10 Manga Like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo)

Manga Like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou to me, is one of those really rare slice of life manga that didn’t just leave me laughing but made me want to better myself more. It’s wacky, has a cast of many different personalities that are relatable and heartbreaking moments that we have all felt at points in our life.

Toradora! Aisaka Taiga looking embarassed worried overthinking
Yeah we have all been at that point…

It’s a manga/anime that shouldn’t just be judged by its title or the first impression that makes it look like just another harem anime. I have recommended it twice during my OWLS tour cause I think every anime and manga enthusiast should give The Pet Girl of Sakurasou a try.



And if you love it here are other manga that are somewhat similar to The Pet Girl of Sakurasou. In no particular order!

amaama_to_inazuma

10.
Working!! (Wagnaria!!)

Chapters 281 | Author Karino Takatsu | Serialization Young Gangan | Published December 17, 2004

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Working!! (Wagnaria!!) manga

Working!! like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is driven by an eccentric cast. But instead of the plot taking place in a dormitory, Working!! is a unique workplace comedy. And there is never a dull moment in Wagnaria.

Summary

Souta Takanashi gets a job at Wagnaria, a local family restaurant. He is lured there by a cute girl named Popura, who looks like she’s 10. However, she is in fact 17, a year older than him! Some of the crazy characters include Satou, the cool chef who is in fact in love with Yachiyo, the chief who is madly in love with their boss, Kyoko, who can’t stop eating sweets and slows down the restaurant in general. Satou’s cooking assistant and friend is Souma, a man who can get dirt on anyone and use it against them, except for Inami, a girl who has a phobia of men and punches him before he has the chance to find out anything about her, and Aoi, a girl with fishy motives for joining the restaurant who finds Souma’s one weakness… Tears. How does Takanashi cope when there is absolutely not one normal person working at the restaurant!

Working!! is full of comedic antics and shenanigans, that I loved reading when I wanted to just relax and laugh. It is a 4-koma manga that I would recommend to anyone as a great read.

9.
S.A: Special A

Chapters 104 | Author Maki Minami | Serialization Hana to Yume | Published February 26, 2003

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Special A manga Kei Takishima Hikari Hanazono

S.A: Special A and The Pet Girl of Sakurasou are very similar plot wise; they are both romantic comedy high school manga that focuses on the interactions between a group of special kids who experience love for the first time, while living isolated from the rest of the school.

Summary

Her whole life, Hikari Hanazono has been consumed with the desire to win against her school rival, Kei Takishima–at anything. He always comes out on top no matter what he does, and Hikari is determined to do whatever it takes to beat this guy! At age 6 Hikari lost to Kei in an impromptu wrestling match. Now, at 15, Hikari joins “Special A,“ a group of the top seven students at a private academy, for the opportunity to trounce the guy who made her suffer her first defeat. However, Kei’s feelings towards Hikari are different.

S.A: Special A really talks about the importance of friends and growing up in a place that becomes like a second home. And great characters that are easy to get attached to. S.A: Special A is truly something of a treat for readers of all genres.

8.
The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior

Chapters 93 | Author Ruri Miyahara | Serialization Young King OURs | Published April 30, 2010

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The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior manga Ritsu Kawai Kazunari Usa Shirosaki Mayumi Nishikino Sayaka Watanabe Sumiko Kawai

The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior like the manga The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, it caught my attention and didn’t lose it till the end. Also set in a boarding house with the same genre school, romance, comedy and slice of life.

Summary

Usa, a high-school student aspiring to begin a bachelor lifestyle, moves into a boarding house only to discover that he not only sharing a room with a perverted roommate that has an obsession for underaged girls, but also that another girl, Ritsu, his love-at-first-sight, is living in the same building as well!

As Kazunari settles into the boarding house, he soon realizes that the inhabitants of Kawai Complex are bound to add a twist to the life he has been hoping to live.

Ritsu is weird too but less dependent on the male lead Usa. The characters were just amazing. I loved every last one of them. I would love to be an inhabitant of Kawai Complex. The comedy and romance are done so well in a more realistic way if you ask me.

