The 23 Best Romantic Comedy Anime
- 110,689 VOTES
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- Horimiya
- CloverWorks
Hori is known as one of the most popular girls at school due to her beauty and brains, but that seemingly perfect persona disappears when she's at home. In reality, she's a homebody who spends her time doing housework and taking care of her little brother. On the other hand, Miyamura is known at school for being a gloomy otaku nerd when his true identity is far from it - he's got numerous tattoos and earrings and is surprisingly good-looking. When Hori and Miyamura run into each other outside of school, they both agree to keep each other's true selves a secret from their classmates, and eventually grow closer as they learn more about their hidden personalities.
Part of the reason why Horimiya is such a popular series is its refreshing approach to the high school romance genre. Rather than being bogged down by overdramatic tropes, the story is quite simple and light-hearted. The colorful characters and hilarious situations they find themselves in make for an enjoyable, wholesome ride.
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- 26,310 VOTES
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- Kaguya-sama: Love is War
- A-1 Pictures
As the president and vice president of their elite high school, Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane are two of the most highly respected students at their school. Naturally, many of their classmates see them as a perfect couple - and so do Kaguya and Miyuki, who each harbor a massive crush on the other. Both are completely unwilling to admit to their feelings, and they spend each episode trying to get the other to confess.
Each episode involves ridiculous attempts that range from trying to outwit each other at parlor games to refusing to admit they're carrying an umbrella in the hopes that the other person will offer theirs. It's one of the funniest anime of the winter 2019 season, but it's also hard not to root for Miyuki and Kaguya to get together.
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- 39,795 VOTES
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- Maid Sama!
- J.C. Staff
Misaki Ayuzawa is the student council president, and she takes her job seriously. That's because the loud and obnoxious boys at her school make life practically unbearable for the few girls, and she's dedicated to making sure that they get a fair shake at a decent education. But despite her insistence that everyone else follow the rules, Misaki is secretly breaking one of them by taking a job outside of school at a maid cafe.
When her sarcastic classmate Usui gets wind of her secret, he begins by just teasing her about it - but as the series progresses, the two start getting to know each other on a deeper level. This anime expertly combines humor with a unique relationship that progresses the way a real one might.
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- 45,903 VOTES
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
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- My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
- Brain's Base
Hachiman Hikigaya is a deeply pessimistic young man who firmly believes that all social relationships are doomed to failure and that the world is designed to make everyone as miserable as possible. When he writes an essay mocking the concept of friendship, his teacher assigns him to join the Volunteer Service Club, a club that forces him to actually help people - often with the social problems he so reviles. Through the club, he has to do everything from help his oblivious friend edit his terrible novel to try and stop a little girl from being bullied - and through it all, he's deepening his bonds with his fellow club mates, Yui and Yukino.
Hikigaya never actually gets into a relationship - he isn't ready for something like that. But his bonds with Yukino and Yui, as well as his obvious attraction to Totsuka, put this story firmly in the romance category. There are also plenty of moments that are devastatingly sad - like when Hikigaya's rock bottom self-esteem is revealed - but the funny moments overpower the pathos. It's one of the best anime to combine romance and comedy, and it's well worth a watch.
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- 55,370 VOTES
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- My Dress-Up Darling
- CloverWorks
The only thing that Wakana Gojo wants out of life is to become a master hina doll craftsman. Sadly, he can't share his passion with others, because according to his peers boys shouldn't be doing things like that.
His isolated life comes to an end when he meets Marin Kitagawa. Marin is gorgeous and popular, but she's also a huge nerd who thinks that Gojo's crafting skills are amazing. Not only that, but she wants him to use them to help her cosplay.
Gojo is reluctant at first, but he soon realizes that he loves helping her. What's more, the two of them are starting to fall for each other.
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- 66,008 VOTES
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- Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun
- Doga Kobo
Chiyo Sakura finally gets up the nerve to ask out her crush Umetarou Nozaki. He doesn't turn her down exactly - but he also completely misinterprets her, believing instead that she's a fan of his shojo manga and wants to be his art assistant. As more of their classmates get roped into being manga assistants, more and more silly interactions and misunderstandings pile up. Some characters are spoofs on shojo tropes - the "prince" character is an attractive girl, whereas the "tough-guy" character cries at sad movies and really wants everyone to think he's cool.
Despite the focus on parodying shojo tropes and making jokes, the romantic tension between Chiyo and Nozaki is one of the key elements of the show - even if Nozaki is probably never going to catch on to Chiyo's feelings.
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- 73,276 VOTES
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- Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
- A-1 Pictures
Grownup love is every bit as silly and ridiculous and love between high schoolers, and Wotakoi proves it. When Narumi Momose gets a new office job, she hopes to keep her otaku nature a secret from her coworkers. That plan flies right out the window when she finds out that she's working with Hirotaka Nifuji, her childhood friend and fellow nerd.
Nifuji knows about her interests but doesn't know that they're a secret, so he ends up exposing her to like-minded people by mistake. Narumi suddenly has friends who share her interests - and she and Nifuji begin dating. Just because half of their dates involve sitting at home playing video games doesn't mean it's not true love!
