10 Books/Manga Like Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
Nichijou’s a funny and enjoyable series that will help you recall the joyous moments of your youth. It’s written and illustrated by Keiichi Arawi and follows the daily lives of a group of female friends. Despite the story’s “ordinary life” title, our girls indulge in activities that are far from normal. From witnessing faculty members fight animals to engaging in over-the-top activities, these girls will utilize what time they have as young adults to the fullest.
If you’re in the mood for more school or comedic-themed books/manga that offer a similar vibe, fear not! We’ve gathered together 10 books/manga to check out when you’ve caught up with Nichijou: My Ordinary Life. Of course, if you feel we’ve missed any of your favorites, do comment below and let us know!
The Daily Lives of High School Boys – Yasanobu Yamauchi
Similarities – Comedy & Setting
If you adore comedies set in a school environment like Nichijou, you’ll have a blast reading The Daily Lives of High School Boys. This story introduces readers to a group of students who must navigate through the challenges of school life. They’ll find themselves in awkward situations with females and engage in silly shenanigans and banter with each other.
The situations our male protagonists indulge in echo the humorous fun our female cast participates in in Nichijou. Moreover, humor plays a significant role in both tales. The boys in The Daily Lives of High School Boys display similar over-the-top reactions to mundane scenarios as our female cast does in Nichijou. This allows both stories to feel relaxing to pick up and enjoy.
In addition to exploring similar themes like friendship, adolescence, and self-discovery, The Daily Lives of High School Boys is a great alternative to read.
Lucky Star – Kagami Yoshimizu
Similarities – Comedy, Setting, Female-Dominant Cast
If you’re looking for another band of funny females to read about, Lucky Star has you covered. This is another manga that depicts the lives of female school students. Like Nichijou, it has a humorous portrayal of school life and delves into its cast’s distinct quirks exceptionally.
On that note, both stories present their female cast participating in random yet relatable scenarios. For instance, Lucky Star’s female cast indulges in many activities from having sleepovers to discussing topics surrounding their lives, pop culture, and school. These mirror the comedic yet typical hijinks Nichijou’s protagonist and supporting cast get into in that manga.
Moreover, both manga excels at delivering wonderful visual humor. From exaggerated facial expressions to comical reactions, you’ll get a good chuckle here and there as you observe Konata and her friend’s lives in Lucky Star.
If you’re after a comical school-themed manga that touches upon relatable and funny concepts, check out Lucky Star.
Azumanga Daioh – Kiyohiko Azuma
Similarities – Slice-of-Life & Comedy
Azumanga Daioh is another popular slice-of-life manga with incredible writing and a phenomenal cast. Like Nichijou, this series delivers a similar brand of humor that combines wit, absurdity, and visual gags. It follows high school girls and their quirky teachers as they traverse through the ups and downs of school life.
The manga’s humor ranges from running gags to amusing conversations. Azuma applies these elements to make their story feel enjoyable and lighthearted in tone. Both stories excel at portraying wonderful character dynamics too. The interactions in Azumnaga Daioh and Nichijou are heartwarming and humorous, resulting in an immersive and hard-to-drop experience for newcomers.
Therefore, Azumanga Daioh is another fabulous manga worth diving into, especially if you’re after a story that captures the essence of high school life flawlessly.
Yuyushiki – Komata Mikami
Similarities – Comedy, Slice-of-Life, Setting
Yuyushiki is an enjoyable comedy series. It centers around the amusing encounters of three close friends during their high school days. Like Nichijou, this is a story that shines in its ability to find humor in everyday conversations and situations. This results in characters engaging in witty banter that’ll put a smile on any manga enthusiast’s face.
Moreover, Yuyushiki excels at utilizing visual gags to enhance its humor much like Nichijou. It includes visual puns, exaggerated expressions, and charming artwork to emphasize the humor.
For example, the characters can be conversing about sea horses and the artist inserts creatively drawn illustrations to emphasize the series’s playfulness. This mirrors the weird yet funny illustrations you’d receive in Arawi’s story.
On top of placing its cast in relatable situations that will help readers reminisce about their own high school experiences, Yuyushiki is a great alternative for Nichijou fans to read.
Asobi Asobase – Rin Suzukawa
Similarities – Tone, Comedy, Setting
Nichijou fanatics who loved the series for its setting, absurd humor, and characters will get a kick out of Suzukawa’s Asobi Asobase. Like Nichjou, Asobi Asobase combines exaggerated reactions, slapstick comedy, and unexpected twists to keep readers entertained.
The tale follows the adventures of three girls as they navigate through the hurdles you’d expect students to tackle. However, Suzukawa adores transforming those situations into something bizarre. For instance, there will be times when our characters perform weird actions to prove a point or to escape trouble.
Many of the scenes in this manga mirror the strange phenomena found throughout Nichijou, like the rock-paper-scissors supernatural battle. Asobi Asobase’s three female leads Hanako, Olivia, and Kasumi are entertaining to observe. Suzukawa does an excellent job at helping them stand out from each other by giving each girl clashing personalities and backgrounds.
