One cornerstone of modern anime is stories about characters finding love with each other. These days, romance anime have become extremely important to the industry, alongside shounen action, isekai and fantasy, and idol-genre shows. I asked J-List customers to list their top romance anime, and we got some really great replies!
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What Makes a Great Romance Anime?
I really love science fiction novels, and whenever I browse a list of the top 100 books in the genre, I find I’ve read 75% of the books. Being a huge fan of romance anime, I’ve probably watched most of the major shows in that genre, too. How many anime love stories have you watched?
There are several core categories of romance anime, including:
- High School/First Love. Many anime fans like to watch escapist stories about high-school-age kids finding love together. Tsuki ga Kirei, Kimi ni Todoke, and Horimiya are three examples. Sometimes stories explore a “gap” between two worlds, like a high schooler in a relationship with someone older. After The Rain and Loving Yamada at Lv999 both explore these themes.
- Workplace & Adult Romance. Since most of us aren’t in high school, it’s great when we can find a compelling story about working-age people who find happiness together. I Have a Crush At Work and Ganbare, Douki-chan! are two excellent series to check out.
- Supernatural or Fantasy. Why tell a simple story about a girl who travels back to feudal Japan via a time portal when you can add in a fantastic love story with a half-demon dog-boy? Inuyasha was a lot of fans’ first exposure to romantic themes in anime.
- Romantic Comedies. When we’re not laughing, we’re cheering for the characters to finally end up together.
- Tragic/Bittersweet Romance. These can be hard to watch, yet incredibly rewarding, too. Like Your Lie in April, about a girl who plays an April Fool’s joke on her crush. That’s what anime was about — don’t try to change my mind!
What Are Peter’s Top 5 Romance Anime?
The problem with asking me to list my top romance anime is, it could change five minutes from now. If you asked me again, I might remember that I really loved the chemistry between the characters in Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-kun, or the hilarious romantic set-ups in Tsuredure Children, or the slow burn romance in Blue Box.
As of right now, my own top ranking is:
The Dangers In My Heart
Toradora!
Chu2koi (season 1 only!)
My Dress Up Darling
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san
What Are the Top Romance Anime Series? Let’s Ask J-List Customers!
I asked J-List customers on X to list their top 5 romance anime, and these are the answers we got!
I’ll go with Horimiya, KareKano, ToniKawa and Suki na Ko ga Megane o Wasureta.
My top five romance anime picks are Horimiya, Ore Monogatari, Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku, Hatsukoi Limited, Taishou Otome Otogibanashi.
Mine would be: Chuunibyou, Clannad, Ef: A Tale of Memories, Say “I Love You,” and Golden Time.
Here’s my top romance anime pick! [Sakura Trick]
Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Teasing Master Takagi-san and Eden in the East for me!
My Dress Up Darling, Bunny Girl Senpai, Bloom Into You, Domestic Girlfriend, Toradora.
Kimi ni Todoke absolutely must be on that list.
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, Toradora. I could throw Black Lagoon and Monster Musume in there for their own reasons.
Mine are: Toradora, Inukami, Lovely Complex. I also consider Blue Gender a romance anime.
Toradora will always have a special place in my heart. I also love Amagami SS and watch it as my yearly Christmas calendar.
Tsuki ga kirei needs to be on any list of the best romance anime of all time. Plus Horimiya and maybe [Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku].
Thanks for reading this blog post exploring the best romance anime titles according to J-List’s awesome customers of culture. What are your top 5 picks? List them in the comments below!
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Happy New Year from your Friend in Japan, J-List! We hope 2026 is a year of happiness and peace for you. To get things off right, we’re having a huge site-wide New Year’s Sale through Jan. 6, giving you 15$ off all in-stock products. Start browsing now!
