When novelist Fuji is walking home during a rainstorm, an animal that looks like a dog gets her attention and asks her to take them home. Hesitant at first, she is impressed by his intelligence and ends up taking him home to her apartment.
Now, she enjoys her whimsical days with a new pet that never fails to entertain.
I mean, whose dog can’t communicate through write, right? If you are looking for more anime recommendations like With You and the Rain, head on down below.
Anime Like With You and the Rain
For Fans of Living With a Strange, Sentient Pet
Kinokoinu – Mushroom Pup
After the death of his beloved dog Hanako, the last piece of family he had left, Hotaru Yuyami is left adrift and alone. Working as an author, but now paralyzed by his grief, his editor continues to grow concerned until one day she discovers that he has a new pet – a mushroom dog.
Sprouting from a pink mushroom that had been growing in his backyard, this mushroom dog, named simply Kinokoinu, flourished watching Hotaru play with Hanako and came to life after her passing. Now, Hotaru finds himself inspired to write about Kinokoinu’s silly daily antics.
Similarities Between With You and the Rain and Mushroom Pup
- A solitary author suddenly gains a pet that seemed to pick them rather than the human picking a pet.
- The pet acts like a dog, but it’s clearly not a dog.
- Long, lingering serene moments of slice of life
- The pet is sentient, but cannot speak and communicates through writing.
- Author has a small handful of social connections
Differences Between With You and the Rain and Mushroom Pup
- Mushroom Pup is about a mushroom that turned into a dog.
- The protagonist is male in Mushroom Pup, and he was grieving the loss of his beloved dog at the start of the series, so he already has experience with pets.
My Roommate Is A Cat
Subaru is a novelist, and not very good with people. He’s been alone since his parent’s death, but one day while praying at their grave, a cat comes and eats his offering.
Deciding to take it home, he now is shouldered with a cat, and this stray is shouldered with caring for a human who can barely care for himself.
Similarities Between With You and the Rain and My Roommate is a Cat
- A solitary author finds a stray, takes them home, and gains a pet
- Quiet author adjusts to life with owning a pet for the first time and reaps the companionship rewards
- Long, lingering serene moments of slice of life
- Sentient pet with thoughts, but cannot speak
Differences Between With You and the Rain and My Roommate is a Cat
- My Roommate is a Cat is about a cat who is just a normal stray, you are just privileged to her thoughts while the main character is not.
- My Roommate is a Cat features a male protagonist with some baggage, so there is just a little bit of drama to the story.
- With You and the Rain has the main character have healthy relationships with others, My Roommate is a Cat is about the male main character who is isolated from the world forming positive relationships that are opened up through owning a cat.
The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today
After finding a small black kitten in a snow storm, office lady Saku brought it home. However, she never expected that the little kitten would start taking care of household chores, shopping, and cooking. She also didn’t expect him to grow up to be taller than her either.
More the size of a bear than a cat, Yukichi is the most masterful of all cats, and it is a good thing he is. Saku, although a working adult, isn’t too masterful at taking care of herself just yet.
Similarities Between With You and the Rain and The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today
- A woman who lives alone finds a stray, takes it home, and gains a pet
- The stray is sentient, but cannot speak. It communicates through writing.
- Slice of home life with occasional adventures outside of it
Differences Between With You and the Rain and The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today
- The human woman in Masterful Cat is an office lady who is truly awful at taking care of herself and her home to a comical degree.
- Masterful Cat is about a stray cat growing huge and taking care of his hot mess of an owner who cannot take care of herself. The cat acts more like a stern housewife.
- Masterful Cat is far more of a comedy than an iyashikei series like With You and the Rain is.
How to Raise a Mummy
Sora’s father is an adventurer who, one day, sends him an odd package. Inside is the last thing he expected, a mummy so small it can fit in his hand.
Now with a gentle pet mummy that seeks attention, he takes inspiration and advice from other pet owners.
Similarities Between With You and the Rain and How to Raise a Mummy
- A human gains a strange pet
- The pet is sentient, but cannot speak.
- Iyashikei story with no drama, and all cute pet-related slice of life fluff
- The main character has a small handful of social connections that occasionally show up
Differences Between With You and the Rain and How to Raise a Mummy
- How to Raise a Mummy features a male protagonist who is also a high school-aged teen.
