Top 20 Best High School Anime Recommendations Of All Time

High school anime is a popular genre of Japanese animation, and it is well known for its strong themes. The stories are often romantic, dramatic, or even sad. High school anime depicts the life of teenagers who are faced with real-world problems such as bullying, friendship, growing up, and finding their own way in an uncertain world.

Anime is a style of Japanese animation, which has quickly become one of the most popular forms of entertainment. The best anime series is incredibly well written and animated, with storylines that can be enjoyed by people all over the world. Moreover, anime caters to every demographic, as there are series for children, teens, and adults. In this article, We all watched High School Anime when we were young, but if you’re looking for a new one to watch now that are older, here are the top 20 best high school anime recommendations of all time.

We are not only talking about the popular high school anime, but also those that are “hidden gems” or anime that may have been overlooked by many. These anime are often underrated but deserve to be ranked up there with the highest-rated high school animes of all time.

So, if you’re looking for teen romantic comedy anime and Tv shows to watch and enjoy? Here is an epic list of the best high school anime movies and series to dive through, pick your favorite, and add the rest to your watchlist.

20. Highschool of the Dead

Genres: Action, Horror, Supernatural, Ecchi, Shounen

The zombie outbreak starts whilst our protagonists are in high school. Eventually, they found themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, and they become a small group of seven high school survivors girls whose sole purpose is to survive and to go out into the world and check on their families. Together, they must try to face a zombie apocalypse that decimates the population.

Overall, the story of this high school anime series is pretty good, the animation and sound were amazing. So if you’re looking for zombies, action, ecchi, harem, and high school anime this is for you to watch. But if you are a real zombie fan and looking into seeing an anime that is all about zombies, gore, and survival! It might not be for you. Cuz this Japanese show is more comical than it is an actual zombie apocalypse.

19. Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway

Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

The story of this high school anime series centered around a 26-year-old salaryman, Yoshida. One night, after he confesses his love to his coworker Aira Gotou which promptly gets rejected, Yoshida goes out drinking to cure his depression of one-sided love. On his way home he comes across an unfamiliar high school girl, sitting underneath a street lamp wearing a school uniform. When he asked what she is doing!

The high school girl introduces herself as Sayu Ogiwara and tries to seduce Yoshida in order to live with him in exchange for… her body.

Yoshida is a nice guy, so he does not agree with that, however, he allows the schoolgirl to stay in his apartment in exchange for cooking and doing some homework… The next morning during a miso soup breakfast which was requested by Yoshida during a drunken rant Sayu admits that for the last six months she traveled across Japan staying at men’s apartments in return for her body… Now while living with her, Yoshida decides to change his habits to become a father figure to his new roommate/maid/love interest.

Overall, Higehiro is new anime series that aired in the spring of 2021, the story is unique, and the animation is excellent.

18. Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life!

Genres: Drama, Romance, Music, School

The story of this high school anime series goes off the Tokise High School Koto Club, where Takezou Kurata, the president of the koto music club. As the sole member of the Koto club, his love for koto music is evident although it’s hard to make his club into a sensation.

The fact is, his club is on the verge of shutting down until a delinquent and a wonderful player named Chika Kudo submitted his application to join.

With sufficient opportunity and some unimaginable expertise at the strings, maybe this diverse team can evoke an emotional response from the appointed authorities.

Overall, this Japanese high school anime series is very good by presenting a dramatic storyline and each character has a story behind each of them. So, if you like a slice of life, music, comedy, drama, and school life anime! Kono Oto Tomare is a good watch for you.

17. Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You

Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, school, shoujo

This Japanese high school anime series tells the of the shy and sweet Sawako Kuronuma who has lived most of her school years as a social outcast. However, this all changes once she meets a high school boy named Kazehaya, the friendly and outgoing star of the class, which inspires her to change and open up. As time goes by she gains new friends, and confidence, and – ultimately – discovers the meaning of love.

In general, Kimi ni Todoke is an amazing shoujo story somewhere on the verge between fairytale romance and realistic storytelling. The animation was very unique and easily distinguishable from other animes- the soft pastel colors and smaller shoujo eyes were pretty cute.

