Today is キスの日 kisu no hi or Kiss Day in Japan, and that means we’re thinking about cute anime girls and boys, and girls and girls, and boys and boys, sharing some tender kisses. Here are twelve anime kisses that made fans’ hearts soar when they finally went down.
Obviously, Spoiler Warning! The following list shows the culmination of some of our favorite anime shows, and you should proceed with caution.
Tell us how you liked our picks in the comments below!
Steins;Gate
A fantastic anime based on a visual novel (which we published in English), Steins;Gate is a fantastic story about time travel, saving the future and otaku subculture. When Okabe and Kurisu finally share their kiss after going through so much, it’s glorious.
Space Battleship Yamato
The single biggest reason I’m in Japan today is Space Battleship Yamato, aka Star Blazers, a wonderful melodrama about humans traveling 186,000 light years to get a device to reverse the radiation that’s killing the earth. The Yamato 2199 and 2202 remakes are nearly perfect, and every fan should watch them.
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
The other big influence on me as a fan was Macross, aka Robotech, which preserved the virginity of so many of us back in high school in the 80s. The show brought three innovations: transforming robots, an unrealistic but fun story in which the galaxy could be saved by singing a song, and fictional idol singers who would release albums and win the hearts of fans as if they actually existed. Also the first love triangle for fans at the time, as Hikaru struggled to choose between the flamboyant singer Minmei or the plain but loyal Misa Hayase.
Sailor Moon
While I love me some yuri tonsil hockey, how can we deny the importance of Usagi and Mamoru’s relationship, which must have thrilled the hearts of all fans watching for the first time.
Chunibyo demo Koi ga Shitai
One of the best series by Kyoto Animation, Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions tells the story of a bunch of young people with “8th graders’ disease,” as they strive to finally let go of their childish fantasies and start to become adults. The way the love between Rikka and Yuta grows is charming to watch…but do yourself a favor and skip season 2, which undoes the nearly perfect story of season 1.
Citrus
A fun yuri series that dared to have some edge to it, it’s the story of two girls who become sisters when their parents marry. So what do they do? Start kissing and doing other sexy stuff. It’s not Shakespeare — if you’re looking for more serious explorations of lesbian romance try Bloom Into You or Aoi Hana — but it’s a lot of fun.
Gurren Lagann
One of the best-structured anime series I’ve ever seen — it’s an anime about drills, and the story is one giant drill, literally piercing the heavens — Gurren Lagann is the last great contribution to our lives by Gainax before their staff left to form Khara and Trigger. You’ll love that happy ending!
https://twitter.com/JListPeter/status/1131110766407323648
AnoNatsu: Waiting in the Summer
A not-quite-official “sequel” to Please Teacher and Please Twins, AnoNatsu was one of the best-executed 1-cour series to come along in years. A real gem to watch, especially if you’re a fan of the original shows. This is the franchise that invented “anime holy lands,” and you can visit all the locations used in the shows on your next visit to Japan.
No Game No Life
In a post-Game of Thrones world, hopefully no one will freak out about a pure kiss by a brother and sister. No Game No Life was another one of those really special series we hope all fans will watch.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
A show like no other that came before it, Evangelion was a mecha series that went way beyond giant robots. If you follow director Hideki Anno’s works, you know he loves to put Psych 101 themes into his shows, and Eva was filled with them. My favorite kiss from this series is Misato’s final kiss in End of Evangelion.
Bakemonogatari/Monogatari Series
One of the strangest and most wonderful series of the past decade, and I say decade but we’ve been getting these series and movies pretty much non-stop because it’s such a cash machine for Shaft. It’s pretty much “seiyu porn” because all the voice actors are so good.
Toradora!
One of the best two shows of the decade of the 2000s (the other being Haruhi), Toradora tells a totally realistic story about people falling in love. They even go so far as to elope…but since stuff like that doesn’t work in the real world, things fall apart right away. The kiss at the end made so many fans’ hearts flutter, it remains one of the greatest.
Bonus Kiss: Naruto
Truly the tenderest moment in modern anime. We shall treasure it forever.
Well, that’s our list of the best 12 anime kisses, to celebrate Kiss Day in Japan. Did we miss any important ones? Do you hate some of our picks? Tell us below, or on Twitter!
