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Anime Like The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House

If you loved The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House's Drama storytelling, these anime deliver a similar experience — selected for art style, narrative depth, and emotional impact. Each includes where to stream it now.

Top Picks

Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits-
8.3

Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits-

2018

After losing her grandfather, Aoi—a girl who can see spirits known as ayakashi—is suddenly approached by an ogre. Demanding she pay her grandfather’s debt, he makes a huge request: her hand in marriage! Refusing this absurd offer, Aoi decides to work at the Tenjin-ya bed and breakfast for the ayakashi to pay back what her family owes.

Bakuman
8.2

Bakuman

2010

Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are pretty much foils of each other. Mashiro, an average 9th grade student but talented artist, and Takagi, an overall advanced 9th grader and aspiring writer. After great convincing, Takagi convinces Mashiro to join him in becoming the greatest mangakas Japan has ever seen. Takagi, with his gift of writing, hopes to become a successful mangaka, and Mashiro, with his gift of art, hopes to marry the girl of his dreams, Azuki Miho.

NANA
8.5

NANA

2006

Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu meet while traveling to Tokyo in pursuit of their respective dreams, and decide to be roommates. Although drastically different people, the two become very close and together they find out if their biggest dreams have room for their best friend.

Honey and Clover
8.1

Honey and Clover

2005

Takemoto Yuuta, Mayama Takumi, and Morita Shinobu are college students who share the small apartment. Even though they live in poverty, the three of them are able to obtain pleasure through small things in life. The story follows these characters' life stories as poor college students, as well as their love lives when a short but talented 18 year old girl called Hanamoto Hagumi appears.

From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke
8.4

From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke

2009

Nicknamed "Sadako" for her spooky appearance, high schooler Sawako begins to break out of her shell when she befriends popular boy Kazehaya.

Tokyo Love Story
8.2

Tokyo Love Story

1991

Nagao Kanji who comes from Ehime Prefecture joins Heartsports company located in Tokyo, where he met lovely and sunny Akana Rika. The love story begins.

Love Hina
6.8

Love Hina

2000

Keitaro and his childhood sweetheart make a promise to be accepted at and to meet each other at the prestigous Toudai University before she moved out of his life. About a decade later, Keitaro has become an artist and a daydreamer, having ranked 27th from the last in the national practice exam. When his grandmother leaves the all-girls dormitory, he becomes the residential manager and soon meets up with two Todai applicants who may have been that sweetheart, since he`s forgotten her name. Then there the other tenants like young Shinobu who was in despair until Keitaro helped her, Motoko the swordsmaster who sees men as evil distractions, Su Kaolo the genius child inventor and the sneaky Kitsune.

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
8.6

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity

2025

When the intimidating Rintaro meets the open-minded Kaoruko, the unlikely duo grows closer. The issue? Their neighboring high schools hate each other.

More Anime Like The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House

My Dress-Up Darling
8.4

My Dress-Up Darling

2022

High schooler Wakana Gojo wants to become a kashirashi—a master craftsman who makes traditional Japanese Hina dolls. Though he's gung-ho about the craft, he knows nothing about the latest trends, and has a hard time fitting in with his class. The popular kids—especially one girl, Marin Kitagawa—seem like they live in a completely different world. That all changes one day, when she shares an unexpected secret with him, and their completely different worlds collide.

Kanon
6.8

Kanon

2006

Yuichi hasn’t seen his cousin Nayuki in years. Now that he’s back, all knowledge of ever visiting has vanished. He tries to adjust to the vaguely familiar surroundings, but the gaps in his memory haunt him as time grows short. The pieces of the puzzle have appeared – an eerily silent beauty with blazing tresses, the mysterious girl with the winged backpack, and the sword-wielding demon slayer – but it’s up to Yuichi to discover how they fit together.

Adachi and Shimamura
6.8

Adachi and Shimamura

2020

Adachi spends her school days skipping class until she meets fellow delinquent Shimamura and the two become fast friends. Cutting class together deepens their friendship but soon unexpected emotions blossom. As awkwardness and confusion settle in, the two girls travel this sea of emotions without a paddle as they learn about each other’s feelings.

