It is a staple of high school anime: the school club. Given how young most anime protagonists are, and how many shows revolve around high school activities, it makes sense that school clubs would serve as the focal point for many series. They’re also a subtle remind from the creators to theiryoung audiences: you only attend high school once, so make the most of it.
These student groups serve as an after-school rallying point for the characters, allowing them to socialize, bond, learn and grow. School clubs feature in a lot of anime: comedy, slice-of-life, sports, and even mystery. Here are some of our favourite shows that feature the most romantic and memorable part of school life: club activities.
10Clannad
Kyoto Animation
Based on a visual novel, Clannad is remembered for itstearjerking storyrather than its club activities, though that is where the first season takes place. After losing his place on the basketball team, Tomoya leads a dissatisfied life until he meets Nagisa.
Due to her fragile health, Nagisa is forced to spend a lot of time at home and has to repeat the school year. She dreams of following in her father’s footsteps as a theatre student, but the drama club has closed. With Tomoya’s help, Nagisa’s dreams of running a thriving drama club are realized.
9Love Live School Idol Project
Sunrise
Idol culture is prevalent in Japan, and dreams of fame and riches form the focus of many young adult stories. The girls of Love Live, though, are running an idol research club for a good cause.
Due to their school being in danger of closure, Honoka and her friends form a girl group to attract more applicants for their academy - even if it means poaching members of other clubs. This leads to many laughs, tears and soaring vocal performances as the girls struggle to win an idol competition while navigating school life.
8Free
Though it’s different for everyone, high school is often viewed as the time when you can truly develop your passions in a way working life won’t allow for. For Haruka Nanase, that hobby is swimming. His rival Rin is the same, wishing to be a competitive swimmer. The two boys' relationship suffers due to their urge to outdo the other.
Free drew praise for itsgorgeous animationand even more gorgeous character designs. The show set the bar for athletic rivalries while showcasing sport as self-improvement.
7Kuroko’s Basketball
Production IG
Though it didn’t rise to Haikyu levels of fame, Kuroko’s Basketball was a ceritified hit in Japan, where it inspired its own doujin convention. The show focuses on a high school basketball team aiming to be national champions.
The unique part of Kuroko’s Basketball is that its protagonist and his former teammates were all part of a miraculous generation renowned for their sporting prowess. Now on opposing teams, Kuroko and his rivals have to come to terms with the sacrifices required to achieve greatness.
6Ouran High School Host Club
Bones
One of Bones' best anime and a classic of the 2000s, Ouran High School Host Club revolves around a female student who unwittingly becomes a host club member after breaking a precious vase. Deciding she looks the part, the host club lets her repay the debt by working with them.
This leads to the many lighthearted encounters that form the basis of thisromantic comedy. Ouran High School Host Club is easy to rewatch and has endearing characters. Despite its shoujo appeal, this is a show that all kinds of anime fans can enjoy.
5K-On
It is an unwritten rule that no matter who you are, at some point in your life you will dream of being a rock star. The cast of K-On certainly did, forming a club to that end. Purportedly a light music club, the group is actually focused on rock’n’roll.
K-On is an excellent anime that pays close attention to detail. The instruments featured are accurate anime renderings of real-life guitars and drums, and the animation is superb. The comedy antics kept the show from being exclusively for music fans: K-On is an anime for everyone.
4Haikyu
The pursuit of sporting excellence is as valid a journey of personal growth as any fantastical adventure. Haikyu is ostensibly about volleyball, but in truth it’s a coming-of-age anime where a group of disillusioned teens are able to band together in a bid to reach the top.
When Hinata starts high school, he is shocked to find that his academy’s once-decorated volleyball team is now a mere husk of itself. His exuberance, tempered over the course of the show with maturity and skill, encourages the volleyball club members to try once more to make it to the finals.
3Hyouka
Hyouka tells the story of a literature club trying to solve mysteries of its own past. The protagonist, Houtaro, joins the club because he thinks he’ll get to do nothing. Fortunately for him, the club president has other ideas.
Curiosity has its own reason for existing: though Eru Chitanda might seem like a nuisance, her drive to find out how things work for no real reason is what keeps her club thriving. Even the reluctant Houtaro is eventually forced to admit that all their adventures together were for the better.
2School Babysitters
Brain’s Base
It may be strange for a comedy anime to start with its main characters being orphaned, but School Babysitters is not your usual comedy. One of the cutest anime of all time, School Babysitters has its tear-jerking moments as well. When Kashima and Kotaro lose their parents in a plane crash, they are placed in a headmistress' care.
To pay for their food and lodging, Kashima takes charge of the school’s babysitting club. His experience of taking care of his baby brother lets him excel, while forming bonds with the teachers and other caretakers at the club.
1The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya
Haruhi is an anime that’s simultaneously about everything and nothing. Its SOS Brigade club has no clear goal in mind, and its main cast spends much of its time at the whims of Haruhi - a girl always out to conquer her boredom.
This anime was a cultural phenomenon in the 2000s, especially in Asia. Its characters and story resonated deeply with its audience, and its supernatural elements rendered it weird enough not to be your typicalslice-of-life show. The anime was even aired out of order: chronology doesn’t matter, but the feeling does.
