There are mixed feelings about back to school season. On one hand, it's exciting to have a fresh start to the year with new classes and friends. On the other hand, it means that summer vacation is over--no more days at the beach, no more sleeping in, and no more binging anime in bed all day! For that reason, the transition from vacation to a new school year can be quite tough.
Fortunately, we've found a cure to making the transition much smoother: anime that know how to add a little spice to the average school day. At your convenience, we have compiled ten school-life anime that are sure to motivate and fuel you for the upcoming school year!
10 Ouran High School Host Club
Most schools have clubs for sports, art, debate, and the like. Ouran High School, however, has a host club. The Host Club is a very unique group of the school's most attractive boys who serve as company and entertainment to any client in need.
The quiet and well-behaved honor student, Haruhi, accidentally stumbles upon this club and finds herself as its newest member after breaking an expensive vase she couldn't afford to replace. Needless to say, joining a host club (or any club) will certainly add some fun and joy into the same-old school routine.
9 Your Lie in April
Your Lie in April combines school, music, and romance to tell a story of two musicians whose lives become intertwined after a fateful encounter. Kousei, a piano prodigy, has lost hope and given up on playing the piano after the loss of his mother, to the point where his life has become nothing but emptiness.
But everything changes when Kousei meets carefree Kaori, a fellow student and vibrant violinist who inspires him to pick up the piano again. Perhaps this touching anime can also inspire young viewers to make the most of their youth whilst navigating their way through school.
8 My Little Monster
A more lighthearted school anime is My Little Monster. The story focuses on two classmates who sit next to each other but are complete opposites. While Shizuku is a diligent student who strives for good grades and a successful career, Haru is much more of a free spirit who rarely shows up to class. Although they may seem like they have nothing in common, Haru takes immediate interest in Shizuku as she becomes the driving force for him to start attending school again.
Whether you're the diligent student, the troublemaker, or somewhere in between, the odd yet charming friendship between Shizuku and Haru will remind you of what you could be missing out on if you cut class!
7 Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
To put a magical spin on the school-life genre, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches adds more than just the witchcraft that the title suggests. The delinquent protagonist, Yamada, leads a normal life until something supernatural suddenly occurs at school.
All in an instant, he falls down the stairs onto model student Shiraishi, kisses her on accident, and ultimately swaps bodies with her. Sparked with confusion and curiosity, the two are quick to learn that they can control the body swaps through kissing, though it isn't clear why. The mystery of this phenomenon slowly unfolds as Yamada and Shiraishi join the Supernatural Studies Club and discover other witches at school.
6 Assassination Classroom
Teachers undoubtedly play a crucial role in determining the outcome of your school year. Laidback teachers might hand out A's without putting their students through piles of homework, while strict teachers might fail half the class despite studying all night.
Teachers who mysteriously show up as smiley octopus-like creatures, on the other hand, will destroy the earth at the end of the school year if their students can't assassinate them before then. This is the case for Korosensei and his students of Class 3-5, also known as the Assassination Classroom.
5 Kaguya-sama: Love is War
Sometimes in school, we have competitive classmates who challenge us either academically or socially. For Kaguya and Miyuki, two top students at Shuchiin Academy, their extreme competitiveness has turned into a twisted game to see who can make the other confess their love first.
The twist is that they both already like each other, but are too proud to admit it first! While Kaguya and Miyuki take this game of love way too seriously, it's an example of the thrills and excitement school can provide for all the competitive spirits out there.
4 Fruits Basket
At first glance, Fruits Basket seems like a standard school-life anime where the cheerful and optimistic heroine, Tohru, will inevitably fall for the handsome prince of the school.
However, it quickly goes from zero to a hundred when Tohru begins living with that prince and learns the secret of the mysterious Soma family: they turn into animals of the zodiac when they are touched by someone of the opposite gender! Though Tohru agrees to keep it a secret, the addition of a rat boy and a cat boy at her side will surely spice up the school life she once knew.
3 My Hero Academia
Just as doctors have medical school and firefighters have fire academies, prospective superheroes like the kids in U.A. High School's Hero Course must first endure school before saving the world. Because Midoriya was not born with a quirk (aka superpower) like the rest of his classmates, he has always felt like an underdog, often teased by his childhood friend Bakugo and outshined by other kids with quirks.
In an effort to follow his dreams of becoming a hero, Midoriya trains harder than anyone else to inherit a powerful quirk from his idol, All Might. While learning how to control his quirk and become a true hero, Midoriya must also go through what every normal student goes through: studying, exams, and internships.
2 Shugo Chara
Making friends can be challenging, especially if you're "cool and spicy" on the outside but introverted on the inside like Amu of Shugo Chara. Amu's desire to change and open up to people is brought into existence one day in the form of three eggs that hatch into tiny guardian spirits.
Each of these guardian spirits represents part of the person Amu ultimately wishes to be, and they do their best to encourage her throughout the school day when trouble arises. When Amu meets fellow students and friends who are also followed by guardian spirits, she realizes she isn't alone in wishing to become a better version of herself.
1 Sket Dance
Sket Dance is an anime that focuses on the club activities that occur after school. One club in particular, "Sket Dan," is run by three misfits whose mission is to extend a helping hand to anyone on campus who needs it.
Using the sharp detective skills of leader Bossun, the monstrous strength of former delinquent Himeko, and the technical skills of computer boy Switch, the Sket Dan never fails to solve students' problems, even if it means getting themselves in trouble. The everyday shenanigans and genuine gestures of Sket Dan are what remind us that school isn't always a place to dread.