Maria Watches Over Us - Recommendations

prettypisces314 says...

Both Strawberry and Maria-sama are school-based, and both have older and younger sister relations going on. As well, in both the younger sister has an interest in the older and much more elegant "onee-sama" - SP's Nagisa and Shizuma, and Marimite's Yumi and Sachiko. Let's not forget about the shoujo ai either.

chloe2110 says...

Strawberry Panic is Maria-sama ga Miteru to a greater degree. Both are heartwarming works that can touch the audience if you can relate to them. (:

melonjuice says...

Both series explore the relationships between girls in prestigious and private catholic schools, and the "onee-sama/imouto" system which are similarly portrayed.

Marimite's character designs are drawn with a distinct shoujo manga style while Strawberry Panic's resemble regular shonen anime. The character development for Marimite is very good while Strawberry Panic is slightly more light-hearted. If you liked one, you'll most likely enjoy the other

tinalax says...

The plot of Strawberry Panic and Maria-sama ga Miteru traces how the relationship between a high-energy girl and a mature, admired girl, develops. Although many characters differ, all of them compliment each other and make their respective series enjoyable to watch. If you loved watching one couple, you'd surely like the other.

Kyjin says...

These two shows, while both focusing on the relationship between an older and younger student, each have something to offer a viewer. Marimite is more dramatic and character driven, while Strawberry Panic is much more comedic and fun. With similar storyline themes yet different approaches, these two series complement each other nicely and should defintely be viewed by a fan of either.

Nocturnalgloria says...

Marimite and Strawberry Panic are very alike. Set in an all girls school in which a group of students is highly admired, they both tell the story of the growing relationship between an ordinary girl and an extremely gifted yet aloof older girl. Both have yuri undertones and relay on slice of life events to set the mood. With this said, it should be taken into consideration that Marimite is more subdued than its fanservice oriented counterpart in which the yuri is much more overt.

hyperbole1729 says...

Girls-only catholic school; that's where both series take place. They both focus on the romantic relations between the students. One big difference is that Strawberry Panic is much more explicit on the shoujo-ai whereas Maria-sama ga Miteru kind of leaves it to your imagination.

mayonnaise says...

Maria-sama ga Miteru is the milder version of Strawberry Panic, in my opinion. If you like shoujo-ai anime, Strawberry Panic is a must-watch.

cassiesheepgirl says...

Both of these series focus on the development extremely close relationships between high school girls. Both series are also quite romanticised and full of heightened emotions. If you enjoy this sort of content in one of these then you are likely to enjoy the other.

Noria says...

If you liked Maria sama ga miteru you will like strawberry panic as well because Both of them describe the relasioship between young girls. The stories take place at catholic schools which are only for girls.

Omurqi says...

These anime really are two of a kind. Both Maria-sama ga Miteru and Strawberry Panic are set in a catholic all-girls academy. Standing and popularity are of much importance, and both shows have a similar kind of relationship going on between the main characters. Innerschool politics and shoujo-ai are a large part of both anime, although MariMite has more of the first, and Strawberry Panic more of the second. Enjoyed the flair one of these titles had? Then definitely check out the other!

Galadriel says...

both Strawberry Panic and Marimite feature shoujo-ai/yuri aspects and a warm and sometimes dramatic romance aspect. While Strawberry Panic feature a very serious shoujo-ai relationship between the main female protagonists the relationships in Marimite are more like sister x sister or kouhai x senpai. Even so if you enjoyed watching one of this two shows then be sure to check the other one as well.

darkqueen33 says...

if you liked strawberry panic you would love this show. It is in a all grils boearding school also and has themes of a younger female and a older female. the only real difference here is that strawberry panic had yuri kisses where maria-same ga miterus is more just hinting that kissing and other things were happening. Everything happened off screen and was left to the views own interpretation and imagination in maria-sama ga miteru

P1ttyL0v3r says...

Similar school systems, lowerclassmen/upperclassmen relationships, All girl schools, I LOVE THEM BOTH FP(GOF)*.

sothis says...

Like shoujo-ai? Maria-sama ga Miteru and Aoi Hana are for you. There are various other shoujo-ai titles out there, but Maria-sama and Aoi Hana are strikingly similar in that they both involve girls & budding love at an all girls' academy, and also are both very, very, very slow-paced.

Nocturnalgloria says...