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- 85,968 VOTES
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- Fruits Basket
- TMS Entertainment
Fruits Basket can get kind of disturbing at times, but for the most part, it sticks to romantic-comedy territory. It follows Tohru Honda, a homeless teenage orphan girl who is taken in by the Sohma family. The Sohmas harbor a bizarre secret - they're cursed to transform into the animals that represent the Chinese zodiac. Because this happens when they're hugged by members of the opposite sex, this results in some ridiculous situations that are both funny and full of romantic intrigue.
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- 93,576 VOTES
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- Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
- CloverWorks
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai takes place in a world where teenagers suffer from a supernatural ailment called Adolescent Syndrome. The symptoms are metaphorical - but also very physical - representations of their emotional problems. After going through it himself, Sakuta Azusagawa has dedicated himself to helping other people overcome it. His first encounter is with Mai Sakurajima, a model who has suddenly become invisible to everyone except Sakuta. Not long after he helps her through her problems, the two start working together to help others - and they start dating, too.
This all sounds quite serious, and it is in some scenes. But the characters face their problems with a sarcastic sense of humor that turns what would otherwise be a pretty grim series into a hilarious romantic comedy.
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- 102,778 VOTES
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- Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You
- Seven Arcs
After dedicating every waking moment to studying for exams in the hopes of one day becoming something great, Nasa Yuzaki's life is suddenly thrown into aggressive perspective when he's hit by a truck. A mysterious girl saves his life. Though he should probably be focusing on getting to the hospital, he's so captivated by her beauty that he can't let her walk away. He asks her out, and she agrees - on one condition. He has to marry her right away.
Thus begins their life together as husband and wife. It's definitely not what Nasa expects, since this girl is no ordinary human being - but it's satisfying and lovely all the same.
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- 111,973 VOTES
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- Kimi ni Todoke
- Production I.G
If you love romance anime, you need to watch Kimi ni Todoke - it's one of the classics of the genre. Unlike some classics which focus more on drama, Kimi ni Todoke is a solid rom-com. It follows Sawako Kuronuma, a girl who is sweet as sugar on the inside, but whose social anxiety and spooky appearance make her seem a lot more terrifying than she actually is. Lonely and desperate to make friends, Sawako feels hopeless.
But when she starts getting close to Shota Kazehaya, the most popular boy in school, she realizes that she doesn't have to be alone after all. She starts making friends with other people in her class, and generally becoming a happier, healthier person. What she doesn't realize is that she's changed things for Kazehaya, too.
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- 127,071 VOTES
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- Toradora!
- J.C. Staff
Toradora! might not have invented the concept of tsundere, but it definitely perfected it. Taiga Aisaka has what one might call a spirited personality, and she absolutely refuses to acknowledge her positive feelings toward Ryuuji Takasu. The two start their relationship trying to help the other hook up with their respective crushes, but by the midpoint of the series, it's clear that they have it bad for each other.
Taiga's journey toward accepting and expressing her own feelings is both touching and hilarious, as is basically everything else about the show, from Taiga insisting that their friend Ami has six breasts to Ryuuji's hideously adorable pet bird.
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- 131,966 VOTES
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- Kamisama Kiss
- TMS Entertainment
After her deadbeat dad's bad decisions leave her homeless and alone, Nanami Momozono has no idea what to do. After she saves a man from a dog attack, he offers to let her stay with him. When his home turns out to be ramshackle shrine, she tries to decline his offer but ends up becoming the shrine's brand new diety.
Tomoe, one of the shrine's residents, has no desire to serve a human and tries to leave. But if they're going to work together, they have to figure out a way to get along. The two end up in a god-familiar relationship. As they try to complete their shrine duties, they stop struggling for power and start seeing each other in a decidedly more romantic light.
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- 144,725 VOTES
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- Ouran High School Host Club
- Bones
Ouran High School Host Club is probably the most well-known anime romantic-comedy out there. When Haruhi Fujioka breaks a vase by mistake, she ends up conscripted into the Host Club in order to pay off her debts. There, she must dress up as a boy and try to appeal to the tastes of their female clients.
Whether it's their overzealous, self-appointed manager Renge making ridiculous plans that don't work, Tamaki's obliviousness, or the twins' scheming, there's always something going on that will make you laugh - but the romantic tension between Haruhi and Tamaki is too real.
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- 151,790 VOTES
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- My Little Monster
- Brain's Base
As far as Shizuku Mizutani is concerned, nothing is more important than getting good grades. Things like romance are totally out of the question, especially not with troublemaking weirdos like Haru Yoshida. But the more time she spends with Haru, her priorities begin to change. Though she tries to keep seeing him as nothing more than an impediment to her studies, she starts caring about him in spite of herself. But it'll take some wacky adventures - some of which involve a pet chicken - to get her to that point.
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- 163,456 VOTES
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- Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions!
