Sometimes, the anime industry puts an outrageous twist on a familiar genre or trope, with the romance genre featuring the harem trope. A few harem anime are actually solid, such as The Quintessential Quintuplets and We Never Learn, but not everyone is in the mood for that. Even the better harem anime may feel too gratuitous or unrealistic for fans of romance, so other titles will pick up the slack. Anime viewers who want a "normal" and healthy romance on-screen have plenty to work with.
It's easy for fans to be drawn to the must-see romance series and movies, such as Kaguya-Sama and Your Name., but the industry still has more to offer. Other, equally worthwhile anime in the romance genre pack a lot of goodness into their runtimes and treat viewers to finely written, charming romance to capture any viewer's imagination. In a surprising number of cases, the key to a good romance is to not make things too complicated or dramatic. Normal doesn't mean boring -- it's often exactly what the characters and audience all need.
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6 My Dress-Up Darling is About Personal Authenticity and Expression
Love Means Showing One's True Self
Although My Dress-Up Darling can be rather raunchy at times when Marin Kitagawa flaunts her sexuality or undresses, sheer fan service isn't the real draw of this romantic anime. Marin is confident in her good looks, but more importantly, she's eager to express her love of cosplay as she pretends to be the fictional characters she admires the most. Marin is a balanced example of someone who loves themself but also wishes to be more like someone else, or a role model. Marin's life is a blend of who she is and who she wishes to be.
That lends itself well to Marin's ever-hotter romance with her quiet classmate, Wakana Gojo. Wakana is no cosplayer, but he does understand the value of expressing one's authentic self through hobbies. He was once harshly mocked for his feminine hobbies concerning hina dolls, but Marin is here to validate it all. They're the perfect pair to make great cosplay that'll get the attention of pro cosplayers and photographers all over the internet. In the process, Wakana and Marin will enrich each other with who they are and what they can do -- and what they can teach each other.
5 Dandadan Found Room For a Colorful Love Triangle in All the Action
Momo's Heart is More Delicate Than She Expected
Among other titles, Dandadan is an anime that juggles romance with other genres to make for a well-balanced and widely appealing story. Dandadan is primarily a wacky blend of science fiction, fantasy, and comedy as Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura fight the likes of Acrobatic Silky and the Serpo aliens, but that's not all on their minds. At first, Ken was a long way from embodying Momo's dream boyfriend aside from his name, but now Momo has seen a new side of him. Ken isn't a macho warrior like Momo saw in movies, but rather, a kind and supporting person with remarkable courage.
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It's rewarding to see a lively and hard-to-please girl like Momo slowly fall for Ken and expand her idea of what an ideal romantic partner is like. The fun doubled when Momo's male childhood friend Jiji showed up, with Ken barely realizing he was locked in a love triangle. This charming romantic tension reached its peak at the end of Dandadan's second season, when the alien girl kissed Ken, and Momo realized how much it hurt to see that. Momo might have even surprised herself with that sudden surge of jealousy and heartbreak.
4 Komi Can't Communicate Treats Social Anxiety With Proper Respect
Hitohito Tadano's Love is Supportive and Patient
Comedy and gentle romance go hand in hand with each passing episode of Komi Can't Communicate. The initial premise isn't even focused on love, interestingly enough, but it did throw open the doors to a new love story. Shoko Komi is a total dandere who can hardly speak, and she never had friends before -- but that's about to change. Her quest to make 100 friends in school will unite her with the empathetic Hitohito Tadano, Shoko's first friend and love interest.
Tadano may be content to play a supporting role in Shoko's mission, but he will soon be more than that. He's the ideal partner for Shoko, and Shoko can't help but express her gratitude as true love. But of course, that romance must wait for a slow burn, since Shoko is still busy making other friends and is too timid to just throw herself in Tadano's arms. All the while, Komi Can't Communicate finds both humor and respect for those who have social anxiety and struggle to connect with others the way Shoko Komi does.
3 Love After World Domination is All About Romantic Secret Identities
It's the Power Rangers Romeo and Juliet
Love After World Domination is a fairly obscure but 100% worthwhile little romance anime. The overall premise is a goofy and amusing parody of Power Rangers and the like, with the colorfully costumed heroes battling the villainous Gekko organization. But that's just the backdrop for the real story, the "forbidden lovers" arc between Fudo Aikawa the hero and Desumi the villain. Desumi is a villain in name only, though, since she's a good-hearted teen girl who treats her allies as true friends. She's kind to her fellow villains, and even nicer to her sworn enemy, Fudo.
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That central romance thrives on secrecy, with Fudo and Desumi finding it that much sweeter to be together against the wishes of their respective groups. That also fuels the anime's delightful comedy as Fudo and Desumi pretend to fight as hero vs villain while actually being connected on such a personal level. Overall, it's one of the best takes on the secret identity concept of heroes and villains while also showing the strain of hero life vs civilian life.
2 Aharen-San is Indecipherable Focuses on the Love Languages
Games and Food Are the Key to Anyone's Heart
Romance is often expressed best with words, such as half-shouted love confessions or speeches about accepting someone else despite the hardships. Words can fuel or fix many romances, but in Aharen-San is Indecipherable, words are overrated. In their place are some charming love languages, or gestures and acts that speak volumes about romance. It's just as well, since Reina Aharen is too quiet to be heard, and Raido isn't the chatty type anyhow.
Aharen has been lonely due to her quiet voice, but when the love languages of food and games are used, Raido can hear Aharen loud and clear. That, along with some truly outrageous visual comedy, keeps this gentle anime moving while offering some memorable visuals. Only rarely do Raido or Aharen express their love with words, and it sounds all the sweeter when they do.
1 Horimiya is the Best Normal Romance Anime of All
Less is More Where Izumi and Kyoko Are Concerned
Horimiya is often upheld as an example of a healthy and normal romance, and it's easy to see why. In this high school anime, Izumi Miyamura is an easygoing, supportive fellow with a secret side covered in tattoos and piercings. Meanwhile, Kyoko Hori is hugely popular but is also a hard worker at home as a secondary mother figure. All that adds up to the main theme of Horimiya: that everyone has a hidden side waiting to be discovered.
It's the ideal formula for a steady, no-fuss romance that does not need drama to function. It's comforting to watch all these romances and friendships blossom, even if there are no hard-hitting plot twists to spice things up. That also makes Horimiya quite the comfort anime, even if it's not quite the same as an iyashikei title.