Few anime deal with lesbian relationships in such a subtle and romantic way as do Aoi Hana and Marimite. The slow pace, the all girls school and its traditions, the beautiful artwork that highlight the emotional appeal inherent to these stories: these anime share all this and as a result invoke a very similar feeling in the viewer. Highly recommended to fans of budding romance stories between teenage girls handled in a sincere manner.

kenikki says...

While Maria-sama... has a slower pacing and is less dramatic than Aoi Hana, Aoi Hana still has a more mellow pacing and is much less melodramatic than most romance series which makes it the series most similar to Maria-sama... Also, these series are very similar in the way they approach friendship and love. Not to mention that they both mostly deal with love between women.

chii says...

Both anime are about girls who go to an all girl school and the very close relationships they form with each other. Join these casts as they go through their school lives learning, loving, laughing, and crying together at a very slow pace. Check out one if you liked the other.

Gavia says...

Both of these have character-driven plots with a lot of softness, elegance and tea. The main focus of these two are close relationships that never really turn into love, though they come close to it. (In Aoi Hana's case it's due to the anime not covering all of the source material.) Shoujo-ai elements feature in both. Both take place at girl's schools, while still having active and more-or-less important male characters.

If you like one there is certainly reason to check out the other.

HasseRovdjur says...

Both series focus on the relationships between female highschoolers, but Marimite is more about friendship while Aoi Hana has a big focus on love and heartbreak as well. Aoi Hana is more subdued and intricate, but both are very character-driven as a whole.

Starletka says...

Taking place in all-girls schools, both series follow a couple of students discovering their feelings for each other. They also share a very slow pace and similar animation.

2007digitalboy says...

The most obvious way that Blue Drop and MariMite are likely to be compared is by the heavy yuri or girl-love elements present in both series. However, the biggest connection is through the extremely important use of body language. Both series are heavy on the drama, but in addition to dramatic dialogue, they often stress facial expressions and body movements to convey messages. The care taken to express this deeper sense of communication in both series is beautiful, and these are the only series to really use them on such a level. 

Nocturnalgloria says...

While Blue Drop invests a lot of time in devoloping a sci-fi plot that is utterly absent in Marimite, it remains that both titles have a strong yuri element. The slice of life moments that take place at an all girls' academy are present in both anime and draw them together, despite considerable differences story-wise.

Mjolnir says...

Both anime have elements of Shoujo-ai, though they are not notably huge details but smaller details in the story of the anime. Both series have a plot and character development, where Marimite has more characters with more background stories (and more episodes), Blue Drop has fewer characters with more background on the two main characters. Both anime have serious settings with humerous undertones.

Galadriel says...

both Blue Drop and Marimite feature shoujo-ai elements and both of them are set in a school-life setting. While Blue Drop focuses on a sci-fi type of plot, Marimite has way more characters (better character development) and focuses on the life of high school students and their interactions. I guess that if you like one of this two shows then for sure you will like the other one as well.

Gavia says...

Both are shows with similar poetic atmospheres to them, as well as more-or-less hinted shoujo-ai relationships.

If you like one of them you should check out the other.

Galadriel says...

both animes have a nice shoujo-ai aspect with some romance and school life tags.If you are searching for some good shoujo-ai animes be sure to check this two out because they are very much alike.

chii says...

Both anime are about girls at school who start to have feelings for one another. Sasameki Koto is more direct with the shoujo-ai tones where maria sama generally hints at the relationships. Both are slow paced and have similar characters. Check one out if you liked the other for your shoujo-ai fix.

Omurqi says...

Both MariMite and Sasameki Koto are two slow paced shows about girls who are starting to feel something beyond friendship for each other. If you liked the whole pace, slice-of-life~ish way of storytelling and the yuri tones one of these shows had, it's well worth checking out the other as well.

Gavia says...

Both are school based slice-of-life series with hints of shoujo-ai romance elements. (The shoujo-ai aspects are much more pronounced in Sasameki Koto.)

As the two have the same pace and feeling to them, there is reason to check out one if you like the other.

Eriadu says...

While Maria-sama and Simoun are nothing alike in setting, both include a lot of fun "anime girl drama." There is a strong yuri undercurrent in both, and if you enjoyed one, the other may suit your tastes as well.

Galadriel says...

Simoun and Marimite feature a similar tag and thats shoujo-ai though this two animes are not the same when it comes to setting, both have a nice and warm "girl love drama"aspect. The yuri current is way stronger in Simoun than Marimite (given by the fact that in Marimite the relationship between girls are more like senpai-kouhai) but if you enjoyed watching one of this two shows then you should check up the other one as well.

