The best part about any slice of life anime is that it gives us characters we can relate to and look back on. Such characters are usually found in the mellow-like romance genre. Not only this, but these characters are often very reflective about themselves, their actions as well as the world around them. One such anime is Say I Love You. When watching the anime, you cannot help but feel things even if you dislike them. The characters are very well written as through their journey, we begin questioning certain concepts about human behavior too. Thus, below are 10 anime that are like Say I Love You. Say I Love You or Sukitte Ii Na Yo, better known as Sukitte, is adapted from a manga written and illustrated by Kanae Hazuki in 2008.
In the year 2012, the anime adaptation was released by the studio Zexcs from 6th October to 30th December. It tells us the story of the introverted girl Tachibana Mei who keeps to herself to avoid getting hurt again by the people she once called “friends”. Things change when she comes across the outgoing and popular boy Kurosawa Yamato. Since Yamato is intrigued by the way she is, he tries to befriend her, which only causes her to avoid him. After a life-threatening situation, they both share a kiss and soon begin going out. This is when Mei’s life begins to take a new turn as she begins to discover more things not only about her relationship and friendships but also about herself.
Violet Evergarden
The first anime that came to mind when I discovered the story of Say I Love You was Violet Evergarden. Yes, the storylines are very different from each other, but they both focus on similar main protagonists. Violet Evergarden tells us the story of Violet, an Auto Memory Doll, who tries to understand the meaning of the words “I Love You” after they were uttered to her by her mentor, Major Gilbert. Since she, and her kind, were made to serve others during the times of war, after the war was over, she began to discover the purpose of her life. The challenge she takes on to discover the world that has more than she knows of is very similar to what Mei does in the new world she is introduced to.
Violet Evergarden was adapted from a light novel series written and illustrated by Kana Akatsuki and Akiko Takase, respectively. The studio Kyoto Animation released a 13-episode anime series in 2018 along with OVAs. The series has won many avoids. Another thing worth mentioning is that the anime gives off the same mellow vibe as that given through Say I Love You.
Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You
The next anime is very similar to Say I Love You, not only in the main premise but also when it comes to their respective characters. Like Say I Love You, the anime introduces us to a girl named Sawako Kuronuma, who is shunned by her classmates because she looks like the character from The Ring. Not only this, but they gave her the nickname Sadako, like the aforementioned character, and spread rumors that she could talk to ghosts and curse people. Because of all this, she is unable to make any friends even though all she wishes to do is help them.
Things change for her when Shouta Kazehaya, the school’s popular boy, befriends her. Thanks to him, she is able to meet genuine people who eventually become her friends, and gradually she ends up in a relationship with Shouta. This opens up a new world for her that she eagerly explores. Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You is adapted from a manga written and illustrated by Karuho Shiina. The studio Production I.G. released the anime version of the series on 6th October 2009. The studio released two seasons of the anime that officially ended in 2011. In 2010, a live-action film of the same name was released.
Ao Haru Ride
Another anime that has a cute yet very realistic love story is Ao Haru Ride. Besides this, the main character of this series is very similar to Mei from Say I Love You, as they both come from similar pasts. Here the female lead, Futaba Yoshioka, fits well in her friends’ group as long as she hides her feminine side. This is because, in the past, she was bullied by her female friends for “stealing people’s attention”. Not being able to truly be herself, she finds life boring, that is until she meets Kou Mabuchi, previously known as Kou Tanaka, and her “first love”. He moves back to his hometown because of his mother’s death, and Futaba notices that he is colder in his demeanor than he used to be.
She befriends him, along with other friends, and decides to make some changes in life for herself by applying to be the class president. Besides this, she, as well as other characters, try to come to terms with what they need and what they really want. This is an aspect that makes Ao Haru Ride a good anime to watch because the female protagonist does not rely on a male lead to her out of her shell. She makes necessary changes for herself. Not only this, but even the male lead focuses on his emotions and decides to eventually address them. This character-driven coming-of-age series is created by Io Sakisaka. The anime was adapted by the studio Production I.G. in the year 2014. It also has a live-action film.
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Toradora!
Toradora! is another anime that is character-driven and focuses on a not-so-typical love story. Apart from this, the main female lead may not be like Mei from Say I Love You but would definitely relate to her when it comes to being an oddball in school. It introduces us to the main male character, Ryuji Takatsu, who starts his second year of high school happy about the fact that his best friend, Yusaku, and his crush, Minori, will be in the same class as him. However, things get difficult for him when he comes across Minori’s best friend, Taiga Aisaka, who is known to be a “dangerous animal” at school because of her short temper. Interestingly, Ryuji finds out that Taiga has a crush on Yusaku and vice versa.
This is when they both decide to help each other get together with their respective crush. However, spending a lot of time together causes their feelings to change as well as develop for each other. Toradora! is adapted from a light novel series written and illustrated by Yuyuko Takemiya and Yasu, respectively. The anime was released by J.C. Staff studio in 2008. Besides a manga, the series also has a game that was released in 2009.
Clannad
Next up on the list is the anime Clannad. This anime is probably very different from Say I Love You and has very diverse characters but both the anime focus on similar themes that high school students face. The main protagonist of the series is a rebellious guy named Tomoya Okazaki who dislikes school and often likes skipping his classes with his best friend. On one such adventure, he comes across a peculiar student from his school named Nagisa Furukawa. Eventually, he begins to notice her every now and then at school and finally decides to befriend her. Through her friendship, he learns that she is supposed to be a year older but since she was ill had to put her education on hold. Not only this, but she also has a goal of restarting the drama club at school.