If you like school-themed comedies that like to experiment with different forms of humor, be it verbal or visual, check out Asobi Asobase.
Shimeji Simulation – Tsukumizu
Similarities – Slice-of-Life, Comedy, Surrealism
A slice-of-life comedy with a hint of psychological depth is what awaits you with Shimeji Simulation. Like Arawi, Tsukumizu’s story offers viewers a surrealistic and comical slice-of-life series with enough relatable scenarios to keep them occupied. Shimeji Simulation follows the antics of a high school girl who can transform into a mushroom-like creature called a shimeji.
This supernatural twist adds a fantastical element to an otherwise mundane school-related work. This echoes the weird characters and situations found within Nichijou like talking casts and faculty fighting animals.
Furthermore, both stories have compelling relatable segments to keep readers on board. Readers will enjoy following Shimeji Simulation’s protagonists’ journey through high school. She suffers from poor social skills, which is a trait many folks can relate to today.
In addition to exploring themes like acceptance and self-discovery to a strong degree, Shimeji Simulation is a great, on-going slice-of-life series that’s worth your time.
My Neighbor Seki – Takuma Morishige
Similarities – Comedy & Themes
A series of pure comedic goals awaits you with My Neighbor Seki. Like Nichijou, this manga uses surreal and exaggerated elements to create humor and unexpected situations that’ll appeal to its audience. This tale centers around Rumi, an ordinary student who sits next to their inventive classmate Seki. Each chapter presents readers with an elaborate gaming project that Seki sets up on his school desk.
Each project will pull Rumi away from her studies, often resulting in comedic scenarios occurring in the classroom. These situations mirror the absurd situations found within the Nichijou manga. Furthermore, like Nichijou, My Neighbor Seki explores ideas like imagination, escapism, and the importance of finding joy through mundanity.
Rumi’s fascination with Seki’s activities shows readers why it’s significant to find excitement in the small things in life, regardless if they align with your interests or not. This point alone makes it a stellar read for Nichijou fans.
Yotsuba to! – Kiyohiko Azuma
Similarities – Slice of Life & Comedy
Yotsuba to! is an award-winning slice-of-life tale by the well-beloved mangaka, Kiyohiko Azuma. This is one of the most heartwarming stories you’ll ever come across due to its phenomenal storytelling, boatload of laughable scenarios, and excellent artistry.
Our story follows Yotsuba, a girl who moves to a new home with her father. The adventures she has in this locale are full of wonder and amusement. From her visiting local festivals to her interactions with neighbors and friends, you’ll love how Azuma captures the charm and hilarity found in the randomness of life.
Furthermore, Yotsuba’s wild imagination and enthusiasm mirrors that of Nichijou’s cast. From helping with household chores to interacting with animals, viewers will enjoy seeing how Yotsuba’s vibrant personality and unique way of seeing the world make the manga feel more immersive and fun to read.
Therefore, if you’re ever feeling down about a rough day at work, school, or any other event, give this series a read.
City – Keiichi Arawi
Similarities – Author, Comedy, Slice-of-Life
Although City comes off as more mature in spurts compared to Nichijou, Arawi carries over some aspects from his beloved gem into this one. City follows Midori, a college student who lives in a city filled with weird inhabitants. She’s in a pickle concerning cash, but she’s determined to make the best of what life has in store for her.
Like Nichijou, this series gives readers a tale that’s amusing and relatable at times. This story contains some semblance of absurd humor but feels more mature in tone in comparison to Nichijou. However, Midori’s city-wide home opens the door to many entertaining scenarios that readers will eat up and love.
Therefore, if you love the character dynamics, humor, and scenarios Nichijou had, you’ll love City all the same.
Wasteful Days of High School Girls – Bino
Similarities – Comedy, Setting, Slice-of-Life
Since we started this recommendation list discussing The Daily Lives of High School Boys, it was fitting to conclude by recommending Wasteful Days of High School Girls to Nichijou’s fandom. This story shares many similarities with Nichijou from its focus on female students to the way it successfully blends comedy with relatable scenarios.
Wasteful Days of High School Girls follows the wacky lives of Nozomu and her friends as they try to make it through their high school years in an all-girls facility. From the chatty Nozomu to the carefree Shiori, Nichijou fans have manga characters to gravitate toward with this work.
Furthermore, this story relies heavily on its different forms of comedy to keep folks entertained. From witty banter to comical scenarios, Nichijou fans will feel at home while reading through Nozumu and her friends’ daily endeavors.
Wasteful Days of High School Girls delves into many relatable subjects surrounding friendship, rivalries, and personal growth. Like Arawi, Bino knows how to balance his tale’s comedy with compelling heartwarming segments readers can connect with.
If you want another comedy with a distinct female-dominant cast, Wasteful Days of High School Girls is worth your time.
So there we have it, our 10 books/manga to read after you’re caught up with Nichijou: My Ordinary Life.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!