Top 10 Comedic Anime Series

What is it that high school boys do? Anime has the answer to that. They run late for school, eat toast or curry or ramen on the way, have giant Gundams interrupt their morning jog, and become heroes. All right, that hero stuff is made up, despite the collaboration between Square and Sunrise studios -- which the boys are aware of. So, we ask again, what is it that high school boys do? They try on skirts, wonder if nipples grow back, you know, normal boy stuff.

This is a dark, sinister, anime series that... um... hey, where did all the knives and forks go? You may not believe us based on what we’re showing you, but Ciel Phantomhive is on a quest for revenge after the death of his parents, his kidnapping, and his torture. There are several dark turns along the way... which is why the comedic elements work so well. After so much misery, we’re more than happy to take in a few laughs from this dark comedy.

This is a simple, slice of life anime about, well… nothing, and we think they may have something here. Sure, there’s the occasional surreal imagery like the many facets of Chiyo’s ) ponytails but for the most part, it’s a pretty realistic portrayal of high school, sans atomic wedgies. Plots like trying to make it to school on time, being the new kid in class or being bad with cats are stories that you can only get away with in a comedy series. At the end of it all, these characters are not quite sure how you made it to graduation in one piece, but we’re gunna yada-yada-yada over that part.

Has there ever been an anime where the main character dies in the first fifteen seconds of the series ? When our leading lady is hit by a truck, everyone wonders how the show will go on. Thankfully, the story is restarted by the Great Will of the Macrocosm and Excel is able to show her gratitude in a calm and collected manner. She’s going to help Il Palazzo conquer the world, one genre at a time, even if it means killing the story’s author, eating her own dog, and going to America. Don’t worry, she usually screws up.

Emergency! The Oni are invading the planet! And they’re... letting us fight for our rights in a game of tag. Our hero, Ataru Moroboshi ), kinda sucks, but his girlfriend entices him with the promise of marriage. Ataru pulls off a victory, literally, thanks to his power of perversion. Unfortunately, it leads to the daughter of Lum, the daughter of the Oni’s leader, believing that her and Ataru are engaged. Ataru’s girlfriend is kinda pissed off about it and his parents regret ever having him. Maybe he should have just let the world fend for itself.

Where do those giant robots keep coming from? Well, meet FLCL protagonist Naoto, who is a very special kid. We’d also like to introduce you to Haruko, who, after nailing Naoto with her Vespa gives it to him again with her guitar. What does this have to do with giant robots? Well, after the ‘accidental’ assault a N.O. portal opens up in Naoto’s forehead from which the crazy robots spring fourth! If you like both physical and random humour, you’ll be right at home with FLCL.

Do you have to write a paper on World War II? Pro-tip: you’d be better off using Wikipedia as a source than this series. What Hetalia: Axis Powers does however is turn geo-political politics into one of the funniest anime ever made. The show follows humanized countries, forming friendships based on their political standings during World War 2, with each one being a gloriously offensive stereotype of that particular nationality. Not to watch if you are easily offended, Hetalia is some of the most hilarious and wild animated sketch comedy you will ever see.

When a teenager breaks something, like, say, a vase, they can usually pay for it by picking up extra hours at their part-time job. But since this is the world of anime the vase costs 8 million yen. When the series lead character Haruhi doesn’t have the money to pay for it she cross-dresses as a boy and joins the high school’s host club. The members of this boys only club act as escorts and hosts for both male and female guests, nothing sexual. Now, disguised as a boy, Haruhi works with a rather... colorful cast of characters as they seek to pleasure all their clients, regardless of their background or preferences. Nothing sexual.

Dandy is a simple booty enthusiast who works as an alien hunter. Things take a turn for the W.T.F. when the crew is obliterated in the first episode... only to be perfectly fine in the second episode. How? Well, that would be spoiling it. Besides... we’re not sure if we could explain even if we wanted to. So sit back and enjoy the ramen galaxy, the alien zombie, the series villain that Dandy doesn’t notice, and, of course, BooBies -- the restaurant, not the body part -- he’s all about the booty, remember? Ok I see how that could get confusing.

Before we shut off the laugh track, let’s take a look at these hilarious honorable mentions:

"School Rumble" (2007-08)

"Beelzebub" (2011-12)

"Great Teacher Onizuka" (2002-03)

"Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu" (2003)

Emergency! The Amanto are invading the planet! We know we’ve warned you about alien attacks before, but this time, they’ve succeeded. Now, twenty years later, samurai aren’t allowed to carry swords and the Edo period has become a strange mix of traditional, modern, and futuristic Japan. Former samurai, Gintoki Sakata now spends his days doing odd jobs to pay rent. He also enjoys television, Shonen JUMP, and beating the Amanto down for ruining his chocolate parfait. A perfect blend of story, character development and humour, Gin Tama is a perfect action comedy.

Do you agree with our list? What anime series always makes you laugh your ass off -- or, LMAO, if you will. Wait, the M stands for “my,” right? So that doesn’t really work in this instance...Never mind. Top tens. Published daily. WatchMojo.com. Subscribe!