Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary stands out with its quiet mystery, clever characters, and slow-burning tension. The story of two students trying to live normal lives while constantly getting pulled into strange situations is both smart and relatable. For anyone looking for anime like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary, this list brings together series with a similar vibe—where school life mixes with mystery, sharp minds uncover hidden truths, and unlikely friendships take center stage.

Beautiful Bones -Sakurako's Investigation-

Sakurako Kujou and Shoutarou Tatewaki from the anime Beautiful Bones - Sakurako's Investigation.

Sakurako Kujou is a brilliant woman with one main passion: bones. She isn’t very social and would rather stay in her home full of skeletons, but she spends a lot of time with Shoutarou, a polite high school boy who becomes her assistant. No one really knows why she likes having him around, but whenever they go out together, they almost always end up finding a dead body.

 

As an anime like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary, Beautiful Bones also follows two very different characters who keep getting pulled into quiet, mysterious cases. Both shows focus on smart but odd leads, calm settings, and the strange way everyday life can turn into something deeper. If you enjoy slow-paced stories with thoughtful mysteries, this is a great one to check out.

Psychic Detective Yakumo

Yakumo Saitou and Haruka Ozawa from the anime Psychic Detective Yakumo.

Haruka Ozawa’s school life takes a scary turn when one of her friends is possessed and another suddenly dies. Hoping to find out what’s going on, she asks Yakumo Saito for help—a quiet college student with a red eye that lets him see and talk to ghosts. As they dig deeper into the mystery, they discover that some people will do anything to keep the truth hidden, even kill again.

 

If you’re looking for something more like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary, Psychic Detective Yakumo is a good pick. Both shows follow a smart but distant main character who keeps getting involved in strange problems. They also share a calm mood, emotional stories, and quiet mysteries that slowly reveal what’s really going on.

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions

Ron Kamonohashi and Totomaru Isshiki from the anime Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions.

Ron Kamonohashi was once the top student at the famous Detective Training Academy BLUE, but after getting involved in a murder case, he was expelled and banned from working as a detective. Now living alone, he’s pulled back into crime-solving when kind but clumsy police officer Totomaru asks for help on a tough case. Ron solves it quickly, but his strange condition—one that can put others in danger—makes things complicated. Still, the two form a surprising team and begin taking on more cases, even as enemies from Ron’s past close in.

 

As an anime similar to Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary, this series also features a brilliant but unusual main character who can’t seem to stay away from mysteries, even when he wants to. Both shows follow odd pairs trying to live normal lives while constantly getting caught up in deeper problems. Their mix of humor, clever thinking, and unpredictable teamwork makes them a great match.

Heaven's Memo Pad

Yuuko Shionji and Narumi Fujishima from the anime Heaven's Memo Pad.

Narumi Fujishima looks like a normal high school boy, but he feels like an outsider because he has moved a lot and doesn’t fit in. One day, he joins the gardening club and meets Alice, a smart but shy hacker who lives above a ramen shop. Alice runs a secret detective group made up of NEETs—people who don’t work or go to school. When Narumi gets involved in a case connected to his past, he joins them and helps solve tricky mysteries and find hidden secrets.

 

Heaven’s Memo Pad is an anime like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary because both shows have quiet main characters who want a normal life but get pulled into solving mysteries. They mix everyday life with smart and emotional stories, and the leads work with unusual but clever partners to uncover the truth.

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

Yukino Yukinoshita taking a selfie happily with a blushing Hachiman Hikigaya in a scene from My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU anime.

Hachiman Hikigaya is a high school boy who doesn’t believe in friendship or happy school life. He thinks most people are just pretending to be nice. After turning in a harsh school essay, his teacher makes him join the Volunteer Service Club. There, he works with Yukino, a smart but cold girl, to help other students solve their problems. Even though Hachiman doesn’t want to get involved, he slowly starts to understand others—and himself—through the work they do.

 

As an anime like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary, this show also follows a quiet, smart main character who tries to stay away from people but keeps getting pulled into their problems. Both anime focus on school life, hidden feelings, and unusual students who are just trying to live normal lives.

Gosick

Victorique de Blois and Kazuya Kujou from the anime Gosick.

