10 More Relaxing & Heartfelt Shows To Watch!
Azumnaga Daioh is a non-stop bundle of joy. Its plot is simple yet effective. It follows Chiyo, who must navigate the rough waters of life to make her life fun and delightful. She’ll be joined by her five other people who’ll help her achieve just that. This anime places Chiyo and her companions in many humorous and relatable situations that will leave you giggling. It’s a great anime to check out if you’re looking for a show that will remind you of what life was like when you were an adolescent.
Fear not if you’re having trouble finding anime similar to Azumanga Daioh! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as Azumanga Daioh.
Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, 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 Azumanga Daioh!
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
Similarities – Comedy & Setting
For another funny anime with an adorable and wacky female cast, Nichijou: My Ordinary Life should entertain you. This anime highlights the bonkers life of five female friends who get into all types of absurd and mundane mischief. The plot isn’t anything complex, but it’s an anime that’s great because of its simplicity and humor.
Firstly, Nichijou’s cast is relatable, lovable, and has distinct personalities. From Aoi to Mio, you’ll find someone here that’ll resonate with you on a personal level. Furthermore, the situations the girls and the other characters in this series get into are enjoyable to watch. From drag racing to wrestling deers, there’s a boatload of ridiculous situations you’ll come across in this anime.
Azumanga Daioh and Nichijou take place in school settings, showcasing the daily lives and struggles of students and teachers alike. For Nichijou, the school setting feels like a backdrop for its whimsical and surreal events as opposed to Azumanga Daioh which portrays its cast daily school routines and challenges in an optimistic manner. Nevertheless, Nichijou: My Ordinary Life should satisfy fans looking for an anime with compelling themes, splendid humor, and fascinating characters.
Lucky Star
Similarities – Characters, Setting, Comedy
More slice-of-life endeavors await you in Lucky Star. This Kyoto Animation episodic classic will warm your hearts with its great cast, humor, and relatability. It explores the everyday lives of Konata and her friends. Konata and her group have great personalities, chemistry, and quirks that help them stand out.
For example, Konata’s known for being a laid-back individual while her friend Kagami is more of the responsible type. This allows viewers to choose a favorite amongst their cast and helps them remember them in the long term. Both anime take place in a school setting and highlight the struggles, social interactions, and academic challenges their different casts encounter.
Both anime captures the high school experience brilliantly, allowing many people to recall memories of their own experiences alongside the characters. Both anime feature incredible humor that’ll get a laugh out of anyone. Give this anime a shot if you’re looking for something with incredible humor, characters, and portrayals of school life.
Wasteful Days of High School Girls
Similarities – Setting & Comedy
Wasteful Days of High School Girls is another slice-of-life comedy that explores high school life from female students’ perspectives. It 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. Like Azumanga Daioh, Wasteful Days features a diverse cast with compelling abnormalities and colorful personalities.
From the talkative Nozomu to the carefree Shiori, there are many characters in this anime that you’ll find entertaining to follow. These anime implement a decent amount of humor to keep viewers glued to their screens. Where Azumanga Daioh relies on comical misunderstandings and innocent perspectives to make people laugh, Wasteful Days relies on banter, satire, and dry wit.
Nevertheless, both anime balance their humorous and emotional segments well to create a well-rounded experience for their audience. Wasteful Days chooses to examine the small moments in its characters’ lives like Azumanga Daioh does for its cast. From spending time in shops to playing video games, you’ll admire these scenes for their relatability and how they help bring out each character’s personality. Give this anime a shot if you’re after another great female cast worth following.
Hidamari Sketch
Similarities – Setting, Slice of Life, Comedy
Hidamari Sketch is an entertaining slice-of-life anime with lighthearted comedy. In it, we follow Yuna, a lonely aspiring artist who attends Yamabuki Arts High School and moves into the Hidamari Apartment Complex. She’ll meet three girls named Hiro, Miyako, and Sae who’ll try their hardest to make Yuna’s life delightful and interesting. For those who love the “moe” subgenre, this anime’s a gem.
Like Chiyo, you’ll adore seeing Yuno develop tighter connections with her companions. Hidamari Sketch also takes place in a school environment and displays the exciting and dull aspects of school life accordingly. This anime features a blend of quirky and absurd moments to keep viewers on their toes. Fans who resonated with Chiyo and her circle of friends will love following Yuno and her group. Give this a shot if you need another dose of wholesomeness in your life.
K-On!
Similarities – Slice of Life
K-On is a significant anime since it helped make the “moe” subgenre what it is today. It features a great, likable cast with different quirks and goals. It’s another anime that revolves around the activities of high schoolers. However, K-On focuses more on music while Azumanga Daioh leans heavily on the girl’s everyday lives and struggles.
Nevertheless, both groups participate in activities you’d expect in school-themed anime. From shopping trips to performing music, the K-On cast loves exploring their environment and getting into fun mischief. Both anime offer compelling humor that’s geared toward their cast’s personalities and daily interactions.
