K-On! is similar to Lucky Star in that it is by the same studio, and it follows the comedy and slice of life genres. It does dial up the cuteness factor a bit more than Lucky Star does, tending to make fans giggle more at how adorable the show is.

K-On! opens with the protagonist Hirasawa Yui walking down a hall and seeing a poster advertising the “Light Music Club.” Being the carefree individual that she is, she signs up, and is accepted. How exciting! There’s only one issue with all of this… she can’t play any instruments! She frantically runs to the clubroom to explain to the members that she was a bit too happy-go-lucky when she signed up and that she needs to quit. Her only experience with instruments is the castanets! However, when she arrives, the other three members explain to her that they need her to join because they are desperately trying to save the club from being dissolved.

Yui puts on her big girl pants and agrees to at least try the trial lesson. With her interest in music rekindled, she joins as the guitarist with Mio on the bass, Ritsu on the drums, and Tsumugi on the keyboard! They start teaching Yui how to read music and play, but can she do it with three new friends, the pressure of learning an instrument, and the pressure of school and everyday life? Not only that, but the school culture festival is coming up, too! Will they be ready in time? Check it out to find out what happens next!

Haruhi is full of a lot of “wot” moments where the viewer is laughing but utterly confused at the same time. It’s a great show that influences Lucky Star heavily. You see it when Konata is watching the show or talking about it, or even parodying it hilariously. Plus Haruhi and Konata’s Seiyuu is the now scorned, talented at the time, Aya Hirano. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is part of the comedy, mystery, slice of life, and sci-fi (yes really) genres! Love it or hate it, you can’t fail to see how Lucky Star draws on it.

Kyon is a regular student and doesn’t believe anything supernatural. There’s this girl in his class though who has a new hairdo every day, and she’s rather quiet and yet bored at the same time. He starts talking to her one day and finds out that she’s obsessed with aliens, time travelers and espers, but she’s bored with all the clubs on campus. Begrudgingly, he helps her form the SOS-Dan club to help her find other life. Maybe?

He’s joined the creepily-happy and always smiling Itsuki the bookworm, the practically mute girl Yuki, and the voluptuous and awkwardly shy Mikuru. Then weird things start happening. Is Kyon’s skepticism getting the best of him, or is he in denial that maybe there is something out there that he doesn’t know about? Check it out because you won’t be disappointed!

If anything that Azumanga Daioh is beyond funny and a definite classic anime, it’s also the precursor for shows like Lucky Star! Comedic and funny, this show is very random from start to finish. It’s true to its slice of life roots as it follows around a group of girls in an unnamed school.
Chiyo is a child genius new to high school and wants to fit in desperately. So in her new first year class she meets Osaka, a girl who is… shall we say forever all the French fries short of a happy meal, Yomi who is hilariously incredibly aggressive about everything, Sakaki who loves really cute things that hate her, Tomo who is incredibly upbeat but dense as a long, and Kagura who’s REALLY into sports. Don’t forget the two teachers too!

The series blurs the lines between surrealism and reality commonly as with pigtails, and other things. The show follows Chiyo and her funny encounters over three years with her classmates in the form of tests, class trips, festivals, sports meets, and Chiyo’s house among other places. There’s not a single episode where I didn’t laugh at least once and I think you will as well, so check it out if you haven’t already!

I chose Pani Poni Dash because it has one thing that most shows here do not: It has the parody aspect down perfect! Pani Poni Dash is funny because of all the internet, video game, and pop culture references it has! It’s a gem that shouldn’t be missed at all.

Pani Poni Dash is about the genius teacher Rebecca Miyamoto who is a child and a genius. Fresh out of MIT in America, she’s here to teach high school in Japan. She gets assigned to class 1-C as the homeroom teacher and teachers classes 1-A though 1-D. Watched by aliens, she hilariously tried to teach the children but tends not to do so well because she is 11 years old among other things. Joined by her funniest three students Himeko, Ichijou, Rei and Ojii-chan the while rabbit, it’s hilarious! Don’t take my word for it though, check it out yourself!

P.S. The English dub is hilarious!!!

Another great show in the comedy genre is Hayate no Gotoku! Like Lucky Star, the shit is funny and it has a very similar art style. The comedy is always a bit over the top and exaggerated, but it’s flat out funny! Hayate no Gotoku also branches out into action and romance as well.

Hayate is a young boy with REALLY bad luck. It’s so bad, his parents shift a debt onto him of 156,804,000 yen. ($1,304,473) His parents give it to him as a birthday present and the yakuza are after him for their money. He decides to stop being nice and become a bad guy to save himself. However he meets a girl on the run. Her name is Nagi Sanzenin. He saves her from some bad guys and she falls in love with him. However her tsundere nature will not let her say it.

This is a hilarious point throughout the series. She offers Hayate a job as her butler since he’s so talented. Things seem to be looking up for Hayate as he’s now living in Nagi’s ultra rich mansion with another maid named Maria. He will work till he can pay off his debt but… he has to survive Tama, a pet tiger, and Klaus the head butler. Good luck Hayate!

Nichijou perfectly fits in this list too because of the school life factor, the slice of life genre and of course the best part, the whole random comedy of it all. Nichijou is a show that will leave you in tears when you watch it because of how little sense it seems to make while making perfect sense at the same time. Why yes, she was supposed to watch the principal fight a deer… wait why is the principal fighting a deer? Wait what? Moments like these landed it on this list!

Nichijou starts presenting a seemingly normal cast of student who are going to school with everyday struggles like tests, homework, and food. Then it takes a rapid turn for the surreal. A boy and his butler ride to school on a goat? A girl who can summon guns out of thin air? A principal with a grudge against a deer? Oh yea because these things are completely normal in a slice of life anime!

Don’t forget Mio, a girl who’s REALLY into yaoi but will assault people in order to protect it from others. The list goes on and on for characters in this funny anime who seem like they don’t belong but fit perfectly into the plot. Don’t take my word for it though and check it out!