Just like when you are picking a good show to watch on Netflix, there are a lot of shows that you can choose from and it can be a daunting task to do when it comes to picking a show you are not used to. The same goes for anime, given that there are a lot of shows to choose from, it might be confusing to find the right show to watch since there are some shows that have the same plots dressed up in different characters.
So what now?
Well, we have decided to put away that strain from you and compile some of the anime shows that you might be interested to watch by ourselves, starting with the genre: Romance!
Romance in anime mostly centers on the School Life category, but there are also other anime shows out there that don't fall into that category, too. Other romance anime shows are worth watching so go ahead that give it a try!
How we will categorize these shows:
First, we recognize the genres that these shows fall under the genre title. And then, we recognize the author/creator of the story and it is the animation studio that animated the show. Then we share some important plot points that make the anime so special from the rest of the romance anime tropes. Sounds good so far? If that’s the case, then let’s jump right in!
Here are the top ten romance anime shows you should watch by category!
Ouran High School Host Club
For those who are avid watchers of the romance anime genre, putting this show on our first spot won’t come as a surprise. After all, whenever you mention the romance genre, this show will always be the one to pop up on our heads. So what’s so amazing about the Ouran High Host Club that it’s the most raved about romance anime even up until this day?
To start, we are introduced to Haruhi, a poor student that studies in a rich high school academy. While walking around the halls looking for a quiet place to study, the poor (not talking about the financial circumstance this time) student ended up in the room where the Ouran Host Club is actively doing their activities. Much to Haruhi’s annoyance and confusion, she was aptly judged by the club members because they thought that Haruhi’s gay for wanting to seek care from the host club (which isn’t the case as Haruhi just went there by accident).
Eventually, the exchange turned heated and Haruhi accidentally broke down a valuable vase from the club that was supposed to be auctioned. Now, Haruhi needs to deal with the damage and the conflict in Haruhi’s life starts.
The story centers around Haruhi, the heroine of the story who is often confused as a boy due to the nature of her appearance. She is also very popular among their host club activities. The story, while very reminiscent of the romantic-comedy tropes, the story also tries to tackle the different issues in society in its little ways. Of course, a romantic comedy wouldn’t be complete if there isn’t some romance in it, will it now? See how the characters slowly come to be introduced to a new emotion called "love" as these cute idiots try to live their everyday lives in the host club.
Yona of the Dawn
I am such a sucker for good reverse harem anime, and guess what? Yona of the Dawn is one of those shows, and it sure doesn’t disappoint!
Yona of the Dawn centers around the story of Yona, a princess of the Kouka kingdom known for red marvelous red hair that she often finds disgraceful. Yona as a princess is a spoiled child pampered by her father, the king of the Kouka kingdom. Her life as a princess is all fun and games up until eventually, she saw her father get killed by the person she admires so much, the smart Suwon, Yona’s cousin. Because of the circumstances, Yona had to leave the castle to save her life, together with Hak, her bodyguard and childhood friend. See how Yona, in her little ways, shows her love and loyalty for her land as she develops into becoming the princess that she so deserves.
Yona of the Dawn is a fantasy-filled story set in an ancient Korean-like kingdom. And while the story is a reverse harem, you won’t mind the harem as it suits the plot perfectly. The story also focuses on a lot of politics and society, so if you’re interested in that, go ahead and watch this show!
Wotakoi: Love is Hard for the Otaku
I kid you not, most of the stories that I will be listing here are stories mostly centered on high school life, well except probably from Yona of the Dawn and this one, Love is Hard for the Otaku.
The story centers on work-life, on adults on how they deal with their love lives (and work lives) while being an otaku, a term, mostly derogatory, used by and for the people who have overwhelming interests towards pop culture, mostly games and anime. Narumi Momose is an otaku who is starting a new company because she wants to forget how her ex-boyfriend dumped just because he discovered that she’s an otaku herself. Wanting to start a new, Narumi moved to another company in hopes that when she finds a new boyfriend, she promises she won’t tell him about her life as an otaku.
This is a refreshing romance anime that doesn’t fall under the school life category and is a must-watch due to its uniqueness. See how Narumi’s work-life eventually turns into something she never wished for in the first place as she discovers her childhood friend is also working in the same company that she is working with.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
We have started with shows that center around comedy, real-life, and fantasy. This time, we are going to talk about a show that centers around drama and school life with Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. Don’t be threatened by the title though as the anime itself is not about bunny girls, at. all. Instead, the anime is about a world where a mysterious phenomenon called puberty syndrome is called to be happening, experienced by several young people when they are in some kind of stress.
The amazing feat about this anime is how it makes you sympathize with the characters with well-written stories behind each one of them. It’s a harem, having a male protagonist, but it’s not the usual harem trope that you see in anime.
Toradora
What happens when a kind, the delinquent-looking guy is encountered with a cute-looking girl with temperament issues? Well, here’s your anime.
