3D Kanojo: Real Girl is a fantastic anime that, despite being relatively unknown, has won the hearts of viewers with its unique blend of romance, nerdy videogame elements, and psychological focus.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of the best anime like 3D Kanojo: Real Girl, so you can enjoy its special elements all over again.
So, take 5 minutes of your time, grab some popcorn, and pick which anime to watch tonight.
Table of Contents
10. Bottom Tier Tomozaki
Although the quality of this anime may be below other titles on this list, Bottom Tier Tomozaki is an excellent comparison to 3D Kanojo: Real Girl.
In fact, the two storylines are basically the same, but Bottom Tier Tomozaki has fewer psychological themes.
The protagonist is a nerdy boy who is passionate about videogames, specifically Super Smash Bros, which is considered the best player in Japan.
However, his worldview is distorted, viewing life as nothing more than a poorly designed videogame.
Opposing him is Hinami Aoi, an extrovert who believes that life is a beautiful videogame. What will happen when their opposing viewpoints clash?
There’s no need to say more, the synopsis speaks for itself. The comparison between the two shows is gigantic.
9. Gamers!
Gamers! is similar to 3D Kanojo in that it’s a romance anime with videogame elements, but it takes a slightly different approach.
The main characters are Keita Amano, a quiet boy, Karen Tendou, the beautiful president of the videogame club, and their friends Chiaki Hoshinomori and Tasuku Uehara. They attend the same school and bond over their shared love of gaming, and a cute love story soon blossoms between Keita and Karen.
While 3D Kanojo and Gamers! share similarities, they also have their differences.
3D Kanojo focuses on romance, nerd culture, and psychological themes, dealing with issues of loneliness and depression.
Gamers!, on the other hand, takes a lighter approach with a group of friends who love videogames and experience comedic situations as they fall in love.
8. Say I Love You
In Say I Love You, we depart from the world of nerds and videogames, but still focus on a theme of healing trauma through love, with an extroverted character falling in love with an introverted one.
Mei Tachibana has spent 16 years without having a boyfriend or friends. One day, she gets into a fight with Yamato Kurosawa, a popular boy who starts to take an interest in her.
Their unexpected romance begins when, one night, Yamato kisses Mei to pretend to be her boyfriend and protect her from a stalker.
This anime provides a nice change of pace from 3D Kanojo, with swapped gender roles but still offering a similar storyline, even without the videogames theme.
It can be a good choice if you want a similar story but with a fresh take on it.
7. I Can’t understand What My Husband is Saying
Let’s now totally change the atmosphere and jump into something more serious and mature while keeping the nerdy partner in the relationship.
The story follows the ups and downs of Kaoru, a serious and hard-working woman who spends all day in the office, and Hajime, an otaku who spends his days surfing the Internet. They soon fall in love and even get married.
I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying is a pure and light romance with a married couple, perfect for watching without a heavy commitment.
It deals with serious topics such as why sudden marriages are not always great, as the two characters may not be as compatible as they thought.
This anime can be considered an adult, serious, and age-advanced version of 3D Kanojo, with non-high school but adult characters.
6. No Matter How You Think About It It’s Your Fault I’m Not Popular!
Putting No Matter How You Think About It It’s Your Fault I’m Not Popular on this list is a pretty apt comparison to 3D Kanojo, but let us get to the point.
The story concerns the life of Tomoko Kuroki, a girl who thought she would become popular and find a boyfriend once she entered high school.
But unfortunately for her, a harsh awakening awaits her, as the reality is different from how the videogames and manga she used to devote her time to portray it.
This series criticizes with strong satire and no half-measures Japanese youth, and in general, all those who live their high school years on technology hoping that relationships and love will be placed on a pedestal for them.
This anime is comarable to 3D Kanojo for its nerdy and antisocial protagonist.
But at the same time No Matter How You Think About It It’s Your Fault I’m Not Popular! has no romance elements, as the main character won’t find love.
