clannad anime

Anime Like Clannad

Tomoya Okazaki is a delinquent who finds everything dull and believes he will never amount to anything. That is, until a girl named Nagisa catches his eye one day on his way to school.

Suddenly, Tomoya begins to notice Nagisa more and more. She is sickly and weak, but she always tries her best in order to follow her dream of reviving the school’s drama club.

Claiming he has nothing better to do, he decides to help Nagisa, and along the way ends up helping several other girls and potential drama club members.

However, as he learns more about the girls and helps them overcome their problems, he might just be able to overcome his own as well.

After crying your way through Clannad and Clannad After Story, you have likely realized that anime laden with emotion is pretty addicting. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Clannad, then head on down below.

Anime Like Clannad

For Fans of Harems

kanon anime

Kanon

As a young child, Yuuichi Aizawa frequently visited his cousins in the city. However, after something traumatic happens, he has stayed away for seven long years.

Now, when Yuuichi returns, he has completely blocked out his hurtful memories. However, when he begins to meet girls he knew during his childhood, the past begins to bubble forth.

As another Jun Maeda anime (the person responsible for Clannad), of course Kanon has some similarities.

Clannad actually steals a lot of its jokes from Kanon, but both series features similar situations with different characters.

Essentially they both feel the same while being, for the most part, having only differences in plot. Even the characters can be similar.

haganai anime

Haganai

Kodaka Hasegawa is anything but a delinquent. However, because of his blonde hair and bad boy face, he has been labeled as such. When classmates shiver in your presence, it makes it difficult to make friends.

Yet, when Kodaka meets Yozora, a girl that is perhaps a bigger outcast than him, the pair start the Neighbors’ Club.

In the Neighbors’ Club, those without any friends are invited to join, but not all personalities may mesh well.

In Clannad, Nagisa starts the drama club to do plays, make friends, and enjoy her school days. In Haganai, Kodoka starts a club to make friends.

While Clannad is heavier in terms of emotions, both feature strong harem elements, comedy, and romance.

amagami ss anime

Amagami SS

After being stood up on a Christmas Eve date, Junichi has a hard time opening himself up to romance, even two years later.

However, upon a chance meeting with several girls he becomes romantically interested in, he has hope that this year he can spend Christmas Eve with someone he truly loves.

While Amagami SS is an omnibus romance rather than a traditional harem, it allows something that Clannad doesn’t.

As an omnibus-style romance, it focuses on all possible romances of all the girls involved, resetting after each story. This means each girl is the main girl for a time.

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The Fruit of Grisaia

Yuuji Kazama is a new transfer student to Mihama Academy. As an assassin that was raised by a notorious terrorist, all he craves is a normal school life.

However, with the school consisting of the principal and five other – all female – students, he finds his new school life off to a strange start.

As he gets to know each girl, he finds them just as irreparably damaged as himself, but their shared traumatic experiences bind them together.

Both Clannad and The Fruit of Grisaia features lightly supernatural stories that place a large focus on the main male character helping all his female peers with all their various problems.

shuffle anime

Shuffle

Gods and demons coexist with humanity after the door between each world was opened.

Rin is a normal human high school student who suddenly gets two sets of new neighbors – the King of Gods and also the King of Demons.

It turns out that both also have daughters that are in love with him after meeting in the past.

While Shuffle very obviously has more fantasy elements to it, the relationships remain the same.

You have that snarky male main character who both unwillingly and eagerly helps all the females in his friend group with their problems.

h20 anime

H2O – Footprints in The Sand

Takuma Hirose suffers from unexplained blindness. In order to help heal his condition, he is sent to live with his uncle in the country.

There he meets several girls, but one girl, Otoha, temporarily heals his blindness. Determined to use his vision to help people, he learns that another girl, Hayami Kohinata, is hated in the village.

Bit by bit the sad secrets in town begin to reveal themselves.

I always like to think of H2O as a kind of lower grade Clannad knock off. It is not quite as good as Clannad, but the all the same elements are there.

Harem anime for sure isn’t for everyone, but if you like your anime flush with female folk, check out these 50 Harem Anime Series Loaded With Ladies

For Fans of Emotional Dramas

anime-series-like-angel-beats

Angel Beats

Otonashi wakes up without any memories, only to be told that he is dead. What’s more, a rifle-toting girl named Yuri suddenly asks him to join the Afterlife Battlefront to wage war against the Angel that rules this world and the unfair god she serves.

Unable to believe Angel is evil, he tries to talk to her, but the meeting does not go as planned.

From there, Otonashi gradually discovers more about himself and the mysteries of the afterlife.

Want to feel like you just got punched in the heart a couple hundred times? Then watching Clannad and Angel Beats is a good way to do that.

Both are funny, and both will hit you in the feels with a critical hit. Clannad is generally more romance-oriented while Angel Beats doesn’t quite have the same pay off, but you don’t watch Angel Beats for the romance. You watch it for the crushingly sad stories.

little-busters-anime

Little Busters

After the tragic death of his parents, Riki Naoe developed narcolepsy and became a shut-in.

