Love is in the air! Join us as we count down our picks for the most swoon-worthy anime series that will make your heart flutter. From high school sweethearts to star-crossed lovers, these shows deliver romance, drama, and unforgettable moments that will leave you reaching for the tissues.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 20 Most Romantic
00:15Anime Series.
00:27Number 20 Snow White With The Red Hair
00:30A creative reimagining of the classic fairy tale, this anime delivers plenty on the romance
00:36front.
00:37Shirayuki is a young herbalist whose unusual red hair attracts the wrong kind of attention.
00:43When Prince Raj orders her to serve as his concubine, it sets her on a journey to freedom,
00:49self-acceptance, and of course, love.
00:56Shirayuki's friendship and eventual romance with Prince Zen Wisteria is well-developed,
01:03with Shirayuki healing Zen from the poisoned apple to their declaration of love.
01:13It helps that Shirayuki is no doormat, but is resourceful and principled.
01:18Despite the differences in their social status, Shirayuki and Zen are equals in all the ways
01:24that matter.
01:30Number 19 My Love Story
01:33A contender for the ultimate feel-good anime, My Love Story simultaneously adheres to and
01:38skirts around romance tropes.
01:47While earnest and inherently likable, Takeo's massive physique tends to be rather off-putting
01:52for girls, especially in comparison to best boy Makoto Tsunakawa.
01:58Fortunately, Rinko Yamato is different.
02:01Along with having an unconventional male protagonist, My Love Story genuinely explores the romance
02:06between Takeo and Rinko, who are an official couple for the majority of the series.
02:20Takeo and Rinko are adorable together, while Madhouse's animation helps add a touch of
02:26magic to make the show shine even brighter.
02:37Number 18 Maison Ikkoku
02:39It's love at first sight when Godai meets Kyoko.
02:47Created by Rumiko Takahashi of Inuyasha and Ranma ½ fame, this slice-of-life anime is
02:56perfect for slow-burn fans.
02:59Set in Tokyo during the 1980s, the series follows young tenant Yusaku Godai's love
03:05for his manager, Kiyoko Otanashi.
03:07But Kiyoko's grief for her late husband impedes their relationship, especially when
03:12both Godai and Kiyoko believe each love other people.
03:23Despite its long episode count, Maison Ikkoku is more than worth your time, especially for
03:29all the twists and turns it has.
03:36Number 17 O-Ran High School Host Club
03:39A classic series that more than earned its reputation, O-Ran High School Host Club walks
03:45the line between sickly sweet and relentlessly hilarious, usually pulling off both tones
03:50splendidly.
03:56As the female lead in a reverse harem, Haruhi is surrounded by various potential suitors,
04:02all of which are quite charming.
04:04That said, most of the overtly passionate displays of affection come from the host club
04:09members entertaining their guests.
04:17While the manga delves deeper into the central romances, the anime has quite a few emotionally
04:22captivating scenes that will tug at the heartstrings of any romantic.
04:34Number 16 Tsurezure Children
04:37What can be better than following one couple on the road to happily ever after?
04:42How about following four?
04:43In this anthology show, young students struggle to confess their feelings for their crushes.
04:53The series is true to the experience of young love, with plenty of fluff, awkwardness, social
04:58comedy, and of course, romance.
05:04Some couples' relationships are established early on, whereas others have a will-they-won't-they
05:09dynamic.
05:11Tsurezure is a short anime, and the relationships are left unresolved.
05:14But for your fluff hit, there are few series better.
05:21Number 15 Maid-sama
05:23In many ways, Maid-sama is fairly conventional and predictable, but the anime is elevated
05:29to a higher level thanks to the main couple's chemistry.
05:42Usui is the ultimate dream boy who loves to tease Misaki, the student council president
05:48who secretly works at a maid cafe.
05:51While Usui gets on Misaki's nerves, the two share an unbreakable bond, one that seems
05:56to defy time and space.
06:06When it comes to romance, Maid-sama is a bit of a slow burner.
06:10That said, whenever Usui and Misaki share the screen, romantic tension is normally not
06:15far behind.
06:26Number 14 Horimiya
06:28Speaking of high school romance, you know you're getting a great one when the title
06:32is a ship name.
06:33Horimiya is a portmanteau of lovers Kyoko Horii and Izumi Miyamura, two high school
06:39students with secrets of their own.
06:41Horii's popularity in school hides the fact that she is raising her young brother on her
06:46own.
06:47Meanwhile, Miyamura is a gloomy otaku at school and a tattooed punk at home.
07:01When they each discover their true identities, the shared secret serves to bring them closer
07:05together.
07:13Horii and Miyamura's romance is sweet and wholesome as they learn to look past the typical
07:18high school stereotypes and get to know each other's true selves.
