Summary
- Romance donghua breathe life into web novels with genuine romantic relationships & sweet moments.
- Some beloved donghua lean heavily into romance, whether subtle or core.
- Traditional/historical romance donghua incorporate arranged marriage tropes for delightful storytelling.
Romance donghua breathes new life into web novels and manhua by bringing blush-worthy moments into motion. While they may not dominate the genre scene, they’re far from being short on compelling stories. Surprisingly, some of the most internationally beloved donghua lean heavily into romance — whether it’s a subtle, slow-burn subplot or proudly showcased at its core.
How to Steal 55 Kisses, I Am Joybo, and Fox Spirit Matchmaker are just some classics that fans recommend for their sweet moments. The cast is primarily composed of adults or mature characters, with female characters just as assertive as their male counterparts. Romantic relationships in these shows feel genuine, with couples giving each other real reasons to fall in love. Most romance donghua titles are adapted from well-known manhua and web novels — some even receiving live-action adaptations before their donghua debut.
13 Memory Of Chang'an
Arranged Marriage Trope Set In Imperial China
- Secondary Genres: Historical, Political
- Release Date: Oct 28, 2020
- Other Names: Shi Yi Chang An: Mingyue Jishi You
It's imperative that a romance story set in a historical/ traditional setting should have an arranged marriage trope. The idea of being with someone for a greater good, only to end up falling in love with them, is exceptionally delightful — only if done right. Memory of Chang'an is one of the most famous traditional/historical romance donghua set in imperial China that follows this trope.
Princess Ming Yue is driven to marry the ninth prince of the Tang dynasty for political reasons. She's a very dutiful person and takes her role as the princess of the kingdom very seriously. That's precisely why she's bent on making her relationship with the aloof prince work. Unfortunately, the prince is the least of her problems when she finds herself in the middle of an assassination attempt. This leads her to believe there are malicious political forces at play.
12 The Demon King Who Lost His Job
Slow-Burn Romance Between A Demon And A Hero
- Secondary Genres: Action, Fantasy, Romance
- Release Date: August, 2019
- Other Names: The Laid Off Demon King, Shiye Mowang
Being a demon king and destined hero were steady gigs for Merlin and Alice until bureaucracy and the church forced them out. One impromptu kidnapping later, Alice unwillingly serves Merlin as he looks for a way to cure his birth curse, and Alice looks for a way to regain her status.
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The Demon King Who Lost His Job is a ludicrously long-running web novel and manhua. Merlin and Alice do not develop true romantic tension until some way into its more than 1,900 web novel chapters and nearly 400 chapter-manhua. With donghua usually averaging 17 minutes each episode, this could be quite the slow-burn romance in slapstick format.
11 No Doubt In Us
A Feuding Married Couple Trying To Be More Considerate Towards Each Other
- Secondary Genres: Comedy, Historical
- Release Date: Apr 30, 2021
- Other Names: Liang Bu Yi
A typical romance timeline usually follows a predictable path: meeting, falling in love, and eventually tying the knot. But No Doubt In Us flips that on its head. It’s one of the rare romantic animated series that dives into the messy dynamics of an already married (and bickering) couple.
So, how does one get two people who’ve just had a massive fight to make up? Simple, swap their bodies. That’s exactly what happens to Li Jie and Eu-funh, the emperor and empress of the Chinese imperial court. Both believe the other is dismissive of their struggles — until they’re forced to literally walk a mile in each other’s shoes. Only then do they begin to understand just how challenging their partner’s life really is.
10 Cinderella Chef
Romance Between An Isekai-ed Chef And A Spy-Turned-Bandit
- Secondary Genres: Meng Qi Shi Shen
- Release Date: Dec 29, 2018
- Other Names: Meng Qi Shi Shen
Isekai, slice-of-life, and romance, combined can give some of the best fusion shows ever. Sprinkle in a little cooking trope in there and the donghua world has an absolute gem of a series.
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Cinderella Chef is exactly what it's advertised to be. It's a donghua that revolves around a celebrity chef who's not only good at what she does but is also extremely passionate about it. Sadly, one of her cooking experiments goes wrong, and she's forced back in time by some unknown divine force. Over in the new 'old' world, she starts her life as the daughter of an influential magistrate but quickly realizes how much her true calling is still cooking. She's also unexpectedly kidnapped by bandits who demand ransom. But Ye Jiayao isn't a person who's easily intimidated.
9 The Girl Downstairs
Love Polygon With Multiple Romantic Interests
- Secondary Genres: Drama
- Release Date: Apr 20, 2023
- Other Names: Aishang Ta de Liyou
Juntang Yuan is in love with Zhu Zhu and enrolls in the same university to get close to her. Although he does reconnect with Zhu Zhu, it’s not before he saves ex-idol Li Shiya, who begins to flirt with him non-stop. Not long after that, Ira Choi nearly gives him his first kiss at a mixer and falls in love with him despite having a boyfriend.
