Usagi Drop introduces us to a man named Daikichi Kawachi. A 30-something-year-old bachelor, Daikichi leads an easygoing, ordinary life, without any concrete direction or goals. When he hears of his grandfather’s passing, Daikichi returns to the family estate to pay his respects and say his final goodbyes. When he gets to the place, he encounters a young girl named Rin, later discovering that she is grandpa’s illegitimate daughter! Yikes! No one wants anything to do with her, but seeing that she’s only a kid, Daikichi takes her in, even though he’s got zero experience with children.

Similar to Usagi Drop, Uchi no Ko no Tame naraba, Ore wa Moshikashitara Maou mo Taoseru kamo Shirenai. captures the story of a male living his best life and adds a circumstance that’s out of his norm. With this adjustment, the guy finds a quality he never knew existed, which makes his livelihood even better than before. Rin and Latina make an incredible impact in Daikichi and Dale’s lives, and it’s super sweet!

An uneventful day turns crazy when Kobayashi meets a dragon named Tooru in the mountains. Kobayashi tells Tooru she can stay at her house while she is wasted and unfortunately realizes the mess she agreed to the next day. Kobayashi doesn’t want to go against her word so she says Tohru can stay. What the heck did she get herself into? A condition of Tooru living there is for her to do the housekeeping. Can this dragon maid clean? Do laundry? Greet people? Cook? How can a dragon integrate into the human world? Tooru’s experiences along with some of her dragon friends are bound to make both creatures and people find a new way of living.

Life was dull and boring for Kobayashi and Dale until they were graced with the presence of a young gal whose personality contrasts their own. From that moment forward, their lives changed for the better. Both Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord contain characters set in a repetitious day-to-day routine and suddenly are faced dealing with a situation that puts them out of their comfort zone. Endearing and exciting, both anime bear many resemblances.

Kouhei Inuzuka has experienced tragedy after the death of his wife, leaving him to care for his daughter, Tsumugi. Because he has a busy schedule on top of being a terrible cook, Kouhei must rely on premade meals for himself and Tsumugi. However, Kotori Iida, one of Kouhei’s students, offers him and his daughter to dine at her family’s restaurant. With scheduling conflicts as well, Kotori often dines alone; but not for long as the three of them dine together, cooking and sharing delicious meals with good company.

Amaama to Inazuma and Uchi no Ko no Tame naraba, Ore wa Moshikashitara Maou mo Taoseru kamo Shirenai. are sweet and touching slice of life anime that remind us of the importance of spending time with loved ones. Both series also help us remember the thought and care it takes to make a meal from scratch. We love how anime like these make us appreciate the simple things, steering away from the daily, stressful grind.

Seishuu Handa is a talented calligrapher with great potential and it doesn’t hurt that he’s got the looks to back up those skills either. As his popularity is rising, Seishuu’s ego is inflating as well, and no one likes a show-off. One day, when another professional critiques one of his best pieces, saying that it's basic, Seishuu freaks out. His outburst doesn’t fare well, and as a consequence, he is sent to the Goto Islands. As a result, this environment forces Seishuu to find new inspiration but he’s having a hard time doing so because of the natives butting into his creative space. “Don’t kill my vibe!”

Barakamon and If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord shares a similar theme that involves a man being a paternal figure to a young girl. Both anime also fit into the slice of life category, presenting near-identical results from unlikely relationships. The pairs in each series ultimately learn a bunch of things from one another, and in the end, their lives improve exponentially.

After being away for quite some time, Souta Tawara returns to his hometown in Kagawa, taking a break from busy Tokyo. Although his parents are no longer around, his home and family-owned udon restaurant remind him of the good times. Visiting memory lane, Souta enters the udon restaurant and discovers a young boy sleeping. Thinking nothing of it, Souta offers the young boy food and clothing. However, the boy suddenly sprouts a furry pair of ears and a tail! Souta comes to learn that the boy is the rumored shape-shifting tanuki that has inhabited Kagawa for many years. Naming him Poko, the two of them build an unlikely companionship.

“A house is not a home when there’s no one there to hold you tight.” Udon no Kuni and Uchi no Ko no Tame naraba, Ore wa Moshikashitara Maou mo Taoseru kamo Shirenai.’s stories follow the stories of heartwarming relationships between an adult and a child that isn’t their blood, showing that family doesn’t end there. Both pairs offer each other a sense of home and belonging. Also, both share a theme that we can all relate to, seeing the positive in a situation and cherishing each moment.

Another awesome anime that shares a similarity to Uchi no Ko no Tame naraba, Ore wa Moshikashitara Maou mo Taoseru kamo Shirenai. is Gakuen Babysitters. The story is about Ryuuichi Kashima, who suffers a tragedy and must take on becoming an adult too soon for his sibling. Ryuuichi does a decent job looking after his little bro, but he is still too young to understand the depth of the situation. While at their parents’ funeral, the boys meet Youko Morinomiya, the chairwoman of Morinomiya School, who kindly decides to take them in. As life deals us happenings out of our control, Chairwoman Morinomiya tells Ryuuichi that to meet their tuition and board, he is to become the school’s babysitter. Thus the babysitters’ club was established to help the staff find childcare. So not only is Ryuuichi responsible for his brother’s well being, but also many other toddlers.

Even though the setting for each anime is different, one being a school and the other not, Ryuuichi and Dale are confronted with caring for the young. Either by choice or unfortunate circumstances, these guys pick up on the go how to perform their responsibilities. There are laughable moments along with tender, heart-wrenching ones. When watching both, there are instances when near-identical feelings surface, tugging at our heartstrings.