Summary
- Love And Lies: A rebellion against a government-regulated romance system.
- Emma: A classic love story that defies societal expectations.
- Honobono Log: Focuses on established love stories, not just beginnings.
There are dozens of romance anime released every year, spread out between seasons to touch the hearts of anime fans all over the world. Stories of young love, unrequited romance, and tragic relationships make for entrapping entertainment as viewers get to experience a storm of emotions that come with the vulnerability of beginning to date and finding true love.
While some of the best romance anime receive monumental praise, there are just as many romance anime that fly under the radar. There is a smorgasbord of available series that have unique takes on romance and explore LGBTQ+ concepts. Here are some of the best romance anime that even fans of the genre might never have heard of.
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7 Love And Lies
Individuals Rebel Against A System That Tries To Engineer Love
- Studio: LIDENFILMS
- Number Of Episodes: 12
In a time when love, intimacy, and marriage are regulated by a government-instilled program, a select few try to step outside the box and find something real. Love and Lies takes place in a distant future where, to combat declining birth rates, an organization called "The Red Threads Of Science" imposes a system where teens are assigned partners while in high school.
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Misaki Taksaki decides to break away from the arrangements and follow her heart, chasing after her school crush. A tangled web develops when her prince charming is assigned a life partner, and they must act accordingly to keep their love a secret.
6 Emma: A Victorian Romance
The Importance Of Honor, Tradition, and Fighting Against Them
- Studio: Pierrot
- Number Of Episodes: 12
Emma is a maid for a prominent family. She has found her place in the world and found happiness in her own way with a life she can smile about. Just when she thinks she has everything she wanted, she gets something unexpected. Opposites attract as Emma and the son of a wealthy family named John find themselves in love. While the traditions and etiquette of their era don't look kindly on the fraternizing between their stations and classes, Emma and John refuse to be discouraged. Under constant scrutiny, a destined love fights to survive while jumping hurdle after hurdle.
5 Honobono Log
An Anthology Focused Love Series
- Studio: Fanworks
- Number Of Episodes: 10
Most romance anime follow budding love stories, featuring distant soulmates who must navigate the rocky road of emotions to find the perfect moment to begin their journey as a couple. Honobono Log takes a different approach to romance, telling stories about multiple already-established couples and marriages. This series delves into the day-to-day lives of lovers and families, overlooking the fantastical nature of love and instead focusing on the mundane, putting the good and the bad under a spotlight to showcase natural, real, dedicated love with all its ups and downs.
4 Tsurezure Children
Young Love Blossoms In A Number of Ways
- Studio: Studio Gokumi
- Number Of Episodes: 12
Tsurezure Children is a short but lovable romance anime series that explores multiple soon-to-be couples as they traverse the bumpy road of flirting. The series consists of a colorful bunch of characters with eccentricities that make them interesting to watch. Each episode showcases quirky and adorable interactions between the lovebirds, from the first kiss to the confession, and everything in between. The series delivers these escapes in brief episodes that capture the truly special moments in a beautiful sequence.
3 Gravitation
A Dramatic Series Of Pop-Star Meets Boy
- Studio: Studio Deen
- Number Of Episodes: 13
Gravitation is a whimsical series that delivers an over-the-top romance between a pop idol and a famous novelist. Shuichi Shindou is a rapidly rising vocal artist who finds himself in a rocky romance with accomplished novelist Eri Yuuki.
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While Shuichi is a bubbly ball of energy who has fallen head over heels, Yuuki is a cold and distant man who fends off Shuichi's emotional advances. In enemies-to-lovers fashion, the toxic romance is a comical yet impactful series that explores communication, trauma, and mental health.
2 Love Me, Love Me Not
A Love Game That Goes Around In Circles
- Studio: A-1 Pictures
- Number Of Episodes: 1
Yuna struggles to recover after a rough spring break, having lost her best friend who moved away. Feeling more than just down in the dumps, she is taken by surprise by an attractive young boy who resembles a prince from her favorite manga.
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Smitten and claiming love at first sight, Yuna has a second encounter with a new neighbor who turns out to be the brother of her latest romantic interest. The plot thickens as crushes develop all around and feelings become entangled in moral obligations. Love Me, Love Me Not is a classic love triangle plus one situation.
1 Boys Be...
A Different Perspective For A Familiar Story
- Studio: Hal Film Maker
- Number Of Episodes: 13
Boys' Be... Is a unique series that follows young love from the male perspective, with the primary focus being on Kyoichi Kanzaki. Nothing is as unpredictable as young love, and Kyoichi never expected love to spring between him and his childhood friend, Chiharu. While Kyoichi's first experience with love, Boys Be..., tells the story of three young men as they navigate the battlefield of love, the series delves into the female side of the emotional process and their desires in relationships. The young men take on everything from cheating, unrequited love, and just overall bad luck.
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