My Dear Marie - Recommendations

Alt title: Boku no Marie

If you're looking for anime similar to My Dear Marie, you might like these titles.

Chobits

Chobits

Having failed to earn admission to a university, Hideki Motosuwa has moved to the big city, determined to study his hardest for next year's exams. However, an unusual distraction presents itself one unsuspecting day in the form of Chii, a robotic young girl that has been discarded in the trash. In a world where an increasing number of people turn to these 'persocoms' for company, the bonds and limits of human relationships are tested as flesh manages to fall in love with the machine itself...

5 votes

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Reasons you might like Chobits...

NekoRocket NekoRocket says...

Seeking solace in a beautiful android seems to be a running theme in Japan, and explored to different extents in many anime. Chobits and My Dear Marie are both cute and touching series about the human-machine relationship that explore just what it is to love another.

sothis sothis says...

Chobits is admittedly one of the more popular robot-turned-potential-love-interest series, while My Dear Marie is older and has less of a plot. Regardless, if you appreciate this sort of plot and enjoy ecchi, I can't see why you wouldn't like either of these.

palaeologus palaeologus says...

Some parallels between Chobits and Boku no Marie are easy to spot ("Yeah, they're, like, both about beautiful robot girls and hapless guys, right? And neither one of the guys is secure enough to buy underwear for his bot, huh?"). Yet there are aspects of each that are under the surface, too. Unlike Boku no Marie, which is set in a Japan that is otherwise pretty normal for the 1990s, Chobits is set in a near-future Japan where attachments between "persocoms" (think bijin/bishonen with cords that extend from elven ears) and their human owners are, if not actually encouraged by society, at least understood as a cultural phenomenon. In both stories, though, the android protagonist (Marie-chan/Chii-chan) is unique -- unlike anything the people around her has ever seen. How each android reacts to her creation and goes through her individual learning process is fascinating. Although Marie-chan does emerge from Karigari's workshop fully programmed to be an ideal girl, and spends lots of time helping Karigari's relationships with two human girls, she has enough of a will of her own to want to be more human herself by the end of the series. Chii-chan starts out knowing only how to say her name, but evolves into a being who actively seeks the company of her owner Hideki. One wonders after seeing both series whether Chii-chan will want to experience dreams like Marie-chan does, or whether Marie-chan will ever act on the aspects of her self that appear in her dreams and nag her about her being a mere carbon copy of Karigari's classmate Marie. I liked both, and have cross-recommended, but I can't help but picture Marie-chan and Chii-chan in a parallel universe both attending an Androids Anonymous meeting to come to terms with being "the one and only" in their respective worlds.

chii chii says...

Very lucky boys come across or find androids that help out in their daily lives. With romantic feelings brewing between man and machine, lots of humor and a little bit of ecchi are surely involved. If you liked one check out the other.

hamletsmage hamletsmage says...

both of these animes explore the aspects of human-android relationships. Both of the "female" protagonists have very little concept of social norms, and this leads to some ecchi humor. While Chobits has more of the love-story elements, it shares much of the same drama and humor as My Dear Marie.

Don't Leave Me Alone Daisy

Don't Leave Me Alone Daisy

The nerdy Techno Rejiro has lived in his nuclear bomb shelter all his life, monitoring the world outside -- a spectator to life, rather than a participant. One day, a mysterious girl named Hitomi stumbles upon his grounds, thereby opening the door to the real world, figuratively speaking. With his horde of unusual technological contraptions, he sets out to discover why this girl stirs unfamiliar feelings within him, though he might not have her full cooperation...

2 votes

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Reasons you might like Don't Leave Me Alone Daisy...

XMrNiceguyX XMrNiceguyX says...

The similarities of these series is stunning. There are whizzkids who create their own androids and have a crush on a girl in both series. The main difference is that the main character is somewhat underdeveloped in My Dear Marie as opposed to Misutenaide Daisy

palaeologus palaeologus says...

