THE TOP 5 FUNNIEST ANIME COMEDIES TO WATCH

​For many of us, we love anime because it has the power to totally transport our minds to wholly different worlds, grips us tightly with suspenseful stories and drama, and have our eyes glued to screens with mesmerizing animation and action. But how many of you love those anime series that got you rifling in pain from the first minute of each episode to the very last due to uncontrollable gut-busting laughter? None? Don't worry as today I will share with you my top 5 favourite anime series to watch when I want to piss myself from laughter. 

#5. KONOSUBA: GOD'S  BLESSING  ON  THIS  WONDERFUL  WORLD

​The first on my list is actually the last anime on it that I was introduced to called Konosuba. This anime caught my eye when it out of nowhere shot up the charts in popularity recently. The plot is dumb and whimsical as the series starts with a high school dying a laughable and pathetic death on his way back from buying a game. However, just before going on to the ever after, Kazuma Satou was given a choice between continuing on to heaven or reincarnate in a real fantasy world by a beautiful goddess called Aqua. He of course like any of us would have done and chose the fantasy life as well as Aqua as his first companion. This is where it all goes bad for poor ole Kazuma as he quickly finds out how useless the goddess really is. They are soon after joined by Darkness, who is just a straight-up weirdo with her masochistic personality and Megumin, the prideful failure, that always tries her best to look cool and stay on top but constantly failing at it.

​Still with me? The comedic gold comes from just how little the characters deviate from their ridiculous character traits which causes them to always be the butt of the jokes. Their personality especially shines through via there interactions with each other, that makes for some hilarious banter among themselves. If you had previously watched the anime series Tenchi Muyo back in the day, then you feel somewhat at home with this series.

#4. SKET DANCE

I will be the first to admit it...SKET DANCE is an acquired taste, and not everyone will find it funny. But for those that will, they are going die from laughter. The series about a special club dedicated to helping others known as the SKET Brigade at the Kaimei High School. The brains of the group is Kazuyoshi "Switch" Usui, a tech-savvy otaku who speaks through speech synthesis software, while the brawn is provided by Hime "Himeko" Onizuka, the hockey stick-wielding girl once known as "Onihime." And last but not least, their leader is Yuusuke "Bossun" Fujisaki, whose latent ability is evoked by his goggles, allowing him to summon the awesome power of extraordinary concentration. 

​While slapstick jokes are plenty, the funniest moments come from the hilarious cast of characters and the hilarious situation the SKET BRIGADE normally finds themselves in. The series regularly takes you on a journey that typically began has a normal day in the lives of high schoolers but somehow dropped you off at some weird but, hilarious scenario. My personal favourite was how an inter-school competition ended up in a very funny parody of Yu-Gi-Oh. Aside from the jokes, I will always remember this series because of its many tear-jerking story conclusions. 

#3. PRISON SCHOOL 

​Be warned, our number 3 on the list is lewd, crude and totally bat shit crazy! And we wouldn't have it any other way. Prison School is definitely an anime that is not afraid of going too far in search of its punchline. The story here unfolds at a prestigious all-girls boarding school, famous for its high-quality education and disciplined students. However, this is all about to change due to the revision of the school's most iconic policy, as boys are now able to enrol as well. At the start of the first semester under this new decree, a mere five boys have been accepted, effectively splitting the student body into a ratio of two hundred girls to one boy. It's not long after that this new group of outcast found their freedom abruptly taken from them, as they are thrown into the school's prison with the sentence of an entire month as punishment for a failed attempt to peep into the girls' bath. From there, we are taken on a wild rush of laughs, suspense and ecchi....a whole lot of ecchi.  

​Prison School wears its ecchi badge proudly but doesn't solely rely on it to be entertaining. Instead, the humour here is much more clever than what first impressions will give you and, you will even find yourself fully gulf in a tale of brotherhood, friendship and love by the end of season one. The boy's attempted prison break at the end of season one had me in stitches as it some of the best comedy I have ever seen in any medium.  

#2. GINTAMA

Bow down to the king of Gag comedy! If you are a major fan of Shonen Jump then you are probably aware of the ridiculously funny Gag anime Gintama. Expect to see all your favourite Jump heroes and villains (and even a few real-life celebrities) referenced or outright made fun of in this show. Believe it or not, there is indeed a story here and, it begins with the Amanto, aliens from outer space, that have invaded Earth and taken over feudal Japan. As a result, a prohibition on swords has been established, and the samurai of Japan are treated with disregard as a consequence. However one man, Gintoki Sakata, still possesses the heart of the samurai, although, from his love of sweets and work as a yorozuya, one might not expect it. Accompanying him in his jack-of-all-trades line of work are Shinpachi Shimura, and Kagura which sees the trio frequently have run-ins with the police, ragtag rebels, and assassins, oftentimes leading to humorous but unfortunate consequences.

​Gintama shares more in common with Monty Python and Saturday Night Life than its fellow Jump brethren as most episodes come across like a scene straight from a sketch comedy. The show regularly breaks the fourth wall, make fun of itself and as stated before parodying the shit out of many other popular animes and movies. No one is safe from a Gintama Gag. I also need to give special attention to the supporting characters as they all play an important part in busting your sides with laughter. Even better, as a cherry on top, there do exist more serious story arcs with many breaths taking action and drama to break up the constant gags.  

#1. CRAYON SHIN-CHAN

Kids really do say the darnedest things, a tactic our number one on this list use to great effect. CRAYON SHIN-CHAN is my favourite anime comedy but, I must admit before I began writing this post, I rattled my brain about who deserved the top spot as I also truly love PRISON SCHOOL and GINTAMA. However, it is Shin-Chan that gets the gold purely on the bases of the fact that while the rest of the list's humour depended on sometimes over the top slapstick comedy, Shin-Chan's a bit more grounded and relatable. 'Awkard humour' is the star here as Shin Chan, a five-year-old will say and do things that are far beyond what would one deemed appropriate for a toddler.  

​These actions normally freeze the adult figures in his life into a state of confusion and awkwardness as they take time to process how to deal and ultimately correct a five-year-old. Trust me, these moments are pure comedic gold, as we can all relate to how awkward it would feel like to explain to a toddler that while it's adorable, he should hit on women his own age. Also, like Gintama, the supporting cast is stellar as Shin Chan's family and school mates will also drop funny punchlines after punchlines that perfectly matches his action. This show is definitely more on sitcom side of humour than the other animes on this list with its simplistic art style also giving its own charm similar to that of SOUTH PARK. Furthermore, Crayon Shin-Chan is the only anime on my list that I highly recommend you watching the dubbed version as the voice actors did an amazing job.  

So that is my top 5 but, I will love to hear about your own list and/or opinion on my own. Was the order off? Was it missing any other anime series (My colleagues wanted me to include Space Dandy but I personally hated that show)? Be free to let me know in the comments below. For more animated related posts, check out the news about The Proud Family Return or my Top 5 Biggest Fools in Cartoon History.