There ain’t a living soul who’s never heard of Gintama, weeb or not. A comedy that broke the fourth wall more times than you can count, an anime that never shied away from poking fun at itself, and quirky, unforgettable characters that somehow reflect a shred of you. With almost every season topping MAL’s top-rated/most-watched list, Gintama is undeniably the king of all comedy anime.
There are a few comedy anime series that could potentially give Gintoki and his gang a run for their money. A situation they’re all too familiar with, funnily enough. When you’ve run out of meme-worthy content and ROFL moments from Gintama, try these to tickle your funny bone.
Asobi Asobase
A simple premise to choose a girls-only high school and let the comedy ensue. School shenanigans that sometimes go a little too far, friendships born out of exploiting a naïve “foreigner”, Asobi Asobase is sure to have you rolling in laughter. 3 students- Olivia, Hanako and Kasumi- form a school club that is practically pointless, the Pastimers Club, a chord that might strike those of us that never really fit into other activities or clubs during our student life.
Figuring out how to pass time when your entire gang of friends are airheads can be a hard task. But this serves as the perfect backdrop for meaningless pranks and games to be played. Whether it’s Hanako being delivered the most earth-shattering spank, or a teacher thinking the girls had an “accident” by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, this 8.19-rated comedy is available to stream on Crunchyroll. Oh, and even the closing credits is of the girls’ most random conversation turned raving heavy metal!
Nichijou
The comedy of this anime is quite hard to describe as it necessarily doesn’t fit any one type of humor. But that’s the beauty of Nichijou, that it has a little something for everyone- Be it over the top animation sequences for the most everyday-situations, or a dog comforting you when you lose a shoe. From writing terrible haikus to getting your coffee order wrong, Nichijou does best at showcasing how our ordinary lives aren’t that different from each other’s. Though, not everyone can say they saw their school principal wrestle a stag. That’s for Yuuko to take to the grave.
Join Yuuko, Mio and Mai and discover how ordinary life can be turned into comedy gold. If these dim-witted students don’t catch you off guard with their antics, perhaps robot Nano, her creator- Professor and their talking cat- Sakamoto, can tickle your funny bone. Whatever your sense of humor, this highly rated comedy is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan
They say the words of a child, while truthful, hurt the most. So, how about a little payback and tell them the harsh realities of adult life? Uramichi Omota delivers kids the harsh truth on a morning television show, “Together with Maman”. While this anime has been labelled as a “love it or hate it” series, it doesn’t diminish the cynicism and dark humor that Uramichi portrays as it is rooted in reality.
Uramichi is joined by his two co-hosts, Iketeru and Utano- who have their own odd and crass sense of humor. Watch this 7.7 MAL-rated comedy on Crunchyroll.
Wasteful Days of High School Girls
When the central protagonists are nicknamed Ota, Baka and Robo, you know you’re in for a treat. With random lyrics (sung by the VAs themselves) thrown in the anime’s OP, the series is relentless in delivering laughs. While the series does remind one of Nichijou fused with Daily Lives of High School Boys, Wasteful Days does really well to set itself apart by relying solely on the VAs comedic timing, plot (or no plot at all) and random situations.
“Hey, can I tell you something amazing?”- When Baka opens almost every episode with this line, gear up for a story that will intrigue you… And ultimately frustrate you because it never goes anywhere. If Ota, Baka and Robo weren’t odd enough, they are joined by Loli (yes, of “Lolicon”) and Majo. To help them not waste away their schooldays as much, homeroom teacher Waseda tries his best, but he’s got his own quirks much like the rest of the cast. Stream this criminally underrated series on HIDIVE.
Hinamatsuri
Gruff Yakuza meets airhead alien, what an oddball plot and pair! Yakuza Nitta finds himself in a pseudo-father role when Hina appears out of thin air in his home. Revealing that she’ll explode if her outworldly powers remain unused, Nitta has seemingly little choice. While he never wanted to be a caretaker, Nitta soon understands that Hina’s powers may just help him establish himself as the toughest Yakuza around and acts as great date card to curry favor with the ladies, what with being a single parent and all.
Hina has absolutely no clue of life on Earth. With food being her only motivation, Hina struggles to understand much else about life. And with the privileged upbringing Nitta showers upon her, Hina learns the harsh realities of life along the way by making new friends. But it doesn’t make her any less of an airhead, or any less of an inconvenience to Nitta. With a fair share of humor and soft, touchy moments, stream this series on Crunchyroll. Oh, and slice of life elements like calling your teacher Mom/Dad? Hinamatsuri has got that second-hand embarrassment as well.
