Best Romance Anime: Tearjerkers, Rom-Coms, and Sweet Classics

Romance in anime is rarely just “cute.” It’s pride, timing, guilt, a confession that almost doesn’t happen—and the quiet moments before anyone says the words out loud. That’s why the best romance anime stick: not because of one perfect kiss scene, but because the relationship feels earned.

Below is a curated guide to romance anime worth your time: tearjerkers, romantic comedies, sweet shoujo classics, and a long name list for browsing. Many of these titles show up on legal platforms such as Crunchyroll; availability and free-vs-premium access change by country and plan.

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Heartbreaking romance anime

If you want romance that hits hard, start here. These series lean into drama, loss, and relationships that sit in your chest long after the credits.

Clannad / Clannad: After Story

Across two seasons, Tomoya and Nagisa grow from awkward high-school chemistry into a relationship that has to survive real life. Character work, everyday detail, and a soundtrack that does half the emotional lifting put this among the strongest romance anime ever made—and one that sits comfortably next to any list of sad anime that actually make you cry.

Say “I Love You” (Sukitte Ii na yo.)

Tachibana Mei has never really had friends—until Kurosawa Yamato takes an interest in her and her closed-off life starts to open. Short, clear, and complete in 12 episodes: a gentle school romance when you want something warm without a 50-episode commitment.

Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso)

Piano prodigy Kousei Arima has stopped playing after trauma—until free-spirited violinist Kaori crashes into his world and forces the music back in. Stunning art, an unforgettable soundtrack, and 22 episodes of romance and drama that most fans never forget.

Nana

Two women named Nana move in together: one chasing a band career, the other craving a “normal” love life. Adult stakes, music, friendship, and messy relationships—one of the most dramatic, grown-up romance classics in anime.

Romeo × Juliet

The famous tragedy retold in animation with its own worldbuilding. Drama and romance stay, the setting feels fresher—a solid pick if you love star-crossed love stories but want them in anime form.

Bokura ga Ita

A girl gets involved with a boy she first reads as arrogant—the popular type who seems to have half the school wrapped around him. Under the surface is a bitter past she slowly tries to understand. Bittersweet school romance with real emotional weight.

Also worth a nod: Kokuhaku Jikkou Iinkai — a music project packed with confession-and-heartbreak motifs rather than a single continuous series plot.

More heartbreaking romance picks

• Kimi ga Nozomu Eien
• Ao Haru Ride
• Full Moon wo Sagashite
• Nagi no Asukara
• Plastic Memories
• ef: A Tale of Melodies
• Anohana
• Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora
• Angel Beats!

Romantic comedy anime

Rom-coms live on timing, misunderstandings, and people who get in their own way. These are the classics and perennial rewatches.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War

The student council president and vice president are brilliant, popular—and secretly in love. Instead of confessing, each tries to force the other to say it first. Mind games, comedy, and one of the sharpest modern romantic comedies in anime.

Golden Time

Banri starts college and is drawn to Kouko—but an accident erased parts of his past. Twenty-four episodes of campus romance with humor, jealousy, and the serious fallout of memory loss.

Toradora!

Ryuuji looks scary, obsesses over cleanliness, and falls for one girl—until short, sharp-tongued Taiga teams up with him so each can chase their crush. One of the most popular romance anime of all time, and a gateway rom-com for a reason.

My Love Story!! (Ore Monogatari!!)

A huge guy who has never felt truly loved meets a girl who falls for him without irony. Lots of comedy, lots of sweetness, almost no cynicism—a weird, warm romantic comedy that sticks the landing.

Side note: romance hides inside a huge share of comedy anime—sometimes as a subplot, sometimes as the engine of the whole show.

The Familiar of Zero (Zero no Tsukaima)

Saito is summoned by Louise into a magic school world and treated as her “familiar.” Over multiple seasons it becomes a chaotic isekai love story with action and classic tsundere energy.

Maid Sama! (Kaichou wa Maid-sama!)

The strict student council president secretly works at a maid café to support her family. When the school’s most popular boy finds out and starts chasing her, the game is on—she hates guys; he won’t quit.

Lovely Complex

She’s tall, he’s short, and they spend half the series roasting each other—until teasing turns into something real. A romantic comedy classic with height-difference gags and surprisingly honest emotional beats.

Tomo-chan Is a Girl!

Tomo is athletic, rough around the edges, and childhood friends with Junichirou—while secretly crushing on him hard. Because she often comes off “like one of the guys,” getting closer is awkward, funny, and sincere. Modern school rom-com with real chemistry.

Nisekoi

Raku is the son of a yakuza boss; Chitoge is the daughter of a rival family. They’re forced to fake a relationship to keep the peace—while Raku still clings to a childhood promise. Fake dating, comedy, and harem chaos; more on that pattern in our guide to fake love and arranged-relationship anime.

More romantic comedy anime

• Oregairu (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU)
• Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
• Haganai
• Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!
• Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
• Ouran High School Host Club
• Special A
• Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
• Nodame Cantabile
• Honey and Clover
• Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai
• Fruits Basket

Cute (kawaii) romance anime

Less battlefield energy, more butterflies: slow confessions, school days, and characters you actually want to spend time with.

Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride)

Futaba likes Kou—things start going well, then he vanishes. When he returns, nothing is simple. Sweetness and drama in classic shoujo rhythm.

Kimi ni Todoke

Sawako scares classmates because her name and look echo Sadako from The Ring—until a popular boy actually sees her. Slow, tender romance that many fans treat as the gold standard of gentle shoujo love.

Snow White with the Red Hair (Akagami no Shirayuki-hime)

An herbalist meets a prince from a neighboring kingdom. The story takes its time, stays warm and polite—fantasy romance without drowning you in manufactured angst.

Horimiya

Kyoko Hori is the model popular student; Izumi Miyamura looks quiet and plain at school. Both hide who they really are—and once the masks drop, the relationship feels surprisingly normal and close. A 2020s favorite for a reason.

More cute romance anime

• Sasameki Koto
• Kanon
• Sakura Trick (yuri)
• Kare Kano (Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou)
• School Rumble
• Amagami SS

Other romance anime and movies

Looking for younger protagonists? Try our piece on romance anime with younger characters. Genre lines blur constantly: action and comedy shows often carry strong love stories—from Kokoro Connect to Sword Art Online.

Makoto Shinkai’s films sit in a league of their own. Your Name. (Kimi no Na wa.) follows two teens in distant places who swap bodies—a romantic animation hit with iconic imagery and real-world locations (more in real settings used in Kimi no Na wa.).

More titles worth looking up later:

• ReLIFE – comedy, slice of life, romance
• Tsuki ga Kirei – quiet high-school romance
• Chobits – romantic comedy with a sci-fi edge
• Plastic Memories – tearjerker romance
• Guilty Crown – action with a strong love thread
• Koi Kaze
• Hana Yori Dango / Boys Over Flowers
• Please Teacher! (Onegai Teacher)
• Masamune-kun’s Revenge – romantic comedy
• Bakuman
• Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun – romantic comedy
• Re:Zero – isekai/action with central relationships

Big browsing list of romance titles

Below is a long name list of classics and perennial recommendations from the romance-and-love-subplot corner of anime—not a scientific ranking, and not a claim that romance is the only focus of every entry. Some are pure shoujo love stories; others are action shows with an unforgettable couple. Use it as a browse list next to the fuller write-ups above.

1. Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
2. Toradora!
3. Say “I Love You”
4. Kamisama Kiss
5. Wolf Girl and Black Prince
6. Kimi ni Todoke
7. Ao Haru Ride
8. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
9. Ouran High School Host Club
10. Special A
11. Lovely Complex
12. Noragami
13. Your Lie in April
14. Golden Time
15. Fruits Basket
16. Akagami no Shirayukihime
17. Yona of the Dawn
18. Nisekoi
19. Inu × Boku SS
20. The Pet Girl of Sakurasou
21. Spice and Wolf
22. Vampire Knight
23. Itazura na Kiss
24. Skip Beat!
25. Your Name.
26. Zero no Tsukaima
27. Ore Monogatari!!
28. Kokoro Connect
29. Plastic Memories
30. Charlotte
31. Anohana
32. Bokura ga Ita
33. Junjou Romantica
34. Clannad
35. Kyoukai no Kanata
36. Chivalry of a Failed Knight
37. Hiiro no Kakera
38. Rosario + Vampire
39. Kotoura-san
40. Sword Art Online
41. Lovestage!!
42. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi
43. Gosick
44. Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!
45. Cardcaptor Sakura
46. Diabolik Lovers
47. Sailor Moon
48. High School DxD
49. Steins;Gate
50. Guilty Crown
51. Nodame Cantabile
52. Fushigi Yuugi
53. The Story of Saiunkoku
54. One Week Friends
55. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
56. Kiss Him, Not Me
57. No Game No Life
58. Peach Girl
59. Btooom!
60. Chobits
61. Nagi no Asukara
62. A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi)
63. Orange
64. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works
65. Rurouni Kenshin
66. Eureka Seven
67. Spice and Wolf II
68. Boys Over Flowers
69. The Wallflower
70. Kodocha
71. Shakugan no Shana
72. Oh My Goddess!
73. Mirai Nikki
74. Hotarubi no Mori e
75. The Garden of Words
76. Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
77. Please Teacher!
78. Oregairu
79. Karin
80. Akame ga Kill!
81. Yuri!!! on Ice
82. Amagami SS
83. Tokyo Mew Mew
84. ReLIFE
85. Kiss Him, Not Me (Watashi ga Motete Dousunda)
86. Ai Yori Aoshi
87. Nana
88. Full Metal Panic!
89. Monogatari Series
90. Horimiya
91. Kaguya-sama: Love is War
92. Tomo-chan Is a Girl!

Which romance series hit you hardest—pure drama, soft sweetness, or rom-com chaos? Drop your pick in the comments and help other readers fill the gaps.