Best Anime Like Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro

Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro made its anime debut during the Spring 2021 season, although the manga had been a popular property for several years by that point. Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san centers on the dynamic between the confident Hayase Nagatoro and the nervous Naoto Hachiouji, with the former poking fun at the latter in a (mostly) playful manner.

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By  Rob Keyes

The anime has great animation, is hilarious, and develops the core relationship between the two main characters. A slice of life comedy that leans heavily into romance, Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro was one of the standouts of the Spring 2021 season, and the sequel season was arguably even better. Fans seeking something similar can turn to some other slice of life or romance anime like Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san.

Updated January 6, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro's manga came to an end in July 2024, and a sequel to the anime has yet to be announced. If that never comes to pass, fans might want to check out some other series, including two Fall 2024 anime. Click below to jump to these new shows.

24 Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

Sharp Teasing & Relentless Support

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian shares a surprising number of things in common with Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, while still being an overall very different experience. Similar to Hayase, Alya masks her feelings by presenting a cold and distant demeanor at school, particularly when interacting with Masachika. However, she reveals her true emotions in Russian due to mistakenly believing that her crush (Masachika) cannot speak the language.

While using very different vehicles, both girls are hesitant to overtly express their interest, instead opting to hide behind a language barrier or teasing. As the main duo grows closer, they become more directly supportive of each other. Masachika regularly steps in to help Alya when she feels overwhelmed, and these scenes are usually accompanied by cute and witty banter.

23 How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer

A Cute Comedy About Three Couples

A college-age rom-com, How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer has a similar tone to Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro. Both shows are essentially slice-of-life comedies revolving around "friends" who are very clearly interested in each other and are gradually moving toward a relationship. How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer shakes things up by featuring three couples and being a bit more direct with its romance, which makes sense since the characters are considerably more mature and experienced than Hayase and Naoto. Still, most episodes simply follow a few of these characters as they go through their everyday lives, with the guys usually on the receiving end of some light teasing from the women.

Also, How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer has a crossdressing element since the female characters work at a bar that specializes in that presentation. While this is played for laughs at times, it is never at the expense of the women, and the guys get used to the situation pretty quickly. As far as wholesome romantic comedies are concerned, this series was one of 2024's better offerings.

22 Ranma ½

Hate Slowly Turns To Love

OK, Ranma ½ might seem like a weird recommendation since the shonen anime is a parody of romance and harem tropes, despite predating quite a few of the latter. The series is primarily worth seeking out for its timeless humor, which is fully preserved in MAPPA's 2024 reboot. Ranma ½ delivers stellar slapstick, clever situational humor, and memorable characters with larger-than-life personalities. While not the focus, the action is great too.

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By  Emedo Destiny

For all their many differences, Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro and Ranma ½ share one thing in common: They are love stories revolving around a relationship that starts on a terrible note. Pushed into an engagement by their parents, Ranma and Akane detest each other at first, to the point of constantly fighting. Even though they always seem to push each other's buttons, they also steadily start to form a bond that gently moves their relationship in a more positive direction.

21 Pseudo Harem

An Overload Of Cuteness

A Summer 2024 anime that built momentum nicely throughout the season, Pseudo Harem is just pleasant, nothing more and nothing less. Rin and Eiji are both in the drama club, and they are obviously interested in each other but are not quite ready to directly verbalize it. Consequently, Rin uses her acting chops to create a one-girl harem for Eiji, who appreciates the gesture and is more than willing to play along. As they spend more time together, Rin gradually starts to depend less on her harem personalities.

Along with a slow-burn romance, Pseudo Harem also works well as a slice of life comedy. Most episodes consist of skits based on the duo's adorable interactions, most of which are mundane when viewed in a vacuum. The anime simply follows two people as they gradually become closer and more comfortable with each other.

20 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

Battle Of Romantic Wits

An extremely successful romance anime, Kaguya-sama: Love is War revolves around the antics of Shuchiin Academy's student council, particularly the unorthodox rivalry between Miyuki and Kaguya. Despite sharing a mutual attraction, both characters fear that verbalizing their interest would cause an irreparable shift in power if the other person does not reciprocate it. Consequently, the attraction goes undeclared.

In the anime's early stages, Miyuki and Kaguya are constantly trying to trick each other into confessing their love. As the show progresses, Kaguya-sama: Love is War shifts away from this humor-centric premise and starts focusing more on its romance.

19 Toradora!

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

The definitive slice of life turned romance anime about two polar opposite students who embark on a tumultuous friendship, Toradora! Popularized many of this anime genre's tropes. While Ryuuji might look like a delinquent, he is generally a respectable and mild-mannered teenager; conversely, Taiga's unassuming physique masks an explosive personality and a tendency to get violent.

Ryuuji and Taiga opt to work together to impress each of their love interests, a union fueled by arguments, flying fists, and character growth.

18 The Duke Of Death And His Maid

Finding Humor In Tragedy

The Duke of Death and His Maid centers around the unorthodox relationship between the eponymous characters. Bocchan suffers from a curse that kills anyone he touches, forcing him to live a secluded and lonely life. His closest companion is his maid, Alice, who clearly has feelings for the Duke. Unfortunately, their predicament forbids them from getting too close to each other. Consequently, Alice shows her affection for Bocchan by teasing him from a distance.

The Duke of Death and His Maid blends a grim premise with a light-hearted tone courtesy of its charming leads. Alice and Bocchan's dynamic never comes across as one-sided or mean-spirited since they are just trying to make the best of a bad situation.

17 Grandpa And Grandma Turn Young Again

Decades Of Experience

Even though they are just starting to get to know each other, Nagatoro and Naoto have already developed a strong rapport that suggests they could make for a very cute duo once they fully embrace their (obvious) interest in each other. Even if the story does not spend too much time with them as an official couple, it is not hard to imagine how their relationship might develop over the decades, eventually reaching a point of such intimacy and familiarity that they are completely comfortable.

Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again centers around a long-together couple who have been married for decades, a rare situation in anime. Even with the whole "Turn Young Again" twist, Shozo and Ine very much act their genuine ages, including engaging in sweet banter that can occasionally slip into loving teasing territory. Ultimately, Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again is simply a cute romance with an easy-to-adore central couple.

16 A Destructive God Sits Next To Me

Playful Banter

In the days of legend, two knights, Sturmhurt and Gestöber, came together to seal the God of Destruction, and the former hero served as the deity's prison. Across the ages, Sturmhurt and Gestöber have constantly reincarnated to make sure that the destructive god remains in chains, with Kabuto Hanadori and Seri Koyuki acting as the two current versions respectively.

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This grand tale exists solely in the mind of Kabuto, and it mostly succeeds in annoying Seri to no end. Similar to Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san, A Destructive God Sits Next to Me features a relationship defined by frustration but also affection.

15 More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers

Playing House

A Fall 2022 anime, More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers has a strange central premise. In this universe, high schools run a program that pairs students so they can pretend to be married. They are ranked by their performances, and the top couples are rewarded with an opportunity to get a divorce and pretend-marry someone else.

The shy Jirou is matched with the popular Akari, a girl he has barely ever interacted with. As both students wish to be married to other people, they decide to play their roles effectively; however, they eventually start to grow closer. More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers does not focus on teasing humor as much as Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, although Akari does occasionally (and usually accidentally) cause Jirou to turn redder than a cherry.