Set in a parallel world, Baka to Test, aka The idiot and the test, is centered around Akihisa Yoshii who, for all intents and purposes, is an idiot. No really, he is the lowest of the low currently placed in class F. At the school, students are ranked on academic ability and placed in classes based on their scores and ability. Class A is home to the geniuses of the academy, while those in Class F are at the bottom of the intelligence and ability scale.

Students in Class A have amenities such as air conditioning and extremely comfortable classrooms while Class F has old desks and broken or breaking furniture. What is the ability part for? Well, the school is currently rolling out a system that allows students to summon magical beasts. What happens next? Fed up with the mistreatment that they have to endure, Class F starts a war on the school to take Class A for themselves!

It starts with the vibe and overall feel of the anime that makes a bridge between the two series. The humor is there and is used well to make the user laugh while presenting a false-future that could spell the end for some. Much like Mumei, Akihisa also has a partner who is more intelligent than he is. Both Akihisa and Mumei are rebelling against a system that has done them wrong. While Mumei is more cunning with it, Akihisa takes the direct route to success.

The other major similarity here is that both are essentially at the bottom at the beginning of the series, and have to work their way up. Akihisa has to play by the rules, though, while Mumei does not.

Saitama is your everyday superhero. He trains, he is super strong, and he’s bald?

Saitama lost his hair due to his training regimen that started three years ago. Since then, he has been a success… Kinda. He meets Genos by chance one day who witnesses Saitama’s one punch knockout. Moved by what he has seen, Genos asks Saitama to take him in and teach him his ways. They both try out to become heroes with the Heroes Association of the city where Genos actually outranks him! Saitama does not let that get him down though. Why? Because one punch is all he needs to win. One by one foes will rise up against Saitama.

Much like Saitama, Mumei is kinda easy going. The only thing he focuses on is passing the test and getting the answer sheet from Koui to copy. Saitama too in the same way is a bit single-minded and not focused on a lot of other things. There is also the blatant humor that exists between the main character and everything and everyone around him. He does not pay attention too much and essentially that does translate into humor.

How could we forget too, that much like Saitama who does not show out and roll out that knockout punch right in the beginning, Mumei does not either? Plus, they always manage to pull it off and win in the end. One Punch Man may not be set in a school, but the underlying similarities are there.

Chulan goes home to his hometown one day to visit his grandfather’s grave. However, that is not all as when he arrives, there is some strange girl carrying a knife and digging his grandfather’s grave up? Suddenly zombies appear out of nowhere and it’s time to book it! This mysterious girl cuts down a few zombies and leaves it up to Chulan. The next day, the mysterious girl introduces herself as Baobao and is in his classes back at university!? What is going on? She says that foes are going to be rising up against him and that he needs to stand against them because they want his power. Here goes Chulan! Can he survive?

Much like with Cheating Craft, Hitori no Shita actually takes a tried and true concept that we all know as anime fans, and actually, makes it into something new. Now, whether or not it is because these shows are both from Chinese novels/manga or not, is anyone’s guess. Regardless, it is quite enjoyable nonetheless. Both Chulan and Mumei are obsessed with the girl closest to them, even if Chulan does not realize it in the beginning.

Also, does it even need to be said? Chulan and Mumei are both OP. Mumei may be working his way up through the ranks, but he is still never caught and pulls through no matter how difficult the trial. Hero’s Journey anyone?

Ryuuko Matoi one day decides that she needs to get revenge for her father who was killed. By coming into contact with Senketsu, a sentient uniform, Ryuuko suddenly gains the power to fight back against the superpowered students of Honnouji Academy. Taking one half of her father’s invention, the Scissor Blade, she sets out to conquer the school, since it seems that the student council president, Satsuki Kiryuuin, may have some information for Ryuuko. Dark secrets and even darker events await Ryuuko in the academy as she struggles against the system to fight back against the elite four. Can she handle it? Jump in a uniform and find out!

Much like with Mumei in Cheating Craft, Ryuuko is searching for answers about her father. Both of their fathers have been subjected to something that they did not deserve, and so they have to figure out how to start from scratch and win. The humor is also the same where it is very stupid sometimes. It does not hurt to mention that Ryuuko and Mumei can also be a little dense at times. They too also share the quality of not knowing when to give up and pushing themselves to the wire. They also have bizarre action scenes that show them being creative at the very least. While Cheating Craft is more school oriented and Kill la Kill is action, a lot of the underlying themes are similar.

You Satou was innocently shopping one day after school for some marked down bentou when he was knocked unconscious. When he woke up, there was nothing but full-price food left behind. You quickly learns that he is on a serious battlefield. To the victor go the half-priced bentou. To win, one must become a “wolf” and train to take down other wolves and “dogs” which is what he was on day one when he was kicked aside. He must train under the Ice Queen, Sen Yarizui, to become a bentou-eating wolf, or starve. What awaits him next in this battleground of the supermarket!?

Right off the bat, the stupid humor is very prevalent between Ben-to and Cheating Craft. One of the best scenes is where You jumps out a window to save a Sega Dreamcast system while reciting poetry. Mumei does the same with the idiot sharks who try to distract the students from their exams when they are at sea. The dialed-up seriousness of it as well is quite funny. You have students who go from throwing fists one second to talking calmly the next in Ben-to, while in Cheating Craft, you have C-types going all out to try and get the answers for their exams. There is also the parts of each respective series where the unexpected location, the classroom, and the supermarket, become deadly battlegrounds that determine your future!

We hope you like stupid humor! This one is for you. Two fallen angels, Panty and Stocking are known for being mean, rude, and all around disgusting! They currently now run around Daten city vanquishing ghosts. Why? Well, they get Heaven coins when they do this. IF they can collect enough, there is a chance that once again, they can see the pearly gates. The problem? Panty is a nymphomaniac, Stocking is obsessed with Candy, and Garterbelt, their partner, has a very… odd… fetish. SOMEHOW, if they can manage to beat off their worldly afflictions, then maybe, just maybe, they will have a shot at getting back into heaven. However, they gotta clean up their act first.

Panty & Stocking is crude. The show specializes in crude humor and the same is true with the ever thirsty Mumei. He is constantly preening after Haku after helping her one time when she was accused of cheating. There are also moments that contribute to the more… ecchi, side of things such as the beach scene where the students have to take the test in open water where the sharks destroy their clothes.

Also, like it or not, Mumei is not the main character that you warm up too immediately, just like Panty and Stocking. While they are the heroes of the story, they are slightly off-putting and individuals that grow on you. Another thing about these two series is that while a central plot is introduced, it is quickly forgotten as the show becomes episodic. Not necessarily bad, but this might not cater to all.