6 anime like Angel Beats, the classic supernatural school series

If you enjoyed the classic Angel Beats anime, why not check out these six other supernatural school series next?

Angel Beats is widely considered to be a classic anime series which has just celebrated its 12^th anniversary. The supernatural school drama wowed fans back in 2010 and has continued to pop up every so often on social media as fans reminisce on the PA Works series.

If you have just watched the series, there is thankfully no shortage of other anime shows with similar styles and stories – so, here are six of the best anime most similar to Angel Beats that you can stream online around the world.

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Clannad (2007)

With a MyAnimeList rating of 8.01/10 with over 700,000 reviews, this iconic supernatural school rom-com series is certainly one of the shows arguably most-similar to Angel Beats from this list; available to stream online via HiDive and Funimation.

“Tomoya Okazaki is a delinquent who finds life dull and believes he’ll never amount to anything. Along with his friend Youhei Sunohara, he skips school and plans to waste his high school days away.

One day while walking to school, Tomoya passes a young girl muttering quietly to herself. Without warning she exclaims “Anpan!” (a popular Japanese food) which catches Tomoya’s attention. He soon discovers the girl’s name is Nagisa Furukawa and that she exclaims things she likes in order to motivate herself. Nagisa claims they are now friends, but Tomoya walks away passing the encounter off as nothing.

However, Tomoya finds he is noticing Nagisa more and more around school. Eventually he concedes and befriends her. Tomoya learns Nagisa has been held back a year due to a severe illness and that her dream is to revive the school’s drama club. Claiming he has nothing better to do, he decides to help her achieve this goal along with the help of four other girls.

As Tomoya spends more time with the girls, he learns more about them and their problems. As he attempts to help each girl overcome her respective obstacle, he begins to realize life isn’t as dull as he once thought.” – Clannad, via MAL.

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Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (2018)

A classic school rom-com series from CloverWorks with a MAL rating of 8.27/10 with 950,000 reviews, this is a series that every anime fan should try watching just once, available to stream on Netflix, Crunchyroll and Funimation.

“The rare and inexplicable Puberty Syndrome is thought of as a myth. It is a rare disease which only affects teenagers, and its symptoms are so supernatural that hardly anyone recognizes it as a legitimate occurrence. However, high school student Sakuta Azusagawa knows from personal experience that it is very much real, and happens to be quite prevalent in his school.

Mai Sakurajima is a third-year high school student who gained fame in her youth as a child actress, but recently halted her promising career for reasons unknown to the public. With an air of unapproachability, she is well known throughout the school, but none dare interact with her—that is until Sakuta sees her wandering the library in a bunny girl costume. Despite the getup, no one seems to notice her, and after confronting her, he realizes that she is another victim of Puberty Syndrome. As Sakuta tries to help Mai through her predicament, his actions bring him into contact with more girls afflicted with the elusive disease.” – Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, via MAL.

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Charlotte (2015)

From Studio PA Works, the same studio as Angel Beats, this original series was a surprise hit from the 2015 Summer slate, ending with an impressive 7.75/10 score on MAL with over 870,000 reviews; available through Crunchyroll.

“If not for his ability to take over people’s mind and body, Yuu Otosaka would be an ordinary high school student. Though it only lasts for five seconds at a time, Yuu’s mysterious power allowed him to cheat his way to the top of his class and enter a prestigious high school, where he continues his dishonest acts.

His shenanigans are eventually stopped by Nao Tomori—the headstrong student council president from Hoshinoumi Academy—who sees through his deceit. Through coercion, Nao convinces Yuu to transfer to Hoshinoumi and join the student council. Hoshinoumi Academy is secretly an institution created for adolescents who possess supernatural abilities—with the student council serving as a means of locating those who abuse their powers.

With Yuu begrudgingly assisting in council affairs, the group sets out to find and protect new ability users from harm. However, as they further investigate the abilities, their findings entangle them in far more complicated matters than they could ever imagine.” – Charlotte, via MAL.

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The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006)

Don’t ignore this series just because it came out in 2006, this classic series from Kyoto Animation is still maintaining a respectable 7.84/10 rating with over 450,000 reviews; available on Funimation.

“If a survey were conducted to see if people believed in aliens, time travelers, or maybe espers, most would say they do not; average high school student Kyon considers himself among the non-believers. However, on his first day of school, he meets a girl who soon turns his world upside down.

During class introductions, the beautiful Haruhi Suzumiya boldly announces her boredom with “normal” people and her intention of meeting supernatural beings. Dumbfounded, Kyon learns of her frustration with the lack of paranormal-focused clubs at their school and unwittingly inspires her to start her own club. She creates the Spreading Fun all Over the World with Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade, otherwise known as the SOS Brigade.

Following the SOS Brigade’s founding, Haruhi manages to recruit Kyon and three other members: quiet bookworm Yuki Nagato, shy upperclassman Mikuru Asahina, and perpetually positive Itsuki Koizumi. Despite their normal appearance, the new members of the SOS Brigade each carry their own secrets related to Haruhi. Caught up in the mystery surrounding the eccentric club leader, Kyon is whisked away on a series of misadventures by Haruhi and the SOS Brigade, each one bringing him closer to the truth about who and what she is. – Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, via MAL.

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Little Busters (2013)

Produced by J.C. Staff, the success of Little Busters would spawn several spin-off and sequel titles, with a MAL score of 7.49/10 with 100,000 reviews – consider this an ‘unknown gem’ for this list, available on HiDive.

“As a child, Riki Naoe shut himself from the world, thanks to a diagnosis of narcolepsy following the tragic deaths of his parents. However, Riki is saved when, one fateful day, a boy named Kyousuke recruits him into a team who call themselves the Little Busters. Accompanied by Masato, Kengo, and Rin, these misfits spend their childhood fighting evil and enjoying their youth.

Years pass, and even in high school, the well-knit teammates remain together. Kyousuke decides to re-ignite the Little Busters by forming a baseball team as it will be his last school year with them. They have a problem though: there aren’t enough members! The tables have turned, for it is now Riki’s turn to reach out and recruit new friends into the Little Busters, just like Kyousuke had once done for him.

Then, an omen surfaces—Rin finds a strange letter attached to her cat, assigning them the duty of uncovering the “secret of this world” by completing specific tasks. Just what is this secret, and why is it being hidden? It’s up to the Little Busters to find out!” – Little Busters, via MAL

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Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Our personal favourite series from this list, Anohana is a fantastic show from A-Pictures that scores an 8.33/10 on MAL with 900,000 reviews; available on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

“Jinta Yadomi is peacefully living as a recluse, spending his days away from school and playing video games at home instead. One hot summer day, his childhood friend, Meiko “Menma” Honma, appears and pesters him to grant a forgotten wish. He pays her no mind, which annoys her, but he doesn’t really care. After all, Menma already died years ago.

At first, Jinta thinks that he is merely hallucinating due to the summer heat, but he is later on convinced that what he sees truly is the ghost of Menma. Jinta and his group of childhood friends grew apart after her untimely death, but they are drawn together once more as they try to lay Menma’s spirit to rest. Re-living their pain and guilt, will they be able to find the strength to help not only Menma move on—but themselves as well?” – Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, via MAL.

By Tom Llewellyn – [email protected]