Episode 5 onwards, Juntang is stuck in a love triangle that has surprising emotional maturity. The leads act like their age and make emotional, complicated, and sometimes impulsive, choices. Bilibili’s adaptation also takes a turn from the manhwa, as a different girl ends up with Juntang in the end.
8 Spicy Girl
Hotheaded B-List Actress Butts Heads With A Conniving A-List Actor
- Secondary Genres: Comedy
- Release Date: Apr 7, 2020
- Other Names: Ma La Nu Pei
Spicy Girl is a romantic comedy packed to the brim with classic enemies-to-lovers tropes that fans of anime and animated shows will instantly recognize. At its core, it follows a fiery, misunderstood female lead and a seemingly cold male counterpart who’s secretly head over heels for her, despite his mean demeanor.
Su Xiao is a struggling actress whose occasionally rude bouts and "evil villain looks" persona have typecast her into playing villainous supporting roles. Despite her incredible talent and limitless knack for hard work, her career is somewhat stagnant because of constantly taking on 'bad' roles. Things become worse for her when she crosses paths with a cold, calculating A-list actor — blessed with both stunning looks and a hefty bank account — bent on making her life a living hell.
7 Oh! My Goddess!
Supernatural Romance Between Childhood Friends
- Secondary Genres: Supernatural
- Release Date: Apr 24, 2023
- Other Names: Nushen You Dian Ling
Human civilization was digitalized without their knowledge after an asteroid nearly wiped it out in 2050. A glitch in their servers allows Hu Xiaozhen to see the spirits of the dead and even system administrators. Zhu Ming, one such administrator, cuts a deal with him when his childhood friend Yao Ling goes into a coma after an accident.
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But instead of claiming him, Zhu Ming gets a punch from a now-astral projecting Yao Ling. Intrigued, Zhu Ming allows Hu Xiaozhen to remain alive in exchange for Yao Ling helping spirits find peace. If Yao Ling wants a happy ending, she must deal with errant spirits, shady characters, and Hu Xiaozhen forgetting her and everything about his abilities.
6 Don't Give Up!
Sci-Fi Comedy Romance With A Hilariously Odd Dynamic Between The Couple
- Secondary Genres: Comedy, Sci-Fi
- Release Date: Jul 5, 2024
- Other Names: Wuliao Jiu Wanjie
Men Ke thinks life is boring. She was born to an average family, to normal parents, and graduated from school to a dead-end job. Quitting doesn’t hold any appeal as she doesn’t even have hobbies, friends, or lovers to fall back on.
However, a superpowered fight outside her office window leads to an alien organism latching inside her brain. With no cure in sight, her only hope for preventing death and a hostile takeover is to avoid boredom. Out of guilt for causing the accident, superhero alien Ya Sen becomes her live-in caretaker and wage slave.
Boredom Causes Death is a romantic comedy series that never takes itself seriously. Man Ke and Ya Sen’s dynamic works because of their silliness and the resulting slow-burn romance. Moreover, Men Ke’s growth pulls the series and gags together.
5 Love Between Fairy And Devil
Romance Between A Fairy and A Demon
- Secondary Genres: Fantasy, Supernatural
- Release Date: Jul 15, 2022
- Other Names: Cang Lan Jue
Demon romance is not the most groundbreaking trope — especially in anime, manga, and similar genres. However, Love Between Fairy and Devil is a very unique demon romance donghua that features a love story between a terrifyingly powerful demon lord and a lowly fairy with nothing but immortality to her person.
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What truly sets this donghua apart is its focus on two fantasy creatures, avoiding the usual human-nonhuman dynamics. This not only makes the story highly unique but also raises the stakes. The female lead is an immortal fairy with barely any magical prowess to her name. By pure accident, she ends up summoning an ancient, godlike demon — a being sealed away in the void for wreaking havoc on the world thousands of years ago. Despite their massive power gap and wildly different natures, the two slowly begin to fall for each other.
4 I'm Ying Tai
Supernatural Fantasy Romance With An Unexpected Twist
- Secondary Genres: Fantasy
- Other Names: Zai Xia Ying Tai
I’m Ying Tai borrows elements from the Chinese legend “Butterfly Lovers”. In the legend, Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo become sworn brothers while Zhu is disguised as a male scholar. Liang eventually discovers her gender, and they fall in love, but tragedy befalls them, and they are reincarnated as a pair of butterflies.
The adaptation spins the tale into a wuxia donghua with Xianxia elements that center Zhu as a plucky cross-dressing hero. Tomboy Zhu faces supernatural creatures with her martial arts and butterfly powers while holding down her place as a scholar.