10 More Shows About Family and Friendship!
New programs arrive and depart as with the four natural seasons that fly by. Some generate buzz, while others fall to the wayside to collect dust. The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons falls within the middle of that scenario. While it’s a series that didn’t pick up much steam, it’s an anime that’ll leave viewers surprised that it didn’t. With its excellent take on brotherhood, favorable cast, and mix of comedy and drama, The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons is an anime many will wish they watched sooner.
If you happened to be someone who tuned into this anime when it aired but don’t know of shows/anime that capture its magic, fear not. We’ve searched through the archives to find you 10 more TV shows/anime that offer a similar viewing experience.
Additionally, for each program we’ve reviewed, including The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows/anime that should whet your appetite when you’ve finished streaming The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons!
Sweetness & Lightning
Similarities – Themes & Slice of Life
Family tragedies are difficult to cope with for a multitude of reasons. Like Hayato, you’ll see Sweetness and Lightning’s Kouhei struggle to adapt to his single-caregiver role. Fortunately, he’ll receive support from a trustworthy individual. This individual in question will teach him how to cook his daughter (Tsumugi) proper meals, giving him more chances to strengthen his connection with Tsugumi.
Moreover, both stories utilize common storytelling techniques like flashbacks to make situations feel more engaging and tense. Yet, if you’re someone who adores family-themed anime with uplifting vibes, fear not. Sweetness & Lightning delivers on that front by placing Kouhei and Tsumugi in comedic and authentic scenarios that’ll make you chuckle a few times. For those looking for another family outing with similar dynamics, check this out.
Barakamon
Similarities – Comedy, Themes, Slice of Life
Everyone’s received some form of punishment once in their lives. However, only a few can say they were exiled to an island. This is the situation Barakmon’s protagonist Seishuu finds himself in. Much like the Yuzuki brothers’ daily outings, Seishuu gets thrown into many funny and relaxing scenarios.
Some segments will make you laugh while others may persuade you to ponder your life. Additionally, the characters Seishuu meets on the island have distinct and often believable personalities, backgrounds, and motivations. From passionate elders to energetic children, you’ll appreciate this cast’s authenticity and richness.
Therefore, like The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons, Barakamon’s an incredible anime that’ll make you appreciate the associations you’ve formed with strangers and loved ones over time.
Buddy Daddies
Similarities – Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life
Buddy Daddies sought mild controversy upon its release due to it airing a month after Spy X Family’s first season concluded. Despite the negativity surrounding the show during its inception, those who stuck with Buddy Daddies walked away from it impressed and moved. This original series involves two assassins named Kazuki and Rei, who take in their target’s child after murdering him.
Much like the Yuzuki brothers, we’ll spend time following Kazuki, Rei, and Miri’s ventures throughout the series. While the series has its share of wholesome zoo outings and school-related affairs, it features more adrenaline-pumping action scenes. These scenes will captivate you just as much as The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons’s exaggerated segments did. With their shared stance on familial loss, human connection, and comedy, Buddy Daddies should not disappoint you.
You can read our thoughts on Buddy Daddies in our full-season review here!
March Comes In Like A Lion
Similarities – Themes & Drama
Even if you’re the most skilled person at a particular activity, that doesn’t guarantee you’re life will be amazing. While Rei, March Comes In Like A Lion’s lead, is a talented shogi player, his mental illnesses prevent him from enjoying the life he has. However, much like the Yuzuki brothers, he’ll meet many encouraging folks who’ll convince him that life’s worth relishing.
Through well-executed flashbacks, meaningful exchanges, and dramatic scenarios, these anime will help you rekindle similar experiences you’ve had during your progression through life. Whether minuscule or large, you’ll value the individuals who’ve helped you become the person you are today.
With its exceptional views on mental health and family values, March Comes In Like A Lion provides The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons fanbase with an unforgettable and endearing venture that’ll touch their soul.
Kakushigoto
Similarities – Slice of Life & Themes
If March Comes In Like A Lion sounds too depressing of an undertaking, then Kakushigoto’s hilarious and charming father-daughter tale should appeal to you. Like The Yuzki Family’s Four Sons, this anime tackles the family concept in many amusing and heartfelt ways. From cozy outings to accidental happenings, you’ll find it difficult not to laugh at the hilarious excursions present in both works.
