As per the title, the slice-of-life OreImo is all about Kousaka Kyousuke’s cute imouto (little sister), who on the outside is average but is also a model; however, she’s hiding a pretty serious ero-ge (erotic games) obsession with a particular taste for “little sister” storylines. Who doesn’t love a cute little sister? Still, we don’t take it as far as Kirino, who just can’t get enough of the cutesy goodness. It’s a comedic little tale of a brother trying to help his little sister with her little sister complex, and by “help” we mean “nurture.” Just in case you didn’t know this show would be all about sister complexes, suddenly we see a SisterMart, an obvious reworking of FamilyMart, a famous convenience store chain that originated in Japan. This particular SisterMart is the setting of an ecchi-ful scene when Kirino drenches herself with water for reasons. Blatantly with the exact same colors, and characteristically missing a space between “Sister” and “Mart,” this parody store drives in the fact that this show is about a sister and sister complexes. We’ve already written “sister” so much that it’s starting to feel like it’s spelled wrong or something, so we’re going to stop.

In Bakuman, our protagonist duo Mashiro Moritaka and Takagi Akito are fearlessly trying to make a popular manga that can become the pillar of Shonen Jack, which would be Shonen Jump in real life. The re-naming doesn’t end there. Shonen Jack manga writers would occasionally meet their editors at the nearby Gonythan’s for a change of pace. If you were watching and thought, “Oh man, that looks a lot like a Denny’s,” you wouldn’t be far off. Gonythan’s of Bakuman is a purposeful misspelling of Jonathan’s, a chain of “family restaurants” in Japan, largely modeled after similar family establishments in America, such as the lovely diner Denny’s. Denny’s also exists in Japan in a similar capacity and can sometimes be found in anime as Benny’s (To-Love Ru) or Danny’s (Date A Live). Family restaurants are popular for having a wide variety of western, Japanese, and fusion food, along with an assortment of beverages and desserts, so you’ll be sure to see a lot of these types of establishments in anime.

Space Dandy might be a dandy guy in space, but not one episode goes by without our fearless crew taking a pit stop at their favorite Boobies branch to meet their favorite waitress Honey. Dandy and his crew are not-so-great alien hunters, trying to find new alien species to have registered in return for cold hard cash. Beyond that, they are just average guys who enjoy the female physique. It’s easy to say such an obviously name store is blatant fan service, but to their defense, there is an actual chain of “breastaurants” named Hooters, with hundreds of shops worldwide. Whereas these types of real-life eateries will usually employ a double-entendre for their name, Space Dandy parodies such places by calling a duck a duck, or in this case, calling a booby a booby.

From the title alone, you’re probably already thinking, “Story of my life, right?” Compared to the loaded title, our parody store in Yuushibu is a simple and short Reon, or Magic Shop Reon. Even though the demon lord has been defeated, magic is still the main energy source in town, and you can buy all the magic appliances you need at Reon. Raul was a hero-in-training but before he could take a swing at the big guy, the demon lord was defeated. He put his dreams of being a hero behind him and got a real job. In an odd-couple twist, the demon lord’s daughter Fino also finds herself in dire straits, so she takes a job running the register at Reon. Magic Shop Reon has all the necessities from Papasonic washing machines and Zony Magic Vision televisions to light bulbs and disaster supplies, you can get anything and everything. Its real life counterpart would be the similar-sounding Japanese brand Aeon store, which carries everything, similar to Walmart or Sears. The whole series takes place almost entirely inside the store, as our once could-be hero tries his best to guide his cute and devilish kouhai in this ecchi, comedy slice of life.

