Wouldn’t anime be a much better scenery if all it showed were rainbows, butterflies, and sugarcoated escapist dreams? Not entirely it seems because some of thebest animedeal with reality and social problems. Even something as mundane as the everyday life of a yuppie or a high school girl isn’t prone to social issues and that’s whatHigehirodeals with.
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The newcomer anime dabbles in topics like poverty, prostitution, and pedophilia along with the usual 21st-century adult diet of depression, anxiety, and failed relationships. In short, it’s mature and realistic in a contemporary, everyday life context. Too bad it only goes by one episode per week so if viewers are aching for a more realistic slice-of-life drama likeHigehiro, they might want to check these out.
Updated December 18th, 2022 by Sid Natividad:It has been several months since Higehiro concluded yet its subject matter remains a popular and daring backdrop for a lot of viewers. Waiting around for season 2 (assuming there even is one) can be daunting so more anime like Higehiro should sate everyone’s craving for a slice-of-life series that doesn’t shy away from adulthood problems. Thankfully, there are more shows like Higehiro than viewers might have anticipated.There’s no shortage of realistic slice-of-life anime that tackle relatable subject matters— matters mostly adults are fond of or are drowning in. As such, there are plenty more anime like Higehiro. So here are even more titles to choose from. Because at the moment, there’s no news yet regarding Higehiro’s renewal.
20Kotaro Lives Alone
Get ready to cry on this one, becauseKotaro Lives Aloneis about a little boy who lost his parents and decided to live alone using insurance money in an apartment with dysfunctional adults. That’s the premise, the actual execution of the story is a thought-provoking experience that will make any adult re-evaluate their lives and their upbringing.
And despite Kotaro’s innocence and naivete, he had a certain idealist wisdom that changed the lives of all the other struggling adult neighbors around him. To that end, Kotaro has easily become one of the most popular child characters in anime, right next to Anya fromSpy x Family.
19Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku
IfKotaro Lives Aloneor evenHigehirois a little too heavy on the eyes and the heart, then here’s something a little light-hearted.Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otakuis a slice-of-life anime about working adults. There’s not much drama or struggle happening here since it’s a relaxing romance run.
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The premise is that a former otaku and cosplayer named Narumi Momose has had a disastrous love life after all her exes eventually found out that she was an otaku, so she dated childhood friend Hirotaka Nifuji out of a casual agreement. It was rough at the start since they were not each other’s types, but inevitably, spring comes to make all the flowers bloom.
18Barakamon
Barakamonis a meditative anime about calligraphy. But even so, don’t expect it to be alienating or mundane. The plot here is relatable as ayoung, arrogant, and talentedadult named Seishuu Handa was brought back down to the humble Earth after his father sent him to live in the countryside as punishment for his hubris.
But Seishuu got more than he bargained for, as he found out that he has a lot more to learn about life outside of his bourgeois comfort zone. For any struggling yuppie, artist or otherwise, this anime might easily provide a good perspective on life and healing from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
17Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
Josee, the Tiger and the Fishis an anime film about dreams and chasing them despite the odds and hindrances. That sounds a bit cliche, but the film executes its subject matter more dramatically and thoughtfully compared to others with the same theme. It’s a drama/romance that follows the story of a hopeful diver and budding marine biologist named Tsuneo.
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By a twist of fate, Tsuneo managed to become acquainted with Josee, an artistic paraplegic tsundere girl who has no other family other than her grandmother. If this film were to be adapted into a Hollywood production, it could easily turn into Oscar bait due to its wonderful premise.
16Bunny Drop
For something that sounds similar enough toHigehiro’s premise,Bunny Dropis a good recommendation. It’s about an aimless and lost 30-year-old yuppie named Daikichi who goes back to his grandfather to pay respects but is welcomed by a young girl named Rin. It turns out Rin is Daikichi’s grandfather’s illegitimate daughter, technically making her his aunt.
Even more surprising is that Rin was considered an embarrassment by the rest of the family, so it was up to Daikichi to take care of his younger “kid” aunt. This story of impromptu fatherhood will surely melt hearts and heal some scars previously thought to have not existed.
15Blend S
If any anime fan loves the prospect of an unfortunate adult circumstance pushing a teenager to mature early trope (albeit in a cute manner), thenBlend Shits all the right notes. The anime revolves around 16-year-old Maika Sakuranomiya who desperately wants to study abroad and has compelled herself to apply for a part-time job.
The only problem is, her resting face is a little too menacing or intimidating for the adult world, making it very difficult for her to find a job. That is until the eccentric Cafe Stile catches her gaze. There, she gets a place among anime personality stereotypes where she assumes the role of the sadistic but clumsy maid.
14After the Rain
After the Rainshares a similar plot withBlend-S,except the romance is more obvious here, which can be a bit worrying as the lead male is a 45-year-old working man while the lead female is a high school student. Things are handled sensibly, however, and no boundaries are crossed.
In any case,After the Rainsees the story of Akira Tachibana. Akira was a former school track athlete who became more reserved thanks to a foot injury that crushed her career path. While working in a cafe, Akira comes across a working man named Masami Kondou and the two of them develop a bond.
13Rec
BeforeHigehirostarted shaking up romantic dynamics in anime by portraying a platonic male and female live-in situation, there wasRec. It’s an older anime that surprisingly has a familiar setup. Fumihiko Matsumaru is a working adult male who encounters a lively girl named Aka Onda. Due to unfortunate circumstances in Aka’s life (her house burned down) she was invited to live with Fumihiko.
Their first night was eventful though they realized just how delicate their situation was and decided to keep everything platonic moving forward while living with each other. They then attempt to navigate the judgmental adult world while hiding their situation to protect their budding careers.
12Koi Kaze
A few years beforeRecintroduced tiptoeing around a potentially forbidden relationship,Koi Kazealready went there. It’s centered around a young man named Saeki Koushirou who doesn’t really know much about love since his parents are divorced which makes his job as a wedding planner difficult.
One day though, he met a high school girl named Nanoka Kohinata. She wakes up something in him and Saeki believed that he finally knew the meaning of love. Too bad he also found out Nanoka is his sister and she’s about to live with him and his father.
11ReLIFE
ReLIFEis a little different as it doesn’t really involve a young woman or an underaged girl living with an older man but it does involve the latter still. That man is Arata Kaizaki, who at 27, is having a poor chapter in his life and cannot keep a job. Thankfully, he gets another shot at life after being offered an experiment where he gets to live again as a 17-year-old but with his late-20s consciousness.
Initially, he thought he’d have an advantage but he couldn’t be more wrong. So he gets assigned a girl who must observe his progress in high school while also annoying the heck out of him as he tries to fix what went wrong with his development.
