Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! - Recommendations

flyboy42 says...

Moe-girls join a club and try to make school fun.

Which anime was I taking about? Either, really. There's similar characters and similar art styles. Comedy and stuff, you know.

chii says...

Both anime are about a group of girls that get together to make the best out of their school days. The humor and characters are very similar in each. The only main difference is that K-On focuses on music but if you liked one i'm sure you will like the other for more slice of school life goodness.

kokodin says...

I think that both series, have almost identical characters and every girl from manabi has it's equivalent in k-on. They also look the same.

Korwin says...

Group of girls gathers with a goal to enrich their high school lives with club activity (in one case it's the student council in the other it's the light music club). Needless to say both feature cute girls with the usual slice of life antics and comedy. The main character of both shows is a ditzy girl.

cassiesheepgirl says...

Both of these series are pretty high up on the moe scale, and feature cute high school girls aiming towards a goal. While K-On! is generally funnier, both are easy-watching.

xncd85 says...

Another fun slice-of-life anime, Azumanga Daioh has deeper undertones about growing up than Manabi Straight!, and explores moving on to a new phase in life. It's a pleasure to watch.

KiraRin says...

If you enjoyed the high jinks of the Azumanga girls, get ready for the school council craziness initiated by the "enthusiastic" Manabi in Manabi Straight. A lot of characters seem very similar between the two shows, with some very strong personalities leading to some highly entertaining situations.

Although MS doesn't have the same depth and laugh out loud moments as Azu, it still has a certain amount of girlish charm. I'm sure fans of one will still enjoy the other show :)

kooltilldend says...

Growing up, making new friends, learning from your mistakes...and most importantly...having a lot of fun!

Indeed Azumanga Daioh is the better of the two...but don't think that makes Manabi Straight! any worse...its a wonderful series too and really if you enjoyed one, you will almost inevitably enjoy the other

flyboy42 says...

Hyakko is GUMS is a brighter comedy situation, otherwise the characters and whatnot are the same.

Mikan, now ayumi (in hyakko), is a shy girl who gets mixed up in dealing of the "friends" around her.

Manabi, now torako (in hyakko), is a bold, forward thinking girl with too much energy

Mei, now the voice of ayumi and portrayed by tatsuki, is a tsudere with long blue hair. Although Tatsuki seems to have left out the Dere, and that crazy hairstyle Mei had.

And Suzune, who is not anyone from GUMS, but definatly someone from school rumble.

So if you want depth go to GUMS. If you want girls beating eachother, also go to GUMS. BUT if you want girls beating eachother with sports equipment, I'd reccomend Hyakko.

Fireaxe says...

I'll be honest, Manabi Straight is pretty much Hyakko with lolis. Well that being said, those two shows really share a lot of similarities, like flyboy42 said before me, some characters have their spiritual-clone in the other show, you'll be able to make quite a few associations (Manabi <=> Torako being the most obvious one, but there are plenty).

An other similarity I'd like to point out, is the fact that the animation in both shows is surprisingly gorgeous (well, given that comedy genre rarely has the prettiest animation). Both are very, and I mean VERY pretty to watch.

Oh, and finally, if you liked the dodgeball fight in any of those two series, make sure you watch the other!

SilentWarlock says...

Both series are cute, funny, and fun slice-of-life shows based around a small group of girls who are just enjoying life and hanging around with friends.  The biggest differences are that Manabi Straight! is a school-life show, and the characters are technically older (not that they really look or act older).  

cassiesheepgirl says...

So much moe, so little time. If you like slice of life anime about cute girls then both of these are worth checking out, though Strawberry Marshmallow is generally more comic.

SomeoneElse says...

With both Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight and Kyo no Go no Ni (Today in Class 5-2) we take a lighthearted glimpse into adolescence. Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight's more kawaii style of presentation poses a definite juxtaposition to Kyo no Go no Ni's more versatile use of styles ranging from quasi hard boiled to super-chibi. But where their visual styles may range far apart, their heartwarming cheer brings them together.

Cetonis says...

Manabi and Otome are clearly not in the same genre. However, they have a rather similar plotline - the protagonists of both anime become the leaders of their respective schools, and the show follows them as they strive to make it a better place. This may seem like an awfully random thing to link them for, but it really does cause them to have a similar sort of feel to them. If you liked this aspect of one of these series, don't be afraid to check out the other.

2007digitalboy says...

To put it simply (without invoking several massive, spoilerific opuses I've written comparing these shows on my blog), both shows are about leaving school behind and coming into the real world, and more importantly, leaving with a bang. In both series, there is a group of students who is trying to preserve something precious to them. Both feature a main character who is thoroughly unsure of herself and through the help of her close friends, grows in confidence and learns how to become more.

In both series, we see the constant struggle of the group against seemingly impossible odds until they reach the end of the line and put all or nothing on it. In addition, both shows go beyond that event (Hitohira more prominently, but Manabi more importantly) and deal with the pressures of having to leave your comfort zone, and the hardships of growing up into the world.

Despite the massive number of similarities, both shows manage a unique take on the situation, so watching both of them is ideal to gain the full message.  

2007digitalboy says...

Manabi Straight and Yamamoto Yohko are shows who focus on a small group of girls in their fight to be the best that they can be. Both shows feature a character who brings the group together and helps everyone around them become a better person, and as the group becomes stronger, find themself being helped on all sides by their friends. Both shows have strong characters who continue to evolve over the sourse of the series, and both shows are very tonally similar.

Fireaxe says...

Even if Kamichu! and Manabi Straight take place in two totally different settings, they are both set in what seems to be your normal-Japan, but with a little twist... They are both feel-good series that will brighten your day if you feel a little down, plus they use a very similar style of artwork. If you liked one of the two, make sure you give the other one a shot!

flyboy42 says...

What's really crazy is that deep down it's gurren lagann with a smaller more atmospheric scope. It's about a charismatic leader who drums up courage in a time of apathy and despair. A man/girl who calls on everyone to pick up arms and face this menace to society, whether it be apathy or giant robot. Where each increasingly hard problem is faced with an increasingly powerful front. Sure, Manabi straight isn't going to get you to cry tears of manly sorrow. But you must be one jaded puppy to not feel something by the time they leave for the final time. By the way, a jade puppy sounds awesome.