Quick, name two 1990s-era series about mecha otaku who are inexperienced with girls? Hiroshi Karigari of Boku no Marie is older than Daisy's Reijiro Tekuno ("Techno"), and seems to have more of a life, but both are guys who clearly have let their left brain take complete control; what they both need is a little female companionship to take the scientific edge off. While Karigari builds Marie-chan, the perfect woman in robotic form, Techno chooses a somewhat easier path and finds a human classmate whom he places on a sky-high virtual pedestal and renames "Daisy" (much to her chagrin). The two series then diverge, with Boku no Marie verging into Marie-chan's inner life and the nature of her feelings towards Karigari, while Don't Leave Me Alone Daisy spends more time exploring how Techno came to be a technologically-advanced shut-in. Still, there's enough of an overlap that those who like one title will like the other.

Video Girl AI

Video Girl AI

Yota is a young man who is in love with his friend Moemi, but there's a catch: she's confessed her love for his best friend! Heartbroken, he finds himself in a mysterious video store that offers him Ai, a video girl who can fulfill his every desire. Thanks to his broken VCR, this dream becomes reality when she suddenly... emerges from the TV?! With a real life video girl on his hands to give advice and set him straight, Yota might just stand a chance of winning over the heart of Moemi, and curing his unbearable heartache...

2 votes

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Reasons you might like Video Girl AI...

Rar Rar says...

My Dear Marie and Video Girl Ai are both firmly in the make-your-own-girlfriend genre of fiction, light romance for teenage boys. Not that the two ovas are anything like identical, My Dear Marie is more comedy and less soppy, and has very clean simple character designs compared to the stylised Katsura attention to detail in Video Girl Ai. However they're basically the same kind of thing, if you're young enough and male enough to enjoy one, then both should appeal.

sothis sothis says...

Video Girl Ai and My Dear Marie are incredibly similar, plot-wise. Girl starts out as a toy, ends up falling in love with the boy. I thought Video Girl Ai was better, as My Dear Marie doesn't really have that much of a plot. Regardless, if you liked one you'd definitely like the other.

Love Hina

Love Hina

Keitaro Urashima is somewhat of a failure. In order to fulfill a promise he made to a girl fifteen years ago, he has tried time and again to get into Tokyo U but has never managed to pass the exam. However, fate smiles upon him and he ends up working for his aunt, managing an all-girls dorm! Living with the feral Kaolla, the timid Shinobu, the sake-loving Mitsune, the blade mistress Motoko and the punch-happy Naru, can Keitaro keep his focus and keep his promise? And will he ever end up meeting that girl from his past?

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Love Hina...

ndymin ndymin says...

Love Hina is another crazy comedy that reminds me of Boku no Marie. It's got whacky anime action, silly comedy, and lots of girl problems (like a guy that has problems with girls). So if you liked Boku no Marie, perhaps you'll like Love Hina.

Excel Saga

Excel Saga

F City, F Prefecture: the battleground where good and evil have finally chosen to decide once and for all who will rule the world…or at least that's the general idea! Neither side seems up for the task, as surviving the brutality of everyday life is enough of a chore. On the side of evil is the organization of Across, its only member the loudmouthed and abrasive Excel who struggles just to put food in her stomach; on the side of good, three disenfranchised, unemployed bachelors whose only pursuit in life is romance. Add in alien invasions, jungle warfare, and Mexican immigrant laborers to Japan, and this war doesn't seem likely to be ending soon!

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Excel Saga...

ndymin ndymin says...

For zany action, turn to Excel Saga. Boku no Marie definitely reminds me of Excel Saga. ES is episodic, and really just toys around with lots of different ideas in its 26 episodes, however, it's very hilarious and it parodies lots of things, similar to Boku no Marie. I highly recommend it.

