Image via Satelight, Aija-do Animation Works, Kinema Citrus
From adorable high-school romance to working adult couples, there’s a romance anime for everyone’s taste.
For a lot of anime fans, every special occasion or holiday means a break to either revisit their old favourites or find a new show to fall in love with. Valentine’s Day is of course no different. But if you’re boo’ed up this year, then you might be confused about finding good anime shows that will not only fit the rose-tinted mood but also entertain your partner. That’s why, we have collected some short yet utterly teeth-rottenly sweet romance anime series that you can finish with your partner during the V’Day weekend.
10. My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999
Image via Madhouse
This one’s dedicated to all the gamers who have found the person of their dreams. The series follows Akane Kinoshita, a college student whose boyfriend breaks up with her after meeting another girl through an MMORPG game they started playing together. Now single, Akane finds solace in her best friend, and the rest of the members of her guild, especially a high school senior student called Yamada. The quiet and introverted Yamada, who’s a famous gamer, becomes a part of Akane’s everyday life until the two realise they’ve already fallen too far. Along with the sweet central love story, the series also has some adorable moments that gamer couples will relate to. Based on Mashiro’s manga series, this show is perfect for binge-watching. You can find the series on Crunchyroll.
9. Sweet Blue Flowers
Image via J.C. Staff
This Yuri series is from 2009, but that doesn’t mean its charm has faded in the least. Based on Takako Shimura’s manga of the same name, the story focuses on two girls named Fumi and Akira, two childhood friends who reunite in an all-girls high school. Things change when Fumi comes out to Akira and starts dating another drama club member. The girls go through many ups and downs together as friends, and it’s only in the end that anything romantic happens between the two main leads. Despite that, the series offers a pondering look into the lives of a bunch of girls trying to figure out their sexuality and identity with the help of their friends. If you and your partner love coming-of-age stories, then you can watch Sweet Blue Flowers.
8. My Happy Marriage
Image via Kinema Citrus
Is your partner a fan of historical movies and series? Then My Happy Marriage is the perfect way for you to introduce them to anime. Based on Akumi Agitogi’s popular novel series, the show takes place during the Taisho era in Japan and follows an orphan girl named Miyo Saimori, who’s regularly abused by her father, stepmother, and stepsister. However, everything changes when she gets engaged to Kiyoka Kudou, a famously cruel and strict man. Miyo realises that Kiyoka is actually a very kind and quiet person as the two start falling in love with each other. Filled with magic and supernatural enemies, this anime is perfect for spending a day together. A second season of the show is already airing, and you can also read our in-depth analysis of the latest episode, ‘Deep Within the Heart’.
7. Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
Image via Satelight
As the name suggests, this anime is a little out there. Kiyoshi Adachi is a working man who gains the power to read minds after being single for 30 years of his life. After this, he suddenly finds out that his handsome and popular colleague Yuichi Kurosawa is head-over-heels in love with him. At first, Adachi tries to ignore him as he’s straight, but the more he becomes aware of Kurosawa’s sincerity, the more he starts falling for the handsome man. The series also has an adorable second couple. Based on a manga by Yuu Toyota, this short and sweet 12-episode BL anime is available to watch on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
6. Ouran High School Host Club
Image via Bones
If we’re talking about classic romcom anime, then there are few titles more popular than Ouran High School Host Club. Adapted from Bisco Hatori’s manga series of the same name, it tells the story of Haruhi Fujioka, a brilliant girl and a scholarship student who ends up in the Third Music Room of her high school while looking for a place to study. Unbeknownst to her, the room is used by a bunch of handsome students who run a Host Club to entertain women with themed parties and food. After breaking an expensive vase, the Host Club members mistake Haruhi for a boy and ask her to work for them to pay off her debt. Although they later find out her identity, Haruhi’s natural talent as a host makes her a permanent member, and her hilarious escapades with the other club members are heartwarming to watch. The love story between Haruhi and Tamaki is also adorable and perfect. You can watch the anime on Crunchyroll right now.
5. Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night
Image via Doga Kobo
Unlike the other titles on the list, this short anime series is an original work that’s not adapted from a novel or a manga. It follows a 17-year-old girl named Mahiru Kouzuki who has given up on her passion for art after some classmates from her elementary school make fun of her colourful jellyfish mural. Years later, she encounters a girl named Kano Yamanouchi, a former idol with a dark past who loves Mahiru’s artwork. Together, they meet a VTuber named Kiui Watase and a mysterious composer named Mei Takanashi and form an artist group by the name of JELEE. The series delves into a love story between Mahiru and Kano. Moreover, Kiui expresses their gender fluidity in the anime as well. Overall, the series is a great coming-of-age romance anime that delves into themes of trauma, identity, and many other problems teenagers face. Sweet and deep in nature, this show will stay with you for years.
4. Skip and Loafer
Image via P.A. Works
Based on Misaki Takamatsu’s manga of the same name, this is a really heartfelt and hopeful anime series. The story follows a 15-year-old girl named Mitsumi Iwakura, who moves from her hometown on the outskirts of the Ishikawa Prefecture to a school in Tokyo to start her high school. On the first day of school, Mitsumi gets lost and a handsome boy named Sōsuke Shime helps her. As the two become friends, Mitsumi realises that her school and city life is quite different from the rose-tinted dream she had. However, she finds great friends and a blooming romance with Sōsuke, whose bright demeanour lends her strength. Although the romance is a bit of a slow burn, the anime tackles teenage friendship, jealousy, and some other important themes with amazing maturity and kindness. You can watch this show on Crunchyroll.
3. The Dangers in My Heart
Image via Shin-Ei Animation
If you’re looking to watch something a little different with your partner this Valentine’s Day, then we can’t suggest anything better than this anime. It follows a loner student named Kyotaro Ichikawa, who is a Chūnibyō who fantasises about murdering his classmates. His main target is the beautiful, tall, and popular Anna Yamada, who works as a model despite being so young. But the more he observes her, the more he realises that Anna is quite quirky and adorable and not mean and haughty like he had thought. As the two of them start an unlikely friendship, Kyotaro’s urge to murder Anna turns into a completely different feeling. Based on Norio Sakurai’s manga, this love story between two people who seem so different, but are so alike in many aspects will definitely warm your heart. With 24 episodes and an ONA, you can spend your whole evening on the couch with this show.
2. Sasaki and Miyano
Image via Studio Deen
If you’re a fan of romance, chances are you’ve already watched this show. But that doesn’t mean Valentine’s Day isn’t a perfect opportunity to revisit it with your bae. Adapted from Shō Harusono’s manga, the series follows a first-year high school student named Yoshikazu Miyano, who is secretly a fan of BL manga. One day, he meets his senior named Sasaki, who saves Miyano’s friend from some bullies. Miyano starts looking up to his cool senior, who seems to be completely smitten with him. Despite being a fan of BL, Miyano isn’t attracted to guys and doesn’t understand Sasaki’s intentions at first. But when Sasaki starts showing interest in his BL manga and starts spending more time with him, Miyano is swept away by new feelings for his senpai. This BL romance is a must-watch for every romance fan who loves teeth-rotting sweetness.
1. A Sign of Affection
Image via Aija-do Animation Works
Finally, no romance anime suggestion could be complete without this masterpiece from 2024. The story, based on Suu Morishita’s manga, follows a deaf university student named Yuki Itose, who communicates through sign language, lip reading, and texting. One day, she meets a handsome guy called Itsuomi Nagi on the train. It turns out that Itsuomi knows many languages and likes to travel to different countries. Unknown to her, Itsuomi falls in love with Yuki the moment he lays eyes on her and befriends her immediately. As the two fall in love, Yuki realises how much Itsuomi likes her when he starts learning sign language to communicate with her properly. If you don’t like slow burns, then this sweet and unique romance anime is perfect for a cosy evening with your partner.
Do you like reading more than watching anime? Here are some great romance manga series you can read right now.
