Top 20 Greatest Anime Romance Movies
Script written by Anna Dang
#20: “I’ve Always Liked You” (2016)
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It takes serious guts to confess your feelings: just ask high school student Natsuki Enomoto. After years of pining for her childhood friend Yu, she finally tells him how she feels… only to chicken out and claim that she was just “practicing” for her “real” crush. Little does she know, she’s also caught the eye of their fellow classmate, Koyuki Ayase. Throughout the film, Natsuki finds comfort in the support of her girlfriends, who are each dealing with their own share of boy troubles. While it may not have the deepest storyline, this movie stands out thanks to its stunning visuals and fresh, upbeat soundtrack. This light-hearted teen romance is a must-watch for all fans of the shoujo genre.
#19: “From Up on Poppy Hill” (2011)
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Miyazaki might be best known for his fantasy movies, but he’s just as capable of crafting enchanting stories set in the real world: “From Up on Poppy Hill” centers around the romance that blossoms between two teenagers in postwar Japan. As their city prepares to host the 1964 Olympics, Umi and Shun learn that their school’s clubhouse might get demolished. In an effort to save the building, they decide to renovate it together. In the process, the two unearth old family secrets and discover that they might have more in common than either of them had imagined. The love story is carefully interwoven with overarching themes of war and loss, which give it a touchingly realistic sense of melancholy but also hope for the future.
#18: “Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Dreaming Girl” (2019)
Picking up right where the gem of an anime left off, this flick continues the adventures of Sakuta and his girlfriend, Mai. The two seem to have a perfect relationship, but their lives take a turn for the weirder when Sakuta’s first love, Shoko, mysteriously resurfaces. To make things even stranger, there appear to be two versions of her: one is an adult woman, the other is a middle-school student in need of a heart transplant. As Sakuta and Mai scramble to unravel the mystery of the two Shokos, their devotion to each other is put to the test. With plot twists involving time travel and quantum physics, this supernatural romance drama tells a beautiful story about the lengths to which one can go for love.
#17: “Tamako Love Story” (2014)
If you’re craving a good old-fashioned slice of life romance, then look no further! Following the events of “Tamako Market,” this movie gives us a peek at the lives of Tamako Kitashirakawa and her friends as they prepare to graduate from high school. The happy-go-lucky protagonist isn’t too worried about the future - or anything else, for that matter - until her childhood friend Mochizo reveals that he’s been in love with her for years. The confession leaves Tamako reeling, but she has little time to figure out her own feelings and respond to Mochizo before he leaves for university in Tokyo. With plenty of adorkable characters and typical coming-of-age awkwardness, this movie is sure to make you feel all the fuzzies!
#16: “Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me” (2018)
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Relationships aren’t always smooth sailing - especially when your girlfriend is convinced that she has magical powers. Despite being in her third year of high school, Rikka Takanashi still suffers from “chuunibyou syndrome,” a condition that makes young people believe they have supernatural abilities. Thankfully, her boyfriend Yuta loves her just the way she is; however, their relationship is threatened when Rikka’s older sister wants her to move overseas. Determined to stay together, the lovers decide to elope and embark on a roadtrip across Japan. During their travels, they learn to face Rikka’s lingering superstitions and grow even stronger as a couple. There’s no doubt that longtime fans of the “Chuunibyou” series will be more than satisfied by this heartwarming conclusion.
#15: “Laputa: Castle In The Sky” (1986)
When young orphan Pazu rescues a girl who falls - or rather floats down - from the sky, his life changes forever. Turns out that the mysterious Sheeta is being chased by pirates and evil government agents who want her crystal amulet: the magical jewel that’s linked to the flying island of Laputa, a legendary castle full of treasures and technological marvels. The two children set out on a perilous voyage to find Laputa and uncover its secrets; and in the process develop a deep bond of trust and devotion to one another. While their romance isn’t necessarily as prominent as the elements of fantasy and adventure, it’s still incredibly wholesome to watch. After all, is there anything purer than kids in love?