- How to Raise a Mummy is indeed about a mummy that the boy’s father sent him.
- As the mummy is not hiding his supernatural origins like a that crafty tanuki, How to Raise a Mummy embraces more supernatural eccentricities in the story, which does lead to some stronger comedy.
Kuma Miko – Girl Meet Bear
Young shrine maiden Machi Amayadori has spent her whole life in a small town with her talking bear guardian. However, as she turns fourteen, she decides to take a chance and attend high school in the city. This is the story of her preparing for city life in a small town.
Similarities Between With You and the Rain and Kuma Miko
- A girl lives with a non-traditional animal companion.
- The animal is sentient, but cannot speak. They communicate through writing
- Slice of life story with varying degrees of comedy
Differences Between With You and the Rain and Kuma Miko
- Kuma Miko is about a bear that lives with a priestess at a rural shrine giving her terrible advice for when she intends to go to school in the city.
- Kuma Miko is far more of a comedy than the serene iyashikei you get in With You and the Rain.
- Kuma Miko is about a middle school-aged girl.
Find Out Where to Continue The With You and The Rain Story at Our Sibling Site:
For Fans of Serene Slice of Life
Barakamon
After losing his temper on a critic, renowned calligraphy artist Sieshuu Handa is exiled to the Goto Islands by his father for a period of self-reflection.
There, he seeks to find new inspiration for his art, but finds that his neighbors and some neighborhood kids keep getting in his way.
Similarities Between With You and the Rain and Barakamon
- Solitary main character that works in the arts
- Serene, lingering iyashikei slice of life plot
- Silly gremlin that provides the levity
Differences Between With You and the Rain and Barakamon
- Barakamon is about a male calligraphy artist with anger issues being sequestered to a rural island where he contemplates his issues and bonds with island children.
- The comedy comes from a small child in Barakamon, not a tanuki.
- The comedy is more frequent in Barakamon
- Barakamon is more focused on the main character thinking through his personal issues
Poko’s Udon World
Souta Tawara is a web designer that has been working in Tokyo. However, when he returns to his small town to visit family, he discovers a young boy alone and with a supernatural secret.
Upon the confrontation, Souta decides to quit his job and take care of this boy dubbed Poko. This is their daily adventures in the Kagawa Prefecture, the Udon Kingdom.
Similarities Between With You and the Rain and Poko’s Udon World
- A solitary man gains a small thing to take care of
- A tanuki is living with a human in the shape of something else
- Slice of life iyashikei stories with light comedy
Differences Between With You and the Rain and Poko’s Udon World
- Poko’s Udon World is about a man who returns to his childhood hometown and finds a tanuki in the shape of a boy.
- With You and the Rain features a woman with an established social circle, Poko’s Udon World is more about making connections.
- While not as food-themed as you might think, Poko’s Udon World does have a food element to it.
Natsume’s Book of Friends
For as long as he can remember, Takashi Natsume has been chased by spirits, but recently he discovered that the reason was because his deceased grandmother had passed on to him her “Book of Friends,” a book containing all the spirits she had brought under her control.
Now Natsume realizes that these spirits haunt him in hopes of gaining freedom. With few friends, no loving home, and constantly hunted by malicious spirits, Natsume looks for a place where he belongs.
Similarities Between With You and the Rain and Natsume’s Book of Friends
- Solitary main character gains a supernatural pet
- Long, lingering serene iyashikei moments
- Serene iyashikei slice of life stories with light comedy
Differences Between With You and the Rain and Natsume’s Book of Friends
- Natsume’s Book of friends may be episodic slice of life, but it does have an actual plot that ties it all together about freeing spirits in a book the main character inherited.
- Natsume’s Book of Friends, as it is quite long-running, does have moments of action and emotional drama.
- Natsume’s Book of Friends features a demon in the shape of a talking cat as his pet. He is verbal, not strictly a good entity, and is full of sass.
- The male main character in Natsume’s Book of Friends is isolated due to his ability, and the story is occasionally about him building meaningful connections to others.
Do you have more anime recommendations like With You and the Rain? Let fans know in the comments section below.