07:22It's a win for us.
07:31Number 13 Honey and Clover
07:33There's something about romance in an apartment building that is so irresistible.
07:37This time, five college art students get involved in increasingly complicated love triangles
07:43and misunderstandings.
07:51When Hagumi Hanamoto arrives at the complex, it isn't long before students Yuta and Shinobu
07:56fall in love and compete with each other for her affections.
08:02Meanwhile, Takumi falls for widow Rika Harada, while pottery master Ayumi pines for the unavailable
08:10Takumi.
08:11Taking place over four years, the anime skillfully depicts its relationship entanglements with
08:16bittersweet realism.
08:18It's one of the best romantic anime of the mid-aughts.
08:28Number 12 My Dress-Up Darling
08:31This anime is full of love, and not just for cosplay.
08:35Wakana Gojo's talent for tailoring Hina dolls leads to a faithful meeting with fashionista
08:40classmate Marin Kitagawa.
08:47When Marin asks him to make her a costume based on her favorite video game character,
08:51they quickly begin a partnership that eventually becomes much more.
08:55The combination of an extroverted girl with an introverted boy is an entertaining one,
09:00and their moments are sweet and cute.
09:03It's so great to witness shy Wakana step out of his shell and accept his gift, all
09:11thanks to the magic of cosplay.
09:17Number 11 Otakoi!
09:20Love is Hard for Otaku
09:21Considering the target audience, most shoujo anime tend to revolve around teenage characters.
09:27While that is perfectly fine, Otakoi!
09:30Love is Hard for Otaku's older cast comes as a welcome change of pace from the normally
09:35green characters.
09:47Introducing multiple couples at different stages in their relationships, Otakoi!
09:51replaces grandiose declarations of love with more intimate and realistic interactions.
09:58Otakoi's strength lies in the four main characters, who all stand out as individuals
10:06and are not solely defined by their relationship status.
10:10Whenever the anime gets romantic, the moments are always fully earned and effective.
10:20Number 10 The Danger's in My Heart
10:22What a premise.
10:24Loner Kiyotaro Ichikawa fantasizes about murdering his classmates, especially the beautiful
10:30middle-schooler-cum-model Anna Yamada.
10:33What begins as a psychological thriller at best turns into romance as Kiyotaro gets to
10:38know Anna, quirks and all.
10:42Eventually, Kiyotaro opens up to the world through his relationship with her, beginning
10:47to shed his anti-social tendencies.
10:57The anime's comic and unflinching portrayal of middle-school awkwardness and edginess
11:02is one of its strengths.
11:04Kiyotaro and Anna are well-written, and when they do fall in love, it's a satisfying
11:09payoff.
11:10Also, short boy and tall girl, we are more than here for it.
11:16Number 9 Boys Over Flowers
11:19A precursor to O-Ran High School Host Club, this anime follows middle-class Tsukushi Makino
11:25in her first year at the elite Eitoku Academy.
11:29It isn't long before she gets tormented by a group of four boys known as the Flower
11:33Four.
11:40One of these boys, Tsukasa Tomyoji, is intrigued by the strong-willed Tsukushi, but she
11:46— repelled by Tsukasa's arrogance — prefers his much nicer friend, Rui.
11:58But just as Tsukasa and Tsukushi learn to respect one another and eventually get together,
12:04class differences threaten to drive them apart.
12:06It's a satisfying emotional journey.
12:08And Tsukushi's refusal to put up with the Flower Four's taunts is inspiring.
12:13This pride-and-prejudice-style romance is a keeper.
12:22Number 8 A Sign of Affection
12:24It's not every day a series features a character with hearing loss.
12:28Yuki Itose is an ordinary college student, communicating through sign language and lip-reading.
12:35When an English-language tourist asks her for directions, she's rescued by a multilingual
12:40Itsuomi, who it turns out attends her university as well.
12:48Unlike other romance anime, Yuki and Itsuomi's romance is mercifully free of contrived drama,
12:54especially misunderstandings.
12:58Still, there are plenty of obstacles to overcome, including Yuki's obviously jealous friend
13:05Oshi and Itsuomi's friend Emma, who is likewise in love with him.
13:10The romantic development, as well as the show's research into sign language, makes
13:14this anime stand out from the rest.
13:20Number 7 Kami-sama Kiss
13:22Nanami Momozono is an ordinary high school student who becomes unhoused thanks to her
13:27father's gambling debts.
13:29When she saves a man called Mikage from a dog, he gives her his home in gratitude.
13:40It turns out this home is actually a shrine, and Nanami is now its new god.
13:45With the new title comes Mikage's old familiar, a fox demon named Tomoe.
