Yes, You Should Add These Romance Anime Shows and Movies to Your Watchlist
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If your only introduction to Japanese animation—aka anime—has been Avatar: The Last Airbender or Cowboy Bebop, you might think that the genre only includes science-fiction and fantasy stories of apocalyptic worlds, but you'd be so, so wrong. Just look at Cosmo's list of the best anime of 2024. Sure, there's sci-fi and fantasy, but there's also romance and drama. In fact, romance has always been key to anime, and these 12 best romance anime movies and TV shows prove it.
If you're thinking that maybe romantic anime won't work for you because you won't be attracted to two-dimensional (literally) characters, then let me stop you right here. First, this is a no-kink-shaming zone, and we as a society should let cartoons be hot! Second, the beauty of anime is that it uses the medium of animation to create worlds that defy reality, but still manage to convey very relatable, human emotions. Give it a chance, and soon you'll be tracking down all the romance anime you can get your hands on,
Your Name
Never did I ever think I would watch a body swap rom-com—until Your Name. The film follows two teenagers: Mitsuha, a restless high school student living in a rural town, and Taki, a boy from Tokyo. Their paths never cross, except when they occasionally switch bodies. But whatever mysterious power connecting them might also break them apart.
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Romantic Killer
Based on the Manga series of the same name, Romantic Killer follows Anzu, a teenager who would rather play video games and hang out with her cat than fall in love. Unfortunately for her, she's about to become a Love Cupid's next target. The Love Cupid, Riri, uses their magic to encourage romance, but with Anzu determined not to fall for Riri's magical tricks, it won't be so easy.
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Doukyusei (Classmates)
Doukyusei is a rare anime film that played in U.S. theaters, where it was well received by critics and fans of the original manga series. It uses beautiful, watercolor-style animation to depict a story of first love and coming of age for two teenagers at an all-boys school.
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Ouran High School Host Club
Another romance show anime based on a manga, Ouran High School Host Club, is a comedy about a group of arrogant boys at an elite private school who enjoy throwing parties for "clients" (aka female students). Their group dynamic changes when Haruhi, a scholarship student, breaks an expensive vase and is recruited by the group to pay off her debt by running errands for them. The only issue? They think she's a boy.
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Fruits Basket
When an orphan named Tohru gets taken in by the mysterious Sohma family, the last thing she expects is to be surrounded by a family cursed to turn into animals. And yet, such is life! She soon learns that each member of the Sohma family is cursed to turn into one of the animals of the Chinese zodiac when they're weak, injured, or hugged by someone of the opposite sex. You know, just normal high school stuff.
(Note: There have actually been two Fruits Basket anime series, one released in 2001 and one in 2019. We've linked to the newest version because it's most easily available to stream.)
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5 Centimeters per Second
5 Centimeters per Second is an epic romance that unfolds over the course of two decades in three parts. It begins with a young Akari and Takaki, childhood friends whose budding romance is thwarted when Takaki's family moves away. The film continues to track Takaki's romantic relationships into adulthood, but will anything measure up to Akari?
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Love and Lies
Set in a near future where the government assigns partners to teenagers once they turn 16, Love and Lies follows Yukari, a young teen who finally gets the courage to declare his love for Misaki, only to find out that the government has assigned him someone completely different.
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Vampire Knight
Vampire Knight is the anime series for you if you like your romances to include vampires, elite private schools, and a mortal girl tied to vampires since her youth but unsure about her true parentage and history. Think Vampire Diaries, but anime.
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From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke
Based on a popular manga of the same name, From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke is about a high school outcast who is bullied because of her resemblance to the girl from The Ring (yes, really). But when a popular boy decides to reach out, her social status changes in a major way.
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From Up on Poppy Hill
Even if you're not familiar with anime, odds are you'll recognize the signature style of Studio Ghibli in From Up on Poppy Hill. The 2011 drama is a coming of age story that takes place in 1963 Japan, about two teenagers who band together to save a school building and end up learning about love and their family histories in the process.
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How's Moving Castle
Full disclosure: calling the Hayao Miyazaki classic Howl's Moving Castle, a romance anime might be a bit of a stretch. Yes, there is a love subplot, but most of the film's plot is about magic, adventure, and war. Still, the undeniable romantic attraction between Howl, a mysterious wizard, and Sophie, a girl cursed to look like a 90-year-old woman (it's a long story) acted as the sexual awakening for countless millennials approaching puberty when it was released in 2004.
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I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
Contrary to popular belief, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is not a cannibal love story. Instead, it's about a teenager who befriends a classmate, Sakura, after he discovers that she's dying from a pancreatic disease. Full disclosure: you may cry, but, hey, isn't a tragic love story better than watching someone actually...eat a pancreas?
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