#14: “The Anthem Of The Heart” (2015)
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From the creators of “Anohana” and “Toradora!” comes this bittersweet tale about teenage love and the healing power of music. Jun Naruse was once a talkative little girl; but after a traumatic event in her childhood, she finds herself unable to speak. In high school, her impromptu meeting with a talented young singer named Takumi Sakagami leads her to make a startling discovery: though she can’t talk, she can use her voice to sing. As Jun decides to prepare a musical for the school festival, she slowly starts to regain her lost confidence and develops close bonds with her classmates. Meanwhile, her courage inspires her friends to step forward and confess feelings that they’d been keeping secret for years.
#13: “The Wind Rises” (2013)
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Only Miyazaki could create such a dreamy and romantic atmosphere in a biopic about the inventor of a deadly Japanese military plane. Though the film has often been criticized for its overly idealistic tone, no one can complain about the hauntingly beautiful love story between aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi and his wife, Naoko. After meeting briefly during an earthquake, Jiro and Naoko lose track of each other for several years, until they are miraculously reunited at a summer resort. The two are quickly swept up in a whirlwind romance, but Naoko’s worsening health - and the looming shadow of World War II - make their happiness feel as light and fleeting as the gentle wind that blows throughout the movie.
#12: “Weathering With You” (2019)
Set in a bleak future where Japan is plagued by a constant downpour of rain, Makoto Shinkai’s most recent cinematic venture follows sixteen-year old Hodaka after he escapes from his rural town to Tokyo. As he struggles to stay afloat financially, he meets an orphan named Hina who has the power to change the weather. Using this uncanny ability, the two teenagers decide to start a business giving sunshine to people for special events. But it’s not all sunny skies, as Hodaka soon finds out that there’s a heavy price to pay for Hina’s gift. True to himself, Shinkai uses fantasy elements and breathtaking animation to give us a love story that’s just as inspiring as it is aesthetically spectacular.
#11: “I Want To Eat Your Pancreas” (2018)
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With a title like this, you might expect this movie to be a zombie horror flick. But make no mistake: this is a sweet, and at times devastatingly touching love story between two high school students. At first, they seem to be polar opposites with nothing in common: he’s a stoic loner who prefers books to people, and she’s a cheerful social butterfly. But their fates collide after he finds out that she suffers from a pancreatic illness and only has a few months to live. She makes him promise to keep her secret, and the two set out to check things off her bucket list. Fair warning: you might want to stock up on tissues for this one!
#10: “The Garden of Words” (2013)
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Romances with significant age gaps can be controversial, but this tale of what could have been handles it's tricky subject matter with great poignancy. Crafted by Makoto Shinkai, it centers on the chance meeting of a 15-year-old male student and a 27-year-old female teacher. Both shirk their usual responsibilities of school and work to regularly meet in the same garden, finding comfort in their shared feeling of non-conformity even when they’re separated by almost a decade in age. Despite the film’s title, dialogue is used sparingly, allowing writer/director Makoto Shinkai’s impossibly detailed visuals to do most of the talking, while the character’s subtle expressions and movements speak louder than words ever could.
#9: “The Last: Naruto the Movie”
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We know, we know… a romantic “Naruto” movie?! But, “believe it!” - this is about as lovey-dovey as the shonen genre gets. Picking up two years after the Fourth Great Ninja War, the story sees our spiky-haired hero assist his new belle, Hinata, to rescue her little sister who is mistakenly kidnapped instead of her. For old fans, the film is a sweet and satisfying pay-off to finally see Naruto return Hinata’s long-held feelings for him. Risking it all for love despite the loss of your most powerful ability is as grand a romantic gesture as it gets. Jeez, that ship took a long time to sail, didn’t it?
#8: “Hotarubi no Mori e” (2011)
Romance and the supernatural often go hand-in-hand. In this instance, this film focuses on the relationship between a human girl, Hotaru, and Gin; a magical silvered-haired boy adopted by the forest spirits. The pair meet when Hotaru becomes hopelessly lost in the woods that Gin inhabits. After he comes to her aid, they form a bond that he warns her can never be physical, as he will vanish if a human ever touches him. Their relationship remains strong despite this, though as Hotaru gets older, they both realize their romantic feelings for each other, and the distance between them becomes harder and harder to bear.
