When we talk about romance in anime, we can easily say that it is something that we usually find in all kind of anime, be it slice of life, psychological, science-fiction or even horror. Love can make people do things that they never imagined to do, it makes them happy and sad and sometimes it makes us wonder about some realities of life. Here is the updated list of our top 10 romantic anime of all time that the fans of romantic genre would love to watch.
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Sword Art Online
Many fans may not like this title in this list but the fans of Sword Art Online have been following this series for almost 8 years and after watching many seasons and arcs, we can’t deny the tormenting journey of being stuck in a videogame with life threatening adventures and the dangerous vents that Kirito and Asuna had faced together. And Kirito would have been in grave danger if Asuna had not been there for support and help but that goes for both of them as they both have been a big support for each other. These dangerous experiences have led to many romantic moments between them and they have been a couple for a very long time.
DARLING in the FRANXX
DARLING in the FRANXX is a must-watch for those who believes in soulmates. It’s a world with monsters called, Klaxxosaurs that almost ended human race. FranXX are the only kind of mechs who can fight them off who are conducted in pairs in pairs of opposite genders by teens, born and brought up especially for that cause and so they have no knowledge of the world outside the training in “plantation”. Hiro is one of these FranXX who after failing his exams was miserable and ended up in a lake where he came across a nude girl, Zero Two. She is very different from Hiro and has been successful in all battle she ever fought but all her partners ended up dead. Now Hiro and Zero Two had to team up to live but they make a really good team and won the battle against the enemy. From that point onwards it is about their romantic struggle vs the hardships and insecurities that they face in this cruel world.
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
Story about two teens — Hachiman and Yukino — who are indifferent and reserved who are forced to be the part of school club for helping students. It’s different from many other romantic anime in terms of the characterization as we usually see lively girls and typical guys as the protagonists in the typical romantic anime. Hachiman and Yukino is a breath of fresh air in romantic anime and are also relatable to people who have been that way in real life in their school days. As the story progresses the protagonists and the supporting characters develop while getting close to each other. Check out the series if you haven’t as the season 3 is slated to air soon.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War
It’s not easy to be in love being a high school student. You are always anxious about the other person’s feelings and then you are burdened with the anxiety of confessing your love or getting the other one confessed. Same is the case of proud president and vice-president of student council Miyuki and Kaguya in an elite school. They both are in love and know their feelings very well but their egoistic personalities do not let them confess first. Miyuki is not from an elite family background and so due to his inferiority complex, don’t want to feel inferior infront of Kaguya by confessing first. Kaguya on the other hand is from a high prestigious family but is naïve and pampered, ojou-sama who doesn’t feel it right to confess first.
BEASTARS
BEASTARS depicts the world of anthropomorphic animals where carnivores and herbivores live in peace alongside each other until a herbivore is killed who is the member of drama club in Cherryton Academy. Legoshi is a carnivore in the same school and is also the part of the drama club. One night, while he is on a patrol, he senses a shadow who seems like an attacker. Right before a striking move, he stops only to find a bunny girl. But it is still unknown if it was the animal instinct or love. The bunny girl, Haru is troubled with many problems and is known to be dating a famous student Louis who is leading the teacher club of the school. BEASTARS is about the societal issues heated up between carnivores and herbivores and the love story between the wolf and bunny in the mid of the societal pressures.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai takes puberty syndrome — IRL — to whole new level by depicting those emotions of insecurities, angst, anxiety in the physical form. These are the emotions that are experienced by the teenagers of Sakuta’s high school. Being familiar with the torments and pain of this illness, Sakuta is able to understand help those girls who are suffering from it. Mai is one of those girls who thinks she is invisible to everyone but Sakuta, strengthening the bond which is beyond romantic. Mai is considerate girlfriend and the chemistry between the two is both cute an mature.
Fruits Basket (2019)
The new version of an old series Fruits Basket is not just visually breathtaking but true to it’s source material unlike the original anime. It revolves around a teenage girl Tohru Honda who lost her mother and home. Certain circumstances led her to the Sohma house inhabited by Shigure, and her classsmates Yuki and Kyo. After revelation of Sohma secret about the curse that turns 12 Sohma members into Chinese Zodiac animal on hugging opposite genders, Tohru comes to know emotional and mental traumas that they had suffer due to that curse. Tohru being the fan of cat zodiac and friend of Yuki tries to understand them to help them with their insecurities but who will turn out to be her love interest? Apart of this love triangle, the story has many other couples with some interesting stories of their own and as the story progresses, it reveals much about the curse along with some hardships that these couple face.
Spice and Wolf
Spice and Wolf is known to be a classic romance anime. It is a romantic story about a lonely wolf diety, Holo who comes across a merchant, Lawrance and strikes a deal with him to get to her homeland. This long journey leads her to get closer to the merchant and she develops feelings for him along the way during which she also gets jealous of a shepherd who helps the merchant. Lawrance also become attracted to her charming personality and smartness but it’s not an easy love as she is a goddess.
Howl’s Moving Castle
Howl’s Moving Castle is globally acclaimed series by Ghibli Studios. It’s one of the best fantasy romance ever made in the world of anime. The story and the visuals are magical and breathtaking. It’s about a young girl Sophie with stubborn nature who makes a witch angry which her to turn into an elderly woman. She moves out her homeland in search for the cure and end up in a giant moving castle that belongs to a wizard named, Howl who is a gorgeous and lovely but a man child. Sophie decides to live in the castle by his side while looking after castle while getting involved in a magical war and exploring more about herself and Howl.
Your Name
When it comes to romance anime, the title that always remain on top of the list even after 3 years of its release is Your Name. It has received plenty of awards so far for all the right reasons. The anime is not just visually appealing but the romantic story about the two people connected through fate is beyond amazing. The female protagonist, Mitsuha lives in a countryside and being fed up of her dull life, wishes to live in Tokyo. Taki on the other hand is a high school student of the same age and works hard while wishing to become an architecture in future. These two people who live miles away from each other get to know about each other’s lives after being swept in each other’s body numerous times. They develop feelings for each other while communicating with each other in a very unique way. However, their curiosity to meet each other in person reveal some strange realities. Our Name is the anime which is not just loved by the anime fans but the non-anime fans as well because of its unique story and beautiful animation.