If you’re the kind of person who loves love, then there is an anime (or twelve) out there for you. Over the years, action-centric series like Dragon Ball and Naruto may have dominated the anime fandom, but those aren’t the only shows out there. No, there are plenty of rom-com titles available, and it can be hard to sift through the best of the best.
So, ComicBook is here to lend you a helpful hand.
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In the following slides, you can check out ten of the best rom-com anime available. Each series has its own shtick that will leave you in tears, but we make no promises of whether they’ll be happy ones or not. From Nisekoi to Ouran High School Host Club, there is an entire world of lovey-dovey anime to explore, and we’ve got your how-to guide when it comes to navigating all of its feels.
Is your favorite rom-com anime on our list? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun
It is hard to find fault with Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun. The anime tells the story of Chiyo Sakura, a timid high school student who harbors a huge crush on her classmate Umetarou Nozaki. After a long inner-struggle, Sakura gets the nerve to confess to her crush, but Nozaki hilariously mistakes her for a fan.
As it turns out, Nozaki is not your normal high school student. He is the creator of a very popular shojo manga, and Sakura uses her artistic skills to become Nozaki’s assistant. Along the way, Sakura tries to woo her crush as she grows closer to him, but Nozaki turns out to be way more thick-headed than she ever thought.
Maid Sama!
With a name like Maid-Sama, you may expect this anime to cater to certain – well – niche tastes. However, you’d be surprised. This rom-com is rather tame, but its maids are definitely not the submissive kind.
The anime tells the story of Misaki Ayuzawa, a no-nonsense high schooler who attends a former all-boys high school. As its first female student council president, Misaki is feared due to her strict persona, but her reputation falters when a classmates learns she works at a maid cafe to make end’s meat. Takumi Usui says he will keep Misaki’s secret if she does his bidding, but their master-servant relationship turns into something very unexpected as the show goes on.
Nisekoi
Nisekoi has everything a rom-com should. There is a tender childhood love, mistaken identities, thinly veiled sexual tension, and a lot of laughs. Oh, and there’s the Yakuza; You can’t forget that!
The anime follows its lead Raku Ichijou, an average high school student who happens to be the son of an influential Yakuza boss. When the boy was younger, he promised a young friend of his that they’d marry each other, but they parted after only one day together. Raku still wears the locket his first love left behind in hopes they’d be reunited. However, when a slew of girls enter his once-peaceful life, Raku must learn if one of them is the friend who stole his heart years ago.
Special A
Special A specializes in inferiority complexes but in the best way. When two high school students cannot stop competing with one another, they discover their hearts may want them both to cross their finish lines hand in hand.
The anime focuses on Hikari Hanazone, a spitfire high school student who loves pro-wrestling. The girl has been second-best to Kei Takishima her whole life after the boy beat her in a wrestling match years ago. The girl has made it her life’s mission to one-up Kei and goes so far as to enroll in an elite academy when he enrolls there for high school. However, Hikari comes to find her competitive spirit may not be fueled so much by hatred as it is love.
Ouran High School Host Club
There is a reason why every shojo fan knows about Ouran High School Host Club. The anime has become the prototypical example of all things rom-com, and its wacky stories are often as meta as they are heartwarming.
The show goes a little something like this: Haruhi Fujioka is awarded an academic scholarship to Ouran High School, a prestigious academy for obscenely wealthy students. The girl cares little for her peers or her own appearance, but her boyish looks get her in trouble when she runs into her school’s Host Club. In her rush to escape, Haruhi breaks a ridiculously priced vase which she must pay back by working for the group. So, when the boys learn their recruit is actually a female, their Host Club events get interesting rather quickly.
Lovely Complex
Lovely Complex is the perfect name for this anime as it perfectly describes the series. The show is lovely to look at and has enough grit to keep fans hooked on its complicated romance.
The series follows two high school students who seem to be opposite in every way. Risa Koizumi is a rap-loving student who stands out thanks to her abnormal height. On the other hand, Otani Atshushi is shorter than average, and he smarts over any knock to his stature. The two get along like oil and water, but the pair come to a truce when they try to help one another nab dates. However, the couple comes to find they really should be dating each other.
Toradora
Toradora has plenty to do with first impressions, but it also preaches the dangers of judging others by their looks. After all, its love interests couldn’t look more different, and their personalities do not align with what you’d expect.
The series introduces fans to Ryuuji Takasu, a kind-hearted high school student who loves easily but looks like a thug. He finds himself introduced to Taiga Aisaka, an adorably petite student with a feisty attitude. The pair try to help one another when they discover they are crushing on each others’ best friend, but the mismatched pair learn they may actually be better suited for one another.
My Little Monster
Not all rom-coms begin with a joke and a kiss. My Little Monster tries to buck that trend – well, sort of. It does start with a premature smooch, but fans should know this series is a bit of a slow burn.
The anime tells the story of Shizuku Mizutani, a student who is called by ‘Dry Ice’ by her peers. When the girl is asked to deliver class work to her often-absent classmate Haru Yoshida, the boy decides the pair should be friends. However, Shizuku learns Haru has little care for social etiquette, and she is taken back by his immediate confession towards her. But, as the unlikely pair get to know one another, Shizuku comes to realize her little monster as stolen her heart.
Kamisama Kiss
What could be better than a rom-com featuring a land god, a foxy familiar, and a whole lot of laughs? Well, nothing really. If you want to watch an anime that will make you heart grow three sizes, then Kamisama Kiss is just what you wished for.
The series follows a girl named Nanami Momozono after her gambling father leaves her homeless. Unable to pay rent on her own, Nanami meets a strange man after helping him, so he offers her a gift. The man gives her a place to stay at his shrine, and Nanami finds out his gift to her was his godhood. The girl is tasked with taking up the man’s Land God duties with the help of a handsome familiar named Tomoe, and it doesn’t take Nanami long to fall for her familiar.
My Love Story!!
The name of this anime alone should tell you its a keeper. For years, shojo lovers have sang the praises of My Love Story!! and it will be easy to see why once you give it a shot.
The series tells the story of Takeo Goda, a high schooler who is know for his lumbering stature. The poor guy doesn’t have much luck with girls as they tend to fall for his best friend Makoto Sunakawa, a boy with delicate features. Takeo takes his nonexistent love life in stride until a cute girl named Rinko Yamato enters his life and falls in love with his big heart. However, Takeo isn’t sure how to woo his crush as he’s unfamiliar with the dating scene.