After the Rain
7.1

After the Rain

2018

Akira Tachibana was once the ace of a track club, but an injury forced her to quell her passion for sports. Masami Kondou, a divorced father, had ambitions of being a writer and now manages a restaurant, where Akira works. It is the intersection of Akira and Masami’s seemingly disconnected lives that makes each of them reconsider and redefine everything about themselves.

Horimiya
8.5

Horimiya

2021

A secret life is the one thing they have in common. At school, Hori is a prim and perfect social butterfly, but the truth is she's a brash homebody. Meanwhile, under a gloomy facade, Miyamura hides a gentle heart, along with piercings and tattoos. In a chance meeting, they both reveal a side they've never shown. Could this blossom into something new?

Toradora!
8.2

Toradora!

2008

It’s Ryuji’s first day as a junior in high school and it seems as if things are looking up. He gets to sit in between his only friend, Yusaku, and, more importantly, the girl he’s secretly crushing on, Minori Kushieda. But just when he thinks the stars are aligned in his favor, he unwittingly crosses the most feared girl in school, Taiga Aisaku, making her onto his arch enemy. To top it off, Taiga has moved in right next door to Ryuji and happens to be Minori’s best friend! Can this school year possibly get any worse?!

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
8.2

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

2024

Meet the girls on the losing side of romance! First is Anna Yanami, the girl-next-door type who can’t say no to delicious food. Then there’s Lemon Yakishio, a beautiful and spirited athlete. Last but not least is Chika Komari, the cute yet shy heroine with gentle charm. Together, they navigate awkward setbacks hoping to finally find love!

Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
6.8

Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE

2005

Syaoran fights to gather the scattered soul of his beloved princess Sakura, whose memories were sent adrift across space and time.

07-Ghost
7.2

07-Ghost

2009

For over a thousand years, two great countries shared power in the world. One,the Barsburg Empire, was protected by the Eye of Raphael. The other, the Kingdom of Laggs, was protected by the Eye of Michael. Until a brutal war between them saw the Kingdom of Laggs destroyed... Ten years later, an amnesiac young orphan named Teito and his best friend Mikage are attending Barsburg Imperial Military Academy, dreaming of becoming officers. Teito is plagued by disturbing dreams of Laggs Castle just before the fall... Of a man who speaks to him of his “true mission,” and an enemy wielding a blood-drenched sword... But when Teito meets Staff Chief Ayanami, his memories begin to return. This is the enemy from his dream. The man lying in a pool of blood, giving him that warning, was his own father... And Teito himself is the prince of the destroyed Laggs Empire! Teito must leave the army to find his true mission, and the secret of his past.

Midnight Diner
8.2

Midnight Diner

2009

Set in a small restaurant in the corner of a shopping district. The unusual eatery is only open after midnight, and its standard menu consists of just a single choice. However, the customers still come for the amusing chatter and the proprietor's willingness to cook any dish that they request. This drama depicts the lives of the restaurant's patrons, including a yakuza, an unsuccessful actor, a group of office ladies, a newspaper delivery boy, and a stripper.

Fishbowl Wives
6.0

Fishbowl Wives

2022

Due to an accident, Sakura Hiraga gave up on her dream. She is now married and her husband runs a hair salon. They live in a luxurious penthouse apartment. Her life seems glamorous and she is envied by everyone. What everyone does not know is that Sakura Hiraga is abused physically and verbally by her husband. She is unable to leave her situation. Sakura Hiraga considers herself a goldfish in a fishbowl. One day, due to a goldfish, she meets a man.

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories
7.8

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories

2016

In an otherwise mundane diner open from midnight to 7 a.m., there is no menu – but the chef cooks anything his customers want. Each episode is about different a different customer, as they find simple yet profound connections with one another based on their shared love of a particular dish.

Why These Anime Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (2023): Drama themes, comparable animation style, and similar narrative pacing. NoBadPicks uses TMDB collaborative filtering, genre matching, and AI analysis to surface anime most likely to resonate with fans of The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House.

See full details for The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (2023)

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