We bring you school-themed anime that is not quite the norm. First up is a romantic comedy called Shuffle!, while we end off walking with the dead in Highschool of the Dead.

Shuffle!

Asread

Ten years ago, the gates to both the realm of the Gods and Demons were opened, and residents from both these realms started to immigrate to Earth. Now gods, demons and humans study together in schools, even live together in neighbourhoods.

Rin Tsuchimi is a student at such a mixed school. Lucky (or unlucky we should say) for Rin, he has been chosen as a marriage candidate for two fellow students - Nerine, the Demon princess, and Sia, Princess of the Gods, making him a potential ruler of either the Gods or Demons one day. This all happened because of an event in the past, since he met both girls before when he was a young kid.

If Rin's life is not complicated enough a few more ladies are thrown in the mix. There is Kaede Fuyou, the girl he has been living with since his parents died when he was very young. Kaede believes it is her duty to look after Rin and really loves him. Then there is the beautiful Asa Shigure, a tomboy but with a weak constitution and a classmate of both Rin and Kaede. Also there is Mayumi Thyme, a half-human, half-demon girl, and the sweet-toothed Kareha, one of the Gods and a real daydreamer. These girls together with Nerine and Sia are all interested in Rin, and he really must learn to 'shuffle' his life to accommodate everyone and keep them happy. Then of course is the little problem of which princess to choose. Just who will Rin end up with?

This is a hilarious romantic comedy with harem elements weaved into it. The Japanese voice actors did a great job,especially Tomokazu Sugita who plays the role of Rin Tsuchimi, our protagonist. The school scenes are some of the favourites in the series as Kaede, Sia and Nerine fan clubs are always chasing and attacking Rin, because of their jealousy that these woman are his to choose from. The animation is breathtaking and the anime designers left no stone unturned in building characters that will seem like old friends at the end of the series.

Please note that this anime does contain fanservice-like girls in bikinis and other forms of eye candy.

Also check out: If you liked this one, we suggest that you take a look at the anime School Rumble or Green Green.

Highschool of the Dead

Studio Madhouse

Highschool of the Dead, set in present day Japan, begins as the world is struck by a deadly pandemic that turns humans into zombies, referred to by the main characters as "Them". The story follows a group of high school students, the school's nurse, a dog and a young girl as they fight their way to safety through the deadly streets of Japan during the worldwide catastrophic event known as the "Outbreak". As they try to survive the zombie apocalypse, they must also face the additional threats of dangerous fellow survivors, and the possible decay of their own moral codes, which some characters already have few of.

How can we better describe this 12 episode series than this: take a George A. Romero zombie movie like Night of the Living Dead, combine it with an Ecchi/Harem anime like Love Hina, mix it up with the Blood classic first person shooter, then blend it with a hell-yeah metal music soundtrack. This is all that, just a million times more exciting!

Zombies aren't all that the show has to offer, since there’s also tons of amazing scenes and humor, as an  example; ‘zombie apocalypse survival tips’ (how to escape a horde of zombies by walking on top of a wall with a leaky kid on your back). Top that off with touching dialogue, gorgeous animation, action scenes that might just stay with you forever, characters that range from loveable to dispicable, a well thought out story and sub-plots, and you have an anime perfect for ultimate enjoyment.

Warning: If you don't like a little nudity, violence or zombies in your anime you’re better off watching something else. This one is for big kids older than 18.

Also watch: If you liked this take a look also at the series Zombie Loan or Occult Academy.

About our contributor: Allen Simpson is a blogger and a published poet who has a deep passion for anime. He is also co-owner of AnimeFanatika, a reliable source of information on Anime providing fans with the latest news, reviews and goings on in the industry. Visit their website and become a Fanatik today. Sugoi!