NoBadPicks

Anime Like Candy Candy

If you loved Candy Candy's Animation and 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

Peach Girl
8.2

Peach Girl

2005

Momo, a high school student, is torn between two love interests, each of whom possess great qualities.

Shin Chan
7.7

Shin Chan

1992

Shin-chan, the boy next door, is a walking disaster, creating chaos wherever he goes. With the body of a child and the mind of an adult, Shinchan is wreaking more havoc than any child before. Shin-chan is carefree, optimistic and gets excited about everything. This 5 year-old likes to do things his way.

Princess Sarah
8.1

Princess Sarah

1985

Sarah Crewe, the young daughter of a wealthy Englishman in India, starts attending a prestigious boarding school in London. However after a series of unexpected tragic events, she is forced to become a maid at the school.

Kodocha
6.9

Kodocha

1996

Sana Kurata has a charmed life. Not only is her mother is a famous, award-winning writer, but she's the star of the hit TV comedy "Child's Toy" while still in the fifth grade. But Sana's biggest concern is Akito Hayama, a pint-sized hellion who's organized the boys in their grade-school class into a mass of unending noise and violence. With the help of Rei, her manager, chauffeur and "pimp," Sana is determined to win back control of the classroom from her new arch-enemy. But as her crusade continues, Sana moves further into Akito's life, and finds that he might not be entirely bad...or entirely safe.

Hey Arnold!
8.0

Hey Arnold!

1996

The daily life of Arnold--a fourth-grader with a wild imagination, street smarts and a head shaped like a football.

Maison Ikkoku
7.6

Maison Ikkoku

1986

Godai is a ronin (someone who has failed university entrance exams) living in a run down apartment house called Maison Ikkoku. Among the other residents are the nosy Ichinose, the sexy Akemi Roppongi, and the mysterious Yotsuya. The others are given to having wild parties which makes it difficult for Godai to study. Into this mayhem comes the recently widowed Kyoko as the new live-in manager. Godai falls for her, but doesn't have the nerve to tell her. As time passes, their relationship slowly develops amid life at Maison Ikkoku, despite all sorts of romantic hurdles.

His and Her Circumstances
7.9

His and Her Circumstances

1998

In His and Her Circumstances, like a drug, Yukino Miyazawa was addicted to admiration and praise from those around her. She worked hard to become the perfect student, the perfect girl. But that was before… him. Souichirou Arima. The instant she met him, she hated him. Without even trying, he snatched the very glory from her hands by easily acing the high school entrance exam that should have made her the class representative. To take back what is rightfully hers, Yukino is putting all her efforts into plotting her revenge – but was love part of the plan?

The Mighty B!
6.5

The Mighty B!

2008

The Mighty B! is an American animated television series co-created by Amy Poehler, Cynthia True and Erik Wiese for Nickelodeon. The series centers on Bessie Higgenbottom, an ambitious Honeybee girl scout who believes she will become The Mighty B if she collects every Honeybee badge. Bessie lives in San Francisco with her single mother Hilary, brother Ben and dog Happy. Poehler provides the voice of Bessie, who is loosely based on a character Poehler played on the improvisational comedy troupes Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade.

More Anime Like Candy Candy

The Backyardigans
8.0

The Backyardigans

2004

Meet five lively animal friends who love to sing, dance and use their imaginations to embark on outrageous adventures to magical places.

Nisekoi
8.2

Nisekoi

2014

Raku Ichijo is an average high school student. He also happens to be the sole heir to the head of a Yakuza Family called the Shuei-gumi. 10 years ago, Raku made a promise… a secret promise with a girl he met. They promised one another that they will “get married when they reunite.” Since then, Raku never let go of the pendant the girl gave him.

The Dangers in My Heart
8.5

The Dangers in My Heart

2023

Kyotaro Ichikawa, a boy barely clinging to the bottom rung of his school's social ladder, secretly believes he’s the tortured lead in some psychological thriller. He spends his days dreaming up ways to disrupt his classmates' peaceful lives and pining after Anna Yamada, the class idol. But Kyotaro's not nearly the troubled teen he pretends to be…and it turns out Anna's a bit odd herself!

The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl
7.6

The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl

2025

Sophia Reeler, a timid noble, received the Gorilla God’s blessing—the ultimate combat power. Now her dream of a peaceful student life is shattered as the royal knights recruit her unrivaled strength. Juggling school, the knight life, and her overwhelming power, Sophia learns the hard way that gorilla strength isn’t so simple.

Little Bear
6.9

Little Bear

1995

Follows a young bear as he goes on exciting adventures in the forest, gets into trouble and learns new things with his friends, including Emily, Duck, Hen, Cat, and Owl. His parents are Mother Bear, who is always there when he needs her, and Father Bear, a fisherman who is often at sea. Based on books by Else Holmelund Minarik.

Kimagure Orange Road
6.7

Kimagure Orange Road

1987

It can be hard moving to a new school, and fifteen-year-old Kyosuke has it harder than most. He’s fallen head over heels for his classmate Madoka, a girl who won’t even give him the time of day, and unintentionally ended up dating her best friend, Hikaru, instead. Worst of all, Kyosuke and his family have amazing supernatural powers, but he has to keep them hidden from the rest of the world! How is Kyosuke ever going to balance the affections (or lack thereof) of two girls, schoolwork, and his secret abilities all at the same time?

Martha Speaks
7.0

Martha Speaks

2008

Martha, a beloved family dog, is accidentally fed alphabet soup — this gives her the power of speech and the chance to speak her mind to anyone that will listen.

As Told by Ginger
6.7

As Told by Ginger

2000

As Told by Ginger focuses on middle schooler Ginger Foutley who, with her friends, tries to become more than a social geek.

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.

The 7D
6.2

The 7D

2014

In the whimsical world of Jollywood a Queen Delightful relies on the 7D, a group of seven dwarves, to keep the kingdom in order. Standing in their way are two laughably evil villains, Grim and Hildy Gloom, who plot to take over the kingdom by stealing the magical jewels in the 7D's mine. With seven very distinct personalities, the 7D always manage to save the day and send Grim and Hildy running back to their evil lair to try another day.

Goof Troop
6.7

Goof Troop

1992

Goofy is a single father raising his son, Max in Spoonerville. As it happens, Goofy and Max end up moving in next door to Goofy's high school friend Pete and his family. Pete's son PJ and Max become best friends practically doing everything together.

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.

Why These Anime Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with Candy Candy (1976): Animation and 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 Candy Candy.

See full details for Candy Candy (1976)

People Also Search For