Must Watch Romantic Anime TV Series

1. Rent a Girlfriend (2020)

Written by Reiji Miyajima, this anime showcases the bizarre concept-cum-facility provided for the lonely that exists in Japan—online services to rent out dads, mothers, children and even girlfriends and boyfriends! This popular anime entails the story of a college student named Kazuya Kinoshita who after being dumped ruthlessly by his true love, Mami Nanami, becomes desperate to try renting out a girlfriend through an online app in order to ease his pain. Kazuya is shocked by how cute and sweet his rental girlfriend- Chizuru is but ultimately ends up finding out her true self. Forgetting how a rental-girlfriend-deal works, he accuses her of toying with his feelings by putting a fake personality in front of him and ends up giving her poor ratings on the online app. Chizuru is aggravated by Kazuya’s unreasonable behavior. Later, these two are found together under strange circumstances in front of Kazuya’s grandmother who now thinks of Chizuru as his girlfriend, forcing her to play the part. How long can this fussy client, still in love with his ex-girlfriend, and hesitant rental girlfriend can keep up the act?

2. From Me to You (2009)

This highly praised shojo manga-turned-anime adaptation written by Karuho Shiina follows the story of a misunderstood young high schooler, Sawako Kuronuma, whose life takes a turn in the right direction when she meets the most popular and nicest boy in her class named Shouta Kazehaya. With only 2 seasons and 38 episodes this romantic manga has successfully managed to capture the hearts of weebs out there.

Despite her sweet nature, Sawako is misunderstood to be spiteful and scary just like the Sadako character of The Ring Series. She yearns for good friends and a normal life. This wish comes true in the form of cheerful young Shouta Kazehaya. With each encounter, Sawako believes that Kazehaya has changed her life for the better and to her surprise, her presence has also changed Kazehaya. But amidst the happy times, struggle waits for young Sawako in the near future.

3. Tsuki ga Kirei (The Moon Is Beautiful, Isn’t it?) (2017): The title of this coming-of-age romantic anime series written by Yuko Kakihara comes from an ancient Japanese phrase ‘Tsuki ga Kirei, desu ne?’, translating to ‘The Moon is Beautiful, isn’t it?’, is a poetic way of saying ‘I Love You’.

During Japanese writer Natsume Sōseki’s (1867-1916) teaching years, he supposedly overheard a student translating “I love you” rather awkwardly into its literal and direct translation: “Ware Kimi wo Aisu.” Soseki believed—as a product of his time and culture in the Meiji period—that this direct translation rejected Japanese sensibility. Thus, this more subtle, nuanced translation of “the moon is beautiful…” was born. (Source: Tsukiworld)

This anime is about the story of the lives of two students, Akane and Kotaro who become classmates for the first time in their third year of High School. By being put in charge of equipment for a sports festival along with two other classmates, they all slowly grow closer by sharing mutual understandings and feelings. Innocent desire within the hearts of Akane and Kotaro invites a yearning gaze and fluttering heart which introduces young love into their lives. With the doubt of how the other truly feels, the road ahead is dodgy. They must overcome the challenge to mature and become aware of changes in themselves.

4. Maid Sama (2010): This popular anime written by Hiro Fujiwara follows the story of Misaki Ayuzawa who is the first female student council president of Seika High School, having transitioned only recently from an all-boys’ school to a co-ed one and infamous for its rowdy students. Misaki, a strict student president, has zero tolerance towards the notorious behavior of boys and a knack to defend girls of Seika High School. She is a total boss lady and is used to getting things done. She works hard to make the school a better place for girls which has caused her to gain a reputation as a strict boy-hating demon dictator among the male students.

But the flawless Misaki has a cringe secret- she is a part-time maid at a maid café to support her struggling family financially. Soon, this secret is discovered by the most popular boy of Seika High School, Takumi Usui, who is adored not only by the girls but also by the boys. At this point, Usui holds a lot of power over Misaki. He could ruin her reputation with her secret or he could twist things for her… and use this as an opportunity to get closer to Misaki.

5. Kaguya-sama: Love is War (2019)

Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya are the student body’s top representatives at the prestigious Suchiin Academy. Kaguya is the eldest daughter of the wealthy conglomerate family- Shinomiya whereas Miyuki is a well-known top student at the academy known for his perfect academic record. Both of them appear to be the perfect match for each other by their peers until they really do develop feelings for each other. Too proud to confess their true feelings, both of them set out on a stubborn expedition, coming up with many schemes to push one another to confess their feelings. It is a war of pride, war of perfection. It a war of love and there can only be one winner. Written by Aka Akasa, this anime has two seasons with 12 episodes and is definitely a fun watch!

6. The World’s Greatest First Love: This anime is written and illustrated by Shungiku Nakamura and is a Japanese BL Manga Series. The story revolves around Ritsu Onodera, a literally editor at his father’s company publishing company. Scummed to nepotism, stated by his co-wokers, Ritsu decides to leave his father’s company and is determined to walk on a path of establishing himself in the industry. He applies for a job at Marukawa Publishing Company where instead of being placed in the literary division, he gets a job in the infamous shojo-manga department, the Emerald where he encounters his first love and heartbreak from high school, Masamune Takano, who is shown to be the head of the shojo-manga department. Takano is a man of great tenacity. He strives for results! Annoyed by the bizarre environment of this department, Ritsu initially considers resigning but ultimately ends up staying there.

Now with the two reunited after being apart for many years, the reestablishment of their relationship is marked by Takano’s vow to make Ritsu say that he loves him again.