So, if you like romance high school animes with calm, gentle storylines focussing more on characters’ emotions and feelings instead of bold, action-packed events, then I am pretty sure you will like this one.

16. Sound! Euphonium

Genre: Drama, Music, School

This high school anime series focuses on a group known as the Kitauji High School Music Club, a group that sounds fairly mediocre. and follows their journey as they grow both as musicians and as people in their efforts to truly accomplish what they before just claimed as a pipe dream: make the nationals of the Kansai Band Competition.

Overall, the plot was interesting, the music was really good, and the animation was nice and clean. So, if you’re looking for a cute high school anime series about music clubs! Then you must watch the Sound! Euphonium.

15. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Supernatural, School

The story of this Japanese high school anime series focuses on a young man named “Azusagawa Sakuta” who finds himself meeting a bunny girl, it turns out Sakuta knows that person she is “Sakurajima Mai” who is a senior in his school. But strangely only Sakuta can see the form of a rabbit Sakurajima, both of them are looking for a way out together to uncover the mystery that happened to him.

The theme mainly revolves around this thing called “Adolescence Syndrome” or “Puberty Syndrome”, which is when a person’s internal conflicts become so serious, that they turn into external conflicts in a supernatural way.

In general, the story is amazing and it catches your attention right from the first episode and then continues on to deal with the different kinds of problems faced by the adolescents. The animation is deep and smooth.

So, if you want some fun time watching some slice of life, comedy, and romance high school anime show! you really don’t want to miss out on this show.

14. I Want to Eat Your Pancreas

Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, school

The story of this Japanese high school anime movie centered around an outgoing high school girl named Sakura Yamauchi and her anti-social classmate Haruki Shiga, who want to break away from his chains of being a loner and reading books, but can’t. That is when Sakura comes along. They officially “meet” up and the main protagonist first discovers her secret illness in her diary. then the story takes off from there. They are both complete each other perfectly as the role of the girl is to develop the boy into having a more enjoyable life.

Overall, this is an amazing high school anime movie, the story is very interesting. The background art and character designs are definitely above average.

I would like to conclude by saying this, watch this anime movie even if you dislike romance, school life, drama, or any other genres this movie touches because for sure this show will touch your heart.

13. Fruits Basket

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Supernatural

The story of this high school anime series starts when our main heroine Tooru Honda lost her mother and her home. Therefore, she decides to live in a tent, that so happens to be on the land of the Sohmas, a family conveniently full of cute boys with issues. We get our usual reverse-harem setup with our heroine having to live in the house of the most popular boy in her class with his hot cousin…

If you have been looking for a wonderful high school anime series to watch look no further. The story is enough to keep one entertained and sweet enough to allow one to simply relax.

12. High School DxD

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Demons, Harem, School

This Japanese high school anime series follows the story of Issei Hyodo. Issei was a regular high school student that was asked out by a fellow classmate that turned out to be a fallen angel and killed him. He was resurrected by Rias Gremory, another fellow classmate who happens to be a devil, as a devil to be her servant. The plot then becomes about Issei trying to understand the power within him that was the reason for him to be killed originally.

Overall, the plot of this school anime is honestly great, the story is very interesting and unfolds at a good pace for a shorter anime, however, the other seasons add to it as well. So, if you like a harem, school, funny characters, a ton of Fantasy mixed with Action, and some epic moments, High School DxD is one of the most famous and loved high school anime.

11. Toradora!

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life, School

This high school anime TV show tells the story of Ryuuji and Taiga’s friendship. The domestic, level-headed Ryuuji has fallen for the vivacious and optimistic Kushieda Minori, childhood friend to Aisaka Taiga. The tsundere Taiga, meanwhile, crushes on Ryuuji’s upbeat buddy, Yuusaku. When Taiga and Ryuuji discover their coinciding interests, they form a friendship around gaining the affection of each other’s friend.

Overall, this is a good school-life anime, and all the events that happen in school, friendships, love stories, bullies all the normal stuff in school life.