Gavia says...

These two have a similar poetic feel to them. Both deal with romance elements, with plenty of shoujo-ai or shoujo-ai hints.

caitlin says...

Both Candy Boy and Maria-sama ga Miteru are soft-spoken anime about girls in school, with pleasant shoujo-ai themes. Each also has beautiful animation and a quiet, peaceful atmosphere (in some scenes, at least).

Omurqi says...

If you liked the shoujo-ai, calmness and focus on the characters in Maria-sama ga Miteru, I'm sure you'd enjoy Candy Boy as well. It's a lighthearted (more so than MariMite) shoujo-ai series with two realistic feeling, likable main characters and like MariMite, focuses on the conversations and the characters while setting the overal plot on a second place.

Make sure to check this out if you liked MariMite and are looking for something similar but like to avoid some of the high-school freshman angst this show had.

Gavia says...

Both mix fluffy romance and drama in a school setting.

Neither show have many important male characters, and hence plenty of yuri (or just hints, in the cause of Maria-sama)

If you like one you should check out the other.

apursansar says...

Haibane Renmei and Maria-sama ga Miteru are both quiet observations of life situated in a wonderful setting which serves as a microcosm. The slow pacing of both series gives them an almost dreamlike feel, but while Haibane Renmei is deliberately transfered into an alternative and excluded world, Maria-sama ga Miteru achieves the same effect through demarcation in what is considered the real world.

Michichan says...

Both Haibane Renmei and Maria-sama ga Miteru deal with a group of young characters living and supporting eachother.  Both stories are rather slow-paced, but definitely have great character development.  In general, they are both great slice-of-life anime!

Gavia says...

Both Maria-sama ga Miteru and Haibane Renmei are relaxing, character-driven stories. Neither has much in the way of drama and both carries a dream-like athmosphere. Furthermore, both include various Christian imageries without actually including much of the religion.

sothis says...

The theme of forbidden relationships is shared by these two series, but also the mood and feel is similar as well. If you are looking for a light romance set in school times, this is for you.

caitlin says...

Both series take place at schools of all one gender (boys for one, girls for the other), and have similar themes of forbidden love. This love does manage to remain relatively low key,when it comes to the main characters. Both also have a rather similar pacing and feel to them, so if you enjoyed one, you are likely to enjoy the other.

requiem says...

Both Kannaduki no Miko and Maria-sama ga Miteru share one genre type that is somewhat rare: Shoujo-Ai. Their only difference, when it comes to Shoujo-Ai, shows when Maria-sama focuses more on the romantic concept, while Kannaduki no Miko uses the love story to develop the characters.

Galadriel says...

when it comes to shoujo-ai animes then Marimite and Kannazuki no Miko are pretty similar, both of them are centered on high school students (since Marimite is way longer than KnM then we should expect a better character development). The only difference is that Kannazuki no Miko focuses more on action/mecha battles while Marimite has a slow-paced slice of life aspect and concentrates on the everyday life of several high school students. Still if you like one of this shows then you will like the other one as well.

yukichii says...

The storyline is familiar and they have very similar characters. Both stories center around a girls' high school, the girls' relations with each other, student councils, different and hard personalities, and a dramatic background. If you liked Maria-sama ga Miteru, I'm sure you'll like Brother Dear Brother.

Bonnie says...

Before Maria-sama ga Miteru, there was Oniisama E, a slightly obscure series, adapted from the manga of the beloved Ryoko Ikeda, a much influential female manga artist who brought us legendary manga such as Rose of Versailles. It is quite obvious that Maria-sama ga Miteru got MUCH of its inspiration from Oniisama E.

Before Fukuzawa Yumi unexpectedly entered the rose soeur system in Lillian, Misonoo Nanako unexpectedly entered the sorority, elite group of Seiran. Both schools are for girls only and both schools have three girls who are ultimately admired by everyone: the three roses in Marimite, the magnificent three in Oniisama E. Both series feature a huge and complex almost-all-female array of nicely done characters, with strong lesbian tendencies.

Maria-sama ga Miteru is a much lighter series then Oniisama E, which has lots of psychological violence. But Marimite was heavily influenced on Oniisama E, so I believe that fans of one are most likely going to enjoy the other.