When Mikan Sakura finds out her best friend Hotaru is transferring to an elite school, she chooses to enroll with her. She finds out that this school teaches gifted students with special abilities called “Alices.” These abilities vary depending on the person and Mikan learns she possesses a rare Alice that cancels out a person’s Alice when they come near her. On her first day of school, she runs into local delinquent Natsume Hyuuga, who uses his Alice to take off her skirt after escaping from class. The two start off on a rocky relationship, but eventually become formidable partners in the school.

Mikan shares some similar qualities with Sana. They’re both bright and cheery and have had rude first impressions with boys. Their wacky antics matched with their equally outgoing personalities set the tone for the anime’s wild slapstick comedy. Natsume has no respect for authority and, like Akito, has dedicated followers who admire his rebellious acts.

Gakuen Alice incorporates more fantastical elements to its story. Nonetheless, it's the subtle drama involving many of Mikan’s friends that drives this series to success. The anime focuses on character development and the relationship between Mikan and Natsume. They both despise one another at first, but slowly grow to understand each other and eventually become a couple.

Kosaku adores the famous idol Yuka Kusakabe. He calls himself her biggest fan, sending her letters and collecting all her CDs, posters, and idol related memorabilia. When Yuka suddenly announces her retirement, Kosaku is devastated to the point of turning into hikikomori. He eventually returns to class, but is shocked to hear that Yuka has transferred into his school, under the name “Ringo.” Kosaku tries to learn why she enrolled in his school and deepens his relationship with her.

Nourin takes place at an agricultural school - a setting totally different than the ones featured in this list. Despite this change, Nourin still keeps the wild spirit of Kodocha. It has a cast of uniquely rambunctious individuals that often get roped into weird situations. The humour also features many slapstick gags, sprinkled with a bit of parody.

Ringo’s background as a Japanese idol is similar to Sana’s background as a child actress. However, while publicly she has a cheerful persona, this turns out to be a facade as she’s shown to have a dandere personality (with a hint of kuudere mixed in). Kosaku unknowingly changes Ringo to help her express her feelings for him. Overall, Nourin has flashes of drama, but is more focused on exploring the comedic everyday school life.

Kumiko “Yankumi” Yamaguchi is the granddaughter of a yakuza boss. Her parents died when she was young and her grandfather has been grooming her to be the heir of his empire. Kumiko, however, wants to become a teacher and, with her grandfather’s approval, lands a job at Shirokin Gakuen Private School. The catch is that she has to keep her Yakuza background private. Kumiko is put in charge of an all male class of delinquents that try to push her buttons. Nonetheless, she perseveres and eventually changes them to gain their respect.

When your anime title is a parody on The Godfather, you know it means business. Kumiko’s tough attitude defines her role as an ideal teacher who takes no disrespect from students. Despite her hardlined personality, she’s got her own unique quirks that often lead to various comedic situations. Additionally, her relationship with the relaxed and level headed Shin Sawada begins mildly, but slowly develops into feelings of love like Sana and Akito. Having been a well known delinquent in the school, Shin is the most perceptive of Kumiko’s nature and utilizes his intellect to help her out later on.

Kumiko tries to balance her reputable yakuza background and her public image as a teacher. Sana has the same dilemma when she attends a regular school while maintaining her career as a prolific child actress. Throughout their hectic lives, they still take the time to help those that are hurting and serve as inspirational characters in their own right. Gokusen is an overall goofy school comedy that takes its time to build characters and romances.

Kotoko has been in love with the very handsome Naoki since her first day in high school. When she finally musters up the courage to confess her feelings to him, Naoki flat out rejects her because he hates dumb girls. Their fates would intertwine when Kotoko’s house is destroyed by a solitary earthquake and she and her Dad are forced to live with a friend of his. Little did she know that her Dad’s friend has a son, who turns out to be Naoki!

Kotoko resembles a more grown up Sana and is more airheaded than the latter. On the other hand, they’re both hopeless romantics in the pursuit of love. Naoki’s a top honour student who regularly attends class and keeps his grades up. As a result, he has a following of admirers and often makes fun of Kotoko’s intelligence. However, deep down he knows he secretly loves her.

Like Kodocha, time is spent developing the relationship between the main characters. ItaKiss does this more quickly than Kodocha, as it shows Kotoko and Naoki’s rocky first encounter and the various circumstances that lead them to marriage

Miki Koishikawa’s life is turned upside down when her parents get a divorce and swap partners with a couple they met in Hawaii. While getting used to this ordeal, Miki meets the couple’s son, Yuu, who first appears as a jerk that constantly teases her. They eventually come to terms with their own differences and their new family, but their relationship gets complicated with run ins from old acquaintances.

Marmalade Boy explores the dramatic tensions of families. The Kodocha formula here is pretty much the same: Miki meets a distant boy, they have some crazy interactions with one another, and they eventually fall in love.

Marmalade Boy, however, takes more risks in its story. The partner swap involving the two main characters’ families is a touchy subject even for an anime. Although the story is more mature, Marmalade Boy still has Kodocha’s charm. Miki is your regular outgoing optimist who is often the victim of Yuu’s teases. Yuu is more outgoing than Akito, but he hides a resentful nature that stems from his relationship with his father. Marmalade Boy has its happy moments, but mixed in is a complex drama that involves a cast of friends and exes.

Satoshi Yabe’s new life as a teacher just got harder with the Marui triplets. Mitsuba is the eldest sister who’s a self proclaimed sadist and enjoys causing mischief. Futaba is the goofy oddball who’s very strong and athletic. Hitoha - the youngest sibling - is a quiet bookworm who secretly enjoys reading porn. Mitsudomoe follows the everyday life of these three girls, their class, and their unfortunate teacher.

Mitsudomoe is the most perverted anime on this list. What it does have in common with Kodocha is its positive slice-of-life nature and downright outrageous characters. The anime relies on gags and comedic situations to move its story along. Although the Marui triplets cause a lot of chaos in their classroom, they genuinely care for each other and their close friends (most of the time). Mitsudomoe has its perverted humour, but also has sentimental moments worth grabbing some tissues for.