15 Animes Similar to 4-Week Lovers

4-Week Lovers follows two college roommates who agree to fake-date for four weeks after an accident leaves one of them injured—their contract quickly unravels into something deeper. Beneath the breezy BL premise lie three crowd-pleasing ideas:

• Power systems – the “contract relationship” creates rules both boys must navigate.
• Underdog stories – each lead starts in an awkward, powerless position and fights for agency in the relationship.
• Subversion of expectations – the show constantly flips BL tropes, from who initiates affection to how conflicts are resolved.

If that cocktail hooked you, the 15 titles below deserve a spot on your queue. They share comparable themes, character-driven plotting, or a narrative style that toys with viewer expectations—yet they’re still flying under the mainstream radar.

1. Mignon (2023)

• Streaming: YouTube playlist (official, region-free)
• MAL score: 8.02 – Episodes: 8 × 5 min
• Staff / Studio: ABJ Company; director Kim Joo-young
• Plot: Underground cage-fighter Mignon forms a risky bond with cynical ringside medic Young-One.
• Why it clicks: Contract-like power imbalance, micro-episodes that rely on charged glances, and an unapologetic twist every few minutes mirror 4-Week Lovers’ breathless pacing.

2. Hyperventilation (2018)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll (Select Territories)
• MAL score: 7.52 (profile) – Episodes: 6 × 3 min
• Staff / Studio: Studio YON; Sung Dae-wook (webtoon creator)
• Plot: Two former classmates reunite at a school reunion and secretly explore long-buried feelings.
• Why it clicks: Short-form storytelling, college-age BL leads, and a theme of regret-turned-opportunity echo Do-jun and Jae-hee’s emotional arc.

3. Koi Kaze (2004)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll / Funimation
• MAL score: 7.00 – Episodes: 13
• Staff / Studio: A.C.G.T.; director Akitarō Daichi
• Plot: A wedding planner develops feelings for a girl—then discovers she’s his estranged sister.
• Why it clicks: Subverts romance taboos and forces characters to negotiate a “rule-bound” relationship they never wanted, much like 4-Week Lovers’ contract premise.

4. She, the Ultimate Weapon (2002)

• Streaming: HIDIVE
• MAL score: 7.13 – Episodes: 13
• Staff / Studio: Gonzo; writer Shin Takahashi
• Plot: A shy girl is turned into a living weapon; her boyfriend vows to love what’s left of her humanity.
• Why it clicks: Underdog romance against impossible odds and an unflinching look at how “rules of engagement” distort intimacy.

5. Natsuyuki Rendezvous (2012)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll – HIDIVE
• MAL score: 7.26 – Episodes: 11
• Staff / Studio: Doga Kobo; director Kō Matsuo
• Plot: A florist’s new employee falls for her—but must outwit the ghost of her late husband first.
• Why it clicks: Love-triangle rules literally enforced by a supernatural interloper—mirrors how 4-Week Lovers lets past baggage steer the romance.

6. Mysterious Girlfriend X (2012)

• Streaming: HIDIVE
• MAL score: 7.23 – Episodes: 13
• Staff / Studio: Hoods Entertainment; director Ayumu Watanabe
• Plot: High-schooler Tsubaki accidentally tastes classmate Urabe’s drool and becomes “bonded” to her.
• Why it clicks: An eccentric bodily-fluid “power system” dictates how affection works—an off-beat cousin to 4-Week Lovers’ four-week rulebook.

7. Kokoro Connect (2012)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll – HIDIVE
• MAL score: 7.73 – Episodes: 17 (13 TV + 4 OVA)
• Staff / Studio: Silver Link.; director Taichi Ishidate
• Plot: Five clubmates experience body-swaps and emotional trials triggered by a trickster entity.
• Why it clicks: Forces characters to confront hidden feelings, redistributing “power” in friendships—exactly how Do-jun and Jae-hee learn to renegotiate their dynamic.

8. The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (2012)

• Streaming: HIDIVE
• MAL score: 8.05 – Episodes: 24
• Staff / Studio: J.C.STAFF; writer Mari Okada
• Plot: Problem students share a dorm where a genius artist needs near-constant caretaking.
• Why it clicks: Roommates navigating talent gaps and emotional debt—themes that parallel the give-and-take in 4-Week Lovers’ dorm setting.

9. No. 6 (2011)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll
• Episodes: 11 – Awards: Seiun Award (SF novel source)
• Plot: Privileged Shion shelters fugitive Nezumi, sparking rebellion against their dystopian city.
• Why it clicks: Underdog BL pairing upends a rigid “class system,” delivering the same thrill of challenging hierarchy present in 4-Week Lovers.

10. Honey and Clover (2005)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll
• Episodes: 36 (two seasons) – Staff: Studio J.C.STAFF; mangaka Chica Umino
• Plot: Art-college housemates juggle unrequited crushes and looming adulthood.
• Why it clicks: Slice-of-life realism, university backdrop, and bittersweet underdog romances echo the everyday stakes of 4-Week Lovers.

11. The Great Passage (2016)

• Streaming: Amazon Prime Video (world)
• Episodes: 11 – Awards: Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Award (TV Series)
• Plot: Awkward salesman Majime finds purpose compiling a dictionary and courting a chef’s daughter.
• Why it clicks: Celebrates quiet character growth and slow-burn affection—mirroring how 4-Week Lovers prizes introspection over melodrama.

12. Tsurezure Children (2017)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll
• Episodes: 12 – Staff: Studio Gokumi; director Hiraku Kaneko
• Plot: Rapid-fire vignettes follow multiple couples fumbling through first love.
• Why it clicks: Compressed storytelling that wrings pay-off from every minute, just like 4-Week Lovers’ four-minute episodes.

13. Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku (2018)

• Streaming: Prime Video
• Episodes: 11 + OVA – Staff: A-1 Pictures; director Yoshimasa Hiraike
• Plot: Two childhood friends reunite at work and date while hiding their geek obsessions.
• Why it clicks: Rules-of-engagement rom-com (no revealing otaku sides at the office!) and adult setting reflect the contract-based suspense of 4-Week Lovers.

14. Koikimo: It’s Disgusting to Call This Love (2021)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll
• Episodes: 12 – Staff: Studio Nomad; director Naomi Nakayama
• Plot: A jaded salaryman pursues the high-school girl who once saved him; she bluntly rejects each advance.
• Why it clicks: Subverts romance pursuit tropes—power sits with the “underdog” heroine, mirroring how Jae-hee wrests control in 4-Week Lovers.

15. Koi ni, Koi suru Yukari-chan (2020 ONA)

• Streaming: YouTube (Official Channel)
• Episodes: 4 × 8 min – Staff: LIDENFILMS Kyoto Studio
• Plot: Yukari budgets her allowance by secretly charging to “rent” the boy she likes for after-school dates.
• Why it clicks: A literal transaction-for-affection setup and minimalist runtime feel like a spiritual mini-sequel to 4-Week Lovers.

Why These Anime Work for Mentioned Anime Fans

Each title pushes lovers into odd contracts, upends normal power balances, or elevates quiet strivers—exactly the angles that make 4-Week Lovers so addictive. By mixing short-form BL gems, college romances, and rule-bending dramas, the list guarantees 15 fresh ways to experience underdog yearning and expectations turned on their head.