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Laughter’s The Best Medicine - Comedy Anime/Manga Series That Will Cure Your Blues
This May is once again Mental Health Month and recently, a blog on Psych Central called “Your Body, Your Mind” challenged readers to incorporate laughter into their daily lives. Laughter has so many benefits as it helps boost your immune system, relieve stress, and improve relationships with people. With that said, what are some anime/manga series that get you smiling and laughing through the day? Here are some favorites I would recommend to those who want to turn their frowns upside down.
Hayate the Combat Butler
An unlucky poor butler works for a spoiled rich otaku girl. Insert a great number of female characters and wacky situations and you have an quite humorous title with some added drama in-between.
Hayate the Combat Butler at Crunchyroll
Hayate the Combat Butler at VIZ Media
Excel Saga
The above picture does not capture the wackiness of this series. Oh, the life and trials of supervillains trying to live the villain life, while dealing with superheroes who just happen to be their neighbors. If you love weird and strange humor, Excel Saga is right up your alley.
Excel Saga at Hulu
Excel Saga at VIZ Media
Yotsuba&!
The funniest little girl in all of manga is in this series. Yotsuba Koiwai is the queen of the universe. There’s a reason why she would be the President of the University of Anime, if it ever existed. Besides being very funny, Yotsuba&! is ADORABLE. Funny and adorable = super, positive, happy feelings.
Daily Lives of High School Boys
Do you get a kick out of seeing teenage boys acting stupid as they usually are? This is your series. As the Otaku Journalist once said in her analysis of the series, I don’t understand how Nichibros was never picked up by Crunchyroll when previously, Nichijou (which is very similar to this series) got chosen.
Naruto Spin-Off: Rock Lee And His Ninja Pals
This is a series I really recommend to kids. All the jokes in this series are targeted towards that demographic to begin with. Plus, it’s NARUTO, the ninja that everyone likes. What makes this series even funnier is that the original voice actors from the Naruto anime also voice their respective characters in this spin-off. Will the Rock Lee spinoff manga be licensed next?
Naruto Spin-Off: Rock Lee And His Ninja Pals at Crunchyroll
Great Teacher Onizuka
When you have a teacher that’s perverted, dumb as bricks, and a former gang member teaching the most troublesome class in school, you can bet there will be no shortage of laughs when that happens. Onizuka Eikichi is probably the most immature teacher you will ever see and he will have you cracking up in no time. Despite his wackiness, Onizuka has a heart of gold that will shine bright in many fans’ eyes.
GTO: 14 Days in Shonan at Vertical, Inc.
GTO: The Early Years at Vertical, Inc.
Crayon Shin-Chan!
A classic series in Japan and one that actually had quite an interesting English anime dub by Funimation. Shin-chan’s crude and vulgar, but hey, I’m sure we’ve met a kid like him once in our lives. The manga is being published again in North America as well.
Crayon Shin-Chan! at Funimation
Beelzebub
If the idea of a high school delinquent running around with a naked baby (who just happens to be the next great demon lord) doesn’t make you laugh, I don’t know what will. Beelzebub is a pretty funny series with over-the-top characters and gags. While the series does have a lot of action, Beelzebub is still a comedy at heart and that part is reinforced throughout its story.
Sket Dance
A series that I feel is underappreciated by many fans. This is a really funny look at high school extracurricular clubs and activities. All of the characters have some wacky quirk that makes them unique. It won the 55th Shogakukan Award for Best Shonen Manga in 2009.
Gintama
I can’t make a comedy anime/manga list without this gem. Gintama is probably THE current king of comedy anime/manga series to read/watch. Even the name of the series itself is somewhat of a joke (it’s a play off the word “kintama”, which means testicles in Japanese). What makes this series extremely hilarious are the character interactions and ridiculous banter. Be prepared for parodies, wacky references, and lots of dirty jokes.
