In November 2015, Sanrio launched the Japanese media franchise known as Sanrio Boys (Sanrio Danshi). The Sanrio Boys were envisioned as a social media campaign to advertise products for Sanrio’s most popular characters. [3] Its popularity led to the creation of its own clothing line, manga series, character drama CDs, a 2016 mobile game for iOS and Android, and anime television series by Pierrot that ran from January 6 to March 24, 2018.
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1. Show By Rock!!
Cyan Hijirikawa loves music a lot, but she can’t even join the school’s music club since she is too bashful. But she gets drawn into a game realm and transformed into a cat girl after winning a guitar named Strawberry Heart. She learns there that she can defeat monsters thanks to the strength of Strawberry Heart. Since she can’t get back to reality, she joins the band Plasmagica and gradually realizes that she has the skills necessary to not only achieve her goals but also to save the world.
At first glance, the main similarity between Show by Rock and Sanrio Danshi is that both franchises were developed by Sanrio in order to increase its fan base. Show by Rock’s main goal was to connect with an older audience than normal, yet they preserved the majority of the cutesy graphics. However, there are other parallels as well, particularly in the ways that Cyan and Kouta both grow to be more honest about their preferences and aspirations, as well as in the ways that their friends encourage both of them. As a result, both television shows are fantastic to watch if you enjoy admirable friendships on TV.
2. Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-Bu Love! (Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!)
The Earth Defense Group, a school club founded on the concept that “We don’t actually want to accomplish anything, and the name ensures no one bothers us,” is comprised of En Yufuin, Atsushi Kinugawa, Io Naruko, and Ryuu Zaou. That is, until the day a pink wombat, belonging to the family of a younger student at their school, Yumoto Hakone, slips into En and Atsushi’s jacuzzi at the neighborhood spa. Said alien is adamant that they must save Earth. En and Atsushi aren’t too excited about the plan, but Yumoto pursues it in the clubroom, where the Wombat gives them all “lovracelets” to certify them as the real Earth Defense club.
While Sanrio Danshi is a more sombre slice of life anime and Cute High Earth Defense Club is a full-blown spoof of magical girl cliches, both have a fantastic ensemble of incredibly gorgeous men with few women present. Even though Yumoto initially doesn’t fit in with them owing to his strong energy and sincere desire to serve by being one of the Love Warriors, they are a fantastic group of pals. But more importantly, it breaks through prejudices and demonstrates that men may occasionally enjoy a little cuteness.
3. Starmyu
Yuuta Hoshitani has a single aspiration: he wants to master dancing like an enigmatic boy with white hair who he once saw outside in the pouring rain. He aspires to excel in dancing so that he may express his emotions via his moves. As a result, he enrolls in a school that offers a unique music program for students who are passionate about the discipline. There, he meets Tooru Nayuki, Kaito Tsukigami, Kakeru Tengenji, and Shuu Kuga, four boys with similar goals who are chosen to be in a special group with him.
This marks the beginning of their high school careers as well as the struggles they will face as they devote themselves to their art while working under the harsh guidance of Itsuki Ootori, a man with white hair.
The male buddies supporting one another is, of course, the biggest similarity between Starmyu and Sanrio Danshi. We also have the overall notion of pursuing your goals and doing whatever it takes to be happy, which is more than simply that. Because dance is no longer viewed as solely a female pastime, it avoids the more feminine viewpoint that some guys feel uncomfortable with while maintaining the strong camaraderie and support system among them. Starmyu is a fantastic sequel to Sanrio Danshi if you like that kind of show with lots of hot boys.
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4. Free! (Free!-Iwatobi Swim Club)
This is nothing. More than water, Haruka Nanase is in love. Maybe swimming, but he hardly ever has the chance to do it now that he and his best friends won a relay race in elementary school. But when he starts high school, Nagisa Hazuki and Makoto Tachibana, two of his buddies from elementary school, persuade him to revive the swimming club at their school. When their fourth friend, Rin Matsuoka, returns from Australia and enrolls at a different school with a superior swim team because his goal is to compete in the Olympics, things become a little more tricky. wants to defeat Haruka to demonstrate his superior swimming ability.
Free! is a lovely anime with some fanservice featuring really cute guys for anyone who enjoys swimming. It also contains a fantastic message about how friendships develop, which is something that is uncommon in anime that is geared toward teenagers. Even school rivalries can be overcome by the strength of friendship since people change and someone you once thought was not your friend may turn out to be a lifelong ally. Free! is a fantastic anime because of all of these factors, and as you can see, it shares Sanrio Danshi’s central idea of trusting your friends to pursue your dreams.
5. Tsuritama
Never having the opportunity to make many friends, Yuki Sanada. He actually qualifies as “socially awkward” because he moves around a lot with his grandmother and lives with her. He freezes because of this anytime he is required to perform any task that involves public speaking. However, Yuki meets Haru, a young guy who claims to be an alien and who impulsively decides that he wants to be Yuki’s friend, in the last place they relocate to. Soon after, Haru signs up Yuki for a fishing trip with Natsuki, a fellow student and skilled angler, and Akira, a mysterious man who frequently follows Haru around.
The main theme of Tsuritama is still friendship, despite the fact that it contains many supernatural elements, making it more of a science fiction novel than merely a slice of life like most of the items on this list. Haru is to thank for Natsuki and Yuki gradually emerging from their shells and for their steadfast loyalty to one another. You get an anime that will remind you of the best elements of Sanrio Danshi without being an exact replica when you combine that with the fact that it all begins with a relatively uncommon pastime for young people, fishing.
6. Cheer Danshi!! (Cheer Boys!!)
Haruki Bandou is well aware of how challenging it is to meet your family’s expectations. Even though he doesn’t particularly enjoy the sport, he has been practicing judo his entire life because his family owns a dojo. He has the chance to give up judo and leave the club after suffering a shoulder injury during his first year of college in order to find his true calling somewhere else. His closest friend Kazuma Hashimoto, however, has other ideas. He also left the judo club, but he did so with a very specific plan in mind. He needs Haruki’s assistance in order to start Meishiin University’s first all-male cheerleading squad.
So, despite his initial reservations because cheerleading is viewed as a sport for women only, Haruki chooses to stand behind his friend through any difficulties they may encounter. Cheer Danshi!! will be a wonderful treat for you if what you loved about Sanrio Danshi was the challenge to establish gender roles where guys can do whatever they want, even if it’s considered girly. Additionally, it’s one of the few animes based on a true story, particularly the Waseda University Shockers cheerleading squad. This anime is a terrific addition to your watch list if you enjoy cheering as a competitive sport, and it places enough emphasis on the value of friendship to warrant your time.
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