Wayside (2007-2008) is a surreal school comedy that hides sharp ideas beneath slap-stick humour. Todd’s struggle to fit into a 30-storey sideways school delivers three core pleasures:
- Inventive power systems (each floor bends reality to its own logic)
- Underdog perseverance (a transfer kid vs. an absurd institution)
- Constant subversion of expectations (rules change every episode).
The 15 shows below echo that blend of creativity, outsider grit and rule-breaking narrative style yet remain underrated gems that deserve far more attention.
1. The Tatami Galaxy (2010)
- Stream: Crunchyroll / Funimation
- Episodes: 11
- MAL rating: 8.57
- Studio/Staff: Science SARU (Masaaki Yuasa, dir.)
- Awards: Grand Prize, Japan Media Arts Festival 2010
Plot Summary – A nameless college freshman repeatedly rewinds his life to find the “perfect” campus club.
Similarities – Wild, reality-bending structure mirrors Wayside’s physics-defying school floors; every reset spotlights an underdog trapped by bizarre rules.
2. Tonari no Seki-kun: The Master of Killing Time (2014)
- Stream: Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 21 shorts
- MAL rating: 7.60
- Studio/Staff: Shin-Ei Animation
- Awards: New Face Award, Japan Media Arts Festival 2013
Plot Summary – Yokoi tries to study while her desk neighbour Seki builds ever more absurd contraptions in class.
Similarities – Classroom-based sight-gag comedy, imaginative “micro power systems” on a single desk, constant subversion of teacher authority.
3. Mob Psycho 100 (2016)
- Stream: Crunchyroll / Netflix
- Episodes: 37 (3 seasons)
- MAL rating: 8.49
- Studio/Staff: Bones; creator ONE
- Awards: Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best Animation 2019
Plot Summary – Shigeo “Mob”, a meek psychic, tries to survive middle-school life while keeping catastrophic powers bottled up.
Similarities – Underdog protagonist vs. nonsensical school life; exaggerated animation amplifies every rule break like Wayside’s elastic halls.
4. Classroom☆Crisis (2015)
- Stream: Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 13
- MAL rating: 7.22
- Studio/Staff: Lay-duce (Kenji Nagasaki, dir.)
Plot Summary – An elite class on Mars doubles as a start-up aerospace division fighting corporate cutbacks.
Similarities – Students wield unusual tech “power systems” inside a bureaucratic academy; underdog ingenuity vs. rigid adults.
5. Nichijou – My Ordinary Life (2011)
- Stream: Crunchyroll / HiDive
- Episodes: 26
- MAL rating: 8.46
- Studio/Staff: Kyoto Animation
Plot Summary – Everyday high-school scenes explode into surreal set pieces: rocket-powered deer wrestling, talking cats, etc.
Similarities – Absurdist gag structure, random physics, child-like wonder—all feel like Wayside’s anything-can-happen floors.
6. Baka and Test (2010)
- Stream: Funimation
- Episodes: 26 + OVAs
- MAL rating: 7.49
- Studio/Staff: Silver Link
Plot Summary – A low-ranked class battles other grades using avatar summons powered by test scores.
Similarities – Literal academic power system; scrappy underdogs storm an unfair school hierarchy—Todd would relate.
7. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun (2019)
- Stream: Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 65+ (ongoing)
- MAL rating: 8.02
- Studio/Staff: Bandai Namco Pictures
Plot Summary – Human orphan Iruma is sold to a demon and enrolled in a netherworld academy where exposure could kill him.
Similarities – Fish-out-of-water kid navigating odd school rules; comedic subversion of horror tropes similar to Wayside’s genre flips.
8. Dennō Coil (2007)
- Stream: Netflix
- Episodes: 26
- MAL rating: 8.08
- Studio/Staff: Madhouse (Mitsuo Iso, dir.)
- Awards: Excellence Prize, Japan Media Arts Festival 2007
Plot Summary – Kids hack augmented-reality pets and digital ghosts within their town’s pervasive AR network.
Similarities – Hidden “code” power system beneath mundane childhood; ensemble of resourceful students outsmarting authority.
9. Planet With (2018)
- Stream: Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 12
- MAL rating: 7.55
- Studio/Staff: J.C.Staff; creator Satoshi Mizukami
Plot Summary – Amnesiac teen Sōya pilots a cat-mech to fight seven local heroes—then learns the conflict isn’t what it seems.
Similarities – Constantly flips viewer expectations, mixes slap-stick with cosmic stakes like Wayside’s sudden genre swerves.
10. Noein: To Your Other Self (2005)
- Stream: Funimation
- Episodes: 24
- MAL rating: 7.59
- Studio/Staff: Satelight (Kazuki Akane, dir.)
Plot Summary – Middle-school friends are drawn into a multiverse war where each timeline’s physics differ.
Similarities – Wild visual style, kids thrust into rule-shattering dimensions, emphasizing underdog resilience.
11. Sket Dance (2011)
- Stream: Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 77
- MAL rating: 8.22
- Studio/Staff: Tatsunoko Production
Plot Summary – Three misfit students run a school “problem-solving club,” tackling anything from haunted lockers to gorilla mascots.
Similarities – Episodic chaos, heartfelt problem-solving, and comedic skewering of school status quo.
12. Astra Lost in Space (2019)
- Stream: Funimation / Hulu
- Episodes: 12
- MAL rating: 8.27
- Studio/Staff: Lerche
- Awards: Manga Taishō Grand Prize (source manga)
Plot Summary – Nine students stranded light-years away must survive planet-hopping and unravel a conspiracy.
Similarities – Underdog teamwork, mystery reveals that upend audience expectations like Wayside’s twisty lessons.
13. Sarazanmai (2019)
- Stream: Crunchyroll / Funimation
- Episodes: 11
- MAL rating: 7.46
- Studio/Staff: MAPPA + Lapin Track; Kunihiko Ikuhara, dir.
Plot Summary – Three delinquent boys are turned into kappas and must steal “desire shirikodama” to prevent calamity.
Similarities – Surreal school-setting antics, bizarre transformation “powers,” and constant rule changes.
14. Uchitama?! Have You Seen My Tama? (2020)
- Stream: Crunchyroll
- Episodes: 11
- MAL rating: 6.74
- Studio/Staff: MAPPA / Lapin Track
Plot Summary – Classic mascot pets re-imagined as humanised neighbours hunting for a lost cat.
Similarities – Child-friendly façade masks clever meta-humour; frequent fourth-wall winks echo Wayside’s playful logic.
15. Akudama Drive (2020)
- Stream: Crunchyroll / Hulu
- Episodes: 12
- MAL rating: 7.64
- Studio/Staff: Studio Pierrot × TooKyo Games
- Awards: Jury Selection, Japan Media Arts Festival 2021
Plot Summary – Ordinary “Citizen” is mislabeled a master criminal and forced into a heist with super-powered outlaws.
Similarities – Average protagonist stuck among rule-breaking eccentrics; flashy, neon visuals turn setting into a character much like the twisting Wayside building.
Why These Anime Work for Mentioned Anime Fans
Each pick marries off-kilter humour with inventive “rules” that bend reality, celebrates scrappy heroes who refuse to fit the mould, and delights in surprising the viewer at every turn. If Wayside made you laugh, think, and root for the underdog, these underrated series will keep that energy soaring up (and sideways).