13:51But even as Nanami and Tomoe grow closer, a love between a human and demon cannot be.
13:57Nor can it.
14:01A lighthearted mix of Inuyasha and Fruits Basket, this anime makes its central romance
14:06clear, with Nanami's proactive spunkiness and Tomoe's tsusundere tendencies.
14:12Also, Tomoe changing his mind about Nanami and developing feelings for her is so poignant.
14:19This couple is adorable.
14:28Number 6 My Happy Marriage
14:30We've covered Snow White, and now it's time for Cinderella.
14:34Looked down on for her lack of powers, Mio Saimori is forced by her stepmother to become
14:39a servant in her own house.
14:41Mio hopes, however, of an arranged marriage to escape her awful family.
14:46Unfortunately, her fiancé is none other than Kyoka Kudo, a coldly aloof commander
14:52infamous for his fleeing brides.
14:59Fortunately for Mio, Kyoka is far from the monster he's reputed to be.
15:04A twist on both Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, this anime's romance blossoms
15:09beautifully as Mio gains confidence and Kyoka's icy exterior melts.
15:22My Happy Marriage's themes of overcoming trauma is a powerful and poignant one, with
15:27a main pairing we won't forget anytime soon.
15:35Number 5 Toradora
15:37Like most timeless romances, Ryuji and Taiga's meet-cute ends with the short-tempered girl
15:42punching the misunderstood boy in the face.
15:47Toradora established many tropes that would become increasingly popular in anime and manga,
15:53although few series come close to matching the original.
15:56While the early chapters where Ryuji and Taiga are only begrudgingly helping each other are
16:01mostly comedic, around episode 8, Toradora shifts towards a more dramatic tone.
16:19Romance is sprinkled throughout the entire series.
16:21However, the final seven or so episodes are just one shot to the heart after another.
16:32Number 4 Lovely Complex
16:34The most basic love story involves a boy meeting a girl.
16:38The two do nothing but argue, Cupid appears, causing their feelings to turn to love.
16:53Lovely Complex shows that any formula, no matter how overused, can work when handled
16:57with a deft touch.
16:59Putting aside a substantial size difference, Koizumi and Otani share a lot in common, but
17:05the two equally short-tempered students are constantly struggling to come to grips with
17:09their feelings for each other.
17:19From the pair's hilarious days as friends to the dramatic final stretch packed with
17:24ex-lovers and tear-jerking confessions, Lovely Complex is an unforgettable and frequently
17:29moving journey.
17:34Number 3 Kimi ni Todoke – From Me to You
17:37Sawako Kurunama is kind, shy, and innocent.
17:41Unfortunately, her classmates cannot see beyond the fact that Sawako resembles the girl from
17:47The Ring.
17:53The timid teenager is all alone until the non-judgmental Shoto Kazuhiya stumbles onto
17:59her path, beginning a friendship that is just as much about personal growth as romance.
18:10While the anime takes its sweet time getting there, Kimi ni Todoke does a splendid job
18:15of showing how these two rather different people fall in love.
18:18By the end, Sawako and Kazuhiya feel like proper soulmates, not due to some exciting
18:24Hollywood gesture, but because the couple shares a special bond founded on many awkward
18:29but adorable interactions.
18:37Number 2 Fruits Basket
18:39As an adaptation of the beloved manga and a reboot of 2001's anime adaptation, 2019's
18:46Fruits Basket updates the classic series for a modern audience while sticking true to the
18:51source material's core appeal.
19:03Orphaned and temporarily unhoused, Tohru Honda moves in with the cursed Soma family, who
19:09have a habit of transforming to animals at the slightest touch.
19:18While there are some reverse harem elements, Fruits Basket is more of an emotion-driven
19:23drama that thoroughly explores the psyches of the characters, especially the core trio
19:28of Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki.
19:31Love heartbreak and humor, Fruits Basket has it all.
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19:55Number 1 Kiguyasama – Love is War
19:59All's fair in love and war.
20:01The heads of the student council, President Miyuki Shirogane and Vice President Kaguya
20:06Shinomiya, are among the most powerful students in the whole school.
20:10And of course, there are feelings involved.
20:18The twist?
20:19Shirogane and Kaguya are both tsundere's, who'd rather walk on coals than confess
20:24their feelings for each other.
20:26Cue hilarity as the two try to trick each other into confessing first, with a fun narrator
20:31keeping score.
20:37You could cut through this pair's sexual tension with a knife.
20:41At first played for laughs, and then played straight as the series transitions into drama.
20:46For big laughs and heart-tugging romance, this is the series to watch.
20:55Which other romantic anime series do you feel is a love story for the ages?
20:59Let us know in the comments.
21:05Do you agree with our picks?
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