Most anime series are classified as either drama and comedy. After all, they aren’t two genres that some would think would play well together, but they really do. Life is made out of multiple genres, as they say. So anime series that combine comedy and drama are more likely to mimic real life. They have a deeper complexity that you will definitely enjoy.
Best Comedy Drama Anime
Toradora
This series is considered the ultimate heady blend of romance, comedy, and drama. Initially, all you see is the comedy, but as you move deeper into the series and the characters open up to each other, (and thus the audience) it creates some huge areas of drama that pair well with the budding romance. It can be over the top at times, but this is the ultimate romantic dramedy.
Clannad
Clannad is one of those series where everyone and their cat has huge over the top problems. As such, the main character aims to help them, which puts off him dealing with his own issues. However, in between all these distinct girl problem arcs, you see cute moments of comedy that help build the overall romance of the series. Clannad is one of those shows that can make you laugh as hard as you cry.
Welcome to the NHK
Classified as a “black comedy,” that unique genre always has a blend of drama and comedy. The comedy comes from the response to what should otherwise be dramatic situations. Only this show could make a suicide pact pretty funny by making it confused with a beach outing by an socially awkward shut-in.
Tsuki ga Kirei
This series is unique as it is a romance series that really feels very realistic. The reason it feels like that is because it presents comedy and drama, but also does only a little of both. Reality isn’t comedic or dramatic all the time, and neither is this series, which is a masterful use of both genres on its part.
O Maidens in Your Savage Season
O Maidens in Your Savage Season is about a group of young girls dealing with their newly awakened sexuality. They explore love, sex, and various other aspect of puberty that girls go through. It is, as you would expect, a very dramatic time, but there is quite a bit of comedy involved as well. Some jokes are more successful than others, but luckily, they focus more on the drama than the sexual humor.
Nodame Cantabile
Nodame Cantabile is set up as an “odd couple” show where two different personalities are brought together. That is often how the comedy is is created, but as you watch these two musicians try to progress their careers and overcome their hurdles, you discover the drama that is behind what is holding them back. As an odd couple, you see that their differences teach the other something important.
Natsume’s Book of Friends
Natsume’s Book of Friends is pretty laid back with a lot of its genres. It tells supernatural stories, and not all of them are happy and wholesome. There are quite a bit of both dramatic and comedic stories within this long running show. Not all of them blend together these two, but it technically counts.
Kotoura-San
This show can give you whiplash. Some of the things that are said to Kotoura in flashbacks are so horrible, and yet, some of the things that happen in her present are absolutely hilarious. It is a show about fixing a person that has completely shut down from the drama of her past, and as such, it requires both drama and comedy.
Angel Beats
Like other entries on this list, Angel Beats is a series that can make you laugh as hard as it can make you cry. The first episodes catch you off guard by making things just hugely about comedy, but by the end, it is just beating you with the biggest drama bat it can find. As everyone is dead and in the afterlife because they had difficult childhoods, you can expect that all the characters have some not so happy stories behind them. Yet, those who joke the most are often the most wounded, right?
Ouran High School Host Club
The comedy in Ouran is unique because it knows what it is and can be very meta about it. However, because the characters are so unique and wild, it leads to a lot of odd situations as well. Yet, what you don’t expect is that almost all of these boys have rather sad back stories that brought them together. As the series goes on, the drama comes out.
His and Her Circumstances
His and Her Circumstances is a romantic comedy that is done very well. It spans high school years and shows a little bit beyond. It is funny and tends to avoid standard romantic drama tropes. However, the drama it does have is actually darker than you expect, and that is a real treat.
Hanasaku Iroha
Ditched by her mother, sent to live with a Grandmother that hates her, and has to earn her keep working a job – this series starts with the perfect set up for drama. It remains drama heavy all the way through, but much like real life, there are those small moments of comedy within that show the progression of a normal, albeit slightly harder than normal, life.
The Pet Girl of Sakura Hall
Much of this series is about a bunch of young people trying to figure out what they want to do with their life. Some of them are looking for purpose. Some of them are very talented, but feel ostracized because of it. It leads to a lot of drama, but there are moments of just over the top comedy as well.
The Wallflower
While initially The Wallflower is about four boys trying to rehabilitate a shut in girl, as you go on, you see that these beauties have their own problems as well. Problems often above what caused the initial trauma to the girl. Despite that, there are a lot of solid comedy moments as rather normal boys try to deal with this abnormal girl as well.
Great Teacher Onizuka
As a series about a pervy ex-gangster who becomes a teacher, it is no surprise that GTO blends both comedy and drama into the series. The children have serious problems that cause them to act out, then Onizuka solves those problems in the most ridiculous way possible.
Do you know any more dramedy anime series that blend comedy and drama? Let fans know in the comments section below.