One fateful day, he finds himself saved by a boy named Kyousuke that recruits him into a team called the Little Busters.

Beside his comrades, they spend their days fighting evil and enjoying youth.

Like Angel Beats, Kanon, and others on this list, Little Busters and Clannad were made by the same writer. As such, you will notice a same kind of comedy in every series.

However, if it is romance you crave, Little Busters has very little.

your lie in april anime

Your Lie in April

Although once a child prodigy in the music world, pianist Kousei Arima is left in a downward spiral after his mother’s death, unable to even hear the sound of his own piano.

Even after two years, Arima has all but left the music world behind, disappointing fans and rivals alike, and living in a colorless world.

Then one day that that all changes when he is introduced to the beautiful violinist Kaori Miyazono who brings color into his world once more.

Did you enjoy how After Story hurt you? Your Lie in April will be more of that.

Anohana anime

Anohana – The Flower We Saw That Day

After the accidental death of their childhood friend Menma, Jinta and his group of friends drifted apart.

However, one day, Jinta, now living as a recluse, begins to see what he believes to be Menma’s ghost. She keeps asking him to help her fulfill a long-forgotten wish.

This draws Jinta and his friends together once more where they must overcome their past guilt and regrets.

Both Clannad and Anohana are two anime series that feature the development of romance and friendship with just a touch of supernatural elements.

It does tend to lean more towards the drama than towards the romance.

myself yourself anime

Myself; Yourself

As a child, Hidaka Sana leaves his friends and life behind to move to Tokyo with his parents. Years later, he returns as a high school student.

While some friends have remained the same, some people, including Sana himself, are completely different.

However, the thing that has changed the most is his dear friend Yatsushiro Nanaka. She used to smile and be so sweet, but now she is withdrawn and overcome by an air of gloom.

At a glance, you think that both series are going to be about the male protagonist helping his ladies deal with their issues.

However, as you get further into both, you realize that the male protagonist has his problems as well. By helping others, they help themselves.

kokoro connect anime


Kokoro Connect

One day, for seemingly no reason in particular, the members of the Cultural Research Club start randomly switching bodies with each other. It becomes utter chaos, especially when members of the opposite sex start switching.

However, when you are wearing someone else’s skin, it is hard to keep your most guarded secrets inside.

As Clannad does throughout many of its arcs, Kokoro Connect starts off like your typical romantic comedy, but as the series goes on, it becomes much more dramatic and supernatural.

Ultimately, both shows are also about facing up to your issues.

ef a tale of memories anime

Ef – A Tale of Memories

Ef tells two different love stories.

One about Hiro Hirono who accidentally spends Christmas Eve with Miyako Miyamura after she steals his bike (and crashes it) to chase down a robber.

The other follows Renji Asou, a boy with a white knight complex, who comes to have feelings for Chihiro Shindou, a girl that is always reading alone at an abandoned train station. In effort to get closer to her, he eventually suggests they write a novel together.

Both Clannad and Ef are kind of roller coasters of feels.

However, while Clannad was more comedic, Ef is more dramatic.

Both feature deep emotional character arcs that touch the heart and feature characters having to deal with their issues.

plastic memories anime

Plastic Memories

Tsukasa Mizugaki has failed his college entrance exams, but he manages to land a job at the Sion Artificial Intelligence Corporation.

This corporation is responsible for the creation of Giftias, or highly advanced androids which are almost indiscernible from normal humans. However, unlike humans, Giftias have a maximum lifespan of around nine years and four months.

Terminal Service One, the station Tsukasa was assigned to, is responsible for collecting Giftias that have met their expiration date, before they lose their memories and become hostile.

Whereas Clannad has supernatural elements, Plastic Memories has its sci-fi elements.

Both shows are about a guy and a girl growing closer and the heart-rending feelings that go along with growing close to someone that is doomed to leave you.

true tears anime

True Tears

Shinichirou is living the dream by living with his crush. However, while she is bright and popular at school, she is cold and distant at home.

As he tries to find the key to unlocking her heart, he has a run in with several other girls that are dealing with their own feelings.

True Tears packs all the drama and emotions of Clannad, but skips most of the comedy. If you just want to have your heart hurt some more, it is a lovely drama to explore.

rumbling hearts anime

Rumbling Hearts

Initially, Takayuki Narumi befriended Mitsuki Hayase because Mitsuki’s friend Haruka Suzumiya had a crush on him.  He grew close to Mitsuki, but when Haruka asked him out, he accepted in order to not hurt her feelings.

However, as Takayuki and Mitsuki begin to realize their feelings, tragedy strikes that changes everything.

While Clannad touches on the feelings of others when Tomoya does start his romance, Rumbling Hearts is centered almost exclusively around that.

It isn’t quite the harem that Clannad is, but is an aggressively drama-filled love triangle.

charlotte anime

Charlotte

Yuu Otosaka has the ability to slip into other people’s mind and control them for five seconds at a time. He has been using it to get good grades, but after he is caught by the enigmatic Nao Tomori, he is forced to transfer to a special school to safeguard children with these powers from discovery.

