Top 10 Romance Anime Series

Let’s start our list off with a more comedic relationship. In this typical girl meets guy series, fans follow a tall high school girl Risa Koizumi and short high school boy Atsushi Otani. Upon meeting, they quickly become friends despite their height differences and eventually develop feelings over the course of the series. “Lovely Complex” is a standout series as it leans more on comedy and being light-hearted than other darker dramas. Need a cute rom com to fill the space between romantic dramas? Pop in some “Love Com”.

Love is not only limited to humans. “Chobits” tells the story of idiotic dropout Hideki Motosuwa, who finds an abandoned humanoid perso-com named Chi, a personal computer in the “Chobits” world, and tries to discover her origin. The catch? Chi is one of the few perso-coms that have human emotions. Do you need comedy? Drama? How about a little ecchi (eh-chi) romance? “Chobits” has it all. Learn to fall in love all over again, regardless of species.

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#8: “School Rumble” (2004-06)

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Top 10 High School Romance Anime

Why does everyone in anime fall in love in high school? In this high school romantic comedy, we follow the relationship between tough guy Kenji Harima and the shy students Tenma Tsukamoto and Oji Karasuma. Love triangles can cause plenty of drama and friction in any relationship, let alone in the fragile high school life. While “School Rumble” tends to push comedy over realistic romantic situations, the romance is still there and this is one slice of life that is a must see

Its time to step away from comedy and crank up the drama. A period series se in 19th century London, we explore the troubles and saddening love story between lower class maid Emma and wealthy middle class merchant William Jones. Unlike our other entries, “Emma” takes pride in not focusing on comedy or fantasy, providing audiences an authentic historical romantic experience. The series tackles problems pertaining to that period, such as class relations and separation. We can’t forget to mention to beautiful London backdrop, as London is brought alive in full detail.

Our next entry is a fairly unique entry on our list. In yet another high school romantic comedy, we follow Haruhi as she joins the Ouran High School Host Club, a popular attraction catering to females for casual conversations, mainly focusing on relationships within the host club. The only reverse harem entry on our list, in which multiple males swoon over a single female, the series often satirizes more common and traditional tropes found in the rom com and shojo genres. See, guys can be hilariously romantic too.

It seems that anime romance just can’t escape high school. In this hopeless romantic comedy, Ryuji a supposed delinquent with a gentle heart literally bumps into his future love, the small bundle of violence Taiga. While initially hostile, they eventually fall in love and learn to tolerate each other. Fortunately unlike other entries on our list, “Toradora!” realizes that what matters in romance are the characters, so we can quickly pass by the thin plot and setting. Predictable? Maybe. But all “Toradora!” needed to win us over were these fantastic characters.

Just because someone looks weird and out of place, it doesn’t mean they can talk to ghosts and send curses. In this slice of life series, Sawako Kuronuma is a social outcast and is shunned by most of her fellow classmates, until popular boy Kazehaya introduces her to a whole new world. This allows fans to see the blossoming romance of two teenagers from different perspectives, giving both characters depth that is desperately required for romance to work. “Kimi ni Todoke” shows that you don’t have change to reach your goals.

With the all-male school Seika High finally opening its doors to females, one tough-as-nails female student named Misaki Ayuzawa vows to make changes. Unfortunately she hides the fact that she works at a cosplay resturant to support her family. Until the popular kid, a boy named Takumi uncovers her secret. Instead of exposing her, Usui hides it and the two begin to fall in love. The series is a bit of a guilty pleasure; but it is the epitome of anime romantic comedy. Ultimately sexist towards both genders, “Maid-sama” is shallow enough to be insanely entertaining. No offense taken.

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#2: “Fruits Basket” (2001)

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Pull out the red carpet for this classic of the shojo genre. Our pentultimate contender, Fruits Basket follows the relationship between orphan girl Tohru Honda and the Sohma family, a family suffering from a curse based around the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. If you are looking for romance with a flair for the dramatic, look elsewhere. What you will find in the “Basket” is nothing but the cute and innocent, making this entry the perfect series for a stay at home date. The creators behind “Fruits Basket” made their way into the hearts of anime fans everywhere by making the supernatural so damn adorable.

Before we fall in love with our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.

“Say I Love You” (2012)
“Honey and Clover” (2005-06)
“Nodame Cantabile” (2007-10)
“Maison Ikkoku” (1986-88)
“My Bride is a Mermaid” (2007)
“True Tears” (2008)

Get out your tissue boxes, as taking our top crown is perhaps the most romantic and saddest animeseries ever. Following the broken and problematic relationship between troubled teen Tomoya and fellow student Nagisa, we see the hardships that come with high school relationships. Despite their varying personalities, Tomoya and Nagisa show that even high school love can be real. If you haven’t cried enough, take a gander of the companion series “Clannad: After Story”, which follows their relationship after high school. Tears will be shed.

Do you agree with our list? What is your favourite romance anime? For more engaging top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.