Love is in the air! From comedies to tearjerkers, there’s a romance anime out there for (almost) everyone. If you’re looking for something to watch with or without a cutie, there are plenty of options.
Be sure to check out the video version of this gallery to see these anime in action! And for more on anime, be sure to check out our gallery of the biggest anime to watch in 2018. If you're looking for recommendations of shows to watch right now, see the best anime available on Netflix and our top 10 anime of 2017.
Lovely Complex
Risa Koizumi is the tallest girl in class. Atsushi Ootani is the shortest boy in class. Between the two of them, there’s a lot of insecurity about their height and how it affects their love lives. Of course, they’re perfect for each other…except for the height thing.
Lovely Complex isn’t currently streaming legally, but it’s worth picking up on DVD for an adorable and funny classic romance anime that takes its time developing its characters and their relationship. Plus, the height problem is incredibly relatable.
Available on DVD
My Love Story!!
A lot of couples in romance anime take an entire season to get together, but My Love Story’s Takeo and Yamato are not a normal couple. Takeo, the unusual main protagonist, looks like a yakuza boss--so not a teenage girl’s typical dream guy--but Yamato falls for him immediately. Of course, all of her friends think she’s out of her mind, so the dynamic between the couple and their friends becomes a crucial part of their shared story.
Most importantly, My Love Story explores Takeo and Yamato’s relationship as it grows and develops--this isn’t another will-they, won’t-they romance. It’s consistently delightful and hits all the favorite tropes, too, without overdoing them--that means beach, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day episodes! It also has one of the cutest theme songs in recent years, great for watching with that special someone.
Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Toradora!
Ryuuji Takasu has a scary face but a gentle soul, while Taiga Aisaka is a tiny but fiery girl who’s always ready for a fight--so much so that she’s known around school as the Palm-Top Tiger. Due to Taiga’s excessive clumsiness, the two end up talking and discover that they have crushes on each other’s best friends. They, of course, decide to wingman each other.
That might sound like a pretty standard rom-com setup, but Toradora is anything but basic. Its relatable, unique characters have fantastic chemistry, and it actually avoids the pitfalls of a lot of romantic comedies. And, without spoiling anything, it has one of the best romance scenes in all of anime.
Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Orange
A lot of us wish we could go back in time to fix our high school mistakes. Orange tells the story of Naho Takamiya, a high schooler who receives a letter from her future self. The letter talks of regret, telling her day by day the specific things she needs to change--and it tells her to watch her new classmate and crush, Kakeru Naruse, very closely.
The time travel element takes a back seat to a story of loss, friendship, and what it means to truly care about someone. It’s mature and incredibly moving, tackling suicide and the pain of regret. It’s perfect if you’re in the mood for something a little bittersweet, rather than a typical love story.
Streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation
Your Lie in April
Your Lie in April is a heartfelt story about Arima Kousei, a prodigal pianist whose career is derailed by a traumatic event. However, a chance encounter with Kaori Miyazono, a free-spirited violinist, reignites a passion he thought had long faded.
What makes Your Lie in April interesting is, for the most part, it doesn't focus on the romance between Arima and Kaori. Instead it explores their complicated personal issues and uses these to bring them closer in a way that feels natural and authentic.
Arima's destructive relationship with his mother and its lasting impact on his psyche is a dark cloud surrounding him. When his fingers touch ivory keys, the traumatic memories envelop and overcome him to the point where he's unable to hear what he's even playing.
Kaori's infectious energy and tenacious drive to see him fight through the darkness becomes his guiding light. Together, they both learn what music really means to them and, in time, what they mean to each other. Your Lie in April is as much about finding what you love, as it is falling in love.
- Tamoor Hussain
Streaming on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun
When high-schooler Chiyo Sakura tries to ask out her crush, he...gives her his autograph. Turns out, the tall, handsome, and oblivious Nozaki-kun is secretly an insanely popular shoujo mangaka (an author of romantic manga aimed at teen girls) and Chiyo accidentally becomes his assistant.
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun explores shoujo tropes with plenty of humor--seriously, this is a comedy first and foremost, and a good one at that. Of course, its cast of lovable dorks is what makes it both funny and heartfelt. You can also definitely rock out to the theme song and learn a little bit about all the work that goes into being a mangaka, all in a short 12-episode run.
Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu
His and Her Circumstances
His and Her Circumstances, also known as Kare Kano, tells the love story of two seemingly perfect students that are secretly extremely flawed individuals. Yukino Miyazawa thrives on admiration and privately calls herself a queen of vanity. She meets model student Soichiro Arima, who starts to take attention away from her, and is immediately determined to bring him down. Arima finds out her secret and blackmails her, revealing a different side to himself.
They form a friendship and eventual romance. Together they learn to be more comfortable with their true selves and accept who they really are, at least with each other.
The personalities of the offbeat, two-faced main characters and the unique ways they handle their problems sets His and Her Circumstances apart from other shoujo romances. The romance in this anime also feels realistic and authentic. As a warning, the anime does end abruptly, and you’ll have to switch to the Manga to continue the story. But the 26-episode Anime is worth seeking out for the unique, fluctuating animation styles balancing the humor and drama of this character-driven love story.
- Chastity Vicencio
Available on DVD
Clannad: After Story
Clannad: After Story is the sequel to slice-of-life series Clannad, and it begins after Tomoya and Nagisa from the first series have graduated high school. After Story deals with strong family ties and the couple’s individual problems, and if you get through its good but not as good predecessor, you’ll be rewarded with a story that’s sweet, moving, and infamous for making pretty much everyone cry.
Streaming on Hulu
5 Centimeters Per Second
5 Centimeters Per Second is a film broken up into three parts, covering the childhood and young adult life of Takaki Tono. As an elementary schooler, he befriends and falls for a girl named Akari. In addition to being about young love, 5 Centimeters Per Second captures the feeling of distance between two people who either don’t connect or cannot, and its animation and direction beautifully capture the melancholy throughout the chapters of Takaki’s life.
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Yuri on Ice
Yuri on Ice isn’t technically a romance anime, but it definitely deserves a spot on this list. It follows Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki, who has all but lost his passion for skating when he meets his long-time idol, Victor Nikiforov. So yeah, this is a sports anime about figure skaters--but it’s mostly about a mutually beneficial and supportive relationship.
There’s a good deal of guy-on-guy fan service if you’re into that, but the show’s development of Yuri and Victor’s relationship is actually incredibly progressive for anime. Beyond that, Yuri on Ice explores friendship and the familiar quarter-life identity crisis that can cause us to question our paths in life. Plus, there’s some really great skating and a colorful cast of supporting characters that provide a great backdrop to a wonderful relationship.
Streaming on Crunchyroll
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