In today’s digital age, brick and mortar shops aren’t the only ones under the anime name-change attack. In Terror in Resonance, Japan’s police meetings of old talking heads appears utterly useless to the digital-literate terrorist duo. In addition to having to be briefed on technology like Tor routers, the Japanese police force find themselves having to answer fire with fire by using their own live streams. From Twitter to Amazon to things of more illegal nature, Nine and Twelve use a number of online resources that are common of hacking groups like Anonymous. One thing they have most in common with the real Anonymous is that they announced their famous Sphinx riddles using MeTune, an especially YouTube-looking video uploading service. In the first episode of Terror in Resonance, there was no mistake that the “video uploading service” that hosted Sphinx’s first cryptic message was in fact YouTube, complete with logo. Yet, by Episode 3, the YouTube doppelganger had to be changed, probably due to legal backlash. The YouTube logo was replaced by a blue and black logo that reads “MeTune,” but they’re not fooling anybody. Arguably though, it could also be one of the very real YouTube copycat sites, but a copy is still a copy! Finally, in an ironic stroke of brilliance, Nine and Twelve’s voice actors donned the Sphinx masks to present and attempt to solve Mensa riddles in a series of short videos. Yes, you read that correctly: The actual actors behind Nine and Twelve put on Sphinx masks and implore you to solve legitimately difficult riddles. These videos were made under a collaboration of Terror in Resonance and Japan Mensa, you know, the “high IQ society.” Of course, these videos would eventually make their way to YouTube, where they belong.

When people think of a chain coffee shop, they think of Starbucks. The company enjoys constant popularity in Japan, where it’s just as ridiculously expensive as in America. You may have seen parodies of this brand as Moonbucks in The Devil is a Part-Timer, as Starbacchus in Nisekoi, or as Starchild in Ghost in the Shell. Perhaps, as a stab at the chain or its clientele, the brand even shows up as Starjackass in Onegai Twins. Starbucks, true to life, can pop up anywhere in anime. Still, as with most of these parodies, the famous coffee house is most likely to appear in the slice of life genre. When the characters in the mega-hit romantic comedy Toradora! go for a cup of joe, where else could they possibly go but Sudoh-bucks? Our fearless hero Takasu Ryuuji isn’t one to shy away from pointing out the obvious rip-off of the famous brand. In especially meta fashion, Ryuuji ponders, “How is this place not getting sued?” Yes, how are they not getting sued, indeed.

Maid-sama! was the shoujo romantic comedy that trumped all other shoujo romantic comedies during its run on the airwaves; but our favorite heroine Ayuzawa Misaki wouldn’t have had such an interesting life if it weren’t for her super otaku workplace, a lovely and active maid café called Maid Latte. Because Misaki’s part-time job clashes with her image as a tough class president at school, Usui Takumi was very entertained seeing Misaki giving a too cute, “Welcome home, master” to patrons of Maid Latte. Beyond watching a funny budding romance, we get to learn way too much about the ins and outs of a maid café. If you didn’t know, maid cafés are real, and there are a number of popular maid brands in Japan. Maid Latte is modeled after such establishments, although due to the nature of maid cafés, it would be hard to pin it down to just one. They’re usually full of cute girls in maid costumes who, on special occasions, will cosplay according to a theme-of-the-day. Of course, you can find maid cafes in a number of series, including the cat-themed Maid Queen Nyan-nyan in Steins;Gate. Still, Maid-sama really hit the nail hard on the head as far as the type of services you can expect at a real maid café: maids drawing cute things on your food in ketchup or syrup, cutesy catchphrases, and fancy desserts. Oh, there are a lot of frilly maid costumes too, if that’s your cup of tea.

As a quick and easy way to let you know, “Hey, this guy is really American,” Kuroko no Basket has their recently returned power forward Kagami Taiga eating a mountain of burgers at Maji Burger. Here, he runs into his new teammate Kuroko Tetsuya, who likes Maji’s vanilla shakes. The choice of menus is representative of the characters themselves: Kagami is a mountain of muscle. Kuroko is understated and an unpredictable. After the chance meeting at the Maji, the two make the fateful decision to defeat the greatest high school players in the country, the Generation of Miracles, together. Maji Burger, much like Maid Latte, is hard attribute to one specific brand, because most fast food burger joints will generally appear the same. It’s possible the Seirin favorite Maji Burger was modeled after McDonald’s. Look at those fry box designs! It’s not much of a stretch that an American-raised high school student would go to a fast food restaurant and eat way too much. It’s also pretty true that fast food vanilla shakes have a strangely thin but creamy appeal. Maji, however, isn’t getting this ranking so much for its accuracy, but more for its staying power. Be it a very important plot point or good old Seirin comic relief, the scenes that happen at the Maji Burger are the ones that fans won’t ever forget.