While both anime value humor, they aren’t afraid to tackle deep subjects like grief and isolation. This gives their tales added depth and builds viewers’ anticipation for what will occur in each episode. For those who value their families above all else, Kakushigoto is another bright, funny, and occasionally suspenseful anime that’ll resonate with you.
Tokyo Godfathers
Similarities – Comedy, Themes, Drama
We alluded to Tokyo Godfathers in our Buddy Daddies entry, and for great reason. It’s one of the late Satoshi Kon’s most underlooked gems, especially if you compare it to the praise Paprika, Perfect Blue, and Millenium Actress receive. This tale follows a trio of bums who stumble upon an abandoned toddler on Christmas Eve.
Unsure about the 5W’s of it all, the group set off to find the child’s caregiver during this cold festive night. Like Hayato, Minato, Gakuto, and Mikoto, Tokyo Godfather’s protagonists have colorful personalities and backgrounds. Kon gradually reveals increments about their past issues over time, allowing audiences to learn how they earned their “hobo” lifestyles.
Additionally, you’ll see these three bicker and complain to each other a lot throughout this film. Their arguments carry the same heated and comical aura as Minato and Mikoto’s past and present verbal and physical clashes. However, like those two, our trio will learn to respect the other’s company, due to the true-to-life circumstances they get into.
Kotaro Lives Alone
Similarities – Comedy, Themes, Slice of Life
Whether in cartoons or anime, it’s funny to see people react to shows that feature mature toddlers. Kotaro, like Gakuto, is an intelligent toddler in Kotaro Lives Alone. However, he enjoys causing his adult companion Shin trouble purposefully. Despite his comedic and mature nature, viewers will find Kotaro’s tragic upbringing interesting.
This development may convince audiences to revise their opinion of his character and his actions displayed in the anime. Gakuto and Shin aside, both anime’s supporting cast play meaningful roles in the story too. Through their actions, you’ll walk away from both anime realizing that you can assign the “family” term to anyone, regardless if you are or aren’t blood-related. If you’re someone who’s not the biggest fan of most of Netflix’s anime offerings, Kotaro Lives Alone will surprise you.
Non Non Biyori
Similarities – Themes, Comedy, Slice of Life
Camaraderie, simplicity, and relaxation are three words Non Non Biyori fans would use to describe it. As with our brotherly tale, this story focuses on the cheerful developments of its four female leads. While both anime take place in different-themed locales, both anime evoke similar feelings of ecstasy by placing their cast in relatable and eccentric instances.
From daily school activities to peer-to-peer interactions, you’ll admire how these anime utilize grounded situations to develop their series’s important cast members. Both anime include exaggerated sequences, too. These scenes in particular will fill you with glee and will make you appreciate the time and energy that went into both productions.
A Place Further Than The Universe
Similarities – Themes, Drama, Slice of Life
A Place Further Than The Universe offers The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons’s audience an exceptional tale with a similar group dynamic but tighter emphasis on exploration. Nonetheless, Mari and her friends get into mischief that mirrors the shenanigans Minato, his brothers, and their neighbors get roped into in their anime.
From attending fancy locations to eavesdropping on spicy conversations, you’ll find both groups’ activities gripping. Additionally, like our brotherly characters, the main four of A Place Further Than The Universe receive gradual growth. Both stories utilize their cast’s backstories, motives, and clashing personas to get audiences’ pumped for their later experiences.
With their shared stance on grief, companionship, and maturation, The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons’s fanbase will love following Mari and her friend’s civil, scenic, and emotive ventures in A Place Further Than The Universe.
Wolf Children
Similarities – Themes, Drama, Slice of Life
Losing your husband is one thing, but being forced to care for two children with wolf powers is a challenge no mother would dream of tackling. While Wolf Children’s Hana struggles to keep up with her children’s supernatural capabilities promptly, she, like Hayato, will do everything in her power to give them a life that’s worth living.
Similar to The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons, Wolf Children features a somewhat disorderly family who suffered a great catastrophe. Both anime give their main players time to shine, giving audiences reasons to follow their similar yet different voyages attentively. These anime include emotionally charged sequences that’ll drum up anticipation for future developments.
The child characters, Ame and Yuki, are a delight to examine like Gakuto. However, unlike Gakuto, Minato, and Mikoto, you’ll get to see Ame and Yuki mature and make thorough decisions based on the experiences they had with their mother. For those searching for an imaginative, relatable, and emotionally intense anime film about family life, this should be at the top of your list.
So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!