Anime covers a wide range of genres. Some are dark and serious, while others are bright and charismatic. Anime fans especially gravitate toward silly anime to boost their spirits.
Although silly anime have a lot of bizarre and hilarious characters, the more serious ones can push a ridiculous anime into the realm of greatness. The juxtaposition between their sincerity and the chaos of the other characters makes for an extremely entertaining series. Serious anime characters trapped in silly anime help to balance the series and make the humor even funnier.
10 Himuro Tries To Take Over (Aggretsuko)
Aggretsuko is the Netflix anime about an accountant named Retsuko. Though she does well in her job, the constant harassment from her boss and mountainous workload maximize her stress levels. To calm down, Retsuko turns to Death Metal music, but tries (and fails) to keep it from her friends. Work is tough, especially when Retsuko has a secret to hide.
Retsuko’s life gets even more complicated when a new CEO takes over the company. In contrast to the first CEO, Himuro’s no-nonsense attitude and company innovations threaten the livelihoods of Retsuko’s coworkers. His cold and calculating persona is the perfect antagonistic match to Retsuko’s absurd — but effective — schemes. Himuro’s demeanor may be ideal to lead, but it is not ideal to lead Carrier Man Trading.
9 Kusuo Saiki Just Wants Peace (The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.)
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is about Kusuo Saiki, a psychic teenager who just wants to be left alone. With incredible powers at his disposal, he uses them to make his life as easy as possible. Whether it is saving his parents’ marriage or winning a dodgeball game, Saiki can be counted on to do what serves him best.
Saiki’s disposition is in sharp contrast to that of his classmates. His self-proclaimed best friend, Riki Nendou, is too oblivious to realize that Saiki wants to be left alone. Another chuunibyou student named Shun Kaidou believes he has special powers due to Saiki’s assistance. All in all, It seems like the stoic and apathetic Saiki just cannot find peace among his peers and relatives as long as his self-serving ways keep backfiring.
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun is the story of Chiyo Sakura who is finally ready to confess her feelings to her classmate, Umetaro Nozaki. However, when she finally tells him, he misunderstands and asks her to be an assistant for his manga instead. Realizing that Nozaki is the author of one of her favorite series, Sakura agrees to the position, vowing to clear up the misunderstanding — eventually.
Despite Nozaki’s fanciful prose and beautiful art, he is often clueless in the way of social cues. He is usually expressionless and feels practically no shame in his ridiculous actions, mostly because he doesn’t know they are ridiculous. Nozaki’s unapologetically straightforward approach to life is what makes him so endearing to Sakura and fans alike.
7 Ooji Karasuma Keeps A Straight Face (School Rumble)
School Rumble features Tenma Tsukamoto who is in love with her classmate, Ooji Karasuma. Yet, unbeknownst to her is that a boy named Kenji Harima has a crush on her as well. Many hilarious mishaps ensure as these three navigate high school life and an increasingly complicated love triangle.
Although Karasuma is handsome, he is often seen sporting an intensely expressionless stare. His ability to stay calm in any situation is exceedingly contrary to the utter hilarity of the rest of School Rumble. Karasuma may keep a straight face, but fans of this series know that none of them have the same serious fortitude as Karasuma.
6 Hirotaka Nifuji Hides His Emotions (Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku)
Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku tells the story of Narumi Momose, who desperately wants to hide her niche interests from her peers. Unfortunately, when she begins her new job, she discovers her childhood friend, Hirotaka Nifuji — who knows her hobbies — also works there. Though she is trepidatious, Hirotaka assures her that she will be fine, and asks her out. She reluctantly agrees, and the two begin a relationship based on similar pastimes.
To the outside world, Hirotaka is a cold and uncaring person. Yet, he is incredibly caring and affectionate — at least where Narumi is concerned. Though his stoic demeanor belies his true emotions, Hirotaka is still the most serious and calm character in this anime.
5 Asuma Mutsumi Is The Perfect Match (Kiss Him, Not Me)
Kiss Him, Not Me follows Kae Serinuna who finds herself at the center of a group of boys all vying for her affections. However, Serinuma would prefer if the boys dated each other instead. While the boys try to convince her to choose one of them, Serinuma continues to fawn over her favorite characters getting together.
One of the boys trying to win Serinuma’s heart is Asuma Mutsumi. Unlike the other boys, Mutsumi is much calmer and just happy to be near Serinuma. He does not mind her interests and actively wants Serinuma to be herself. He may not be the flashiest suitor, but he is the most reserved and accepting of all the boys.
4 Tadaomi Karasuma Is Loyal To The Job (Assassination Classroom)
Assassination Classroom is about a class of students who are tasked with taking out their teacher before the end of the school year. Despite this, the yellow, tentacled monster, Korosensei, endears himself to his students and teaches them more than just academic knowledge.
To ensure the students succeed in their mission, the government assigned Agent Tadaomi Karasuma as their supervisor and combat instructor. Given his occupation, Karasuma has an unwavering severity in his mission and his appearance. The dichotomy between him and Korosensei is stark as Karasuma tries to help the students achieve their goal. Despite himself, the serious Karasuma finds himself caring more deeply for the students of Class 3-E than he ever expected.
3 Shiro Gives A New Meaning To Blank (No Game No Life)
No Game No Life is the story of Sora and Shiro — two step-siblings whose gaming prowess catches the attention of a god. They are then transported into a world where all decisions and transactions are decided by the outcome of a game. Sora and Shiro quickly climb the ranks of their new world, becoming the king and queen of Immanity.
Sora’s more outgoing personality is compelling, but Shiro’s reserved countenance is what makes her such an incredible gamer. Her unyielding facial features never betray her moves, leaving her opponents to frightfully anticipate her next move. Although she has crippling separation anxiety, it cannot be denied that Shiro’s lack of emotion serves her well in the world of Immanity.
2 Takashi Morinozuka Is The Strong, Silent Type (Ouran High School Host Club)
Ouran High School Host Club is about a poor student named Haruhi Fujioka. After breaking an expensive vase, she is forced to work for the school’s Host Club to pay it back. Despite being a girl, Haruhi becomes one of the more popular hosts, and the other club members begin to take notice.
The nature of the Ouran Host Club is to provide ladies with a variety of hosts to choose from. Takasu Morinozuka is the strong, silent type that some girls crave. His towering frame and indomitable attitude contrast the rest of the club’s more eccentric personalities. Mori’s quiet chivalry makes him a favorite among fans.
1 Makoto Sunakawa Is Quietly Loyal (My Love Story!!)
My Love Story!! follows Takeo Gouda as he hopes to find love. Though he has many crushes, they all seem to fall for his handsome friend, Makoto Sunakawa, instead. That is, until he saves an adorable girl named Rinko Yamato from a groper on a train. The two instantly fall in love and begin their romantic journey together.
In contrast to Takeo’s big emotions and personality, Sunakawa (Suna) is much more reserved. He almost always keeps a cool head, and Takeo greatly relies on him to be the voice of reason. Takeo and Suna’s relationship has always been the contrasting core of the story that is a true sign of the power of loyalty and friendship.