The people you meet at your part-time job can be some of the most unique and interesting people you will ever meet. This factoid of life holds true for Umio, who meets a whole bunch of quirky folks at his job at a manga store called Umanohone. Sensei is a doujinshi mangaka who is teased for lacking “girl power.” Fu Girl has an unhealthy obsession with zombies and normally teams up with the big and tough-looking Sommelier, who can choose the perfect manga for anyone with just a look. Overall, working at Umanohone looks like it would be a whole of fun. Guess what? It’s possible, given some special circumstances, but still possible. Umanohone is a parody of the real-life manga store Toranoana, as umanohone means “the horse’s bone,” and Toranoana means “the tiger’s lair” in Japanese. With all the manga books showcased in this anime, otakus can only hope that working at a manga store would be everything Denki-gai promises it to be. Seriously though, if anyone knows the real-life version of Sommelier who can make perfect personalized manga recommendations, please leave contact information of such a person in the comments. Thank you.

While watching anime, like Sakamoto desu ga?, there was probably a time you thought, “What’s up with the WcDonald’s?” That’s not the case for The Devil is a Part-Timer!! It’s MgRonald’s! The demon lord Sadao Maou, in a daring escape from a horrible defeat in his world, somehow ends up in modern-day Tokyo. Unfortunately, in the dimension jump, he lost most of his magical power. With no credentials and desperate for cash, Maou takes a job at the local MgRonald’s. Yes, obviously MgRonald’s is McDonald’s, no question. Unlike other anime though, the fast food parody isn’t just another random meeting spot for people living off allowances. Instead, our protagonist spends every day working hard and becoming a respectable member of the community at MgRonald’s. Their rival company would be none other than Sentucky Fried Chicken. Do I even need to say it? Although the anime didn’t have any real legal connection with McDonald’s, The Devil is a Part-Timer! is good free PR for the global fast food empire. A place that even can help a fallen demon lord get back on his feet, MgRonald’s could be the perfect job for you too!

The rediscovery of The Sacred Book of the land of Eija prompts Princess Crystal of Megaronia to embark on a journey to recover a legendary ship which is said to be very powerful. Standing against her desire to dominate the world is a small group of unusual pirates led by Eira. This is a classic good against evil story, which brings to light that not all pirates are essentially evil. If you can look past the old animation style which also features old-fashioned sound effects, this short pirate anime series with a simple plotline may entertain you during the lazy weekend. Even with the violent content in the anime, it is not scarce in the humor department due to the funny pirate characters.

Sol Bianca is the name of a starship piloted by an all-female pirate crew which consists of 5 beautiful women whose names are based on months in the year: Janny Mann, Feb Fall, April Bikirk, May Jessica, and June Ashel. From a boy stowaway on the ship, they learn about the legendary treasure known as Gnosis, which is currently in the hands of the wicked, Emperor Batros. There may not be many female pirates in the past, but no doubt, female pirates have always been the fantasy of many, what more if they have attractive faces and figures to boot (and in the case of Sol Bianca, the addition of striking hair colors). With a main cast that encompasses a group of femme fatale pirates, this series, which is centered on girl power, serves to be a foolproof premise. As there is a boy stowaway in the ship full of female pirates, you can expect some mild harem going on.

Emeraldas is a mysterious, strong, and beautiful pirate who pilots the spaceship known as Queen Emeraldas. There is a certain race that aspires to rule over the galaxy, but they would have to get through Emeraldas who will not do nothing and accept their tyranny! This series is part of the Harlock franchise but it can be watched even without seeing any Harlock series beforehand. Forget about having a pirate crew and a pirate series centered on friendship, there are some of us who can’t relate well to such things due to our nature that prefers to go solo! If you had such thoughts when you read the synopsis, you may be disappointed because despite the title of the anime, this series really isn’t much about the beautiful pirate Emeraldas. Rather, the story focuses on Hiroshi Umino, a young boy who has big dreams.