7.
Honey and Clover

Chapters 71 | Author Chika Umino | Serialization Young You | Published April 24, 2000

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Honey and Clover manga Shinobu Morita Yuuta Takemoto Hagumi Hanamoto Shūji Takemoto, Morita and Mayama

Honey and Clover like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is a heart-wrenching slice of life manga. That deals with growing up, the hard choices one has to make in order to follow their dreams and the consequences that come with it.

Summary

Takemoto lives in a run-down student apartment, where his greatest worry is when he’ll next be able to afford to eat meat and whether he’ll get to class on time. Although he’s away from home and living on his own, Takemoto is far from finished growing up. Along with his crazy cast of friends, Morita, Mayama, Yamada, and Hagumi, Takemoto sets out to discover life and his true self.

In Honey and Clover our characters also deal with self discovery and what it takes to take care of another person. But even with all the serious topics its still very comedic and character driven, with a cast of different personalities.

6.
Run with the Wind

Chapters 50 | Author Sorata Unno (Art)  Shion Miura (Story) | Serialization Young Jump (Monthly) | Published 2007

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Run with the Wind manga Kakeru Haiji

Run with the Wind is quite different in some ways to The Pet Girl of Sakurasou but there are a lot of things that make them similar, like how the plot follows the lives of students living in a dormitory, social issues and importance of unity and teamwork in a group.

Summary

Kakeru, a former elite runner at high school, is chased for stealing food. He is saved by a Kansei University student Haiji, who is also a runner. Haiji persuades Kakeru to live in the old apartment “Chikuseisou” where he plans to team up with fellow residents to enter the Hakone Ekiden Marathon, one of the most prominent university races in Japan. Kakeru soon finds out that all of the residents except for Haiji and himself are complete novices.

Run with the Wind is a manga with an emotionally-charged journey, great character development and the story. It was so uplifting, I wanted to go out and actually run.

5.
Hyouka

Chapters 60+ | Author Honobu Yonezawa (Story) Task Ohna (Art) | Serialization Shounen Ace | Published January 26, 2012

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Hyouka manga Oreki Houtarou Chitanda Eru

Hyouka is a very strange slice of life manga like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou and follows the same plot idea of a young man’s view on life changing after meeting an uncommon young lady.

Summary

Oreki Houtarou is an “energy-saver“ kind of guy, who expends as little energy as possible to do only things he has to. When he starts high school, his older sister sends him a letter requesting him to join the Classics Club. The club meant a lot to her, and its number of members has been reduced to zero. Houtarou reluctantly signs up for the club, only to find that someone else has joined, too! She’s Chitanda Eru, a cute, big-eyed girl with an overwhelming sense of curiosity. A mystery comes up that catches Eru’s interest, and also draws in Houtarou’s friend, Fukube Satoshi. They continue solving mundane mysteries together, and soon they draw in Satoshi and Houtarou’s friend, Ibara Mayaka, as well. Mayaka has had a blatant crush on Satoshi since middle school, but he always fends off her advances. Together, they search for the truth in a mystery that involves the history of the Classics Club…

Both series look at how unfair it is for people to simply be more talented at something others spend hours practicing. And look at it from the point of view of the said talented person, showing just how nowhere near perfect they are. Hyouka is a very wholesome manga with interesting mysteries and is simply beautiful.

4.
Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl

Chapters 31 | Author Hitoma Iruma (Story)  Masato Yamane (Art) | Serialization Dengeki G’s magazine | Published August 30, 2010

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Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl manga Niwa Makoto his aunt Touwa Erio

Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl like  The Pet Girl of Sakurasou has a diverse cast of quirky characters. In both series, there is a main male protagonist who has to take care of a strange girl.

Summary

The story revolves around a highschool boy named Niwa Makoto. He lives with his aunt’s family since his parents are away on business. It is there where he meets his mysterious cousin of the same age Touwa Erio — who happens to tie a futon mattress around her upper body and is a self-proclaimed alien. Her staple food is pizza. Erio had been missing for half a year and was found floating in the sea. She doesn’t remember anything about what happened during that period of time, but she began to think that it was the act of an alien and wanders the neighbourhood wrapped in the futon.

Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl is fun to read how their relationship grows, there is a lot of drama and comedy that is presented and it’s just a very lighthearted manga.


