10 Must-Watch Romance Anime for Valentine’s Day and Beyond

Ah, romance anime, capturing first-loves with the kind of “if this doesn’t work out, my life will literally end” energy that would make Romeo and Juliet blush, as crushes are strung on for seasons on end in service of simple hand-holding scenes. In all seriousness, though, if anime is (somewhat reductively) known for something in broader culture besides people shooting energy blasts, it’s for a general emotional intensity: that type of burning passion happens to be a perfect match for romance stories, which may explain why the medium has so dang many great will-they-wont-theys. Out of the countless meet-cutes, doomed love triangles, and cathartic confessions, we’ve rounded up ten of the best romance anime to keep you cheering and sobbing this Valentine’s Day and beyond.
Fruits Basket (2019)
Fruits Basket’s exploration of deeply rooted familial trauma hits like a truck. We follow Tohru, a high schooler who recently lost her mom in an accident and subsequently finds herself taken in by two classmates estranged from their influential family. She quickly learns their secret: that Yuki and Shigure bear a “curse” that runs in the Soma clan, causing them to occasionally transform into zodiac animals. While this begins as a wacky setup, the series eventually explores the abuse wrought by those with power in this family, as Tohru meets and aids the other bearers of the curse. Although the age of the source material occasionally rears its head in ugly ways, at its core, this is a story with a great deal of empathy, and it is incredibly rewarding to watch our plucky heroine help these people heal and confront the status quo. However, what makes this work as a romance tale is that this kindness isn’t a one-way street, and in return, Tohru’s companions help her confront deeply buried pain as she fully processes the loss of her parents. By its second half, the show grows into a consistently excellent narrative about familial healing, earning its romantic conclusion through building friendship and then more between its protagonist and her partner. If you check it out, make sure to bring some tissues. —Elijah Gonzalez
Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances
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Hideaki Anno’s take on the romantic comedy genre is, of course, a strange examination of conventional genre tropes. Anno’s adaptation of Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances was notoriously reviled by mangaka Masami Tsuda, but nevertheless became a cult favorite among shoujo fans for its playful exuberance and psychological spin on melodrama. If you can ignore the show’s dwindling budget affecting the show’s quality in its final episodes, Kare Kano is an innovative work that questions the tenets of the will-they-won’t-they by asking what happens when they do? Where do we go after that? The show’s themes are only bolstered by its beautifully flawed central duo—the couple’s issues are palpable and so human, a refreshing change from the petty miscommunications that often drive the plots of romcoms (anime or otherwise). As introspective as it is hilarious, Kare Kano is an essential show for any anime fan, new or old. —Austin Jones
Bloom Into You
While many anime and manga fall flat in their depictions of queer romance, Bloom Into You avoids many of these stumbling blocks, portraying the burgeoning relationship between its leading heroines with care. The story begins after Yuu, a freshman in high school, runs into Touko, a popular girl in line to become the next student council president. As the two begin falling for each other, things become complicated by Yuu’s confusion over what it means to be in love and Touko’s survivor guilt over a personal tragedy. One of the series’ greatest strengths is how its direction extrapolates the mental state of its characters, using visual metaphors to capture Yuu’s alienation regarding her perceptions of romantic feelings and Touko’s unresolved grief that pushes her away from others. These two working through the dissonance between external expectations and how they truly feel ties in with the series’ broader exploration of the social stigmas faced by those in queer relationships. Additionally, its representation of multiple LGBTQ+ pairings, including one between adult women, provides a greater range of perspectives while also pushing back on longstanding harmful stereotypes in anime that portray being gay as an “adolescent phase.” There are a few blunders, but this story captures the authenticity of Yuu and Touko’s love, its strong aesthetic identity making their feelings hit home. While the show doesn’t fully adapt the source material, the manga has a perfect conclusion and is a must-read if you enjoy what’s here. —Elijah Gonzalez
Kaguya-sama Love Is War
From the start, Kaguya-sama Love Is War quickly proved to be one of the most visually inventive and gut-busting anime around, its non-stop gags conveying the lengths that its two protagonists were willing to go to avoid confessing their true feelings. Here Kaguya and Shirogane, the heads of the student council at an elite high school, come up with increasingly intricate schemes to make the other slip. Their heavily calculated ploys are brought to life with frenetic, art-style-switching creative fervor that accomplishes the difficult task of keeping a single gag fresh through dozens of episodes. However, although it’s carried by the strength of its animation and comedy up front, later seasons give its cast depth by establishing their previous hardships and current struggles. Most pointedly, these trials and flashbacks clarify the deeper reasons why many of its characters are in love in the first place, with past moments of kindness and inspiration bubbling to the forefront. It turns out that there are more interesting reasons for why Kaguya and Shirogane engage in psychological skirmishes than just being prideful, boneheaded teens. While its maelstrom of aesthetically expressive gags hasn’t let up, this series’ ambitions have grown with its protagonists, transforming a humorous romp into a genuinely affecting romance story. —Elijah Gonzalez