An outlaw, or coyote, named Mister, has been in prison for a year, and 10 days prior to his release, he escapes with the help of his old friends Bishop and Katana. Pirate King Bruce was murdered, and he has a daughter named Franca who is left under the care of Mister. Mister searches for Franca and together they go on a journey to find her father’s treasure. The theme of finding loot or treasure is integral in the history of pirates, and this theme is shown in Coyote Ragtime Show, in which its plot centers on a group of space pirates known as Coyote, who are in search of the stolen loot of Pirate King Bruce. Like other pirates, Mister is interested in the loot for the money, but he also wants to do it due to his promise to Franca. Thus, it is kind of like a father and daughter relationship in a pirate-themed anime series. Aside from pirates, there are robotic killer maids in the midst of a planet that is about to get blown up!

Captain Harlock has been surviving for one hundred years looting spaceships and going against the Allied Forces. Due to his reputation as the legendary Captain Harlock who is a formidable opponent of the Allied Forces, the Allied Forces is determined to kill him. This anime film is a CG version based on the original Captain Harlock series. The original Captain Harlock anime series was aired in 1978, but we think that many viewers would prefer to keep up with the times and watch something that is more modern, so we recommend this CG film instead of the original series. Since this is a CG anime film, you can expect the quality of the anime to be better than the average anime. The actions and battles of the space pirates are incredible. Even the spaceships look intimidating due to the CGI effects!

The story takes place in the future where there are humans who live on Mars. Perhaps inspired by the tale of Noah’s Ark, Mars is mainly covered in water, so humans live in huge city-ships. Life on Mars is not ideal due to the poor economy which causes some individuals to commit piracy instead. The most notorious pirate vessel is the Ship of Aurora, and Gram accidentally gets himself involved with those pirates. Besides pirates, there are also mechas which are used by the government to fight against the pirates. Among the pirate crew, there is also a cat and a dolphin that can speak, so this anime is basically a mixture of various elements. The protagonist, Gram, finds out that the notorious pirates are not as bad as they seem and are probably doing the right thing, despite what it may seems like on the surface.

Marika Katou is a high school student who spends her time at the space yacht club and works part-time job at a retro café. One day, she learns that her father, Gonzaemon, who had passed away, was actually a space pirate who commanded the ship, Bentenmaru. As the leadership has to be passed on to his direct descendant, Marika then becomes the new ship captain and begins her life as a space pirate. Judging from the title, one might expect this anime series to be filled with silly, perverted moments, but this is not the case at all. In Mouretsu Pirates, you will follow the adventure of Marika learning about the skills needed to become a pirate captain before she can successfully be one. The anime series also features cute pirate costumes which are a feast for the eyes!

Edel Raids are unique beings who can react with humans and grant them tremendous powers. The story centers on a sky pirate named Cou Van Giruet who discovered a very rare and powerful Edel Raid called Ren, which leads to many villains wanting to kidnap her. Cou tries to protect Ren and eventually falls for her. Besides the simple theme of good versus evil in this story, this anime series which features a sky pirate as a lead, also has another underlying theme which is racial intolerance. Due to the unique powers possessed by the Edel Raids, various parties are interested in using them albeit for good or evil causes. Even though Cou is a sky pirate, he possesses a kind heart and sees the Edel Raids as human beings instead of weapons.

Roanapur is a crime-filled area in Thailand. Rokurou Okajima is a businessman who goes for a business trip in Southeast Asia, but is caught by the Black Lagoon, who are a group of pirate mercenaries. The group intends to use him as a bargaining tool but it does not work out as Rokurou is betrayed by his employer. Therefore, Rokurou decides to join the Black Lagoon. Black Lagoon is about the businessmen Rokurou who suddenly has a change in career when he decides to join the group of pirate mercenaries. Even though it is certainly more eye-opening than his dull life as a businessman, his life as a pirate challenges his spirit and morality, as he has to break down some parts of his humanity in order to commit the crimes of a pirate..

Before the death of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, he revealed the existence of the greatest treasure in the world, known as One Piece. Monkey D. Luffy aspires for an adventure which will lead him to the great treasure, so he becomes a pirate. Upon eating a special fruit known as the Devil fruit, he obtains the ability to stretch himself like rubber, which aids him in battles against other pirates! One Piece is a shounen anime which centers Around Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates. In the pirate world of One Piece, there are different kinds of Devil Fruits which grant the users special abilities. Thus, as the series progresses, there are many pirates who have special powers Luffy’s crew has to deal with! There is also plenty of humor in this series to entertain you.

