever he goes.
A Love So Beautiful
When an athletic but loyal swimmer Wu Bo Song joins the school, he becomes a good friend to Xiao Xi and protects her from every trouble she gets into— something which Jiang Chen doesn’t feel good about. The three of them, along with their group involving the funny Lu Yang and the brave but feminine Jing Xiao, take on a journey from being high school buddies to university homies and beyond that.
5. Salute to My Youth (2019)
Director: Shen Qin Yuan Starring: Li Jia Qi, Zhao Yi Qin, Li Ge Yang, Vincent Wei, Wu Shuang Yi, Stephanie Xu Total Number of Episodes: 24 Where to Watch: YouTube, Netflix
‘Salute to My Youth’ is a beautiful high-school drama about the bond of friendship, innocent puppy love, and the warmth of having a family. Our protagonist here is a sweet high school girl named Su Can Can who has an infatuation with her classmate, Lin Jia Ze, a polite and good-at-everything guy. However, despite her efforts of being close to him, she ends being the deskmate of his best friend, Lan Tian Ye, who is cold and doesn’t care about things going on around him. All three of them, along with Su Can Can’s best friend Xu Mei Li and her cousin, Tao Ya-Ting develop a strong bond of friendship which thrives even after they graduate from high school and become grown-up adults.
Wait, My Youth
Meanwhile, Can Can continues to have a crush on Lin Jia Ze for seven long years before she understands her real feelings. Just so you know, the visuals of the main leads serve as the chef’s kiss. Viewers have loved their chemistry so much that the director had to cast them in two other drama, one of which is called ‘My Girl’ while the second is still being filmed!
4. Le Coup De Foudre (2019)
Director: Wang Zhi Screenwriter: Shao Zi Starring: Janice Wu, Zhang Yu Jian, Zhao Zhi Wei, Ma Li, An Ge, Zhang Yue Ying Total Number of Episodes: 35 Where to Watch: YouTube, We TV, Netflix, Viki
‘Le Coup De Foudre’ is a calming romance youth drama that tells the story of four individuals from their high school days to responsible working adults. However, among many other youth dramas, this is perhaps the most realistic and down-to-earth. Everything begins when two polar apart classmates, Zhao Qiao Yi and Yan Mo become deskmates for the first time, who aren’t even friends. While Yan Mo is a distant but genius top student of the class with a bright future ahead of him, Zhao Qiao Yi struggles to barely pass her classes. However, she lives with an affectionate family of her mother, stepfather, and her twin brother, who supports her despite everything. With time, Yan Mo becomes comfortable with Qiao Yi and opens his heart for her.
Le Coup De Foudre
They decide to go abroad for higher studies however an unfortunate incident prevents Qiao Yi to do so. She breaks her promise with him and along with it, his heart too. Years later, they cross paths again and whatever happened back then flashes back in their minds. A little tip from us, if you ever feel like skipping any scene, please don’t since the slow-burn romance is definitely going to make your experience a lot better!
3. Forever Love (2020)
Director: Wen De Guang Starring: Wang An Yu, Julia Xiang, Chen Ze, Pan Mei Ye, Zhao Hao Hong, Yuan Hao Total Number of Episodes: 28 Where to Watch: We TV
A story of pure love and innocence, ‘Forever Love’ revolves around a bright and intelligent high school girl named Xia Lin Xi who is asked to make sure that all of his classmates are regular in their class. That’s how she meets Jiang Zheng Han. His life is nothing like Xia Lin Xi, and struggles with having a good life ahead of him. However, Lin Xi becomes a friend who helps him throughout his most difficult times after convincing him to come back to school. Zheng Han ends up being her tutor for earning some money and ends up falling for her in the process. They attend the same university and discover the depth of their feelings, promising a lifetime together with each other.
Forever Love
However, destiny had something else planned for them, and they end up choosing different paths until one day when they meet again as working professionals. The show is extremely beautiful and compelling for anyone craving a sweet and easy-watch youth drama. The chemistry between the couple is natural, sweet, and heartwarming to watch.
2. Go Ahead (2020)
Screenwriter: Shui Qian Mo, Wang Xiong Cheng Director: Ding Zi Guang Starring: Tan Song Yun, Song Wei Long, Zhang Xin Cheng, Tu Song Yan, Zhang Xi Lin, Sun Yi Total Number of Episodes: 40 Where to Watch: We TV, Viki, MGTV
If you are looking for a slice-of-life youth drama, ‘Go Ahead’ stands as a show second to none. Be it the acting performances of the lead cast and their families or the way the show makers have executed the uniqueness of the series, there’s no way you aren’t going to enjoy every bit of it. The story revolves around three individuals who have no blood relations but have grown together in the same household as a loving family. After Ling Xiao and He Zi Qiu are abandoned by their respective mothers, Li Jian Jian’s father accepts them as his own sons and takes care of the three kids along with Ling Xiao’s father, who is busy most of the time with his work.
Go Ahead
As they grow older, they experience life’s joy and struggle to adapt themselves to the harsh reality. After the two brothers complete their high school education, they unwillingly decide to live with their family who had abandoned them in the past, leaving Li Jian Jian all alone. The three of them meet again after nine years, only to discover that their loving bond has weakened over the years. Despite the mature theme of the series, it has been balanced perfectly with humor, romance, and delight, letting the viewers have a great time.
1. When We Were Young (2018)
Director: Deng Ke, Roger Lau Starring: Neo Hou, Wan Peng, Gala Zhang, Marcus Li, Pan Mei Ye, Dai Lu Wa Total Number of Episodes: 24 Where to Watch: YouTube, Viki, We TV
One of the most recommended high school dramas of all time, ‘When We Were Young’ is a nostalgic tale about dreams and reality, love, friendship, and family values. Yang Xi is a happy-go-lucky girl who excels in the long-distance run but other than that, she is just an ordinary girl. While chasing down a bicycle thief, she gets injured by a lab explosion which prevents her from participating in a long-distance run. After getting better, when she goes back to school, she realizes that the culprit behind the lab explosion is none but a new student named Hua Biao, who has filled in her position as the class president.
When We Were Young
A gifted genius and a hot-blooded and rash boy, Hua Biao’s existence in the school, isn’t welcomed by his peers. However, the more time passes, the more he becomes everyone’s favorite, and he readily comes for everyone’s help when they are in need. Not only is the story funny and sweet but also indeed beautiful and very realistic. It showcases how growing up comes in a flash and as we do so, we learn to compromise and accept our responsibilities.