So if you were looking for such great romance high school anime shows you might take this one as your cup of tea…

10. Your Name

Genres: Drama, Romance, Supernatural, School

This is another Japanese high school anime movie on this list. Your Name is an endearing tale of fate and love beautifully animated and brimming with emotion plugging details that are sure to have you laughing crying or a solid mix of the two! The main characters are genuine and easy to fall in love with right off the bat with their dialogue provides an atmosphere to the story. And insight into the way they live their lives the two characters centered in this complicated relationship is high schoolers Mitsu ha and tacky both of whom live vastly different lives. Mitsu ha serves as a dancing shrine maiden in her rural mountain town while Taki waits on tables at a bustling upscale restaurant in Tokyo! They meet each other through an odd supernatural phenomenon in which periodically when they wake up they’ve swapped bodies! It’s, not something they have control over so they do their best not to royally mess up one another’s livelihoods. They even manage to make some improvements along the way the timing couldn’t have been better for their fates to cross as major events challenged them to push the limits of what they can do as individuals.

This is one of the best romance high school anime movies! And it is definitely one that everyone should see if you enjoy watching love stories showcased in a creative way. Therefore, you will be having some emotional waves from time to time, because it is one of the saddest anime movies that can be found…

9. Maid-Sama!

Genres: Comedy, Romance, school

The story of this high school anime series centered around Misaki Ayuzawa a female high school student that earned the title of Student Council President of an almost all-male high school, Seika High School. To support her family that has come into hard times she secretly works after school at a servant bistro in Akihabara as a maid. This fact puts her in a pinch as it could very well change the other students’ views of her, losing their respect and her strictness. What makes matters worse for her is that the top male student, Takumi Usui, finds out her little secret and uses it to torment her.

In general, this is a great high school anime to watch, the story is really good, and the characters are well done.

So if you like comedy, romance, and school animes, I would definitely recommend this Japanese tv show to you! You won’t be disappointed!

8. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural, School

This high school anime follows Saiki, a high school boy born with all manners of psychic power. You can imagine life would be unreal for anyone with such power, but Saiki, somewhat a pessimist and in so many ways bored with his power could argue it’s not so great.

Mundane activities and things an ordinary person would find well… ordinary are the things Saiki misses out on the most, and so many activities he finds are interrupted by his powers and become draining experiences for him. Though he wishes he could partake in so many of these mundane things, in the end, Saiki is so used to his powers that have become such a routine part of his life that life just wouldn’t work for him without them.

In general, The story is lighthearted and easy to watch, filled with plenty of comedy and a mix of a not-so-ordinary slice of life.

So if you want a comedy, school anime with an overpowered main character! give this one a try.

7. Ouran High School Host Club

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Harem, School

The story of this Japanese high school anime series follows Haruhi Fujioka, a middle-class girl who gets a scholarship to attend the high-class Ouran Academy. While she roams the halls trying to find a quiet place to study, she comes across the Host Club, a group of six males who entertain female clients.

Shortly after stumbling upon this group, Haruhi accidentally knocks over and breaks a very expensive antique vase. In order to repay for the broken vase, Haruhi is forced to work as an errand boy for the Host Club. The group soon realizes that Haruhi is a natural at being a host and they decide to promote her to full-time host, which will also pay off the debt quicker. The members discover one by one that Haruhi is also a girl. With that, they decide to keep the fact that she is a girl a secret.

Overall, everything about this Japanese TV show is great, loveable characters, great sound, nice animation, and an interesting storyline to boot. This high school anime series is highly recommended if you are fans of reverse harems, school comedies, or just want to make fun of decades-old clichés.

6. Classroom of the Elite

Genres: Psychological, Drama, School

The story of this high school anime series centered around Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, a transfer student to Tokyo Koudo Ikusei Senior High School: a school that has a point system where they earn points in many different ways such as getting good grades and the students have to try their best to work their way up to Class A considering the fact that they are in Class D which is the class with the lowest status. What’s more, every month, the school awards students points with a cash value of 100,000 yen, and the classes employ a laissez-faire policy in which talking, sleeping, and even sabotage are permitted during class.

Unfortunately, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji is a student of Class D, where the school dumps its worst.

Overall Youkoso was an interesting anime that had as its main strengths an interesting premise, story, characters, and the underlying themes of society that it tries to address. So if you enjoy high school animes with a smart and badass main character, this show is for you.