Manga Like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo) Honourable Mentions

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Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso)

Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) manga cover
  • Chapters 44
  • Author Naoshi Arakawa
  • Serialization Shounen Magazine (Monthly)
  • Published April 6, 2011

Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea

Nagi-Asu A Lull in the Sea manga cover
  • Chapters 36
  • Author Risou Maeda
  • Serialization Dengeki Daioh
  • Published April 27, 2013

Toradora!

Toradora! manga cover
  • Chapters 73+
  • Author Yuyuko Takemiya (Story) Zekkyou (Art)
  • Serialization Dengeki Daioh
  • Published July 27, 2007

3.
Nodame Cantabile

Chapters 150 | Author Tomoko Ninomiya | Serialization Kiss | Published July 10, 2001

nodame cantabile manga

Nodame Cantabile like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is lovely, passionate, and inspiring. The manga is all about the journey of life, accepting and enduring all ups and downs of whatever life throws at us and still having a positive outlook in life.

Summary

The son of a famous pianist, music student Shinichi Chiaki dreams of studying abroad and becoming a conductor like his mentor. Unfortunately, his fear of flying grounds his lofty plans! As he watches other classmates achieve what he has always wanted, Shinichi wonders if he should quit music altogether. Then one day he meets fellow student Megumi Noda, also known as Nodame. This oddball girl cannot cook, clean, or even read a music score, but she can play the piano in incomparable Cantabile style. And she teaches Chiaki something that he has forgotten: to enjoy his music, no matter where he is.

Nodame Cantabile is a manga that everyone should read, especially music lovers. It’s genuine, pure and a very honest series.

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2.
No-Rin

Chapters 69 | Author Maru Asakura (Art) Shirow Shiratori (Story) | Serialization Young | Published March 16, 2012

No-Rin manga

No-Rin is like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou but also different; it’s more comedy than romance. It has its kind of serious moments but the main thing here is the comedy, silliness and nonsensicality.

Summary

When the national idol Kusakabe Yuka suddenly retired from the entertainment business, it shocked the world and it devastated teenager Hata Kosaku. Kosaku was Yuka’s biggest fan and her departure left him depressed. His classmates at the Tamo Agriculture School finally are able to get him to leave his room and attend his class, but to everyone’s amazement, Kusakabe Yuka (her stage name) comes into the class under the name Kinoshita Ringo as a transfer student. Kosaku realizes he has the once in a lifetime opportunity to get to personally know his dream girl and, together with his group of friends, try to find out why she is here and become closer than just classmates.

Every chapter of No-Rin was fun to read. The character and plot were interesting and the references and self awareness was hilarious to read. It was a manga I was disappointed to see over when I read the final chapter.

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1.
Bakuman

Chapters 176 | Author Takeshi Obata (Art) Tsugumi Ohba (Story) | Serialization Shounen Jump (Weekly) | Published August 11, 2008

Bakuman manga Saiko Shujin Miho Azuki

The similarities of Bakuman to The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is It’s beautiful story of friendship, perseverance, and love in its purest form.

Summary

Moritaka Mashiro (Saiko), with his superb drawing skill, is invited by his writing genius classmate Akito Takagi (Shujin) to tread the difficult path of the mangaka!! His sights are set on his naive yet earnest joint dream with Miho Azuki, who is aiming to become a voice actress!! Saiko and Shujin team up as writer and artist, aiming to be serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, make a hit, and then release an anime. They bring their manuscripts to editors and set off on the road to becoming pro manga artists!! This is a new-age story of manga success!!

Bakuman is a lighthearted manga with good comedy, drama, and romance. It was nice reading about our protagonist working to make his dreams a reality with his friends. While at the same time, learning things about themselves and the world around them.

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Bakuman can get very emotional sometimes because you can see yourself in the characters so you want the best for them.


And with that I am done! What do you think? Is there a manga you think should have made the list?

Till next time…

YumDeku
YumDeku

Blogger / Jujutsu Sorcerer / Unpredictable knuckle head Ninja that spends his free time writing, reading, watching and playing all things Anime, Manga and Gaming.

Articles: 323
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