Ask John: What Are John’s Favorite School Comedies?

Question:
What are your favorite anime school comedies?

Answer:
Narrowing a selection of personal favorite school comedies is particularly difficult because there are so many titles to choose from – many of them very good. In fact, probably the most popular of all school comedies, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, doesn’t rank of my personal list. As a result, maybe my personal list will inspire some interest in some overlooked or lesser known shows.

If Suzumiya Haruhi is the anime community’s favorite school comedy, Azumanga Daioh may be second. It’s probably my personal top pick. Great character personalities, charming humor, and very attractive anime art design make AzuDai an engaging and endearing favorite.

The Gokujo Seitokai television series briefly reached American DVD under the accurately translated but uninspiring sounding title “Best Student Council.” It’s unfortunate that this show has been widely overlooked by American anime viewers because those who watch it often enjoy it. The show is slapstick humor that manages to avoid feeling ridiculous or condescending.

The original Project A-ko movie is the series’ installment that may set most frequently on school grounds. It’s also one of the classics of anime’s golden age, featuring catchy music, fun characters, memorable gags, and exciting animation.

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu may be this generation’s closest rival to the insanity of Project A-ko. The series displaces the international military conflicts, giant robots, and grim violence of its preceding and following series to concentrate on hilarous fish-out-of-water gags.

American fans familiar with the distinctive visual and comedic style of director Akiyuki Shibo from Tsukuyomi ~Moon Phase~, Paniponi Dash, and Tenamonya Voyagers will find his unique cinematic comedy in overdrive in the Negima!? television series. The second Maho Sensei Negima anime adaptation is great looking, fast paced, tremendously fun, and so filled with sight gags that it’s practically impossible to catch them all.

Akiyuki Shinbo’s Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei also scores highly among my favorite import school comedies because it likewise exhibits a literally overwhelming degree of Shinbo’s cinematic style and an abundance of highly witty, intelligent, and frequently very “otaku-centric” humor.

The Maho Tsukai Tai anime series has been praised before, for good reason. This sweet and bubbly show is a favorite of mine because of its great cast of characters whose wildly divergent personalities all compliment each other beautifully.

While all of these aforementioned shows have been officially released in America, a handful of my favorite school comedies haven’t yet reached American DVD. Potemayo and Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! compete for top place among my favorite import only school comedies. Potemayo is a sweet natured sitcom that’s cute and consistently bizarre. Manabi Straight features lush character design, unusually good animation, and affective characterizations.

Macademy Wasshoi and Kanokon both feature “kemono mimi” characters, plenty of ecchi fan service, and unexpectedly good animation quality. Furthermore, Macademy Wasshoi revels in fun anime and pop culture references and gags. And Kanokon develops more characterization and a more affecting narrative than would normally be expected from a sex gag harem show.

Candy Boy narrowly misses a place on my list because I classify it as a lighthearted romantic drama rather than school comedy since viewers never see the sisters in classes. I’m also not singularly recognizing numerous other excellent school comedies that don’t quite rank among my personal favorites of the genre, including His & Her Circumstances, Mariaholic, Kodomo no Jikan, Hyakko, Stop! Hibari-kun, GTO, Ouran High School Host Club, Tenshi na Konamaiki, Gokusen, Kingyo Chuuiho, and Gakuen Alice, just to name a few.