The mature and adult member of the cast, at least she thinks she is, Ami Kawashima is one of the main five characters in the well-known romcom Toradora. Surprisingly knowledgeable about the feelings of those around her, Ami is a tough nut to crack, and at times it can be quite difficult to work out what she’s really thinking. When she’s not slinking around or giving cryptic advice, Ami can be quite the tease, and has fun messing with the other characters, particularly protagonist Ryuuji. Ami appears in her swimwear several times throughout the series, often using it as an excuse to show off her model-like body, even if it means causing problems in swimming class. But the best scene is the show’s beach episode, where she appears in a slim, pink and white bikini that looks like it should have problems holding certain things up. Besides the bikini itself looking incredible, it’s her teasing attitude that makes the scene great, popping the giant bow in the center off in front of Ryuuji, followed of course by much bouncing.

Starting off as A Certain Magical Index’s fiery tsundere until getting her own spin-off, A Certain Scientific Railgun, Misaka Mikoto is the waifu of many, and for good reason. Along with characters like Toradora’s Aisaka Taiga, Misaka is one of the best examples of what it means to be tsundere, using her insanely powerful railgun ability to destroy anyone who should annoy her even slightly. But why is the tsundere part so important? Because her swimsuit scene relies on one very important thing: gap moe. Despite her boyish attitude and looks, Misaka’s swimwear is all frills and cutesy colors, and that’s why it works so beautifully. Her uncharacteristic playfulness makes her swimsuit scene insanely cute, along with some great poses that give us a good eyeful of her slender form. If you’re into the cute-sexy thing, Misaka Mikoto is one of the best.

Cute and shy, but surprisingly competent, despite her normalness Nanami Aoyama is one of the residents at the bizarre Sakura Dorms, filled with kind-hearted, but strange, students. Classmate of main protagonist Sorata, Nanami spends half her time worrying about her voice acting auditions, and the other half coping with her immense crush on him. Despite being a fairly ordinary character, it’s exactly that which makes her stand out in the series filled with broken people, and makes watching her daily struggles dealing with them amusing. If there’s only one thing that Nanami’s swimsuit appearance tells us, it’s that she’s being hiding a quite sizable chest this whole time! Nanami’s first appearance in her bikini is one of the best we’ve seen, with her stuck halfway between the confident voice actress and embarrassed high school girl as she adjusts herself. She does a perfect job of sporting the part-undone shorts look as well, which is rarely seen, proving that more skin doesn’t always mean sexier. Also there is running, the running is good.

Equipped with her catchphrase, “I’m curious!”, Chitanda Eru is the driving force behind much of what occurs in Hyouka. Her cheerful and excitable attitude is a complete opposite to protagonist Oreki’s relentless disinterest, and makes her impossible not to like. Being a KyoAni show, her look is distinctively moe, managing to encapsulate both beautiful and cute at the same time with her black, straight cut hair and brilliant purple eyes. It’s partly Chitanda’s cluelessness that makes her so attractive in a swimsuit: she’s sexy, but has no idea about it. Simple and white, with frill trims, Chitanda’s bikini suits her innocent personality perfectly, and does a great job of showing off her form without simply diving into the realms of ecchi. The pool scene itself includes some great slow-mo shots and downward angles, as well as lasting for almost the entire episode, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the view.

A katana wielding beauty and one of the many large chested girls to appear in Highschool of the Dead, Saeko Busujima is one of the more mature and admirable characters, driven by a sense of pride and duty. Besides her fighting ability, Saeko is best known for her risqué choices of clothing, most notably her black thigh highs, an unusual choice for a high school girl. Still coping with past trauma, frankly Saeko has a lot on her plate even without zombies around. Despite having no relevance to the main story, Highschool of the Dead was fortunate enough to get its beach episode in the form of an OVA, Drifters of the Dead. With all the awesome girls in swimsuits, what makes Saeko so special? Well she is easily the most erotic girl in the show, getting some of the more creative and interesting scenes in the episode. In fact out of all the scenes listed here, we’d rate Saeko’s as the most ecchi by far.

