365 Days to the Wedding (2024) follows coworkers Takuya and Rika as they navigate a fake engagement to avoid corporate relocation, blending workplace pragmatism with a slow-burn exploration of modern romance.
The series thrives on mature themes, quiet character growth, and subverting traditional love tropes by focusing on adult insecurities.
Below are 15 underrated anime that mirror its focus on realistic relationships, unconventional setups, and emotional authenticity.
1. Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (2018)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: Office coworkers Narumi and Hirotaka bond over shared otaku hobbies, balancing societal expectations with their nerdy passions while navigating adulthood.
- Similarities: Workplace romance, mature communication, and humor rooted in adult self-acceptance.
- Details: 11 episodes | MAL: 7.9 | Studio: A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online)
2. Sing “Yesterday” for Me (2020)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: A directionless graduate grapples with unrequited feelings and adult responsibilities, forming tentative connections with a barista and a former crush.
- Similarities: Slice-of-life realism, introverted protagonists, and themes of emotional stagnation.
- Details: 18 episodes | MAL: 7.0 | Studio: Doga Kobo (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun)
3. Servant x Service (2013)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: A quirky group of civil servants tackle office politics and budding romances, led by Lucy, who seeks revenge on a bureaucrat who approved her absurdly long name.
- Similarities: Workplace humor, ensemble dynamics, and understated romantic tension.
- Details: 13 episodes | MAL: 7.5 | Studio: A-1 Pictures
4. Recovery of an MMO Junkie (2017)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: A 30-year-old woman quits her job to play MMOs full-time, sparking an online romance that challenges her reclusive lifestyle.
- Similarities: Adult self-discovery, blending digital/real-world bonds, and understated vulnerability.
- Details: 10 episodes | MAL: 7.3 | Studio: Signal MD
5. Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It (2020)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: Two scientists apply the scientific method to their mutual attraction, dissecting love through experiments and data-driven humor.
- Similarities: Intellectual approach to romance, academic workplace setting, and quirky character dynamics.
- Details: 12 episodes | MAL: 7.0 | Studio: Zero-G (Tsurune)
6. The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague (2023)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: Himuro, a descendant of a snow spirit, struggles to control his icy powers while developing feelings for his reserved coworker Fuyutsuki.
- Similarities: Supernatural metaphors for emotional barriers, slow-burn office romance.
- Details: 12 episodes | MAL: 7.3 | Studio: Zero-G
7. My Senpai is Annoying (2021)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: A petite office worker navigates her crush on her towering, boisterous senpai while tackling corporate challenges.
- Similarities: Height-difference comedy, workplace mutual respect, and gradual emotional intimacy.
- Details: 12 episodes | MAL: 7.2 | Studio: Doga Kobo
8. Love is Like a Cocktail (2016)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: A stoic office worker’s wife mixes him creative cocktails nightly, revealing her playful side and deepening their bond.
- Similarities: Married couple focus, low-stakes domestic fluff, and adult communication.
- Details: 13 episodes (3-min shorts) | MAL: 7.1 | Studio: Creators in Pack
9. The Great Passage (2016)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: A lexicographer dedicates years to crafting a dictionary, finding unexpected connections with colleagues and a saleswoman who shares his passion for words.
- Similarities: Quiet devotion, workplace-driven narrative, and introverted protagonist growth.
- Details: 11 episodes | MAL: 7.8 | Studio: Zexcs (Mushi-Uta)
10. Princess Jellyfish (2010)
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
- Plot: A reclusive manga artist befriends a cross-dressing heir, challenging her social anxieties in a women-only dorm.
- Similarities: Found family dynamics, subversion of romance tropes, and adult self-discovery.
- Details: 11 episodes | MAL: 7.8 | Studio: Brain’s Base (Durarara!!)
11. Honey and Clover (2005)
- Streaming: HiDive
- Plot: Art students navigate unrequited love and career pressures, transitioning from youth to adulthood.
- Similarities: Bittersweet emotional depth, ensemble cast, and life’s uncertainties.
- Details: 24 episodes | MAL: 8.1 | Studio: J.C. Staff (Toradora!)
12. Natsuyuki Rendezvous (2012)
- Streaming: HiDive
- Plot: A widow’s new employee falls for her, but her late husband’s ghost complicates their relationship.
- Similarities: Grief, emotional vulnerability, and mature exploration of second chances.
- Details: 11 episodes | MAL: 7.4 | Studio: Doga Kobo
13. Nodame Cantabile (2007)
- Streaming: HiDive
- Plot: A perfectionist conductor and chaotic pianist form a tumultuous partnership evolving into mutual respect and romance.
- Similarities: Career vs. passion themes, adult growth, and slow-burn chemistry.
- Details: 23 episodes | MAL: 8.2 | Studio: J.C. Staff
14. Emma: A Victorian Romance (2005)
- Streaming: HiDive
- Plot: A maid and a gentleman defy 19th-century class boundaries, grappling with societal judgment.
- Similarities: Historical constraints on love, slow-paced emotional buildup.
- Details: 24 episodes | MAL: 7.8 | Studio: Pierrot
15. Koi Kaze (2004)
- Streaming: HiDive
- Plot: A man falls for his teenage sister, confronting taboo desires and societal expectations.
- Similarities: Morally complex relationships, psychological depth, and subverted romance norms.
- Details: 13 episodes | MAL: 7.0 | Studio: A.C.G.T.
Why These Anime Work for 365 Days to the Wedding Fans
These series mirror 365 Days to the Wedding’s strengths: adult-centered storytelling (The Great Passage), quiet emotional growth (Sing “Yesterday” for Me), and subversion of romantic ideals (Koi Kaze).
They prioritize authenticity over melodrama, whether through workplace bonds (Servant x Service), historical constraints (Emma), or taboo exploration (Natsuyuki Rendezvous).
For fans craving narratives where relationships evolve through shared vulnerability rather than grand gestures, each title offers a nuanced lens on love’s complexities.
