Otomiya Haine works hard to contribute to the Otomiya family whose business has not been doing well. She attends the elite Imperial Academy, a school for the wealthy and elite. Haine has the bloodlines, but not from the Otomiya family. In fact, Haine was sold to the Otomiya family by her family, the Kamiya family, for 50 million yen. However, that’s not the only skeleton hiding in Haine’s closet. Despite all of this, Haine is still pure of heart and is attending Imperial Academy to get close to the one boy who touched her heart throughout her life, Togu Shizumasa, the student council president holding the title of “The Emperor.” Yet, there’s more to Shizumasa than meets the eye and more secrets in Haine’s life than she is prepared to deal with.

Much like Mikan, Haine ran off to Imperial Academy in search of something dear to her. For Mikan, that was her friend Hotaru while for Haine, it was for Shizumasa. The two may have decided to attend their respective schools for one rather short sighted reason, the two both end up learning a lot more about their past that has to do with their parentage and who they are as people. Plus, both main characters are very bright and happy individuals who seem to just pull people towards them! How’s that for the first recommendation for a manga like Gakuen Alice?

No one has noticed Hikage in her 8 years of schooling. Lonely and downtrodden, Hikage is able to find solace in her blog where she has made two friends who comment regularly, giving her courage. One day, everything seems to change as the two most popular boys in school notice Hikage. They are about to change her life forever when finally, Hikage feels like her life matters.

Koko ni Iru yo! may not seem like Gakuen Alice from the plot summary alone, but you can tell that there are a few similarities upon reading the manga. Hikage is much like Mikan for a majority of the manga. Hikage has nothing seemingly special about her like Mikan. She does not stand out and really, she has no talent. However, like Mikan, Hikage is noticed by two boys who really help to change things around and you can see their friendships blossom as the manga moves on. Mikan is a bit louder and more rambunctious than Hikage, but you have to say that they are very similar! Koko ni Iru yo! is like Gakuen Alice especially in the fact that it is about how Hikage changes and attains a better life with people she loves like Mikan does in Gakuen Alice.

Hanazono Karin is an orphan who cannot seem to do anything that her new guardian expects her to. She tries but she just can’t get the grades or the skill to do well. When Karin’s cat, Shi-chan dies, Karin finds nothing is left to give her comfort after all of her troubles. Then one day, Karin discovers that she is given the power to become a goddess using her mother’s old ring. With the ring, Karin is able to meet Kujyou Kazune and Himeka who turns Karin’s life completely around. Now, Karin will have to use the power of the goddess to protect Himeka from other evil gods like Karasuma Kirio.

Now, let’s get into the “super powered” manga with Kamichama Karin. Karin, like Mikan, is loud and utterly talentless. Heck, they are both orphans at the beginning. They’re even bad at school. Yet, their lives change completely and they realize that they have a power that no one else has. For Mikan, she is able to neutralize other people’s powers while Karin can transform into a goddess. The two will go on adventures with their new friends and discover more about the world revolving around their powers.

Koshiba Kiri is a rather plain individual who does not stand out. However, with her hands, Kiri is able to give others the power of style and confidence as she is extremely talented in the ways of hairstyling. Yet, Kiri has no interest in pursuing fame, unlike the “Scissors Project” boys who use their talents to help girls achieve their ideal appearances. Soon, these two will find their paths intersecting and their worlds are about to change.

Man, how is Beauty Pop even remotely a manga like Gakuen Alice? Well first of all, Mikan and Kiri have a power all their own that they are able to use to help other people. With her power, Mikan was able to help Natsume and give him the friendly touch that not many can do. For Kiri, she helps to build up the self-confidence of many other girls who would otherwise not have had the courage to do what they want. They both draw people to them and encourage them in their lives even though they themselves do not really aspire to do anything. Plus, the romance in Beauty Pop somewhat reminds us of Gakuen Alice as there is a love triangle with two totally different people who are best friends.

Fujimaru Yukari has a gift that allows her to seek out individuals with star potential in the form of wings on their back. She has sought out countless people and given them the opportunity to be a star, but one has caught her eye, Katsuragi Ryouko. Ryouko is Yukari’s classmate so approaching her won’t be difficult, but it does come with surprises as Ryouko is actually only pretending to be a girl!

Like Mikan, Yukari is a girl with a special power that no one else has. She uses this power to make people stars, but in fact, Yukari finds herself coming across Ryouko who is actually a boy dressed as a girl. That’s not the start of it. Like Mikan, Yukari’s presence becomes ever more important to the people around her to the point that they rely on her more and more, which results in a love triangle. Yukari becomes the shining light that draws people out of darkness and despite being just a high school girl, she’s the savior that two special boys will need in Penguin Revolution.

Kitchen no Ohimesama, also called Kitchen Princess, is about the orphan Najika who has a love for cooking. While she may not have been privileged, Najika has the talent to make even the highest quality dish out of the lowest quality ingredients. However now, Najika will venture off to Seika Academy to find the boy who gifted her with a silver spoon with the Seika Academy’s emblem and changed her life. Here, Najika will go up against the richest and most elite people she’s ever met to prove her skill in the kitchen and work towards her dream.

Najika and Mikan are both very perky yet lovable individuals who constantly go against the status flow even when everything is against them. Like Mikan, Najika is rather pure of heart and is kind to everyone even when they hate here. Kitchen no Ohimesama deals a lot with drama as the story winds on and the love triangle that ensues only adds to it. If you want a story about a young girl who is just trying to find her place in this world while pursuing her love, Kitchen no Ohimesama has got you covered.