5. Daily Lives of High School Boys

Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life, School

This Japanese high school anime series is pure comedy in the most ridiculous and random sense you can imagine, every day is a new adventure for Tadakuni, Hidenori and Yoshitake filled with stupid conversations, strange happenings, and childish antics.

The animation is good, but I cannot evaluate it as I have not paid much attention to the quality, rather being consumed by the comedy and story of the show, although this show has a very nice unique style.

As for the story, it sort of has one, but sort of doesn’t. It is more of a slice of life and is primarily centered on school life and the student characters in high school, as well as each section, is a separate little story. So, if you go into this expecting a real story, you won’t be that happy, but if you are already a fan of slice-of-life comedies then you should enjoy this.

Overall I give this series a 10/10 because of its great characters, overly funny stories, and situations, being addictive to watch, and being a lovely example of its genre, albeit a little more extreme than others of its genre.

4. The God of High School

Genres: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Martial Arts

The story of this Korean High School anime focuses on Jin Mo-Ri, a 17-year-old martial artist from Seoul, South Korea. He is invited to join a tournament, sponsored by an unknown, mysterious organization, no one knows about to select martial artists that will later take part in even a bigger tournament. The God of High School is a competition of martial artists across the whole world and the most skillful warrior will take it all. However, little is known about the shady tournaments taking place.

Unlike anything ever seen in the anime industry, adapted from a Manhwa, which is different from a manga. The anime has a different art style compared to much other anime, consisting of a combination of different animation skills: First there was the face structure, clearly from looking at their faces it is noticeable that the structure of their ears and nose are different from that on a normal anime character, and that’s what made the anime interesting, characters that haven’t been seen before, a different character design. It all makes the anime unique in comparison to other martial art anime. The Team also have done their homework on their martial art techniques and cultures, each fighter having a different fighting style.

3. The Irregular at Magic High School

Genres: Action, Romance, Sci-Fi, Magic, School

The story of this magic High School anime series centered around a 15-year-old Tatsuya Shiba who is with his younger sister Miyuki Shiba chooses to take a crack at one of the state-subsidized catalytic examination facilities; to fill in as a state chemist for fascism that supports the exploration of its chemist as a trade-off for their administrations as weapons…

Yet, basically, embed performers in the spot of a chemist and a high school in Japan as the site of the enchantment research office at the command of the public authority.

Overall, is a good high school anime. Mostly good storylines and entertaining to watch. The series is very well animated, the magic and the world actually are pretty interesting. This anime shows the use of magic in a totally different and new way.

2. Horimiya

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life, School

Horimiya is a romantic comedy and high school anime, of course, there will be two people, leading the whole story: Izumi and Kyouko.

Izumi looks like a gamer and your typical life anime otaku with that being the reason for him always being avoided by his classmates. Kyouko is a dream girl for any boy: smart, beautiful, always cheerful, and ready to help, she is just great at everything. One day, the two discover that they are different from what people see. Little by little, they start talking to each other, which becomes the main point of the story.

This anime will make you feel happy and joyful! It’s a lovely, sweet, cute, heartwarming, wholesome story that describes how a high school love turned into pure and inseparable love.

Overall, it’s an amazing romance anime, and absolutely recommend it for people searching for a comedy/romance high school anime series!

1. Kaguya-sama: Love Is War?

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Psychological, School

A war wouldn’t be conceivable without different sides currently, would it? That is the place where the 2 leads come in this high school anime show. You have your virtuoso secondary school fellow – Shirogane Miyuki. And a similarly capable young lady – Shinomiya Kaguya.

Competing to get the other to admit their affection to them as their pride won’t permit them to do likewise. Along these lines, they do what any ordinary person would when they like to admit to their pound; they begin creating extra, and yet sort of conceivable, situations nobody can deny.

You know, your average secondary school tricks. What’s more, the plan to mentally control the other to admit their affection began between the two sides. Which, unavoidably clears the way for some immersing mind fights between the teenagers! Taking on the appearance of being unmistakably more clever than they really are.

Overall, this anime is incredibly entertaining with golden comedy, well-developed and interesting characters, and a story that leaves you wishing the episodes were longer than thirty minutes. This is truly the best high school romance anime to watch.

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