Kodocha

Kodocha

11 year-old Sana Kurata is a positive, upbeat child actress with a rather odd life. She was adopted as a baby by an eccentric novelist who wears a live squirrel in her hair, her acting career is managed by a (former) homeless man who Sana unabashedly claims is her "gigalo", and at school her teacher has completely lost control of her classroom due to a group of blackmailing bullies led by "demon child" Akito Hayama. With her whole class in danger of failing, Sana decides she's had enough of Akito's nonsense at school and challenges him. The whole school is ready for a showdown as these strong personalities collide, but as the two very different kids learn more about each other, something unexpected happens. Is it possible for sworn enemies to become fast friends?

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Kodocha...

ndymin ndymin says...

This show is CRAZY! It's got whacky comedy, the main character never shuts up, and it's packed with content! The main character and most of the other character in this are a much younger crowd, but it's a zany show and I recommend it to any who enjoyed the off the wall antics of Boku no Marie.

Hand Maid May

Hand Maid May

Kazuya Saotome is an electrical engineering student with a passion for computers, building his robot squid, and programming. One day he receives May, a hand sized cyberdoll, in a package from Cyberdyne Co. as a revenge tactic planted in a CD from his rival. With a little help from May to clean up his act, he may even be able to win over the heart of Kasumi, his landlord's daughter.

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Hand Maid May...

NekoRocket NekoRocket says...

Creating an AI that you can't entirely control leads to laughs a-plenty and provides a story that touches the heart as much as it tickles the funny bone. both My Dear Marie and Hand Maid May let you ride the emotional roller coaster while following the antics of androids.

All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku

All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku

Ryunosuke and his father are running away from his crazy mother when, feeling the urge to answer nature's call, Ryunosuke finds a cute little alley cat and decides to keep it. Almost immediately after, they are caught in a fire fight with his mother's lackeys. Tragically the poor cat dies and Ryunouske is heartbroken, but luckily his inventor father just happened to bring along a deactivated robot. By placing the cat's brain in the robot, Nuku Nuku is born! Now all they have to do is teach Nuku Nuku how to behave like a normal girl instead of a super-strong, cat-brained robot, while trying to avoid a mother's wrath!

1 vote

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Reasons you might like All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku...

NekoRocket NekoRocket says...

She cooks, she cleans, she's a humanoid machine. What, sound familiar? It's a popular theme, and one that's fun to follow. Nuku Nuku, a naive cyborg, has as much to learn about humanity as Marie. Funny and freaky, both are worth checking out if you enjoy shows along this line.

Steel Angel Kurumi

Steel Angel Kurumi

It was just a juvenile search for adventure that brought young mystic Nakahito face to face with the android mega-weapon, Kurumi. With just a kiss, she is activated and answers only to him. Now they embark on a comedic journey that will carry them across Japan to discover the secrets of the Steel Angels and how such technology has come to exist before the advent of television. In their travels they will encounter spies, army agents and rogue Steel Angels but the real discoveries lie in the heart of a young teen and the miracle he has awakened with a kiss.

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Steel Angel Kurumi...

NekoRocket NekoRocket says...

What happens when a machine develops a soul of its own? Amorous attentions seem to go awry, yet hilarity and heartbreak ensue. Kurumi and Marie each offer their own take on the android-human relationships, to surprisingly different ends. See for yourself.

Happy World!

Happy World!

After his apartment burning to the ground and almost being killed by a falling metal object, Ohmura Takeshi is ready for the afterlife. Luckily, a beautiful angel appears to heal his wounds and inform him that if he stays with her, no harm will come to him. The catch? His long-lost deadbeat dad has passed along a curse: he will experience nothing but sadness in his life. Now, after changing to a human to maintain close contact, Elle will stop at nothing to make sure that a bit of happiness comes into Takeshi's life, but not before first learning how to be a human!

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Happy World!...

sothis sothis says...

Happy World and My Dear Marie have a similar dynamic: comedy, romance, and a girl that ends up being more than she started out. Though I thought Happy World was funnier, both of these series have a lot in common.