At this supernatural new school, he is forced to join the Student Council where he uses his powers to hunt down other young people who are using and abusing their own powers.

Charlotte and Clannad share a similar style of comedy.

While Charlotte starts off not as a romance or drama-oriented series, the second half become rife with emotion that will give you a keen sting in the feels akin to Clannad.

For Fans of High School Romance

kawai complex anime


The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior

Kazunari Usa is excited to begin living his life on his own without being bothered by weird people. However, when he meets the occupants of his new boarding house, his dreams are dashed.

Yet, one bright ray of light among the sea of weirdos is Ritsu Kawai, his senior senpai and a quiet girl that is always reading. Although she barely acknowledges him, he finds himself falling slowly in love.

While on the outside, Ritsu may come off as a more abrasive heroine, it is more on accident than anything.

In both series, we watch the male protagonist navigate a series of strange characters while also witnessing character growth, albeit at a slow pace.

Essentially, if you like the usual romance tropes in Clannad, this is a good follow up.

one week friend anime

One Week Friends

High school student Hase Yuuki finds out the hard way how difficult romance can be after finding out Kaori, the girl he has fallen for, can only remember memories for a week at a time.

Because of this, she often shies away from making friends, but can Yuuki’s sheer determination help her come out of her shell for just one week?

School relationships and romance are central in both series. Unfortunately, if you are looking for the kind of romantic pay off that Clannad has, you won’t find it with this short, but very sweet little series.

However, if you like watching the male protagonist go to any length for the girl he likes and his friends, One Week Friends can be very fulfilling.

toradora anime

Toradora

Ryuuji Takasu is a gentle student with a passion for housework, but his thuggish face causes his fellow students to think him a delinquent. Taiga Aisaka is small and cute, but with an attitude as fierce as a tiger.

Both of these misunderstood students also harbor feelings for their crushes, and after a series of misunderstandings of their own, they find themselves in an unlikely alliance to get their crushes to notice them.

When it comes to romance anime, Clannad and Toradora are the top of the top tier.

While Toradora has some drama to it, it is not quite as heavy handed with it. It definitely leans more towards the comedy part.

rascal does not dream of bunny girl senpai anime1

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

On a day like any other, Sakuta is in the library, and there he spots a wild bunny girl. This wild bunny girl, or rather, Mai Sakurajima, a semi-retired actress dressed like a bunny girl, catches no one else’s eye.

In fact, Sakuta seems to be the only one that can see her on that day and on many other days.

This phenomenon, called Puberty Syndrome, is rumored on the internet. As Sakuta decides to solve the mystery, he grows closer to Mai and other girls that suffer the same malady.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is distinctly more mature with its plot compared to Clannad, but what you will find most similar about it is the snark of the main character.

You also watch as he basically helps everyone around him instead of dealing with his own problems.

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Kimi ni Todoke

Due to her quiet nature and long black hair, Sawako Kuronuma’s kind deeds are often mistaken as malicious by her classmates. With the nickname of Sadako, like The Ring girl, people avoid her, but she still wants to make friends.

When the popular Shouta Kazehaya begins to take notice of her, her fortunes might begin to change.

Although both tell a romance story, Kimi ni Todoke tells it in different ways. They each have coming-of-age elements and you watch a girl come out of her shell.

However, whereas Clannad likes to hurt you, Kimi ni Todoke only hurts you by having the romance move so slow. It is otherwise a pretty happy show.

love chunibyou and other delusions anime

Love, Chunibyou, and Other Delusions

Everyone has that stage in their life where they think themselves special, different from mere humans. This phenomenon is called Chunibyou Syndrome and most common in pre-pubescent children.

In middle school, Yuuta Togashi thought himself the Dark Flame Master. He has since grown out of it upon entering high school and looks back at those cringe-worthy times with displeasure.

Unfortunately, after a chance meeting with Rikka Takanashi, a girl believing to have a God in her eye, she attaches herself to him and brings that Chunibyou past back out.

Both shows have a distinct passion for oddball comedy, which makes them great.

However, what is most similar between them is that in both you essentially just watch the main character try to help this one sweet, silly girl with her issues as it very obviously turns into love.

pet girl of sakura hall anime

The Pet Girl of Sakura Hall

Unable to resist taking in abandoned kittens, and amassing quite a collection of them, Sorata Kanda is forced to move to Suimei High School’s infamous Sakura Hall. This dorm is used to house all the misfit students that don’t quite fit in the regular housing.

There, Sorata meets an array of different oddballs that inspire him to work towards getting back into the regular dorms and away from them.

However, when a new transfer student moves in, he meets the incredible artist, Shiina Mashiro. While talented, she is completely incapable of taking care of herself, and so, Sorata brings her into his care and his strange days truly begin.

In both shows, you watch a romance form between a guy and a girl that he couldn’t help trying to take care of.

While both shows are excellent in terms of comedy, The Pet Girl of Sakura Hall is a little less satisfying with its romance.

Romance anime is a hole one falls down and often does not escape. If that’s you, check out these 20 Romance Anime Recommendations for the Hopeless Romantic

Have your own recommendations for anime series like Clannad? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

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