Anime Series Like Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun

Chiyo Sakura has fallen head over heels for the handsome and
oblivious Umetarou Nozaki. However, when she confesses her love, he gives her
an autograph. It turns out this stoic boy is actually a respected shoujo manga
artist. After a series of misunderstandings, Chiyo winds up not as his
girlfriend, but as his manga assistant.

A romantic comedy can be all jokes and hollow romantic
feeling, but then you have shows like Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun that has
meaningful character developments and is a true joy to watch. If you are
looking for something similar, then be drawn in down below.

For Fans of Making Manga

Bakuman

As a child, Moritaka Mashiro wanted to be a manga artist
like his uncle. However, after certain events transpired, he refocused his
efforts towards studying in middle school. One day, aspiring writer Akito
Takagi notices some detailed drawings in Moritaka’s notebook and approaches him
to propose they become a mangaka together. Realizing that he might be able to
get his crush if they make an anime adaption of it with her as the voice actor,
Moritaka agrees, and thus, the mangaka Muto Ashirogi is born.

There are a few series about making manga, but only Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun and Bakuman actually have a decent plot behind them. Furthermore, while not the primary focus, there is some romance in Bakuman as well.

Mangirl

With only a dream, a group of girls with zero experience
decide to start a manga magazine. Though they work hard,  these girls run  into nothing but problems.

This is a good series if you are looking for manga
creation-based comedy. There’s no romance, but it does detail the creation of
manga with some great comedy.

The Comic 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.

Obviously, both shows are about manga artists and their
female assistants. However, unlike Nozaki-kun, this show is not really a
romance, but it is a great comedy.

For Fans of Dense Love

Ouran High School Host Club

In Ouran High School, the typical student is a member of the
wealthy elite, but not Haruhi Fujioka. Accepted on a scholarship, Haruhi wants
to avoid all the glitz and glamour in order to study hard and become a lawyer.
While looking for a rare quiet place to do so, Haruhi stumbles upon a host
club. Frantic to get away from these weird boys, Haruhi breaks a valuable vase.
In order to pay back the debt, the club demands that Haruhi becomes a host.
There is only one problem, contrary to what the boys believe, Haruhi is
actually a girl.

In Ouran High School Host Club, the female plays the dense
character to the budding affections of those around her. However, unlike in
Nozaki-kun, she is not quite as oblivious as she seems. Regardless, both series
are top tier in terms of the combination of comedy, romance, and character
development.

School Rumble

Sophomore high school student Tenma Tsukamoto is on a quest
to confess her feelings to the boy she likes. Kenji Harima, a delinquent, is on
the same quest. This is the story of the complicated world of one-sided
romance.

School Rumble is essentially just all one-sided romances due to various levels of being dense. There within is where it gets its comedy. However, Nozaki-kun features a more straightforward plot line while School Rumble tends to be more random comedy.

The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior

Kazunari Usa is starting high school and finally talked his
parents into letting him live alone. Excited for his new life, he moves into
the Kawai Complex boarding house, only to find his new roommate a complete BSDM
weirdo. Being put off by the eccentricity of it all, he is on his way to leave
when he runs into his senior in high school, Ritsu Kawai, who also lives there.
The sheer presence of this cool beauty talks him into giving life in this new
house a try.

Gender-swapped in Kawai Complex, it features a boy trying to get the girl he likes to notice his feelings. However, like Nozaki who is hyper focused on his manga, Ritsu is hyper focused on her book reading.

For Fans of Expressionless Characters

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. 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 series, you have a character that is almost near emotionless. They use this for comedy, but the primary conflict in the show is that they don’t realize their feelings or really note the feelings of others. While both are great comedies, they can be frustrating romances.

My Little Monster

Shizuku Mizutani cares little of others and only about
scoring top marks. However, when she is tasked with taking something to her
desk neighbor Haru Yoshida, her world begins to change. Haru, too, knows little
of human nature and hasn’t been to school for awhile due to fighting. Yet, it
is the lack of friends that they both have that soon forms a friendship between
them.

Conversely to Nozaki-kun, the female in  My Little Monster is the cold and emotionless one while the male is somewhat aggressively pursuing her affections, for a time. However, this sadly unfinished series is more about examining feelings unlike Nozaki where the character wants to get her love interest to notice her feelings.

Engaged to the Unidentified

On Kobeni Yonomori’s 16^th birthday, it is
discovered that her grandfather arranged for her to marry the mysterious Hakuya
Mitsumine. Shocked, she now finds herself living with her future husband, his
deceptive little sister, and her own perverted older sister. However, Kobeni
takes it in stride, adjusting to her new life and trying to learn more about
the new additions.

Nozaki-kun can be a little frustrating with the overall denseness of the male main, but Engaged to the Unidentified, while featuring similar tropes, is a little more satisfying. It is not that the male main is dense, but rather better at hiding any and all emotion.

Do you have more anime recommendations like Monthly Girls’
Nozaki-kun, then let fans know in the comments section below.