When their parents married, Masamune Izumi was thrilled to have a new adorable little sister. However, after their parents died, his little sister Sagiri became a shut-in. Now her only caretaker, Masamune supports them as a light novel author. However, one day he finds out that the mysterious illustrator Eromanga-sensei that draws the lewd covers for his light novel series is actually his reclusive sister.
Eromanga-sensei is the latest addition to the sibling romantic comedy sub-genre that I guess some people out there want. However, subject matter aside, there is no denying that it is pretty damn cute at times. So what are some more cute anime recommendations like Eromanga-sensei?
Anime Like Eromanga-sensei
For Fans of Little Sisters
Oreimo
Kyousuke has a smart, cute, and extremely bratty little sister who hates him. While they got along when they were young, they grew apart as they got older. One day when he finds an anime DVD he doesn’t recognize in his house. He opens it up only to discover eroge inside. Later, he finds out it belongs to his sister, who is a super secret otaku.
Watching Oreimo and then Eromanga-sensei, you see a lot of similarities, right down to how the male MC looks. Coincidence? Absolutely not. The Oreimo light novel and the Eromanga-sensei light novel were penned by the same person. So it has a lot of the same tropes and that distinct degree of cuteness in the female characters that made Oreimo so delectable.
OniAi
After their parents died, brother and sister Akito and Akiko were sent to live in separate foster families. Six years later, they are finally reunited and going to the same school. However, Akiko has developed a huge brother complex while Akito only sees his sister as a sister he must protect, yet that won’t stop her from trying to win his affections.
Like Eromanga-sensei, OniAi is another sibling romantic comedy, just minus all the light novel and other otaku elements. It places more of a focus on the relationship and the comedy of the situation without getting distracted by any other subplots.
Himouto! Umaru-Chan
Umaru Doma is, by all accounts, the perfect student. She is beautiful, smart, and respectful, at least until she gets home, anyway. Once that door closes, Umaru dons her hamster hoodie and transforms into a bratty, lazy, junk food-gorging otaku that is fully dependent on her responsible older brother, Taihei. Whether it is playing video games or eating the right snack combinations, Umaru knows how to live.
Unlike Eromanga-sensei, Himouto! Umaru-chan focuses more on the otaku hobbies of the little sister without the potentially weird sibling relationship. While the affection from the brother towards his sister is there, it is more like a typical brother-sister relationship and not at all a romantic one.
For Fans of Females in Otaku Industries
Saekano – How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend
Tomoya Aki is your typical otaku who takes on part-time jobs to fund his anime and light novel obsession. However, one day when he was out riding his bike, he catches the beret of a girl and is so captivated by the scene before him that he sets out to create the ultimate dating sim. While he struggles to do so, he eventually recruits three of the school’s most popular girls, who also happen to be good at drawing, writing, and music as well as are otakus themselves. After some debate, each agrees to help make his vision come to life. In this new doujin circle, he also happens across the girl that inspired him, but she was not what he expected and certainly doesn’t stand up to his 2D expectations.
Not unlike Eromanga-sensei at times, Saekano is about a male that finds himself surrounded by ladies to help him reach his otaku goal. Romantic feelings flare as does drama, but primarily it is about otakus doing what they love. Both shows also have a female illustrator that is very good at drawing lewd pictures and has an interest in doing so.
Girls Beyond The Wasteland
Buntarou Hojo is a high school student with a talent for writing, but no direction in life. When his classmate Sayuki Kuroda notices his talent, she pressures him into her girl game development group. Will this foray into game development be just about games or will it teach him about life as well?
Girls Beyond the Wasteland is very similar to Saekano above, but it is applicable to Eromanga-sensei as well since you have female otakus doing what they love. While Eromanga-sensei is more of a romance show, Girls Beyond the Wasteland has a project goal in mind.
The Manga Artist and His Assistants
This story depicts the work life of a perverted manga artist, Aito Yuuki, and his assistant, Ashisu Sahoto. Under constant pressure by his editor and lacking girl experience, he frequently used his assistant as a reference.
The Manga Artist and His Assistants is a comedy series with a lot of otaku gags within and not nearly as cute as Eromanga-sensei. However, both series are about girls in the world of creation otaku media as well as the men in their lives.
For Fans of Shut-Ins
Welcome to the NHK
College dropout Tatsuhiro Satou has been living as a hikikomori shut-in for four years now. In his extreme isolation, he has come to believe a number of conspiracy theories, primary among them is that the Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai (NHK) is responsible for his isolation by spreading hikikomori culture. However, while struggling to go out into the world and get a job, he has a run-in with the mysterious Misaki Nakahara, a girl who might signal a great change coming to his life.
The major difference here is Eromanga-sensei and Welcome to the NHK is the gender. Sagiri is a girl, obviously, and Satou is a boy. However, both are shut-in’s and both end up involved in various otaku activities. However, they both also want to reach out to other people and do so in various ways.
ReLife
Arata Kaizaki is an unemployed 27-year-old that has thus far been living with the financial support of his parents and part-time jobs. After leaving his first job after only three months, he has not been able to find proper work. However, after a night of drinking with his friends, he meets a mysterious man that offers a drunk Arata a pill that will turn him 17 again so that he can redo a year of his youth, all expenses paid. Will Arata find what he needs to live a happy life after one year in high school again?
ReLife is all about NEET rehabilitation through its plot device. Eromanga-sensei is kind of about NEET rehabilitation. While ReLife doesn’t have any sort of otaku plot points, it is also a romantic comedy and features some adorable animation not unlike Eromanga-sensei.
Princess Jellyfish
Kurashita Tsukimi loves jellyfish, to the point of obsession. One day, when she sees a jellyfish being mistreated in a pet store, she tries to stick up for it, but her social awkwardness gets in the way. Thankfully, a sparklingly beautiful woman steps in and sparks the beginning of an unlikely friendship. While Tsukimi’s new friend charms her and her roommates, what they don’t know is that this princess is also a man.
Shows with a focus on female NEETs are kind of a rarity, but Princess Jellyfish is an excellent one. While also aimed at a female audience, it still shows the female side of NEET culture and has some pretty funny moments and a dash of romance as well. While the animation isn’t exactly cute, it is beautiful in its own right.
Did we miss any more good anime recommendations for Eromanga-sensei? Let us know in the comments section below.