#7: “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (2006)
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Who else but “Summer Wars” director Mamoru Hosoda could effortlessly blend sci-fi, coming-of-age drama and the clumsiness of first love all into one timey-wimey package? The titular “Girl” is high-school student Mokoto, who mysteriously gains the ability leap through time… quite literally: While some would use this ability for good or evil, Mokoto simply uses it to fix every little problem in her life, including an unwanted confession of love from one of her best friends: Chiaki. She soon discovers that her time leaps are actually limited, and - more shockingly - that Chiaki knows more than he’s been letting on. The question then becomes: will she acknowledge her own feelings for him before it’s too late?
#6: “5 Centimeters Per Second” (2007)
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Ambitious, bittersweet, and all held together by that Makoto Shinkai magic, this is a story told in three parts: “Cherry Blossom,” “Cosmonaut,” and “5 Centimeters per Second.” Starting in the ‘90s and moving through to the then-present day, our main protagonist is Takaki, a boy who moves around a lot because of his parents’ work lives. When he befriends a girl named Akari, they become pen pals after life pulls them in different directions, though their long-distance relationship becomes strained as they grow older. But even as they fall into relationships with other people, neither can completely forget the special bond they developed as teenagers. No wonder Shinkai was lauded the title of “the next Miyazaki.”
#5: “Whisper Of The Heart” (1995)
Speaking of which. The Studio Ghibli legend’s films are always infused with romance, and “Whisper Of The Heart” is by far one of the most underrated. At the start, we’re introduced to 14-year-old book worm, Shizuku, who is irritated to learn that all of her favorite library books were checked out by the same person - a boy named Seiji. She finds him just as aggravating when she meets him, but this eventually gives way to feelings of affection. Seiji’s ambition of becoming a violin-maker makes Shizuku realize she has no ambitions of her own, inspiring her down the literary path of writing books of her own.
#4: “Doukyusei” (2016)
A classic “opposites attract” love story, only this time with a lot more LGBTQ+-ness. Sajou is a straight-laced honor student while Kusakabe is an outgoing musician - and popular with the ladies. However, to Sajou’s surprise, he only has eyes for him! Together, they navigate societal stigma and their own growing pains. Boys Love stories can feature problematic themes, but “Doukyusei” is a shining example of what the genre can do positively: offering a subtle and grounded depiction of awkward, angsty, and passionate teen love that is both universal and distinctly queer at the same time.
#3: “The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl” (2017)
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Masaaki Yuasa, of “The Tatami Galaxy” fame, applies his unique animation style to this unconventional rom-com. Contrary to the title, the story unfolds over one, long and boozy night, following a female university student known only as “Otome” as she parties her way through the streets of Kyoto, which are peppered by a cast of peculiar and not-quite-human characters. Along the way, she keeps running into her “senpai,” meetings which aren’t exactly by chance, as he longs to admit his feelings for her. The problem is, he just can’t pin her down to tell her. It’s a colorful, psychedelic journey that has been described as “Lewis Carroll” meets “Ulysses.” Perfect for those with alternative tastes.
#2: “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004)
He’s a beautiful and selfish wizard, and she’s a kind-hearted shop girl with an old soul. After a chance encounter brings Howl and Sophie together, they find their fates bound together after Sophie is cursed with an ageing spell by a jealous ex-lover of Howl’s. She finds herself playing housekeeper in the rebellious mage’s mobile home, where she learns that underneath his vanity and pride, he’s a scared and lonely boy. In turn, he begins to fall in love with her inner beauty, even as he becomes more and more monstrous on the outside. “Howl’s Moving Castle” is a perfect modern fairy tale, and has become one of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved pieces.
#1: “Your Name” (2016)
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Makoto Shinkai cemented his status in the cinematic anime landscape with this masterpiece, one that rocked the mainstream to its core. Two complete strangers - a girl living in a rural town - and a boy living in the city - become connected when they keep waking up in each other’s bodies. Once they get over the initial shock, they communicate with one another through notes and try to fix each other’s problems. Eventually, they decide to try and meet properly, but forces out of their control may make that an impossibility. It’s a love story truly unlike any other, as we watch and hope that the red string of fate will eventually bring these two together.