Toradora is a story of two persons of different personalities yet somehow, they’re so compatible with each other. One day, their lives crossed paths when Taiga, the cute-looking girl with temperament issues, turned a failed attempt at writing a love letter to her crush, Kitamura, the best friend of the protagonist, Ryuuji. And as it turns out, Ryuuji is interested in Taiga’s best friend as well, Minori. When both of them knew this to be the case, they agreed that both will help the other to bring end up with the ones that they want to be with.
Well, among one of the school romance tropes, Toradora is probably one of the best shows out there as it incorporates drama with a lot of internal conflicts. It teaches its viewers how to show that someone must not judge a book by its cover. There’s a lot to uncover with Toradora, so I hope that you enjoy this one as well!
Darling in the Franxx
This anime is not centered on its romance story alone. This anime has a lot to do with robots, and yes, this anime is set in a dystopian world where humanity can live an immortal life and is using children to power up FranxX, the robot-like creatures that are tasked to fight klaxosaurs that perverse the earth.
The romance part of the story centers on Hiro, the protagonist, unable to become a FranxX pilot despite his efforts. And then one day, he saw Zero Two, another FranxX pilot that is piloting the infamous Strelizia, where whoever is partnered with her ends up dying after three days. Hiro partnered with her due to an accidental circumstance when a klaxosaur suddenly attacked their bases.
The romance of Darling in the FranxX is very heartwarming. The other characters are also to look forward to as each of them is focused one by one by the story.
Orange
We have another candidate for the high school romance, but this time, with serious undertones.
What happens when you receive a letter from the future telling you to do a certain task that pertains to a person you just knew?
Our heroine, Naho Takamiya, is stuck in this situation. As it turns out, the person that the letter is about her new classmate, Kakeru Naruse. She also found out that the letter she received is actually from her twenty-six (26) year old self from the future. At first skeptical, she didn’t mind it at first, until the first thing that the letter wrote about suddenly came true.
That is where the romance part of the story starts. The reason we recommend Orange is due to its unique pacing and way of telling its events. We don’t normally get romance stories as complex as Orange so it’s worth a try to watch.
A little disclaimer - when you decide to watch this show, there will be mentions of suicide/trauma, so make sure that you watch this with a ready heart.
Chihayafuru
Among this list of romance shows, this anime is probably the only anime that centers on sports more than just school life. And by sports, I mean Karuta - a competitive sport that originated from Japan that is inspired by the classic Japanese anthology of Hundred Poets.
The story starts with Chihaya Ayase, a girl who doesn’t have any dreams but to see her model sister take greater heights in her career. But all these changed when she met Arata Wataya, a rising karuta player who is the grandson of the great eternal master, Hajime Wataya. After finding out Arata’s passion for Karuta, Chihaya eventually got attracted to the sport herself and eventually started living her life for Karuta with the aim of becoming Queen as the best female player in all of Japan. After all, “when you become the best player in Japan, you become the best player in the world” when it comes to Karuta.
Personally, this anime is one of my favorite romance anime since you can’t predict what happens next due to Chihaya’s personality of spontaneity. This is also one of the anime shows that has two male potential love interests for the heroine given Arata Wataya and Taichi Mashima. Both characters are very appealing to the viewers as both are Chihaya’s childhood friends, so it’s difficult for the viewer to take notice of who will end up with who.
The anime also has a lot of literary references, so if you’re a person who loves to deal with literature and anime, this anime is for you.
From Me To You
If you’re reading this list looking for a simple heartfelt anime that you just want to watch to pass time, then this romance show is for you.
Meet Sawako Kuronuma, often confused as a ghost, Sawako is a sweet, shy girl who only wants to fit in with her classmates. Little does know, someone is interested in her and slowly wants her to fit in with the crowd namely Shota Kazehaya, the school’s popular guy.
Just like mentioned, this romance story is easy going and very light-hearted though, its characters are still interesting.
Maid-Sama!
Last but not the least is this shoujo classic that every female anime watcher loves. With a strong female protagonist, Misaki Ayuzawa is a student council president of a newly co-ed school mostly made up of boys. As rowdy as they can get, Misaki somehow can make these students stay on their proper behavior just as long as she is president, which makes her the target of hate among them. Well, that doesn’t concern Misaki as she hates men herself due to personal reasons and she hates it when she sees girls crying due to the misbehavior of men which brings us to Takumi Usui, the popular guy in school that makes girl crying because he turns all their confessions down, making Misaki hater him.
Eventually, their relationship gradually changed when Takumi found out Misaki’s little secret - that’s she’s working as a part-time maid waitress!
Watch how their relationship starts to bloom after this development! With looks as handsome as Takumi, all watchers can’t help but love his charms! Well, the same goes for Misaki with charms where almost in every episode that inspires you to become a strong, independent woman like herself.
Honestly, there are still a lot of shows that I want to put in her but let's stop our list there for now. So, what do you think of our suggestions? If you have more suggestions, share it with us in the comments section below! And if you want us to continue writing anime recommendations for you, you can also let us know!
