Top 5 Comedy Anime

5. Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (Daily Lives of High School Boys)

• Episodes: 12

• Aired: January 2012 – March 2012

High school and anime go together like butter and bread, but few other series distill this formula down to its essence quite like Sunrise's Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou. Centering on the antics of three friends attending Sanada North High School, the anime celebrates adolescence by playing around with the nothingness that tends to pervade a teenager's life.

With the exception of a couple of surreal moments, Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou's cast talk and walk like real students. These are not highly sophisticated or self-aware adults masquerading as teenagers; no, these are the type of people who pick up a stick to reenact an intense RPG battle or try on their sister's underwear for no real reason. While the title suggests the focus is on the boys, Sunrise's anime boasts an extensive cast and is more of an ensemble comedy.

Divided into small skits, Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou benefits from great pacing and knows when to move to the next joke. More importantly, Sunrise's anime is relatable and charming!

4. Hinamatsuri (Hina Festival)

• Episodes: 11+

• Aired: April 2018 – ongoing

One random night, a yakuza member named Nitta is suddenly struck in the head by a metal object with the face of a girl on it. After opening the box, a psychic called Hina comes out and decides to start living with Nitta. While the two have their ups and downs, things take a turn for the worse when other psychics start to show up to capture Hina.

Hinamatsuri subverts expectations by presenting a yakuza member that dresses like a typical gangster but acts more like a father. Stoic and unable to comprehend human emotions, Hina's deadpan delivery juxtapositions perfectly with Nitta's passionate reactions. Even though she has her name on the title, Hina barely appears during certain episodes, with the focus switching to the misadventures of other young girls.

With a middle-school student always serving as the focal point, it is hilarious to see the different ways they handle certain situations. While not a psychic, Hitomi Mishima's journey from unassuming middle-school student to businesswoman might just be the funniest thing in the whole series!

3. Detroit Metal City (Detroit Metal City: The Animated Series)

• Episodes: 39

• Aired: Apr. 2016 – Dec. 2016

Appearances can be deceiving, a mantra that is pretty much the entire crux of Detroit Metal City's style of humor. DMC refers to a hugely popular death metal band recognized for their outlandish shows and songs dealing with grim subjects, as the band's deranged lead singer, Johannes Krauser II stands in the middle of this demonic tornado and tends to grab most of the spotlight.

After the music fades and everyone returns home, Krauser II sheds his makeup to reveal an ordinary college graduate named Souichi Negishi. Despite spending most of his time signing lyrics capable of making the devil flinch, Souichi is a gentle soul who prefers to listen to pop music rather than death metal. Due to a rather overzealous records manager and the fact that bills need to be paid, Souichi joined Detroit Metal City but dreams of the day when he can abandon this world.

Detroit Metal City is insanity in anime form. The songs tackle some truly wicked topics, but the series struck comedy gold by contrasting Souichi's timid personality with Krauser II's fiery screaming.

2. Osomatsu-san (Mr. Osomatsu)

• Episodes: 25

• Aired: October 2015 – March 2016

Animation opens up unique avenues that cannot be traveled by live-action series, so a comedy should try its hardest to create something that cannot be experienced anywhere else. When it comes to embracing the medium, Osomatsu-san stands head-and-shoulders above the rest of the list. As a tribute to and a parody of the older Osomatsu cartoons, Studio Pierrot's comedy cares little about logic and prefers to offer an irreverent experience that oscillates between hilarious and disgusting.

Incorporating different animation styles and playing around with narrative structures, Osomatsu-san is an acid trip of an anime centering around the deranged adventures of the infamous sextuplets. Rather than attempting to forge well-meaning characters, Studio Pierrot's series throws caution to the wind by presenting the brothers as absolute monsters capable of ruining anyone's day. The risk paid off!

Osomatsu-san's sketches can be hit-or-miss, but magic happens whenever the anime gets it right! While the first season is stronger than the second, both deliver a ton of memorable scenes and quotable lines.

1. Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!)

• Episodes: 10

• Aired: January 2016 – March 2016

Partially triggered by Sword Art Online becoming a huge crossover hit, isekai anime are a dime-a-dozen. While most of them are happy to go down the harem route while offering precious little to differentiate them from their peers, Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! turned the genre on its head by mocking most of these tropes.

After one of the funniest death scenes in anime history, the self-centered goddess Aqua offers Kazuma Satou the chance to restart life in a world similar to an RPG. Allowed to take a single item with him and angered over being mocked by the obnoxious deity, Kazuma picks Aqua as his companion. In hindsight, he should have gone with something more useful.

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! surrounds the protagonist with waifus who are not worth the trouble. Sarcastic and far from a pushover, Kazuma is an absolute delight and the cast bounce of each other like seasoned pros! When it comes to isekai anime, Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! set the standard!