Television series

New Game!

Name: New Game!
Genre: Comedy, Anime
Released: 2016
Cast: Arisa Suzuki, Hitomi Ohwada, Kaori Nazuka, Manaka Iwami, Yūki Takada

Comedy

New Game! follows Aoba, a high school graduate who joins a video game company and discovers her creative idol works there. It's a charming, slice-of-life comedy about game development, friendship, and finding your place in a creative industry. Perfect for anyone who loves character-driven anime with heart and gentle humour.

TVMaze rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like workplace comedies where the gags come from ordinary office life and the cast's small, awkward, affectionate moments, the kind of show that lets slice-of-life warmth carry a lot of its charm.

Skip it if you want a plot that builds toward something, since this is episodic and loose, and its two seasons mostly circle around everyday routines rather than driving toward a big goal.

What it asks of you: Twenty-five minute episodes, two seasons, and a relaxed rhythm; you settle in week by week rather than binge it for momentum, and the jokes land best when you let the quiet stretches breathe.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Shirobako2014

Also about young women navigating creative industries (anime production here), with equally warm relationships and the same mix of workplace comedy and genuine stakes about making something you love.

But Slightly more complex plotting and a larger cast means it takes longer to settle, and the industry details can feel dense if you're not invested in animation production specifically.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica2018

Same spirit of girls pursuing a dream together with infectious enthusiasm. Four friends, one impossible goal, and a remarkable ability to make you care about people you've just met.

But Higher emotional intensity and genuine stakes around growing up—it's sweeter and more serious than New Game!, which some find draining rather than cozy.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica poster

Hanasaku Iroha2011

A girl joins her grandmother's traditional inn and learns about work, community, and what it means to belong. Same warmth and character focus, gorgeously animated by P.A. Works (who also made New Game!).

But Set in rural Japan and steeped in hospitality culture—pacing is deliberately slower, and it's less comedy-heavy than New Game!.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from New Game!

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Aggretsuko2018

Both use comedy about office work to explore what it means to grow up and belong somewhere. But where New Game! finds pure joy in it, Aggretsuko asks what happens when the job hurts—it's the pessimistic sibling.

A young red panda starts her first office job and discovers it's crushing. Then she rage-sings death metal in karaoke. Same character beats as New Game! (learning your job, making friends, navigating hierarchy) but with a darker edge—adulthood is treated as genuinely difficult and sometimes suffocating.

But Tonal whiplash between cute and explicitly frustrated; some episodes are bleak about work in a way New Game! never touches. The absurdist format won't appeal to everyone.

K-ON!2009

The DNA of modern slice-of-life anime about girls who are genuinely fond of each other. Light, funny, endlessly rewatchable, and proof that nothing needs to happen for you to care deeply.

But Even gentler and less plot-driven than New Game!—some find it shapeless, and the cuteness can tip into saccharine if that's not your taste.

Barakamon2014

A young man moves to a rural island and learns patience, community, and joy from strangers. Warm and funny with real growth, and utterly absorbing despite minimal stakes.

But The protagonist is male and middle-aged, and it's slower-paced and more meditative—doesn't have New Game!'s bright workplace energy or female ensemble cast.

Carole & Tuesday2019

Two girls chase a dream together on Mars. Gorgeous, earnest, and genuinely moving about artistic ambition, mentorship, and the risks of trying something that matters to you.

But Musical focus and sci-fi setting distance it from the office comedy vibe; some find the romance subplot heavy-handed, and the later episodes lean darker.

Working!!2010

Workplace ensemble comedy set in a family restaurant, with the same pleasure in watching competent people do their jobs and genuinely like each other.

But More romantic subplot tangles and love triangles than New Game!, and the comedy is occasionally meaner-spirited rather than warmly affectionate.

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!2020

Three high school girls make anime together. Wildly creative, visually inventive, joyful about the act of making things, and captures creative friendship perfectly.

But Deliberately experimental animation style isn't everyone's cup of tea, and it's only 13 episodes—some feel it ends just as it's warming up.

Nichijou2011

Surreal schoolgirl comedy with incredible energy and craft. If you love New Game!'s humour, the timing and visual gags here are on another level.

But Completely scattered narrative, rapid-fire pacing, and absurdist humour—the opposite of New Game!'s cosy workplace focus, and exhausting for some.