Summary
- Romance is a popular genre across many different stories, and anime is no exception.
- Nodame Cantabile, Bakuman, and The Tatami Galaxy are standout romance anime to consider watching.
- These anime offer captivating love stories, from music-making romance to dream-chasing couples.
There’s something about the nature of romance that draws people in. Due to this fact, many people want at least a little bit of romance in their story, regardless of the genre. This makes romance perhaps one of the most popular genres on the planet.
Anime is replete with great romantic stories, but it is not always easy to tell which is the best. For those who are new to anime, a list of the very best can be helpful in making a choice about what to watch. For others, it’s just great to see the show they love get some recognition.
10 Best Romance Anime About First Love
These great romance anime tell captivating tales of first love and the struggles of navigating interpersonal relationships.
10 Nodame Cantabile
Chiaki And Noda Find Love While Creating Amazing Music
Nodame Cantabile
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2007 - 2010
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- J.C.Staff
- Based On
- Manga
- Number of Episodes
- 46
Nodame Cantabile is one of those often overlooked shows that can be difficult to get through due to its dated visuals, but is a gem that should be experienced. Megumi Noda is a bit of a musical genius, but she is also a slob, a glutton, and altogether disorganized. Chiaki is the opposite. The two meet, and the rest of the show is about how they fall for each other.
Nodame Cantabile does something that not many other shows do. It follows the characters beyond their initial place of meeting, and the audience gets to see their relationship mature through different times. The music in the show is also amazing, especially for classical music enthusiasts.
9 Bakuman
Mashiro And Azuki Overcome Great Odds To Be Together
Bakuman
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 2, 2010
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- J.C.Staff
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Tsugumi Ohba
- Number of Episodes
- 75
Bakuman is one of the most aspirational anime out there. Mashiro and Azuki somehow found themselves making a deal to get married the moment they could make their dreams come true: Mashiro having a manga turned into an anime, and Azuki starring as a voice actress in that anime.
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From then on, audiences have no choice but to root for this sweet, innocent romance as Mashiro and Azuki work themselves to the bone to make this dream come true. Through the journey, Mashiro and his friend, Takagi, go through so much, and it is very satisfying to see how the story ends as every thread is sown up.
8 The Tatami Galaxy
Sometimes, The Most Profound Stories Are Simple Ones
The Tatami Galaxy
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2010 - 2010
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Japanese Title
- Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei
- Based On
- Novel
- Creator
- Tomihiko Morimi
- Number of Episodes
- 11
The Tatami Galaxy is based on a novel by Tomihiko Morimi, and the brilliant anime was headed by the famed Masaki Yuasa. It is a simple story of a man who wants to live the perfect college life and get with the girl he likes, but somehow always has one difficulty or another.
Funny, witty, and with great characters, The Tatami Galaxy is a great story and, with 11 episodes, is relatively short and can be easily consumed. There was a sequel to the novel which was also adapted into an anime, with both stories being contained and finishing off their narratives.
7 I Want To Eat Your Pancreas
A Beautiful Movie With A Heart-Rending End
I Want To Eat Your Pancreas
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- September 1, 2018
- Runtime
- 108 Minutes
- Director
- Shinichiro Ushijima
- Studio
- Studio VOLN
- Based On
- Novel
I Want To Eat Your Pancreas has a narrative that seems pretty familiar: a beautiful female lead and a guy start getting closer, she has a short time to live. In that time, the romance between the main leads blossoms. This movie does it really well, but also throws in a nasty wrench in the works.
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Haruki is an interesting protagonist who seems not to care about anything and just wants to get by. This makes him a perfect mate for the bubbly Sakura, who is dying and wants to enjoy her remaining days. The romance is cute to watch, while the ending is incredibly surprising as it does convey an important message.
6 Your Lie In April
Arima Kousei Doesn’t Think He Has A Shot With Kaori, But He’s Wrong
Your Lie in April
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2014 - 2015
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Japanese Title
- Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Naoshi Arakawa
- Number of Episodes
- 22
Your Lie In April is an anime about misunderstandings. It has a lot of great music and the animation is top-notch, but at its heart, it focuses on the problems with not being able to see things as they actually are. Arima misunderstands Kaori’s true intentions. There are also misunderstandings about his trauma with his mother. This is not to dismiss it, but rather to state that there is nuance that helps the audience understand.
