Kaito Kirishima is your average teenager, whose hobby includes documenting daily activities with his video camera. One evening while filming, Kaito records an instance of something falling out of the sky, which then blasts him off the bridge. Following this event, Kaito remarkably turns up in his room with no recollection of how he got home. As such, he marks this as normal and goes about his day. When at school, he and his friends propose the idea of filming their summer vacation with Kaito’s new camera. As the kids discuss their plans for the summer, Kaito lays eyes on Ichika Takatsuki, the gorgeous new “transfer” student. As the anime develops, we discover that the phenomenon from the sky was Ichika, who succeeded in saving Kaito after he was knocked out from the blast. Thus, Ichika later lives with Kaito in his home. All in all, Ano Natsu de Matteru purely chronicles the lives of Kaito and Ichika, with friends Kanna Tanigawa, Tetsurou Ishigaki, Mio Kitahara and Remon Yamano, their growing romances, relations, and the obstacles they must overcome, all throughout their summer vacation.

In comparing Ano Natsu de Matteru (Waiting in the Summer) with Toradora! the quality in animation is very similar, producing bright and vivid illustrations. Moreover, the characters are very relatable, providing somewhat complex platonic and romantic relationship scenarios where each of them has difficulty expressing themselves. Also, (at least for myself), the recurrence of tugging at the heartstrings emerged while watching both.

Golden Time follows Tada Banri, who suffers from amnesia after an accident on a bridge. While in recovery, Tada decides he wants to attend college and commits to doing so. Once enrolled, Tada meets an array of people, including Linda, a girl he previously knew before the accident; Mitsuo, a boy he befriends at college orientation, and Kouko, another individual from Tada’s previous “life”, who later grows closer to him, as friends and romantically. Golden Time recounts Tada’s experiences with the many people he meets, how his relationships will develop with them, and how he must juggle the resurfacing memories from his past with the life he’s built in the present.

In comparing Golden Time with Toradora! both share a similar theme with intertwining and complex relations that encompass the various characters in each. Incidentally, Golden Time and Toradora! were produced by the same studio, demonstrating common elements.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun aka My Little Monster, highlights the budding relationship between Shizuku Mizutani and Haru Yoshida. Shizuku is very isolated, distant and ice cold, only focusing on herself and her studies. Haru, conversely, wears his emotions on his sleeve and couldn’t care less about academics. Their relationship begins when Shizuku is tasked with delivering handouts to Haru’s home. Their romance is slow, but the two of them begin to discover new aspects of themselves and each other despite what others have observed about them. Over the course of this anime, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun presents the close connections one needs to chance upon in order to flourish. Here, the phrase “opposites attract” really comes into play.

In comparing Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (My Little Monster) with Toradora! both share the component of vibrant and charismatic characters bringing the stories to life. They are similar in romantic and comedic themes. More so, the setting of each anime exists at school. Again, the context for Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun and Toradora can suggest a relatability for viewers with moments of surprises, sorrow, and OMGs.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (The Pet Girl of Sakurasou) is about a group high school students residing at the dormitories of Suimei High. At Suimei High, second year student, Sorata Kanda was recently ejected from his dorm for taking in a stray cat. Sorata was then transferred to the notorious Sakura dorms, which houses the troublesome and the misfits of Suimei High. Just when Sorata sought to protest his transfer, he meets Mashiro Shiina, an art student who is incredibly gifted and talented, but lacks stability and structure for other components in her life. Thereafter, Mashiro instantly latches onto Sorata. In the in the same way he nurtures his strays, Sorata does the same for Mashiro. Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, in its entirety, follows their developing relationship, emotional struggles, and hardships as students and young adults.

In comparing Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (The Pet Girl of Sakurasou) with Toradora! both involve the main male characters, Sorata from Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, and Ryuuji from Toradora! taking care of the main female characters, Mashiro from Sakurasou and Taiga from Toradora!. Each anime takes place in high school highlighting the connection between aspiration, romance, friendship and determination.

Humanity long ago used to live in the seas, granting them the ability to breathe underwater. However, as many migrated to the surface, the population lost that gift. As time went on, surface dwellers and underwater folk grew to despise one another. In Nagi no Asukara (A Lull in the Sea), the anime centers around a group of friends who live in this underwater village. Companions Hikari, Manaka, Chisaki, Kaname are faced with the issue of their school shutting down, forcing them to attend studies on the surface. Throughout the series, these four friends are thrusted into this circumstance and must learn to deal with the challenges of living among people on the surface. On top of this, these young adults must conquer the challenges of personal growth and obstacles.

In comparing Nagi no Asukara (A Lull in the Sea) with Toradora! they are similar in a way that the characters must choose between the value of friendship and romantic interests. Both also have lively characters, highlighting the progress and development of the slice-of-life storyline. Additionally, the animation for both is aesthetically pleasing.

Nijiiro Days (Rainbow Days) details the lives of four students: Natsuki Hashiba, Keiichi Katakura, Tomoya Matsunaga and Tsuyoshi Naoe and their daily lives in high school. As we commonly hear “boys will be boys” Natsuki, Tomoya, Tsuyoshi and Keiichi banter with one another about their love interests. As the boys balance their social lives with school, Nijiiro Days is an easy going series with various shifts of conflict between one of the boys and a girl, and how they collectively try to help and uplift one another.

In comparing Nijiiro Days (Rainbow Days) with Toradora! they are identical in that they are incredibly relatable and perhaps reminiscent of romantic situations in high school (or if one has not experienced such events, it is a scenario that one can imagine having). Also, both anime have characters displaying a diverse and mixed set of personalities. Lastly, although they differ in plot and dynamic, Nijiiro Days and Toradora! are fun to watch!