The surprise-but-not-really-a-surprise girl of the group, Charlotte “Charl” Dunois starts out the series masquerading as a boy, which understandably does not last very long at all. Known for being the kinder, gentler member of Ichika’s harem, Charl quite easily became one of the most popular characters in polls, being considered ultimate waifu material. Contrary to her gentle nature, Charl is both strong and determined, with an incredible fighting spirit despite having one of the weakest IS units out of the cast. Unlike the other girls in the show, Charl gets her own swimsuit reveal in the beach episode, in a racy changing room scene. Contrast to the innocence of her character, a risqué scene like this really increases her appeal, seeing her taking the initiative. The swimsuit itself has a really well thought out design, with the short skirt flattering her lower half whilst still revealing some nice legs, and the halter neck bikini with the large ribbon tie going perfectly with her ponytail, to give her a sweet feminine charm.

Super cute and sugary sweet, Kosaki Onodera is the perfect female classmate, especially for main guy Raku due to her massive crush on him. Often helping out at her parent’s sweet shop, Onodera’s caring attitude towards her family and friends is what makes her such a loveable character. Despite concerns and about Raku and Chitoge’s “fake” relationship, she remains one of Chitoge’s closest friends, and sometimes has trouble making selfish decisions regarding her feelings for Raku. Sorry Chitoge fans, as great as her bikinis are, Onodera steals the show on this one. There’s one thing this list was missing, and that is: a school swimsuit. Onodera’s school swimsuit is one of the best, with Shaft’s wonderful animation showing off her everything so brilliantly. From the swaying of her hips and chest, to the smack of her swimsuit against her thigh as she adjusts herself, everything about Onodera’s scene is on point.

Calm and composed, Mirajane is probably one of the least crazy members of Fairy Tail, although that isn’t saying much. Head waitress at the guild, she spends much of her time looking after the members, particularly the newer ones, and assisting the guild master with various things. Despite how she seems at the start of the series, Mirajane is no weak little girl, and it’s not long before her S rank, demonic powers rear their head. Known as the fan serviced filled show out of the big shounen series, it’s no surprise to find a swimsuit babe amongst the cast. Mirajane gets a few appearances in her beachwear, which given her former job as a pin-up model means we get something very nice to look at. The best appearance by far though, is during the Grand Magic Games pinup idol battle (yes seriously) which features her in not one, but four outfits throughout the scene. From bikinis to a school swimsuit, every shot does a great job of accentuating Mirajane’s best features, no matter what she’s wearing.

Now for everyone’s favorite navigator, the Straw Hat Pirates very own Nami. Although very much a good girl at heart, Nami is always on the lookout for treasure, and she’s pretty talented when it comes to profiting from a situation. Despite not having any devil fruit powers or starting off with any notable combat skills, Nami always manages to stick with the crew on their adventures and is more than capable of fighting her own battles using her Clima-Tact, a weather based weapon. Not afraid of showing some skin, Nami is often seen in bikini style tops throughout the series, and to be fair it looks pretty hot out there. So as you can imagine there are a few swimsuits to choose from for Nami, but this time we’ve gone for her iconic rainbow bikini, featured in the short, Glorious Island. This piece is a great example of One Piece’s in-your-face, bright artwork at its best, with its thin form barley containing Nami’s immense chest and curvaceous hips. Despite being a short special, over a minute of the playtime is dedicated to pure Nami fan service, which is exactly the kind of thing we’re after here.

Sena “Meat” Kashiwazaki, known best for her, well, meat, is one of the lead heroines in Haganai, a story about high schoolers so incapable of making friends, that they form a club specifically to practice the art of socializing. As the blonde bishoujo, Sena’s main draw is her good looks and substantial assets. Though given her problems in the personality department she should think herself lucky to have those. A weird combination of eroge nerd and high school princess, much like the rest of Haganai’s cast she’s a pretty rare creature. You wouldn’t think aqua blue and yellow would be easy to pull off, but Sena somehow manages it brilliantly. Her simple but brazen bikini is hard to forget, with the colors matching her hair and butterfly hairclip, and the shape doing an excellent job of showing off everything she’s got. Although simple, it’s probably one of the best character themed swimsuits about, and suits her perfectly. On top of that, the swimsuit scene itself, taking place at a pool, is dedicated only to her, and gives us only the best in terms of camera work.