You can think of it as a version of 3D Kanojo where the MC, sadly, remains lonely.
5. Welcome to the NHK
We now come to Welcome to the NHK, which in our opinion is probably the best psychological romance anime ever with the theme of a depressed protagonist who finds relief and a new beginning in love.
However, unlike 3D Kanojo, this theme is treated in a much more serious and mature way, and not in a high-school setting.
You have probably heard of the Hikikomori, young men who isolate themselves from society out of fear or other reasons. The protagonist of the show, Tatsuhiro Sato, is one of them, due to past traumas. One day, to his surprise, an old religious woman and a girl knock on his door.
And unbeknownst to Sato, the girl later contacts him and claims she can help him out of his condition.
The message is crystal clear: with the right help at the right time, no obstacle is insurmountable. And of course, in both anime, this help has a specific name: love.
4. And You Thought There is Never a Girl Online?
And You Thought There Is Never a Girl Online? is a quite classic videogame-themed romance similar to 3D Kanojo, but with one main difference: it places a greater focus on videogames and has a way more comedic atmosphere.
The story follows Hideki Nishimura, a young man who confesses his feelings to someone he believes to be an online girl, only to discover that the person is actually a boy. And as a result, he becomes skeptical of online relationships.
However, one day, he meets an online girl named Ako Tamaki while playing an MMORPG. This time, the girl is genuine, and she confesses her feelings to Hideki. But the girl has behavioral problems, so Hideki sets out to help her overcome her issues and become a good partner for him.
If you’re looking for a romance anime with comedy this may be a good choice for you, while still featuring the same trauma-solving and videogames theme.
3. My Dress-Up Darling!
My Dress-Up Darling is one of the best romance anime adapted from a seinen manga, and surprisingly, it shares many similarities with 3D Kanojo.
The story revolves around Wakana Gojo, an introverted high school boy with unique passions, whose life changes significantly when he meets his classmate, Marin Kitagawa. After she catches him sewing clothes for dolls, Marin asks for his help in creating custom-made clothes for her cosplay hobby.
This not only pushes Wakana out of his comfort zone but also opens him up to new ways of thinking.
Like in 3D Kanojo, the series features an introverted, nerdy protagonist with unusual passions who meets an outgoing girl, leading to a relationship that transforms both of them.
Additionally, videogames play a significant role in the plot as the clothes Wakana creates for Marin are inspired by videogames.
2. Recovery of a MMO Junkie
If you enjoyed 3D Kanojo for its nerdy and socially awkward protagonist and its romance centered around healing traumas, then Recovery of an MMO Junkie might be the perfect anime for you.
Moriko Morioka is a single woman in her 30s who quits her job due to stress and becomes a NEET, finding solace in the online game Fruits de Mer.
She hopes to reconnect with a gamer friend she made while employed, but while out shopping, she meets an attractive popular boy who seems to like her.
Can she balance her life between reality and videogames?
As in 3D Kanojo, the message is that love can solve every complication, no matter what. We’re sure that you’ll love this anime if you liked 3D Kanojo, trust us.
1. Wotakoi
If we’re talking about the theme of love between otaku, then Wotakoi is hands down the best anime in this aspect.
Narumi Momose is a young girl who arrives late to her first day of work and makes a promise to herself that no one must find out that she’s a nerd.
However, her promise goes up in smoke when she unexpectedly meets her old friend Hirotaka Nifuji at her workplace, who knows her passions and is a great otaku himself.
The two become increasingly intimate, promising to respect their shared passion and help each other farm on Monster Hunter.
The similarities don’t stop at the union of love and nerd themes, as even the main characters are aesthetically similar. In both cases, we have a blue-haired, spectacled male MC who is shy and withdrawn and a pink-haired girl who is outgoing and friendly.
The only difference is that Wotakoi is definitely more comical than 3D Kanojo.