- Kyoto Animation
Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions! explores the idea of chunibyo, also known as eighth grader syndrome. Kids with chunibyo think that they have supernatural powers or are part of some grand conspiracy - or at the very least they have a lot of fun pretending that they do. Yuuta really wants to leave his chunibyo past behind him and have a normal social life, but when he meets Rikka, those dreams seem painfully out of reach. Rikka is deep into the chunibyo lifestyle, and she wants Yuuta to join her and any cost.
The show is funny because of how absurd Rikka's antics are, but it's also deeply emotionally affecting - especially as the two of them grow closer and romance blossoms between them. If you like watching awkward kids be awkward, you can't miss this show.
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- 171,096 VOTES
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- Loving Yamada at Lv999!
- Madhouse
If you love gaming and are looking for a cute romance, then Loving Yamada at Lv999! is a must watch. Akane Kinoshita has just been dumped by her boyfriend, who left her for a girl he met in the video game they used to play. She goes to an in-person event for the MMO game in an attempt to get him back, and instead runs into pro-gamer Akito Yamada - who happens to also be her guild mate in the game Forest of Savior.
Yamada is just as antisocial in-person as he is in-game, but he’s still willing to be there for her as she struggles to get over her ex. The two characters seemingly can't be any more different from each other, but they find qualities within one another that they can't help but love. Along with their adorable romance both in and out of the game, this anime introduces a wide range of fun characters and an MMO rpg element that sets it apart from other rom-com series.
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- 181,053 VOTES
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- Recover of an MMO Junkie
- Signal.MD
When Moriko Morioka quits her job to play MMO games full-time, she just wants a break from the real world. That's why she decides to play a male character instead of one that resembles her true self. But when she starts developing feelings for the person behind a female avatar, things get complicated - especially when the person behind that avatar turns out to be one of her former coworkers.
What follows is a fun, silly romantic comedy that deals with hard things like social isolation and loneliness, but which still has a powerful undercurrent of hope.
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- 191,347 VOTES
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- Teasing Master Takagi-san
- Shin-Ei Animation
Takagi and Nishikata are the best of friends - which means that Takagi knows exactly which buttons to push to get the most intense reactions out of Nishikata when she teases him. She's too quick for him to make a successful comeback, but he's determined to succeed anyway.
Most of the humor is derived from Takagi making fun of Nishikata, and Nishikata trying desperately to get a word in, but underneath all the bluster it's clear that these two actually really do care about each other - and it's their budding romance that makes the teasing cute instead of cruel.
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- 201,216 VOTES
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- My Love Story!!
- Madhouse
My Love Story!! is a cute and silly story about the relationship gentle giant named Takeo and a tiny, princess-like girl named Yamato. Because Takeo isn't what most people consider conventionally attractive, their relationship attracts some unwanted attention. But it doesn't matter to them because they're head-over-heels for one another.
Most of the comedy in My Love Story!! stems from the awkwardness of the two lovebirds. Each one thinks that the other is the greatest person to ever live, but aren't quite sure how to express that without getting overwhelmed or embarrased. If you love wholesome cuteness, this show is for you.
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- My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routs Lead to Doom!
- SILVER LINK.
A young woman is reincarnated into the world of her favorite otome game as Catarina Claes, the villain of the series. Terrified that she'll meet the same disastrous end that the villain does in the game, Catarina decides to do the opposite of what her villainous counterpart did and befriend everyone.
Her methods are silly ones that involve an unexpected amount of farming, but they work. In fact, they work so well that not only does she not meet her doom, she also has just about everyone she meets - male and female - falling in love with her.
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- 222,452 VOTES
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- Yuri!!! on ICE
- MAPPA
After a terrible ice skating performance, Yuri Katsuki is almost ready to quit his sport. His plans are changed when his skating idol and crush Victor Nikiforov sees a video of him skating and decides to become his personal trainer. From there, Yuri's skills not only dramatically improve, but he develops a romantic relationship with Victor that culminates in an engagement.
Yuri!!! on ICE is better known for its romance than its comedy - the jokes, while certainly funny, aren't as memorable as the epic romance between Yuri and Victor, which dominates the series. Still, it's a show that's full of hilarious moments. JJ interrupting Yuuri and Victor's wedding announcement and Phichit's fantasy about everyone dressing up like hamsters are just a couple of examples.
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- 23452 VOTES
Honey and Clover
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- Honey and Clover
- J.C. Staff
If you're a fan of March Comes In Like A Lion but wish it were a little more light-hearted and focused more on romance, you should try Honey and Clover, which is an adaptation of a work from the same creator, Chica Umino. The story takes place at an art college and follows a group of students as they try to make sense of their goals for the future and their love lives.
And oh boy are those love lives complicated. Takemoto is in love with the brilliant but childish Hagumi, while she seems more interested in the eccentric Morita. Meanwhile, pottery student Ayumi has a thing for the very serious Mayama, but he doesn't seem to reciprocate her feelings. This series will make you cry as much as it will make you laugh - no big surprise considering the author's later works.
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- 2493 VOTES
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- Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again
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- 2534 VOTES
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- Astro Note
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