Mirza Aaqib Beg
‘Hige wo Soru’ is a romantic drama anime that revolves around Yoshida, an office worker who falls hopelessly in love with his colleague, Airi Gotou. However, it takes Yoshida five years before he can finally find the courage to confess. Unfortunately, his amorous advances are quickly rejected. Heartbroken, Yoshida ends up meeting Sayu Ogiwara, a runaway high school girl, and begins sharing his apartment with her. He later learns that for the last six months, the teenager has been giving people sexual favors just to have a roof over her head.
Uninterested in anything of that sort and immune to her seductions, Yoshida lets Sayu help with household chores in exchange for providing her room and board. Little do they know that their chance meeting is going to lead to a passionate relationship that will change their lives. The romantic story of the lost and confused teen and a heartbroken adult man has garnered a large fan following, some of whom may wish to watch similar anime. In case you are also looking for a few recommendations, we have got you covered. You can find most of these shows like ‘Hige wo Soru’ on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
7. Bunny Drop (2011)
‘Bunny Drop’ follows Daikichi Kawachi, a 30-year old unmarried man who meets a mysterious young girl while visiting his family home after his grandfather’s death. It turns out that the girl is his grandfather’s illegitimate daughter, who no one wants to accept. Saddened by the disrespect of the innocent young soul, Daikichi pledges to take her to his house and raise her like her own daughter. Like ‘Hige wo Soru,’ ‘Bunny Drop’ is a story of a bachelor with a respectable job who lives alone, and his life ends up turning upside down upon meeting a young girl.
6. Hinamatsuri (2018)
The life of Yoshifumi Nitta, a young yakuza member, turns upside down when he meets Hina, a blue-haired girl, who materializes out of a strange capsule. With dangerous powers that can devastate Nitta’s worst enemies, the girl begins living with Nitta. However, Nitta only later realizes how useful Hina can be for his yakuza business; therefore, he not only becomes his caregiver but also starts using her as a valuable asset for his shady work. ‘Hinamatsuri’ is not romantic as ‘Hige wo Soru,’ but viewers still get to see a somewhat similar story. In both shows, a young man ends up taking care of a girl while he is busy adulting.
5. Sing “Yesterday” for Me (2020)
Rikuo Uozumi lives an unremarkable and monotonous life working at a convenience store with little aspirations for his future. However, Haru Nonaka changes his life for the better by extending a hand of friendship towards the lost and confused Rikuo. It is later revealed that she is just as clueless about her destiny as Rikuo. With the return of a college friend and crush, Shinako Morinome, in his Rikuo’s life, the story takes an interesting turn as viewers get to see three young people struggling with the demons of their past and trying to find some meaning in their unremarkable existence.
The main characters in ‘Sing “Yesterday” for Me’ like ‘Hige wo Soru,’ face an uncertain future as they begin to grasp the lessons taught by their painful past. Both the anime revolves around people trying to let go of their feelings of yesterday and embracing the opportunities that the future has to offer.
4. Koi to Yobu ni wa Kimochi Warui (2021 -)
‘Koi to Yobu ni wa Kimochi Warui’ revolves around Ryou Amakusa, who hopelessly falls in love with his sister’s teenaged best friend, Ichika. Unfortunately, with no past experience of ever having to impress a girl and little guidance, Ryou does what he knows best – tell Ichika what he thinks about her straight to her face. However, his crass confessions do not go well with the schoolgirl, who promptly rejects him and expresses her disgust. But Ryou fails to grasp what she means fully and misunderstands his rejection as love. Like ‘Hige wo Soru,’ the romantic anime weaves the love story of an adult man and a normal high school girl trying to understand what she wants with her life.
3. After the Rain (2018)
Akira Tachibana, an introverted high school student who works at a cafe, ends up having feelings for Masami Kondou, the manager, because of his kind and considerate nature. However, Masami is a 45-year-old man, but despite the abnormal age difference, they begin to grow closer as they spend more time with each other while working together. After contemplating for a long time, Akira decides to confess her feelings, without knowing what Masami thinks of her.
‘After the Rain’ is a romantic drama series that centers upon the relationship of two people with a considerable age difference. However, that does not stop one of them from developing feelings for the other; therefore, ‘Hige wo Soru’ fans should watch the show to experience a similar love story.
2. Scum’s Wish (2017)
Hanabi Yasuraoka and Mugi Awaya appear to share a perfect relationship and are often regarded as the best couple by their friends. However, little do others know that they are hiding a harsh truth. Mugi is in love with Akane, who tutored him in high school, while Hanabi has loved her neighbor Narumi Kanai ever since she was a young girl. Failing to find the attention of the people that they desire, Mugi and Hanabi decide to give each other the relationship that they wished they had. ‘Scum’s Wish’ wish is a heartbreaking story that follows two people who, like the protagonist of ‘Hige wo Soru,’ have to deal with rejection and accept that the people they love have no feelings for them.
1. Rec (2006)
Just when Fumihiko Matsumaru is about to leave after being stood up for a date, he meets Aka Onda, a voice actress who convinces him to stay and watch the film with her. Despite being initially reluctant and a bit sad for being stood up, Fumihiko surprisingly ends up having a great day because of Aka’s upbeat nature. However, a few hours later, when he is at his home, Fumihiko finds out that Aka’s house is burnt down. Despite meeting her just a few hours earlier, he invites Aka to stay with him.
Thus begins the romantic story of the eccentric duo, who support each other through thick and thin. ‘Rec’ like ‘Hige wo Soru,’ is a romantic anime that focuses on a relationship between a compassionate man with a respectable job who starts living with a young girl after a strange turn of events.
Read More: Romantic Anime on Netflix