From its protagonist Yui’s airheadedness to Mio’s shyness, they all contribute to the show’s hilarity. These characters also receive great development throughout the course of the story. You’ll admire seeing Yui develop her skills and see how her friendship with others impacts her growth. Overall, this is an anime every slice-of-life enthusiast should watch.
Squid Girl
Similarities – Comedy & Slice-of-Life
Squid Girl is charming comedy series following a squid-like humanoid named Ika Musume who seeks vengeance upon humanity for polluting her home. After destroying a beach house, Ika’s forced to become that place’s new waitress to pay for the costs. As she spends time with her human co-workers and boss, she’ll develop a different view of humans.
Like Azumanga Daioh, this anime contains some incredibly varied humor. It has it all from witty jokes to laughable facial expressions that’ll bring a smile to your face. Many characters introduced in this anime have quirky personalities and the anime relies on those personalities and its slice-of-life narratives to keep the audience invested.
Both anime showcase the joys of everyday life and portray them in a lighthearted manner. Ika will struggle to work alongside humans and fit in with society. Some will show her warmth while others will make her feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, Ika is a confident and determined individual, with other defining traits viewers will appreciate.
Non Non Biyori
Similarities – Characters & Themes
Another great anime worth watching when you need to relax is Non Non Biyori. With its natural setting, enjoyable cast, and warming storyline, you’ll enjoy what Non Non Biyori delivers. It’s set in Asashigaoka Village and we follow a new resident named Hotaru. Although this place feels like a wasteland, Hotaru embraces this village and the classmates she’ll befriend during her stay here.
Therefore, we examine the daily adventures of Hotaru and her new companions. Like Azumanga Daioh, Non Non Biyori delivers an excellent portrayal of friendship and coming-of-age-oriented storytelling. You’ll walk out of both anime with an appreciation for the small things in life whether it’s spending time outdoors or having a blast with friends indoors.
Non Non Biyori’s cast receives excellent development like the cast in Azumanga Daioh. Each girl in the former has a different background and personality. Folks will appreciate these anime for placing multiple hurdles in our characters’ ways in hopes of helping them grow and mature by their series’ conclusion.
Bocchi The Rock
Similarities – Characters & Comedy
Bocchi The Rock is a new anime series with relatable characters, charming humor, and gorgeous animation. It follows Hitori, an introvert who wants to make a splash in the music industry. She joins Kessoku Band and meets her bandmates Nijika and Ryo. They later recruit a singer to the foray and we examine their quest for popularity.
Like Azumanga Daioh, Bocchi The Rock focuses on the lives of teenage girls and their struggles to get through life. Hitori has severe social anxiety and it’ll be difficult for her to communicate and adapt to scenarios that require her to be an extrovert. From working jobs to attending beaches, you can expect Hitori to crumble at the sight of it all.
Fortunately, Nijika and the others will motivate her enough to defeat her insecurities and worries to become the best musician and person possible. If you’re hunkering for an anime with a memorable cast and excellent portrayal of mental health issues, check out Bocchi The Rock.
You can read our thoughts on Bocchi The Rock in our full-season review here!
Sketchbook – Full Colors
Similarities – Atmosphere & Slice-of-Life
If you’re an aspiring artist who needs a series that will motivate you, Sketchbook – Full Colors should do the trick. This anime is charming, funny, and wonderful for those who want to relax. Its premise is easy to follow and many folks will fall in love with its characters and soothing music. The anime follows the protagonist Sora as she hopes to become a great artist and make new friends.
Like Azumanga Daioh, this anime captures various scenarios of everyday life. Where Azumanga Daioh can teeter between the realm of realism and fiction, Sketchbook maintains solid authenticity throughout its runtime. Nevertheless, both anime emphasizes the subtleties of life that are often overlooked and present them in an entertaining fashion.
The characters feel genuine and have compelling personalities that work well on screen. Viewers will appreciate the anime’s focus on Sora’s internal and external development the most. Check out Sketchbook – Full Colors if you’re after an anime that moves at a tranquil pace, has a delightful selection of characters, and has an art theme.
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun
Similarities – Comedy & Themes
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun follows Chiyo, an upbeat female who has feelings for a male manga author named Nozaki. One day, Chiyo meets Nozaki and he mistakes her romantic confession as an autograph request. After taking her on as his assistant, Chiyo must help Nozaki with his daily activities and find a way to get him to realize her true feelings for him.
Like Azumanga Daioh, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun emphasizes comedy and generates laughs through its characters’ quirky traits and placing them in embarrassing and humorous scenarios. Viewers will find Chiyo’s determination inspiring and her failed attempts at living up to Nozaki’s expectations relatable. That said, friendship and communication are two themes shared between these anime. If you’re after a romantic tale with great life lessons, fun humor, and a wonderful duo, check out Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun.
So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with Azumanga Daioh!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks, Kevin! I hope you enjoy the anime you haven’t seen yet. As for Strawberry Marshmallows, I’ll be sure to add it to my own viewing list.
Good picks and some I haven’t seen that I need to check out. One suggestion: I was surprised not to see Strawberry Marshmallow on that list. It should be on it.