Gintama at Crunchyroll
Gintama at VIZ Media
Genshiken
This is a title that’s definitely for all the otaku out there. It’s a humorous and yet realistic look at Japanese otaku culture. Genshiken still has some relevance today with the continued rise of the otaku.
Genshiken Omnibus 1 at Random House
Ouran High School Host Club
Yes, this series has cute boys, but more importantly, it pokes fun at many common cliches found in shoujo manga. Not only that, Ouran also parodies the views of female anime/manga fans. Take a look at this wonderful article about the main character, Haruhi Fujioka, and you’ll see what makes Ouran a joy to read/watch.
Ouran High School Host Club at Funimation
Ouran High School Host Club at VIZ Media
If you want to share any other interesting series that tickle your funny bone, feel free to post your comments below!
To quote the great Bob Hope,
“I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful.”
Let’s all find some funny anime/manga and laugh for the better, shall we?
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Mental Health Month: The Life of Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket)
(The following is a guest post by Ricky Alvarez. You can read his blog here. Thank you, Ricky, for the great article!)
May is Mental Health Month, and as a person who suffers from depression, I find mental health to be ignored by the general populace. I know so many people who walk around on a day to day basis thinking that they are normal, but show obvious signs of anxiety, depression, etc. My belief as to why people accept mental issues as the norm is the popular use of mental illness as a gimmick in popular media. From music to movies, you see people with mental issues being idolized as either the “bad boy” or the “fixer upper.” Because of this, I’d like to bring to light a mentally distraught character from the series Fruits Basket, Kyo Sohma. Kyo is accepted as the bad boy of the series, but shows obvious signs of mental stress from the get go.
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Mental Health Month: Cross Game & Coping With Loss
(The following is a guest post by Charles of Beneath the Tangles. Thank you, Charles, for providing a great article!)
May is Mental Health Month, a time to emphasize the importance of mental wellness and to spread awareness of mental health conditions. As such, Manga Therapy is addressing anime or manga characters who have overcome the challenges of mental trauma. Tony has been so nice as to allow me to write a guest post on this topic.
While many encounter depression or another mental health condition personally, one area that will affect all of us sometime in our lives is death. Although the topic is often used for shock value in anime and manga (I’m singling you out, Code Geass), every once in a while, a mangaka or animator will create a work that instead treats bereavement in a most sensitive way. Perhaps no mangaka consistently tackles the issue of death and bereavement with more heart than Mitsuru Adachi, which he masterfully demonstrates through the series, Cross Game.
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Mental Health Month: An Important Lesson from the Jinchu Arc (Rurouni Kenshin)
May is currently Mental Health Month in the world of psychology. This month is used to spread awareness of mental issues, how they can impact one’s life, and how people need to take those issues seriously. With that in mind, I wanted to take a closer look at the final storyline of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s Rurouni Kenshin, the Jinchu Arc (Volumes 18-28 of the manga, also known as the “Revenge Arc” to some fans). This arc highlighed two characters, Himura Kenshin & Enishi Yukishiro, that went through severe states of depression. One managed to overcome it to continue living, while the other became mentally deranged.
POSSIBLE HUGE SPOILERS after the jump for those who haven’t read the manga.
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Calling All Anime/Manga Bloggers: Promoting Mental Health Month With Anime/Manga Characters
Hey everyone,
May is Mental Health Month & I was thinking of having bloggers/writers/journalists come up with some entries on the site regarding notable anime/manga characters that have gone through mental trauma and managed to overcome it.
I know us fans have characters that we can definitely relate to or find their lives similar to ours.
I’ve been through my fair share of mental crises & I feel that mental issues are being undervalued in this day and age.
If you’re interested and would like to write something for the site, feel free to contact me at tonyyao82(at)gmail.com and we can work something out!
I have an upcoming entry this week regarding Rurouni Kenshin’s Jinchuu Arc. Stay tuned for it!
More information on Mental Health Month can be viewed here.