The main focus of the show, though, is the romance between Arima and Kaori. It was bittersweet, and by the end a lot of people must have walked away with a feeling of frustration at what could have been. A lot of romantic stories are about the payoff of the characters getting together, and when that doesn’t happen, there’s pain. Your Lie In April has a lot of pain, but it is beautiful every step of the way.
5 Howl’s Moving Castle
A Classic Romance Story
Howl's Moving Castle
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- September 9, 2004
WHERE TO WATCH
- Runtime
- 119 minutes
- Writers
- Hayao Miyazaki, Diana Wynne Jones
- Studio
- Studio Ghibli
- Budget
- 2.4 billion JPY
Howl’s Moving Castle is hardly Studio Ghibli’s greatest offering, but it is so well done that it will rise above a lot of stories even now. It tells the simple tale of Sophie, who is cursed by a witch, and how she came to adventure with a wizard named Howl.
The story is well-paced even if it feels a little rushed towards the end, but it still possesses a lively romance and a great cast of characters that are fun to watch. The animation is beautiful, as expected of a Ghibli movie, and since it is a movie, the story starts and ends with no loose ends to worry about.
4 Samurai X: Trust And Betrayal
A Moving Tale Of Love Amidst A Dreary Atmosphere
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- August 22, 2000
- Seasons
- 1
Samurai X: Trust And Betrayal is not the first title that comes to mind when thinking of romance, but the story clearly fits into the genre. It is a prequel to the story of Samurai X, which is set in the Meiji era. This prequel introduces Kenshin when he was still a killer, and is almost exclusively focused on his relationship with the mysterious Tomoe.
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The story sees Kenshin at his most brutal, but also at his most tender. The backdrop of a time of war, death, and uncertainty made for a distinct feeling of sadness and unease even as the relationship between Kenshin and Tomoe progressed. There was only one problem: Kenshin was also the killer of Tomoe’s betrothed.
3 Clannad
Tomoya’s Life Is Irreversibly Changed By Nagisa
Clannad
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2007 - 2009
- Seasons
- 2
- Studio
- Kyoto Animation
- Based On
- Video Game
- Creator
- Key (Video Game)
- Number of Episodes
- 47
Clannad is consistently considered one of the saddest animes out there. But, this sometimes overlooks the beautiful romance between the main leads, Tomoya and Nagisa. The two fall in love, and the show, along with the much-feted ‘After Story,’ really flesh out this relationship and the two are the stars of the show.
For many, the story that comes after their time in high school is when the show gets into its element. The heavy themes experienced through cutesy characters can make this a very difficult affair. The melodramatic parts add to the show’s competence and draw in the viewer to empathize with these characters.
2 Fruits Basket
Tooru Honda Is One Of The Nicest Anime Characters Ever
Fruits Basket
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 6, 2019
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- TMS Entertainment
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Natsuki Takaya
- Number of Episodes
- 63
Fruits Basket is one of those shows where the remake was arguably better than the original. It is a classic tale about Tooru Honda and her adventures with the tortured Soma family, who are cursed with a rather sinister fate.
It is a story that shows the power of kindness and how it can change people and even be powerful enough to set people free from their darkness. That said, it also has a great romance and features one of the better love triangles in anime with Tooru, Kyo, and Yuki.
1 Kaguya-sama: Love is War
A Brilliant Romantic Comedy With A Satisfying Conclusion
Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2019 - 2023-00-00
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Japanese Title
- Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Aka Akasaka
- Number of Episodes
- 37
Kaguya-sama: Love is War is the definition of a romantic comedy. Every episode is laugh-out-loud funny, while also handling the romantic tension well. Miyuki and Kaguya are both trying to get the other to confess their love, but go about it in the most roundabout and hilarious ways.
The show has three seasons, all of which are brilliant and the ending is as conclusive as can be, and it is a satisfying conclusion. On top of that, the side characters are brilliant, from Chika to Maki. The story ensures that the supporting cast get attention without taking the story from the main duo. The comedy, as mentioned earlier, is top-notch, and there are very few people that have a bad word to say about Kaguya-sama.
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