The story then focuses on Tomoya, making a lot of friends from the drama club. Not only this, but he also tends to listen to his new friends’ problems and tries to help them solve them. While doing so, Tomoya learns a lot about himself as an individual being too. Clannad is adapted from a visual novel created by Key. This game series follows Tomoya’s story from high school to adulthood. The anime was produced by the studio Kyoto Animation and was released in the year 2007.
Koi no Katachi
The next anime, similar to Say I Love You, is not a series but an anime film. Koi no Katachi, better known as A Silent Voice, is probably the best anime film when it comes to portraying realistic themes in the life of high schoolers. The main characters of both stories are similar. However, Shoko Nishimiya’s story from Koi no Katachi is more touching. Through many heartbreaking scenes, we learn the story of how she was bullied for being deaf as a kid. However, the main premise of the story centers around Shoyo Ishida, the boy who bullies Nishimiya. The overall story focuses on how he tries to reach out to her in hopes of reconciling, and Nishimiya being the best girl she is, forgives him while going through many things on her own.
The most beautiful aspect of this film isn’t only its stunning visuals but how the story unravels around the main characters as individuals as well as a major part of each other lives. In this coming-of-age story, each and every character realizes something about themselves. The story does have some romantic traces between Nishimiya and Ishida and is emphasized moderately, making it very realistic. This brilliant film is based on a manga created by Yoshitoki Ouima. The film was released in 2016, directed by Naoko Yamada, and was produced by Kyoto Animation.
Orange
Since I am suggesting Orange next, I am going to use the exact words as anybody would when suggesting this anime – sit with a box of tissue when watching this one. This anime gives off the same vibes as Koi no Katachi, but since it contains many episodes, as an audience, you will eventually grow more connected to the characters here. What is even more amazing is that it blends a drop of sci-fi with its slice-of-life and romantic themes. We are introduced to a high school girl, Takamiya Naho, who receives a letter from her future self asking her to prevent certain things from happening regarding the newly transferred student, Kakeru Naruse. As the story unravels, we learn that in the future, Kakeru is dead. Thus, the present Naho does everything she can by obediently following the “to-do” guide her future self gave her to prevent anything bad from happening.
The story focuses on the characters as individuals and touches on many mature and realistic themes. Many of the characters here are very relatable and could make one feel understood. Overall, the character development in this anime is more significant than that of Say I Love You. That being said, both the anime heavily focus on how friends can save lives if the right ones are found. Orange is based on a manga created by Ichigo Takano. The anime is produced by a collaboration between Telecom Animation Film and TMS Entertainment. It was released in the year 2016 and with an anime film titled “Orange: Future”. There is also a live-action film that was released in 2015.
Horimiya
Coming to a brighter anime that would not require any tissues is the next anime, Horimiya. It does not have mellow themes as mentioned in the previous anime but instead highly focuses on the individual lives of the main characters. Horimiya tells us the story of a popular girl named Kyoko Hori. She appears to be everything bright and shiny, making her a “perfect” female student. However, at home, she is very down to earth, likes staying in comfortable clothes, and is often seen taking care of her younger brother. In contrast, we have Miyamura Izumi, a dull, gloomy, nerd kid that keeps to himself. However, his real personality includes a “bad-boy” demeanor and lots of piercings. When they two come across their “real” selves by accident, they decide to keep it a secret.
This bond created through their secrets grows deeper as they begin to learn more about each other. Eventually, they begin a romantic relationship, but the story does not stop here. They continue to learn about themselves, each other, and what they want from this relationship as the anime goes on. Horimiya is based on a manga that goes with the name Hori-san to Miyamura-kun and was created by Hiroki Adachi (Hero). The anime was produced by CloverWorks studio and was released in 2021.
Kimi to Boku
This next anime series, Kimi to Boku, focuses on the friendship of four childhood friends with unique personalities. We have the twins Yuuta Asaba and Yuuki Asaba, who are the playful troublemakers of the group, Shun Matsuoka, who does not shy away from being his elegant self, Kaname Tsukahara, who is the class president and is mostly the “mom” of the group. These four are joined by a new student Chizuru Tachibana who has a fun-loving personality. Together, they create many comedic yet endearing scenes that portray their friendship very well.
Kimi to Boku is definitely very different from all the anime in the series. However, it does focus on the theme of friendship and how the people you hang out with can make you feel better. It is adapted from a manga created by Kiichi Hotta. The anime series is produced by J.C. Staff and has two seasons in all that aired in the years 2011 and 2012, respectively.
True Tears
Remember the box of tissues you discarded some time back? You may need them again when watching the next anime, True Tears. The anime focuses on three main characters starting off with the main male character Shinichirou Nakagami. He is subjected to jealousy from his peers as he lives with the best student in the school, Hiromi Yuasa, the second main character. Despite all this, the students of the school do not know that Hiromi is depressed and often cries since her father’s demise. We are then introduced to the third main character, the interesting yet feared girl, Noe Isurugi.
Things in the anime get interesting as we come to know that Noe is feared because of her ability to curse other students. One day she ends up cursing Shinichirou, but the curse backfires on her. Because of this, she isn’t able to cry because her tears are stolen. In order to cry, she needs to steal someone else’s tears which sparks the perfect plan in Shinichirou’s mind. The anime series is inspired by a visual novel created by La’cryma. However, the characters, as well as the storyline of the anime, are based on the production of the studio P.A.Works.
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