Sing Yesterday for Me is a thought-provoking and intense romance that explores some mature themes.
The story follows a depressed protagonist who feels stuck in life and doesn’t know which direction to take.
But it also shows that it’s never too late to start living again, especially if we receive the right help at the right time. And what better help than love?
If you enjoyed this anime for these reasons, we completely understand.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best anime like Sing Yesterday for Me, so grab some tissues and get ready to decide what you can watch tonight.
Table of Contents
8. Koikimo
If you enjoyed the mature love story in Sing Yesterday for Me, then we recommend Koikimo, which also features a love story between grown-up characters.
Ryo Amakusa is an office worker with a mundane life who falls in love with high school girl Ichika Arima, his sister’s best friend.
Ryo pursues his feelings for her and eventually asks her out on a date, but their relationship is met with many challenges.
While Koikimo differs from Sing Yesterday for Me in terms of themes and plot, we still suggest giving it a chance if you enjoyed the mature love story aspect of the former anime.
7. HigeHiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway
Broken hearts, protagonists with lives on the line, and a love story that heals wounds: these are just some of the similarities between Sing Yesterday for Me and HigeHiro.
After being dumped by the girl he has loved for five years, Yoshida encounters a high school girl named Sayu sitting on the ground.
She offers him her body in exchange for a place to stay, but he declines and instead takes her in any way, just to make the right thing.
That’s how begins their cohabitation and the complicated relationship that develops between them.
While the plot and themes of HigeHiro differ from those of Sing Yesterday for Me, the show still offers a mature love story and explores the process of healing from past traumas.
If you enjoyed those elements in Sing Yesterday for Me, HigeHiro may be a great recommendation for you.
6. Wotakoi
Wotakoi is a significantly more lighthearted and comedic love story compared to Sing Yesterday for Me, which focused almost entirely on the psychological growth of the main character and other characters.
However, we still highly recommend Wotakoi for two simple reasons: both anime are set in the protagonists’ workplace and their love stories contribute to the psychological development of the characters.
Narumi Momose is a young girl who arrives late on her first day of work and makes a promise to herself that no one should find out she’s a nerd.
However, her promise goes out the window when she unexpectedly meets her old friend Hirotaka Nifuji at work, who knows her passions and is also an otaku.
The two become increasingly close, promising to respect their shared interests and help each other farm in Monster Hunter.
As mentioned earlier, Wotakoi is significantly more comedic and focuses on nerdy themes. But if you don’t mind a lighter and more comedic love story, the similarities between the two anime are still present.
5. ReLIFE
If you enjoyed the idea of starting over and taking control of your life in Sing Yesterday for Me, then you need to watch ReLIFE.
The protagonist, Arata Kaizaki, is a 27-year-old unemployed man whose life is slowly falling apart.
However, his life changes when he encounters Ryou Yoake, a researcher who offers him a special developing drug that can turn back time to when he was 17 years old.
Arata relives the best years of his life and rediscovers the joy of love, mostly thanks to his high school crush, Chizuru Hishiro.
While ReLIFE has a sci-fi tone and atmosphere that is absent in Sing Yesterday for Me, consider it a welcome extra detail that adds to the overall experience.
4. Garden of Words
Starting with the more technical difference, it should be stated right away that Garden of Words is a movie, rather than a series. However, if we overlook this detail, the similarities between the two are evident.
Takao is a young student who aspires to become a shoemaker. One day, while skipping school to seek inspiration in a garden, he meets Yukino, an older woman.
As they continue to meet, with each encounter always taking place on rainy days, their relationship deepens. But as the rainy season draws to a close, they must decide what their future holds.
Although the plot is different, as you may have noticed, both anime share similarities such as a mature, trauma solving love story, which is a key element for comparison.
Additionally, in both works, the story is treated seriously and maturely, without unnecessary comedic elements.
3. After the Rain
After the Rain has a significantly different plot and message, but it shares one important trait with Sing Yesterday For Me: Both are serious romance series without comic interludes that feature mature characters.
Akira Tachibana is the quintessential unattainable beauty, as captivating as she is aloof.
Even though everyone is smitten with her, Akira is secretly in love with her middle-aged, divorced café manager who is also a father.
Like Sing Yesterday for Me, After the Rain is a mature love story that delicately handles the difficult subject of a complicated romance between two people with a significant age gap and all its complications and consequences.
So if you enjoyed the mature atmosphere and serious tone of Sing Yesterday for Me, then After the Rain is a sure bet.
2. Welcome to the NHK
If we are discussing anime featuring a protagonist struggling with depression and with a life on the loose, Welcome to the NHK is likely the best anime in this genre, closely aligned with Sing Yesterday For Me.
Satou Tatsuhiro is a 22-year-old hikikomori who has isolated himself from society due to past traumas. He never leaves his apartment, and even the thought of doing so creates anxiety and paranoia within him.
However, his life takes a turn when he meets Misaki, a mysterious girl who claims she can help him.
The message is clear: With the right assistance at the right time, no obstacle is too great to overcome. And of course, both anime emphasize that this aid comes in a specific form: love.
If you enjoyed Sing Yesterday For Me for this aspect, Welcome to the NHK is a perfect follow-up.
1. Honey and Clover
Honey and Clover is an underrated and mature romance anime that, like Sing Yesterday for Me, focuses on the psychological growth of its characters, their serious and deep romance, and the bitter experiences of life.
The story follows the lives of three male and two female students who attend a fine arts college and navigate their daily lives.
One of the highlights of this anime is the characterization of the characters, each unique and different from the others, yet they manage to complement each other perfectly, creating believable relationships.
Honey and Clover takes the framework of Sing Yesterday for Me and expands on it by showing the growth of the characters and their negative experiences that lead to self-awareness.
It’s impossible not to like it if you loved Sing Yesterday for Me.