When thirteen-year-old Hajime goes to stay with his grandfather he gets lost and wanders into the Ark Cafe. There he meets Arashi, a sixteen-year-old girl with a big secret, and is immediately drawn to her. When a large private detective clad in camouflaged trousers and dark sunglasses walks into the cafe looking for Arashi, Hajime manages to help make him back off - for now. In thanks, Arashi goes to shake his hand but as she does so the pair connects and Arashi takes Hajime back in time to show him how the town used to look... while she was still alive! Now, after being ‘won' in a bet by the con artist currently managing the cafe, Hajime is working alongside the ‘ghostly' Arashi and fellow middle-schooler Jun who also suffered the same losing fate. As his life takes this unexpected turn, Hajime's stormy summer filled with strawberry bombs, moped races, and plenty of time travelling is only just beginning.
Holding strictly to his family's creed, Kou Ichinomiya has never once, in his life of privilege, owed anything to anyone – that is, until a self-proclaimed Venusian named Nino saves him from drowning in the wake of a dire accident involving Kou's pants. Eternally indebted to the supposed extraterrestrial, Kou moves into her little community under the bridge along the Arakawa river. Ripped from his life of luxury and success, the young Tokyo U graduate now must adjust to his well-appointed hovel, strange new neighbors, and peculiar lover, Nino.
First off both shows are made by Studio Shaft. Both shows are about a girl who changes the male lead's life. And both have a great suporting cast of characters. If you liked one you should watch the other.
Arakawa Under the Bridge and Natsu no Arashi! Are about somewhat strange girls that change the life of the leading male character. They are also each made by the same studio.
Kanako Miyamae hates boys so much that she breaks out into hives after any physical contact with them. So when she is able to transfer to the Ame no Kisaki Girl’s school, Kanako is overjoyed that she can now search for her fated yuri partner. When she arrives, Kanako meets Shidou Mariya, a beautiful young girl who is exactly her type... except that Mariya is really a sarcastic and sadistic young boy who is masquerading as a girl! With no intention of being expelled from school, Mariya threatens Kanako into keeping his secret, and decides to guard her twenty-four hours a day to ensure that she does. Now Kanako must share a room with Mariya who is gleefully making her life a misery while using his ‘feminine’ charms to stop her protesting. Throw into the mix Ryuuken, the most popular girl in school who has vowed to protect her; and Kiri - who claims they are dating to prevent her from being bullied - and it seems as if Kanako’s dream of all-girl school life will be nothing like she imagined!
Though the subject matter for these series is very different, both Maria Holic and Natsu no Arashi share a similar style of random comedy. If you liked the comedic style of one then try the other.
I cannot see the similarity in any other way between Natsu no Arashi! And Maria Holic other than the type of random comedy these two series deliver. Although that humor plays a big role in each of the series, making them in my mind extremely similar.
Life is simply not worth living for down and out school teacher Itoshiki Nozomu. He has no hope of progress, no prospect of promotion, no chance at happiness… he is in despair! Even his name spells 'zetsubou' – 'despair', when compressed. But when the time comes to end it all, Itoshiki's attempted suicide on the first day of the new school year is foiled by relentlessly positive Fuura Kafuka. This saves Itoshiki long enough to meet his new class, and the quirky range of students under his care. Will Itoshiki Nozomu depress his students with his anguish? Or will Fuura show Zetsubou-sensei the joys of life and hope?
With the same absurd humor, somewhat one-dimensional characters, and very similar artwork/animation, these shows compliment each other. You could watch both together like wine and cheese; that is, according to your taste.
Both Natsu no Arashi and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei share a similar sort of comedic tone to them. Both have odd random fun moments that don't necessarily have much to do with the plot but are fun nonetheless. If you like one then the other is well worth watching.
The brash Hotori Arashiyama is a far from regular girl with the lofty dream of becoming a genius high school detective, but for now she is working at the Seaside maid café to earn some extra money. Unfortunately the establishment itself is deserted and the teen is far from being the epitome of a gracious maid. Enter Toshiko, Hotori’s friend and classmate, whose expertise and passion for maid cafés – as well has her interest in Sanada, one of the few regular customers – leads her take on the quest to turn Seaside into a bistro to be proud of. However, can a cafe owned by an elderly woman whose solution to everything is curry and staffed by a clueless, foolhardy teenager really become a success, or even attract more than the usual four patrons?
Although Natsu no Arashi! has supernatural elements, both shows are about a small cafe and about daily events that happen, needless to say both shows have maids and are done by Shaft.
Makoto Konno is a somewhat foolish and tomboyish high school student who spends most of her time hanging out with her two male friends. Things change one day when she suddenly gains the ability to leap through time! At first, she uses her newfound ability to do things such as preventing her sister from stealing her dessert, cheating on a test, and singing Karaoke for 10 hours. However, the small alterations she makes to the timeline turn out to have unforeseen consequences that snowball into dramatic and lethal situations for her and those around her...
If you liked Natsu no Arashi or The Girl Who Leapt Through Time you should watch the other because both shows are about time travel and the consequences of time travel. And the humor in both animes is simmilar.