On the set of children’s show “Together with Mama,” 31-year-old Omota Uramichi is upbeat and cheerful to the children, but they are all ultimately put off as they get a taste of his adult angst and darkness that comes out in his cheerful voice. Yet, failed gymnastic coach Uramichi isn’t the only one who is feeling the burden of a life passing him by. Others on the show suffer similar adult darkness.
This was legitimately so difficult to write recommendations for because there really is nothing quite like it. Not a lot of shows framing adult angst in the form of a child’s TV show out there, but if you want more anime recommendations like Life Lessons With Uramichi-Oniisan, then head on down below.
Anime Like Life Lessons With Uramichi-Oniisan
For Fans of Dark Comedy
Grand Blue
Iori Kitahara is excited to travel to the seaside town of Izu for his first year of college. He moves into his uncle’s scuba shop, Grand Blue, but things don’t go according to plan. Inside the shop is a bunch of naked and drunk upperclassman who get him drunk. After his cousin walks in, his college life starts to derail, but his work getting it back on track doesn’t go quite as planned either.
While Grand Blue doesn’t always hold the same pleasant tone that comes from the children’s show in Uramichi-Oniisan, it does feature the same sort of humor. It features some excellent dark comedy jokes that are actually legitimately hilarious.
Asobi Asobase
One day, Olivia – blonde-haired, foreign-looking transfer student – lies to air-headed Hanako about her English skills. Despite her looks, she has actually lived in Japan almost all her life and can’t speak English very well, but succeeded in tricking Hanako. This bit of mischief sparked a series of small games in the classroom between them, annoying the nearby deadpan Kasumi who hates games after being teased mercilessly by her older sister for always losing. However, the mischief eventually draws all three of them into the Pastime Club, a club Hanako created just to goof off.
While Asobi Asobase has younger characters, and an all-female cast to boot, it does dark comedy pretty well. Like Uramichi-Oniisan, it enjoys going from light and cheerful to extreme and dramatic.
Paranoia Agent
There is an urban legend going around in Musashino City about Shounen Bat, a boy that rolls around on roller blades and beats people with his bent golden baseball bat. Numerous reports of his attacks have turned up, but the police have been unable to catch him. As the investigation continues and more people fall victim, paranoia begins to set in.
While there is no denying that Paranoia Agent is overall a different sort of show that takes the plot it has seriously, it does like to meld really dark and mature humor with rather light-hearted tones. The comedy is there and very unexpected.
For Fans of Dysfunctional Characters
Arakawa Under the Bridge
Kou Ichinomiya, as the son of a wealthy businessman, has vowed never to become indebted to anyone. However, when he falls in the river under Arakawa Bridge, someone dives in to save him, thus he owes his life to this person. She is a homeless girl named Nino who wants only one thing – to fall in love. In order to pay her back, he accepts her offer to be her boyfriend, thus moving out of his home and starting a new life under the bridge.
If you enjoyed the dark humor in Uramichi-Oniisan with all the chipper mascots, then Arakawa Under the Bridge is a must. It is loaded with very strange characters and many of them have pretty adult problems that contrast their odd appearance.
Back Street Girls
After disobeying their boss and messing up a job, three yakuza men are given a choice – commit suicide or go to Thailand and have a sex change to become female idols. They make the choice to go to Thailand and after grueling idol training, make their debut. Unfortunately for them, they are a hit!
If there is one show that is as good as going from cheerful to extreme as Uramichi-Oniisan, it is probably Back Street Girls. Both shows are pretty weird, but also wholly unique comedies.
Gintama
After aliens invade Japan, they put a prohibition on swords. However, Gintoki Sakata still possesses the heart of a samurai. Taking on odd jobs alongside of his friends, Gintama follows Gintoki during his chaotic life as an errand boy.
While Gintama does have its moments of serious plot, the other eighty percent of the anime is the same type of humor as Uramichi-Oniisan. It is more parody and absurd, but it does meld light-hearted things with adult darkness.
For Fans of Adult Angst
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Nozomu Itoshiki is a high school teacher that is so pessimistic that even small misfortunes can send him spiraling into a pit of despair. Surrounded by increasingly insane students, Nozomu’s unique brand of despair has its own way of affecting them, often in a positive manner.
Do you like how relatable human suffering is played for comedy in Uramichi-Oniisan? Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei does that too, but also adds the extremity of frequent suicide attempts. You will also want to note that the more you get into the series, the more serious it gets.
Aggretsuko
25-year-old red panda Retsuko is constantly faced with stress and misogyny at work while being forced to keep up the facade of a modest women. However, when it just becomes too much, she sings out that stress in a burst of death metal karaoke.
The thing that both these series most have in common is that they look really cute, but the things coming out of the character’s mouths drip with suffering.
Welcome to the NHK
College dropout Tatsuhiro Satou has been living as a hikikomori for four years, and in his isolation, he has come to believe in a number of conspiracy theories. Primary among them is that a conspirator is behind his NEET nature. Although he tries to overcome it, his NEET nature is a deep hole to crawl out of.
Both series follow the lives of grown adults with problems and regrets for their lives. Instead of allowing their wallowing to set the tone, they turn each show into comedies.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Life Lessons With Uramichi-Oniisan? Let fans know in the comments section below.