Kazuya Kujou is a student from Japan who moves to a fancy school in Europe. Because he looks different, other students stay away from him. One day, while walking through the school library, he finds a quiet girl named Victorique. She looks like a doll and never goes outside, but she’s very smart and great at solving mysteries. After they meet, Kazuya and Victorique start working together to uncover strange cases, like ghost ships and hidden secrets from the past.

 

More like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary, this anime also follows a quiet boy who teams up with an odd but smart partner. Both shows are about students who want a normal life but keep getting pulled into mysteries. They mix school life, clever thinking, and fun moments between two unusual characters.

Sagrada Reset

Kei Asai from the anime Sagrada Reset.

Kei Asai lives in the town of Sakurada, where many people have special powers. One day on the school roof, he meets Misora Haruki, a quiet girl who can go back in time up to three days. Misora forgets what happens after she goes back, but Kei remembers everything because he has a perfect memory. They join a club to help others using their powers. But soon, they get caught up with a secret group that controls the town’s powers and tries to control what happens there. They discover there is more going on than they thought.

 

As an anime like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary, this story also follows two quiet students who want to live normal lives but end up solving strange mysteries together. Both shows mix everyday school life with teamwork and smart thinking.

Hyouka

Houtarou Oreki and Eru Chitanda from the anime Hyouka.

Houtarou Oreki is a new high school student who wants to live a quiet, easy life without doing much. But his sister makes him join the Classics Club to stop it from closing. There, he meets Eru Chitanda, a curious and cheerful girl. Together with their friends, they start solving small mysteries that happen at school because Chitanda can’t stop asking questions.

 

This anime is like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary because it also has quiet main characters who get involved in everyday mysteries. Both shows mix normal school life with small puzzles and show characters learning about themselves and others.

Classroom of the Elite

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji from the anime Classroom of the Elite.

Koudo Ikusei High School looks like a great place. Students have lots of freedom, and the school is well known. But behind the scenes, it’s a tough place where students are ranked by class. Class A gets the best treatment, and Class D gets the worst. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji is in Class D. He meets Suzune, a serious girl who wants to move up to Class A, and Kushida, who wants to be friends with everyone. To rise in the school, students can do whatever it takes—even if it’s unfair. Kiyotaka seems quiet, but he’s really smart and good at planning.

 

More like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary, this anime also has a smart but quiet main character who tries to stay out of trouble but keeps getting pulled into complicated problems. Both shows are about school life, hidden talents, and trying to live normally in a place full of challenges.

Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective

Takao Ameku and Yuu Takanashi from the anime Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective.

On the rooftop of Tenikai General Hospital, there’s a small and unusual department called the Department of Investigative Pathology. It’s led by Dr. Takao Ameku, an odd and curious doctor who is always drawn to strange cases. She works with just one assistant, Yuu “Kotori” Takanashi. Takao often gets involved in cases that interest her, even if it causes problems for the hospital and the police. Still, she always manages to figure things out, no matter how difficult the case is.

 

This is an anime like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary because both feature smart but quirky characters who try to stay in the background, yet often end up solving unexpected problems. Both shows mix mystery, unusual teamwork, and people who don’t quite fit in but still make a difference.

Insomniacs After School

Isaki Magari and Ganta Nakami from the anime Insomniacs After School.

Ganta Nakami is a high school boy who can’t sleep at night, so he feels tired and grumpy during the day. One day, he finds a quiet place to rest in the school’s old astronomy club room. There, he meets Isaki Magari, a girl who also has trouble sleeping but keeps it a secret. When they learn they both can’t sleep, they start sharing the room. Spending time together helps them become good friends and makes their problems feel easier.

 

As an anime similar to Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary, this story also follows two quiet students who have personal struggles but try to live normal school lives. Both shows show how friends can help each other grow and find comfort in a busy world.

Neuro: Supernatural Detective

Neuro Nougami and Yako Katsuragi from the anime Neuro: Supernatural Detective.

Yako Katsuragi is a smart high school girl who solves many cases. But it’s her assistant, Neuro Nougami, who really solves the mysteries. Neuro is a demon who came to the human world to find a big mystery. He helps Yako catch bad guys and feeds on the energy from crimes. Together, they quietly solve many cases while Yako looks for the truth about her father’s death.

 

This anime is like Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary because both shows have smart but unusual partners who solve mysteries. They mix regular school life with strange cases and show a special friendship between two very different people.

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